ACFE Chapters 2020 Year in Review

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2020 was a year like we’ve never seen. We could not have predicted that it would be nearly impossible to hold any in-person training opportunities for the majority of the year. However, I am proud that so many chapters seized the opportunity to learn new technology, offer events virtually, and continue serving their members. Now, it’s time to look back at all we accomplished in 2020 and celebrate how the chapters have impacted the growth of the ACFE. Here are some highlights from the past year.

New Chapters
The ACFE welcomed three international chapters and two U.S.-based chapters in 2020. We now have 197 ACFE chapters worldwide. The new chapters are:

Chapter Awards Winners
At the 31st Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, the Central Ohio Chapter was named Chapter of the Year, and the Rhode Island Chapter was recognized for the Chapter Website of the Year.

Chapter Leaders Meeting
Nearly 300 chapter leaders attended the Chapter Leaders Meeting at the 31st Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference. Presentations were given by Rhode Island Chapter President Evan Lemoine, CFE, and Central Ohio Chapter President James Rumph, CFE. At the meeting, we discussed challenges faced during COVID-19, offering virtual events, and retaining members during the pandemic. This was the first virtual chapter leaders meeting we have held. Due to its popularity, we plan on offering more virtual leaders meetings throughout 2021.

Scholarship Fundraising Challenge
Due to COVID-19, many chapters were unable to participate in the annual Scholarship Fundraising Challenge. However, 20 chapters were still able to donate and raise more than $60,000 to support the ACFE Foundation. Thank you to all the ACFE chapters that helped make the 2020 Scholarship Fundraising Challenge so successful.

Other Accomplishments

  • More than 30 chapters supported the 20th anniversary of International Fraud Awareness Week. Many of those chapters hosted a variety of creative learning activities. Our Lebanon Chapter aired podcasts each day of the week on topics such as romance scams, phishing, fake charities, and more. The Samoa Chapter created and shared a video highlighting the importance of fraud prevention and awareness.

  • Most chapters successfully transitioned from offering live events to virtual events. Due to the low cost of the virtual platform, many chapters offered more events in 2021 than they have in previous years.

  • The South Florida Chapter held a series of virtual events and partnered with 22 other ACFE chapters. This enabled them to have more than 300 attendees at one of their events.

  • The Pittsburgh Area Chapter held their annual conference virtually. More than 450 people attended the conference.

  • The Central Indiana Chapter held their annual Professional Development Conference. Normally, their capacity is 100; however, with this year’s event being held virtually, they were able to surpass 100 attendees.

  • The Melbourne Chapter remains heavily involved with several area universities where they discuss the ACFE and potential careers for students in forensics and fraud. They also present an annual award to the top student in the subject.

  • The Philadelphia Area Chapter partnered with nearby universities/colleges to launch a fraud-themed case competition named the Fraud and Internal Control Case Competition. The competition began in 2014 and has grown each year.

We would like to thank each and every one of you for supporting ACFE initiatives and volunteering your time to provide assistance to ACFE members. You provide an invaluable service to the anti-fraud community around the globe. We look forward to another great year and more accomplishments in 2021.