How Do I Get More Out of FPA NCA?

President’s Message by Ryan Fleming, CFP®

Happy June FPAers. I was thinking about a gathering we had with some younger members in May that drew about 40 individuals. One of the big takeaways was that they really want to be involved, but they don’t always feel welcomed. It occurred to me that it might not just be this group that feels that way.

Each of us pays our required annual dues – there are 825 members in our chapter. We’re a top five chapter. The biggest gatherings – our symposia – see 150 (spring) to 300 (winter) of us in attendance. Some of us even go to monthly lunch, learning, and networking meetings – 90 to 120 for each of our luncheons. But the NCA board has 16 volunteers as committee co-chairs on just 9 committees.

We have room for many. Our golf committee was 12 members deep, and they could probably have used a couple additional volunteers. Programs, professional development, and government relations committees don’t have any committee members beyond the board members. Joining a committee is easy and it’s a great way to dip your toe into the waters of FPA. Also, if you have any interest in a board position, joining a committee is the fastest way to get there. Go to the last page of any newsletter for the list of committees and chairs. Or, if you have a few minutes, take a look at the board member job descriptions in the About/Governing Documents section to see if anything interests you.

With our new web host comes a neat new classified section. Check it out at FPANCA.org, click Financial Professionals, run your pointer over Newsletters, and click on Job Bank. Last month, we had six people; in May, that was down to two. If you have a position you need to fill or you want to put your résumé out there for the world to see, send a note to Peggy (peggynelson8@verizon.net) so she can assist with getting your posting set up.

We have one more luncheon before fall – July 11^th at Maggiano’s in Tysons. Jay Mooreland, a CFP® and a behavioral economist, presents The Emotional Investor – Solving Client Volatility. Hope to see you there. In the meantime, if you want to connect, please reach out to me or one of my fellow board members.