How to compete and win in the annual AAF achievements competition - a keynote delivered at the AAF 4th District summer conference in Treasure Coast.

1. Club Achievement 101
Competition Intro

2. What is the club achievement competition?
On the surface:
Chapters compete by entering “Achievement Books” to
be recognized as the strongest in the country based on
8 categories and the size of their chapter.

3. 8 AAF Categories / Achievement Books
1 ----------- Advertising Education
2 ----------- Club Operations
3 ----------- Communications
4 ----------- Diversity & Multicultural
5 ----------- Government Relations
6 ----------- Membership Development
7 ----------- Programs
8 ----------- Public Service

5. Narrative Exhibits
(8 pages double-spaced) (to support narrative)

6. 5 Divisions - Based on chapter size:
1 ----------- 500+ members
2 ----------- 250 to 499 members
3 ----------- 100 to 249 members
4 ----------- Under 100 members
5 ----------- Ad 2 chapters

7. Competition Year:
Approx. April to March
• Exact dates are announced via Call for entry
• Usually available by September on the AAF.org page

11. Awards
• Chapters with winning books are recognized at the
“Salute to Achievers” luncheon during National Conference
• Chapters are awarded plaques
• Some categories earn prize money
• Education
• Public Service
• Communications
• Diversity
• Overall winner from each Division is awarded Club of the
Year and President of the Year

14. What is the club achievement competition?
On the deeper level:
The competition provides a framework to run a
successful chapter

15. 8 AAF Categories -
What value do they provide to a chapter?
1 ----------- Advertising Education
2 ----------- Club Operations
3 ----------- Communications
4 ----------- Diversity & Multicultural
5 ----------- Government Relations
6 ----------- Membership Development
7 ----------- Programs
8 ----------- Public Service

16. 1 ) Advertising Education
- Goal = educate students, members + public
- Benefits to your chapter =
! - more informed / educated chapter members
! - public that understands advertising better
! - makes members feel fulfilled
! - draws in / helps develop student talent

17. 2 ) Club Operations
- Goal = create strong policies, procedures and
leadership development
- Benefits to your chapter =
! - foster future leadership for succession
! - a well organized + maintained business

18. 3 ) Communications
- Goal = communicate with your board, members and
the community
- Benefits to your chapter = (duh)
! - increased participation
! - increased community awareness
! - increased members

19. 4 ) Diversity & Multicultural
- Goal = increase minority representation in your chapter
- Benefits to your chapter =
! - increased talent pool
! - increased perspectives
! - increased members

20. 5 ) Government Relations
- Goal = promote favorable legislation, defeat adverse
legislation, educate lawmakers and promote industry self-
regulation
- Benefits to your chapter =
! - lower taxes
! - jobs and job security
! - freedom from government restrictions

21. 6 ) Membership Development
- Goal = recruit, retain and engage members
- Benefits to your chapter = (duh, again)
! - more members
! - more money for chapter
! - increased / volunteer leadership pool

22. 7 ) Programs
- Goal = host high-quality programs / events
- Benefits to your chapter =
! - member education
! - member inspiration
! - increased membership
! - increased value of membership

23. 8 ) Public Service
- Goal = run a pro-bono public service campaign in your
community
- Benefits to your chapter =
! - increase favorable reputation in community
! - contribute to a “greater good” cause
! - increase member participation
! - provide professional development opportunities

24. Additional benefits for competing:
• Document your year
• Share your ideas + accomplishments
• Prize money
• Bragging rights

25. Club Achievement 201
How to win

26. Plan your year
1 ----------- Plan - - - - - - - - - - - July
2 ----------- Execute - - - - - - - - July to Feb
3 ----------- Track - - - - - - - - - - July to Feb
4 ----------- Compile - - - - - - - - Feb
5 ----------- Write - - - - - - - - - - March
6 ----------- Vacation - - - - - - - - April

27. Build your Committee
• Leadership / Planning team
• Asset organization and storage (results, pieces, etc.)
• Photography at all events and programs
• Writers (for eight 8-page “sales pieces”)
• Designers (for up to 500 pages of basic layout)
• Midnight coffee runner (optional)

28. Budget your expenses
• Printing (600+ pages) - Seek vendor, agency donation
• Binders
• Plastic Sleeves
• Tabs (be sure to purchase large format)
• Shipping (to and from DC)
• Entry Fee
Tip: Buy binder early and use to collect info throughout year

29. Follow Directions!
• Read CFE very carefully (see “Diversity” guidelines)
• “Results” means hard data
• Binder width, type size, length of narrative
• Make sure you understand what the CFE is asking for
• (read “Award Winning Ideas” for examples)
• Grammar, typos, etc.
• Consider your audience
• Must enter all 8 books to win Club of the Year

30. Mind your rubric
A) Outline and relevance of objectives, 10 points
B) Methods used to achieve objective(s), 25 points
C) Results of methodology, 30 points
D) Degree to which the collateral material documents the
narrative description of the project or activities, 35 points
Total points equal 100.

31. Insider Tips
★ Advertising Education: Itʼs not just about students
★ Communications: High tech isnʼt everything
★ Diversity & Multicultural: BE the change
★ Government Relations: Leverage the Rally in Tally
★ Membership Development: Thereʼs more than 1 strategy
★ Programs: Quality, not quantity
★ Public Service: The right client is everything
★ Club Operations: Tie in everything else
★ Overall: Positioning, positioning, positioning

32. Questions?
AAF - 4th District Achievements Directors
Kate Whatley - - - - - - - - - - - kate@socialforces.com
Carl Vervisch - - - - - - - - - - - carl@socialforces.com