When You Need Help – Meet Your AFS Staff

For quick contacts on frequently asked questions and topics visit http://fisheries.org/about/contact-us/ or for a complete list of AFS staff http://fisheries.org/about/meet-the-staff/

Unit Services Offered by AFS Headquarters Office

The AFS Headquarters staff can provide support for a variety of Unit services. For information about these services, including any associated costs, please contact: Lauren Maza, ext. 225 or [email protected].

Communications and Web Services

Social Media

Communications staff can assist Units with creation of various social media accounts (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram) and help users to set up “handles” and security systems.

Website Services

AFS offers a package of web services including site migration, hosting and technical support services for an annual fee. AFS covers the cost for hosting Unit web site domains and can help facilitate web site design, development, training, support and maintenance. There may be costs associated with some of services when provided by external web development and support professionals.

Online Communities Forum

AFS owns an online tool called Communities, which can allow a Unit to host multiple forum platforms, each offering its own discussion forums, document libraries, coauthored wikis, and personal blogs. Multiple announcements can be sent out to all participants. Communities are moderated, and can have multiple moderators and administrators. Each can be organized around any type of group such as sections, technical committee’s or other areas of interest. This system is set up through the AFS Membership department.

Financial Services

General Liability Insurance

AFS offers a low cost insurance program for Units to acquire commercial general liability (CGL) insurance. CGL insurance policies typically cover your organization for claims involving bodily injury and property damage resulting from services or operations. Many AFS Chapters purchase it to cover risks that may arise during its meetings. CGL insurance doesn’t cover employee injuries, auto accidents, punitive damages (in most states), workmanship, intentional acts or professional mistakes.

Investment Opportunities for Unit Funds

Many AFS Units (Sections, Chapters and Divisions) have acquired moderate to substantial funds but have insufficient means to invest those funds properly. AFS can provide a service by investing these funds for the units as part of its overall investment portfolio and provide the potential for greater return on investment at a reasonable cost. See Guidelines for the AFS Investment and Management of Unit Funds 2017.

Administrative Services

Membership Data Coordination

AFS assists Unit leaders with documents pertaining to their officer duties including tax documents, rules and/or bylaws and creating new student subunits.

AFS also tracks officer positions in over 150 units across the Society in its database. Units are encourage to notify AFS whenever a change in unit leadership occurs by submitting an officer change report. The form is available here: http://fisheries.org/about/units/guidelines/change-of-officer-report/

Award Plaques and Certificates

HQ generates awards for all of the units and meetings. This process includes: ordering plaques; making certificates; annual Society awards; mailing out orders; and awards billing.

Survey Tools

Unit leaders (only) will receive passwords for free access to our survey mechanism, Survey Monkey. It can be used for casting officer election votes, surveying special target audiences, and getting quantitative and qualitative feedback from Members.

Meetings and Education

Meeting Contracting

AFS can assist Units with contracting for meeting and sleeping rooms along with food, beverage and related meeting services offered by the property.

Education Delivery and Webinar Hosting

AFS is developing systems capabilities to deliver and host distance education programs. These services will provide new avenues for supplying professional development and education opportunities across the Society. The timeline is to gradually bring programs online during 2017.