2021 Chapter Leaders Meeting Recap

Every year during the ACFE Global Fraud Conference, we hold a live Chapter Leaders meeting for leaders who attend the conference. As in 2020, because this year’s Global Fraud Conference was virtual, we held our leaders meeting virtually as well. With the meeting being virtual, we invited all chapter leaders around the world to attend, regardless of whether the chapter leader was registered for the conference. By opening this meeting to all leaders, more than 200 of you were able to attend and participate.

This year’s meeting was held on June 17 and 18, meeting for about two hours each day. Many chapter leaders from around the world used the opportunity to attend the meeting for the first time, connecting with other leaders and learning from each other’s experiences.

The Chapter Leaders Meeting was co-presented by James Rumph, CFE, president of the Central Ohio Chapter, and Matt Molchany, CFE, president of the South Florida Chapter. Both are members of the Chapter Leaders Committee that helped develop the agenda and content for the meeting.

On the first day, we discussed membership growth during COVID-19. Of the chapters that gained members in 2020, the average increase was 24%. Chapters with the highest growth over the past year shared a few of their successes. Nicole Chute, CFE, president of the Calgary Chapter, indicated they doubled their membership in 2020. Since the cost of virtual platforms was minimal, they didn’t charge members for their virtual events and could offset their costs by only charging non-members.

Jim Lund, CFE, president of the Twin Cities Chapter, shared his chapter’s experience with a direct mail campaign, which was a major factor resulting in a 43% membership increase. Rural members appreciated the physical mailer and being able to connect and attend events virtually.

We also discussed different types of pricing that chapters charge for membership. Tim Harvey, CFE, president of the UK Chapter, described the chapter as one of many that do not charge dues and are very successful in only charging fees for events. Many chapters charge a standard rate for CFEs, Associates and affiliates. Brandi Steinberg, CFE, vice president of the Georgia Area Chapter, discussed their pricing structure. They offer the standard 1-year membership fee, as most chapters offer, and a 2-year membership fee. They also offer a package fee, which includes a 1-year membership and monthly trainings that equate to 13 CPE credits. They offer another package fee which includes a 1-year membership, their monthly trainings, and their chapter’s annual conference.

On the second day, we discussed looking past COVID-19 to the types of events that chapters plan on offering in the future. One thing we learned during COVID-19 is that virtual events can be very profitable, and those profits can be used for chapter-related initiatives such as obtaining a new association management system or updating a chapter’s website. Some chapters gave back to their members by offering other free trainings, merchandise, CFE Exam study materials, etc.

We also discussed chapter collaboration on events. In 2020, the South Florida Chapter teamed up with more than 20 other chapters in a series of events and even offered a profit-sharing model. In 2021, there are a few other chapters that are also holding events and partnering together. This works especially well for those chapters that haven’t yet held virtual events or for events that won’t compete with their regularly scheduled courses. Several chapters indicated that the collaboration with other chapters was crucial to getting through the pandemic and offering training opportunities to their members.

These are just a few of the highlights discussed over the two days. Whether or not you attended this year’s meeting, you are welcome to view the slides presented at the meeting. We also recorded the presentation, and you can watch it at your convenience.

If you have attended the ACFE Global Fraud Conference but have not made it to a Chapter Leaders meeting, I encourage you to do so in the future. It is an investment of a few hours that could yield big dividends for your chapter.

Thank you to all who attended, and I look forward to an even better meeting next year.