Want to see your ad here? 
Just contact the ISAE office for details and very reasonable rates 
  
MISSION: ISAE exists to support and strengthen association professionals' success
  

Membership should be the number one priority for all associations.  After all, your objective for a successful convention or professional development schedule is to attract more members.  What are you doing to expand your membership? Are you looking for creative ways to grow your membership? Then this seminar is for you!

Join ISAE at our August 29th seminar entitled “Membership Growth – Guaranteed!”.  Membership expert Greg Fine, CAE Director of Communications and Marketing for Association Forum of Chicagoland and formerly of Word of Mouth Marketing Association will inform us of great ways to grow our membership.

Be looking for more information via email or click here to register now!

With more than 160 ISAE members and non-members in attendance, ISAE had one of our most successful Conventions ever.  Congratulations to Craig Cox of the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association for being drawn for a FREE registration after reaching 100 registrants.

The event started off with a golf outing at the Donald Ross Golf Course.  49 players teamed up to compete for the winning trophy with perfect golf temperature and weather.

Congratulations to the following teams and players for their wins:

The Opening Party took place on an outdoor terrace at French Lick Resort, providing members the opportunity to mix and mingle with each other in an informal atmosphere.  Attendees visited the participating CVBs the next morning with a chance to win three great prizes.  Congratulations to the following winners for visiting each CVB:

10 person Conference Call from Telspan:
Kim Stoneking, CAE, NAIFA-IN

Overnight Stay at Indianapolis Marriott Downtown:
Sabrina Valentine, Markey’s Rental & Staging

(2) VIP tickets to a concert at Verizon Wireless:
Cindy Baxter, Raybourn Group – MERA

After hearing the opening keynote session on “Dealing with 10 Mega-Trends Reshaping the Association Profession” presented by Ed Hendricks, CAE, members moved into the smaller break-out sessions.  Reconvening at lunch, Convention attendees learned how to brand their association with keynote speaker Emory Austin, CSP,CPAE.  After more break-out sessions, attendees met up for the Annual Meeting and ice cream.

As you know, ISAE’s Board of Directors voted to move the Annual Meeting from STAR Awards to the Annual Convention.  ISAE members in attendance voted unanimously to elect the following to the 2008 ISAE Board of Directors:

President Elect:
Sara Nash, CAE; Nash Association Management Services

Directors-at-Large:
Chuck Chamness, National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies
Patricia Ells, American Cancer Society, Great Lakes District
Paul Freeman, CAE; Indiana Bankers Association
Linda Winternheimer, Indiana Primary Health Care Association

Congratulations to our new and returning ISAE Board members!

ISAE President Gary Bolinger, CAE also presented the 2006 financial status to Members in attendance.  Click here to view the information provided at the Meeting.

All members in attendance at the meeting were entered to win (2) FREE round trip tickets to anywhere in the continental United States, courtesy of Cummings Meeting Consultants.  Congratulations to Leah Sumners York of the Indiana Perinatal Network on winning the airplane tickets.

As part of ISAE’s race to 500 members, a special drawing was held at Convention for all members that referred a joining non-member to ISAE in the first half of the year.  Congratulations to Michael George from Benefit Resourcing for winning the Brickyard 400 tickets! 

YOU CAN STILL WIN!

The Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association has generously donated (2) suite tickets to the Indianapolis 500!  All you have to do is refer a non-member to ISAE between now and December 1st, 2007.  If that member joins, you will automatically be entered to win the suite tickets, to be drawn at STAR Awards December 6th.  Please be sure to have the new member write your name on their application in the space provided.  We only need 41 more members to reach our goal.  Let’s make it to 500 this year!

ASAE will hold their Annual Meeting & Exposition August 11-14 in Chicago.  If you are planning to attend, e-mail Leslie Murphy.  She will communicate with attendees to help facilitate carpooling and informal get-togethers during the event.  Also note that several airlines have great fares going from Indianapolis to Chicago’s Midway Airport.  Save on fuel and parking costs and consider this option for your travel to the event.

ISAE related highlights during this event:

• Monday, August 13 – 7:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. – 2007 Class of CAE’s Recognition (requires separate registration)
    
  Come to recognize ISAE’s class of new CAEs at this event as well as meeting with colleagues.

• Monday, August 13 – 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. – General Session
    
  Gary LaBranche, CAE has been named ASAE’s Key Award winner.  This is the highest honor bestowed to an ASAE member.  Gary began his association career here in Indiana and as an active volunteer with ISAE. Congratulations to Gary on this honor.

• Don’t forget to visit our great associate members who are exhibiting at this event.

Know of other events ISAE members should be aware of?  Let us know and we’ll see you in Chicago!

