hey rebuild homes, volun-
teer at homeless shelters
and serve veterans. They
assist the sick, disabled and
needy. They share a passion
for community service and
enjoy a common bond. Yet the name of the
organization uniting these groups of altruis-
tic individuals was anything but commonly
recognized. Ironically, for groups formed
mainly to overcome obstacles, their anti-
quated and irrelevant trade association’s
name created one.
After 125 years and numerous societal
advancements, it was time for the National
Fraternal Congress of America to evolve,
too.
This year, the Oak Brook, Ill.-based
association representing more than 70 fraternal benefit societies since 1886 made
history by changing its name to the American Fraternal Alliance, thereby revitalizing
T
its entire identity — the culmination of a
two-year effort and more than two decades
of debate.
“NFCA meant something back in the
‘20s, but now it is really outdated,” says
past Alliance board member Barbara Che-
aney, vice president, marketing communi-
cations, Catholic Life Insurance. “American
Fraternal Alliance says who we are and
what we do — we are an alliance of frater-
nals in America. It’s so much more direct.
The clarity is here.”
Once founded to serve the needs
of immigrants and other underserved
groups before the days of government and
employer-based health care and retirement
programs, today’s fraternal benefit societ-
ies are focused on providing members
financial security and retirement products
and using the proceeds to serve communi-
ties in which their members live and work.
The common bond among members can
be based on patriotism, religious beliefs,
gender, occupation, ethnicity, or shared
values. Fraternal organizations’ community
service activities — both financial contribu-
tions and volunteer efforts — are funded by
life insurance and other financial services
products sold to members. Member orga-
nizations such as the Knights of Columbus
and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans collec-
tively make up one of the largest volunteer
networks of community and social service
providers in the United States.
As noble as these organizations are,
with today’s political challenges and deficit
