Summary
ACA began welcoming creditors as members in 1997 with the goal of fostering better relationships between collection agencies and their clients. Announcing the new membership division, 1996/97 ACA President Nick DiGiovanni Jr. said, "With creditors relying on agencies for strong collection work and new business services, and agencies relying on creditors for solid account data and open communications, there is no more opportune time for ACA to open its membership to creditors. Both stand to gain in this win -win situation.'' Today, ACA International has 630 creditor members.
The most recent changes to these documents occurred in July 2009, when the ACA Board approved amendments to the SOPs requiring ACA units to have the same membership year as ACA; encouraging units to have the same fiscal year as ACA; making division dues payable on the first day of the fiscal year; and revising the Honorary Membership eligibility and approval process. Members attending the Annual Meeting of the Membership voted a few days later to revise the bylaws, aligning ACAs fiscal year with the calendar year and changing the annual census date used to determine the number of board members representing each unit and division.In order to protect the association's financial interests while offering member benefits unrelated to ACAs official nonprofit, tax-exempt purpose, the board estabhshed the ACA International Holding Company in 1997. ACA International wholly owns the ACA International Holding Company, which in turn owns ACA International Enterprises and Collectors Insurance Agency. This structure protects the association's nonprofit tax status by carving out those activities that are clearly unrelated to its IRSapproved purpose.See the full content of this document
Extract
Under the Hood
When leaving the house in the morning, you probably get in your car, turn the key and drive to work with no thought about how turning that key created a spark that ignited the fuel that moved the pistons, and so on.
Like the series of actions occurring under the hood of your car, the inner workings of an international trade association probably aren't at the forefront of your mind. However, understanding how ACA International works is important for the long-term viability of the association and the credit and collection industry.So gather around - we're about to pop the hood and show you exactly what makes ACA International run.History and EvolutionThe roots of the modern trade association date back to the guilds of the 14th century, when members of a shared profession came together to act as a unified voice for their industry. Hundreds of years later, the overall purpose of most asso...See the full content of this document