Camille Blunt
Public Affairs Consultant
Bose Public Affairs Group
135 N. Pennsylvania St. #1600
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 684-5409
Fax:  (317) 223-0409
cblunt@bosepublicaffairs.com

Christopher W. Hancock
Executive Director
Indiana Bicycle Coalition, Inc.
P.O. Box 20243
Indianapolis, IN 46220
(317) 466-9701
(800) BIKE-110
Fax:  (317) 466-9701
chancock@bicycleindiana.org

Marlies Palazzolo
Director of Sales
Blue Chip Casino
2 Easy St.
Michigan City, IN 46360
(219) 861-4860
Fax:  (219) 861-4858
marliespalazzolo@boydgaming.com

Patricia E. Szuch
President & CEO
Prevent Blindness Indiana
70 E. 91st St. #204
Indianapolis, IN 46240
(317) 815-9943 ext. 228
Fax:  (317) 815-9952
pszuch@pbeye.org
Referred by Kimberly Williams

Want to help a colleague learn about the benefits of membership by joining ISAE? 

Click on the link below for a membership application http://www.isae.org/ISAE_Membership_App.pdf  
  

• Indiana Bankers Association CEO James H. Cousins retired July 1st.  Cousins will be replaced by President Joe DeHaven, who will add the title of CEO.

• Indianapolis Marriott Downtown Senior Sales Manager Jaime Leising has returned to work after giving birth to a baby boy.  Jacob Leo Leising arrived on March 6, 2007.  He weighed 4 lbs. 7 oz., and was 18 1/2 inches.

Did you know…

• 21.5% of all eligible ASAE members hold the CAE designation?

• Approximately 3,000 Association Executives are CAEs and 83 of them are here in Indiana?

• 56% of all CAEs are Chief Executive Officers?

ASAE recently awarded the CAE credential to 79 association executives across the country after successfully completing the CAE examination on May 4, 2007.  Congratulations to the newest Indiana CAE designees:

• Kathy J. Bennison, CAE
  Manager of Marketing and Public Relations
  Honor Society of Nursing Sigma Theta Tau International

• Karl F. Berron, CAE
  Chief Executive Officer
  Indiana Association of Realtors, Inc.

The early deadline for applications for the December 7, 2007 exam is September 7, 2007.  The CAE Exam fee is $500 for ASAE members ($700 for non-members).  After September 7th, exam applications may be mailed by the extended deadline of October 5th, 2007 for an additional $100.  ISAE will offer study sessions prior to the December exam.  Please notify Laura Frank at the ISAE office if you plan to sit for the December exam.  Be sure to start planning for the exam now!

For more information on the CAE exam, visit the following link to ASAE’s website: CAE Exam Information

The Meetings Industry Council (MIC) invites you to their networking event on September 12th.  Get together at a business networking event with members of all Meetings Industry Council groups, beginning at 4:30 p.m. at The Villa Inn, Restaurant & Spa 1456 N. Delaware St., Indianapolis.  To register for the event or to view the invitation, click here.

The IRS has launched four new “life cycles” (Web-based information tools) on IRS.gov to help tax-exempt organizations through the federal tax rules and requirements that pertain to them.

The new tools, patterned after existing life cycles for public charities and private foundations, provide easier navigation through the IRS Web site for:

• Social welfare organizations under IRS Code section 501(c)(4)

• Labor organizations, section 501(c)(5)

• Agricultural and horticultural organizations, section 501(c)(5)

• Trade associations and other business leagues, section 501(c)(6)

Each life cycle provides a graphical snapshot of five stages organizations typically go through during their existence.  They also explain an array of issues, such as how to acquire an employer identification number; how to avoid jeopardizing an organization’s exemption; how political campaign involvement could affect the organization’s status and tax responsibilities and how disclosure requirements must be met.

The Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statisitics (NCCS) has launched a Form 990 "Wiki". The revisions to the Form 990 this year represent a "once in lifetime" opportunity to help shape the development of the nonprofit sector. The NCCS Wiki entitled "Form 990 Review: Let's Reason Together to Create the Best Possible Form" is designed to collect input from the active preparers and users of the Form 990. Therefore, they are inviting association professionals and others to share their thoughts on the Form.

The Wiki can be accessed at: http://www.nccs2.org/wiki/ .

Over the years, NCCS has hosted Form 990 meetings, provided 990 e-filing software and used 990s for its own research purposes.  This has made them acutely aware of the numerous ways that the 990 can be improved. Unfortunately, they have also seen how many ideas that seem sensible on their face either conflict with one another or lead to unintended and harmful consequences. Thus, the NCCS is proposing a process for people who understand the Form 990 and who care about how it is used to work together collaboratively over the summer to systematically review the form and instructions, and work through the practical implications of the draft document or possible alternatives.

