IGFOA | About IGFOA

ABOUT IGFOA

Illinois GFOA
Learning, Connecting, Progressing

MISSION: To promote excellence in governmental finance through leadership, education, professional development, peer support, and communication so as to advocate best practices and advance the competence and effectiveness of local government finance officers in Illinois.

As an individual responsible for governmental fiscal policy and management, you’ll find that membership in the Illinois GFOA helps you to improve your knowledge, skills and performance, while offering you the high quality support on which today’s finance officer thrives.

Membership includes email newsletters and the Leader newsletter, the online Membership Directory, access to the Members Information Exchange, discounted seminar and conference fees, chapter membership, advocacy on financial and technical issues of importance to IGFOA members, numerous opportunities for professional skill building and networking and a resource for information on hot topics.

LEARNING
Regional Career Development Seminars
Stay on top of new State and Federal regulations and evolving technologies
Continue to sharpen your public finance skills

Hot Topic Seminars and Workshops
Get the latest information on new regulations and practices

Peer-to-Peer Resource and Information Exchange
An easy way to find assistance from other finance professionals

Annual Conference
Share ideas on current government finance issues
Further develop technical and management skills
Hear relevant speakers in sessions on timely issues
Network with fellow finance professionals

Low-cost seminars
Offered on a wide variety of topics
Held throughout the state, as well as in nearby states in cooperation with other Government Finance Officers associations
Take part in basic and advanced courses on topics such as Governmental Accounting, Cash Management, Debt Administration, Budgeting and Capital

Illinois Public Pension Institute
Stay on top of changes in the intricate world of public pensions.

CONNECTING
Member Newsletter
Information ranging from GASB updates to state finance happenings to Internet how-tos. Members also receive a monthly e-newsletter.

Chicago Metro, South Metro and Downstate Chapters, Assistants Network and Regional Groups
Regional networking, education and information exchange
IGFOA dues include one chapter affiliation, with additional affiliations at a nominal fee
Women's Network fee covers four luncheon meetings (for the member or a designee) and notice of all activities—open to all IGFOA members

Membership Directory
The on-line directory lists all members and their employers, contact numbers and e-mail addresses. The IGFOA web site include a Financial Services Guide listing all Sponsoring Associate Firms and their areas of expertise and contact information.

PROGRESSING
Legislative Committee
Monitors activities of the Illinois General Assembly and State administrative agencies
Represents member interests before these bodies and works with other organizations to represent the interests of local governments

Technical Accounting Review Committee
Monitors and comments on the activities and rulings of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), the rule-setting body for governmental accounting
Represents members by providing testimony to the GASB on proposed standards
Educates the Illinois GFOA membership on those standards

Illinois GFOA committees
Additional committees provide an opportunity to get involved in the association and extend knowledge, skills and service
Committees include the Conference Program Committee, Conference Social Committee, Career Development Committee, and the Membership Committee

Professional Standards

Active (public sector) members in IGFOA adhere to the GFOA Code of Professional Ethics.

Associate Membership
Open to finance professionals who provide services to public finance operations.
Categories are Sponsoring Firm and Individual
Additional privileges include recognition in the Membership Directory and the Annual Conference program, Conference sponsorships and inclusion of written materials in association-provided packets.

IGFOA announces alliance with Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies

New address!

May 2, 2007

Illinois Government Finance Officers Association and Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies initiated a new alliance to provide IGFOA with association management services. Specific services include staff support and office space. IGFOA staff are now employees of NIU assigned to IGFOA support full-time.

IGFOA Executive Board President Robert Fialkowski and Executive Director Marianne Shank began negotiations with NIU last August and with the Executive Board's input and approval finalized a contract in March 2007. President Fialkowski cited the following benefits to the Association:

Staff office and primary training site will again be in the same facility, improving planning and use of staff time.
Both full-time staff will receive employee benefits that the association could not feasibly provide on its own, such as retirement plan and health insurance. Being able to provide these benefits will also enhance future staff recruitment.
IGFOA will have access to the resources and expertise of the NIU Center for Governmental Studies. The Center also provides association support services to the following organizations: ILCMA, Chicago APWA, Illinois Institute for Local Government Law, and the DuPage Federation.
The IGFOA will no longer be an employer, though the Executive Board will continue to be responsible for setting strategic direction, providing policy guidance, assigning priorities, and evaluating performance.

During negotiations, Robert Gleeson, Director of the NIU Center for Governmental Studies noted that this agreement strengthens the Center's connection with Illinois local governments and affirms their support for the development of professional practices and policies for governments.

Aside from phasing in new contact information, IGFOA member services will continue to be provided without interruption. IGFOA members will receive updated telephone numbers and mailing address once the office move is complete in late spring. NEW CONTACT INFO

Answers to common questions that arose while the Executive Board worked on this arrangement are shared below. If you have additional questions, please contact IGFOA Executive Director Marianne Shank at 630-505-0679.

Why is the IGFOA office moving? I thought the Westmont office was rent free – why change?

IGFOA’s current lease with the Village of Westmont extends through August of 2008 and does not require IGFOA to pay rent. The Village of Westmont asked IGFOA to consider a new lease effective May 2007 that would require IGFOA to pay annual rent of $11,606. As we were already discussing staffing arrangements with NIU, we explored office space opportunities also. We found that we could rent office space at NIU Naperville, with additional amenities, for less than the Village of Westmont was seeking.

Why not keep the office at Westmont until the “no rent” lease expires?

IGFOA was advised that we would not be able to use the training room at the Westmont Centre during the first quarter of 2007, which led us to look for other locations to host seminars. NIU Naperville campus offered a variety of fully equipped training rooms and on-site food service that met our needs. Comparison of the cost of catering food service to the Westmont Centre, renting outside meeting space for larger seminars, and staff time spent setting up and cleaning the Westmont Centre training room revealed that we could offer all IGFOA seminars at NIU Naperville at the same cost. We believe the NIU Naperville facility provides greater flexibility and reliability. We wanted to house the staff offices, store training supplies, and host training programs in the same building to enhance staff productivity and availability. In addition, the Village of Westmont asked IGFOA to begin paying annual rent of $11,606 starting in May of 2007. Rather than hold the Village to the existing lease, we felt it was better to vacate the space and allow the Village the opportunity to generate revenue from a new tenant.

Will membership dues increase?

The 2006 IGFOA financial plan called for membership dues to increase 10% every three years, without the association paying to rent office space. With the additional cost of office space, the Membership committee is charged with recommending a dues structure that generates 15% more revenue in 2008. The average increase to an individual public sector member's dues would be roughly $23. Members can help mitigate the needed dues increase by attending additional seminars or sending additional staff to seminars and conferences. A 25% increase in seminar attendance would offset the need for a dues increase.

Will IGFOA dues, seminar and conference revenues be collected by NIU?

IGFOA will continue to function as a separate 501(c)6 not-for-profit corporation, collecting and retaining all revenue generated by association activities. IGFOA will continue to maintain its own bank account and be responsible for paying vendors and filing required tax reports. IGFOA will also maintain general liability, conference cancellation, and directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies. We will no longer need to maintain workers compensation insurance.

Will this mean any other changes to the organization?

IGFOA will continue to be a member-directed association that relies on its members’ work and guidance in its various committees. This new arrangement will provide long-term staff stability and remove a major distraction from the Executive Board. The Executive Board will now be able to devote its full attention to maintaining IGFOA as the premier government finance organization in the state.