It is recommended that AMA professional chapters recruit a financial expert to serve as chapter treasurer.
Wondering how to find a financial expert who will donate their services? Follow these tips:
- Seek recommendations from current board members
- Reach out to local accounting firms in the community
- CPAs who are recently certified, new to the area, or working for smaller firms are often good candidates because they will benefit from expanding their network and learning marketing skills
- Professional associations for financial professionals are also a good source. Try your local chapter of AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) or FEI (Financial Executives International). You can offer an “exchange program” where someone from AMA helps their board with marketing, and one of their members helps AMA with finances.
- Explain the basic duties of the chapter’s treasurer role to the financial expert – their financial expertise will likely mean minimal time-commitment is needed from them to perform these duties.
- Use these sample talking points when encouraging a financial expert to serve as your chapter’s treasurer:
- Expand your local network well beyond your typical reach in the accounting world.
- Garner some positive PR by leveraging your pro bono AMA work to show that you/your firm “gives back to the community.”
- Chapter treasurers receive free AMA membership. The AMA programs you will gain access to can teach you strategies to better market yourself/your firm, making you more competitive in the local marketplace.
- Distinguish yourself from other financial experts by sharing your new marketing knowledge with your current clients as an added benefit to them.
- AMA members, especially board members who work for smaller companies, are potential clients.