“ADVOCATE” It is just a word, but oh does it have such important
meaning.
I’ll come back to that in a
few moments. Last month at the State Convention in Richland I was elected your
President for the 2013/2014 NAIFA year. I am happy to serve in this capacity
and I plan to have a very successful year in several areas but today I am going
to speak about advocacy. You might be thinking that has to do with calling,
emailing, writing and visiting our state and national legislators. You would be
correct most of the time but now I am going to broaden the scope of the word
and its significance to our profession, our association and our clients.
NAIFA’s mission statement
reads: The mission of the National Association of Insurance and Financial
Advisors is to advocate for a positive legislative and regulatory environment,
enhance business and professional skills, and promote the ethical conduct of
our members.
NAIFA is using the word
advocate as a verb which according to Webster means “to plead in favor of.” Of
course we are in favor of and plead for the benefit of our industry and our
clients in encouraging positive action from our legislators. But I think it is
equally or more important to view the word in its definition as a noun. Webster
says: 1. One that pleads the cause of another, specifically one that pleads the
cause of another before a tribunal or judicial court. 2. One that defends or
maintains a case or proposal. 3. One that supports or promotes the trust of
another.
I see a remarkable
correlation between the mission statement and these definitions. NAIFA
leadership is smart. As NAIFA members we
are professionals that pay our dues, which is critical to the organization’s
existence, and aspire to the code of ethics in everything we do. Please take a
few moments and read the Code of Ethics if you have it proudly framed and
displayed in your office, or go online to NAIFA.org to read them and or order a
copy suitable for framing.
I submit to you that we all
become “Advocates.” We all, and I mean
“all” need to advocate for our profession through contacts with legislators
when asked or even when not asked. Advocate for our profession in the general
public to bring about a greater appreciation for what we do to help people and
the community at large. We need to advocate for our association through
education such as LUTC to promote the skills needed to adequately support our
clients, and our own families as well. We need to advocate for our association
by increasing membership numbers. We should all be aware of the struggles
membership organizations have been facing for many years now. Some have gone by
the wayside and some are hanging by a thread. Ours is solvent and strong, and
as you should also know, the most significant force in
Washington DC. We all, not just the 20%
of us, need to bring in at least one new member this year. It seems like an
easy thing to accomplish but I and you know how it goes. We think, “I’ll call
on so and so this week about NAIFA” and then a month later say the same thing
and before we know it a year has gone by.
Please carry a membership app with you or when stopping by to see
someone about NAIFA go online right in their office to get them to join on the
spot. We know human nature in that the person saying “ I’ll get to it later” means
well but doesn’t get to it. I have an app with me so if we can’t go online I’ll
have them fill it out right then and fax it in when back in my office.
I thank you “NAIFA Member
Advocates” in advance for your commitment to
building your profession and your association. Let’s work together for
the common good and remember, “IT PAYS TO BE A MEMBER”
Kevin Gleim, LUTCF, FICF
President 2013-2014
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