To view the IRS Draft of the new Form 990, click here.  Pay close attention to this issue and watch Synergy for updates.

In an effort to inform members of the valuable resources available on our members-only section of the ISAE Web site, we will highlight a different document each month. This month, we will review the document retention policy.

In accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1519 and the Sarbanes Oxley Act, associations and non-profit organizations may not knowingly destroy a document with the intent to obstruct or influence an “investigation or proper administration of any matter within the jurisdiction of any department, agency of the United States…or in relation to or contemplation of such matter or case”.  Document retention policies set guidelines for associations to follow regarding how long to keep certain documents, in order to eliminate accidental or innocent destruction. 

For document retention policy samples, log on to the members-only section of the ISAE Web site at www.isae.org/member.  Samples policies can be found in the Administration section under Record Retention Schedules/Management.

Members are also encouraged to contribute policies.  These can only be accessed by ISAE members.  Forward your policies to Laura Frank at lfrank@isae.org. 

In order to continue the much requested discussion on Indiana Non-Profit Law, each month Synergy will address a question from members pertaining to the current Indiana law.  As always, we encourage you to ask your corporate attorney for clarification.

Q:  Our association is looking into merging our membership with another association.  What are the rules on getting approval for a merger?
A: 
IC 23-17-19-3
Approval of mergers
     Sec. 3. (a) Unless this article, articles of incorporation, bylaws, or the board of directors or members acting under subsection (c) require a greater vote or voting by class, a plan of merger to be adopted must be approved as follows:
        (1) By the board of directors.
        (2) By the members, if any, by a majority of the votes cast.
        (3) In writing by a person whose approval is required by articles of incorporation authorized under IC 23-17-17-1 for an amendment to articles of incorporation or bylaws.
    (b) If a corporation does not have members, a merger must be
approved by a majority of the directors in office at the time the merger is approved. In addition, the corporation shall provide notice of any directors meeting at which the approval is to be obtained under IC 23-17-15-3. The notice must also state that the purpose of the meeting is to consider the proposed merger.
    (c) Unless articles of incorporation provide otherwise, a proposed merger and plan of merger must be initiated by a board of directors. The board of directors may condition the submission of the proposed merger on receipt of a higher percentage of affirmative votes of the members or on another basis.
    (d) If a board of directors seeks to have the plan approved by the members at a membership meeting, the corporation shall give notice to the corporation's members of the proposed membership meeting under IC 23-17-10-5. The notice must also state that the purpose of the meeting is to consider the plan of merger and contain or be accompanied by a copy or summary of the plan. The copy or summary of the plan for members of the surviving corporation must include a provision that, if contained in a proposed amendment to articles of incorporation or bylaws, would entitle members to vote on the provision. The copy or summary of the plan for members of the disappearing corporation must include a copy or summary of the articles of incorporation and bylaws that will be in effect immediately after the merger takes effect.
    (e) If a board of directors seeks to have a plan approved by the members by written consent or written ballot, the material soliciting the approval must contain or be accompanied by a copy or summary of the plan. The copy or summary of the plan for members of the surviving corporation must include a provision that, if contained in a proposed amendment to the articles of incorporation or bylaws, would entitle members to vote on the provision. The copy or summary of the plan for members of the disappearing corporation must include a copy or summary of the articles and bylaws that will be in effect immediately after the merger takes effect.
    (f) Voting by a class of members is required on a plan of merger if the plan contains a provision that, if contained in a proposed amendment to articles of incorporation or bylaws, would entitle the class of members to vote as a separate voting group on the proposed amendment under IC 23-17-17-6 or IC 23-17-18-2. The plan is approved by a class of members by a majority of the votes cast by the class.
    (g) After a merger is adopted and before articles of merger are filed, the planned merger may be abandoned subject to any contractual rights without further action by members or other persons who approved the plan:
        (1) under the procedure set forth in the plan of merger; or
        (2) if a procedure is not set forth, in the manner determined by the board of directors.
As added by P.L.179-1991, SEC.1. Amended by P.L.1-1992, SEC.127; P.L.96-1993, SEC.13.

To view Indiana Law related to Non-Profit Corporations, click http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title23/ar17/

E-mail ISAE staff if you have a question for next month’s issue.

ISAE is working to explore possible amendments to the Indiana Non-Profit Act that could benefit Indiana associations and their members.  If you are interested in joining this effort, please email us at info@isae.org.

Would you like to reach more than 450 association professionals?  If you are interested in advertising in Synergy with your own banner ad, please contact Leslie Murphy.

The rates are as follows:

Animated banner ad  - $200 per ad/per month
Place ad for three months or more and receive 20% discount.