“The initiative provided an opportunity to rethink the Alli-
ance’s core purpose and how it can grow and attract more
members,” Shimoda says. “This led to reevaluating all pro-
grams and how they are being delivered.”
Rose Riccetti-Andrikos, the Alliance’s director of public
affairs, says what started out as a communications audit for
the organization’s brand quickly turned into a total transfor-
mation for the association.
“We didn’t want to invest the money and resources creat-
ing a brand for a name that was confusing and didn’t accu-
rately reflect who we are,” she says. “Not only was this an
opportunity to change our name and brand identity, but we
also took stock of our programs and services.”
individuals with similar disciplines and job challenges — and
American Fraternal Alliance received overwhelming support:
116 society representatives voted for American Fraternal Alli-
ance, 45 for American Fraternal Association, and nine for
keeping NFCA.
Removing Obstacles
Next, NFCA staff went on a mission to update and educate
members on the recommended name and branding effort.
Staff distributed bulletins to
more than 1,300 member society representatives, conducted
one free educational webinar
and one teleconference with
NFCA’s federal lobbying firm,
McBee Strategic, and created
the Branding Initiative Online
Group where members’ questions were answered by the
branding task force, board
members and staff.
“We tried to be completely
transparent with our membership so that every society
fully understood the rationale,
process and parameters that
led to the recommended name
change,” Riccetti-Andrikos
says.
Nearly 70 members regis-
tered for the webinar, “NFCA
“As members of Congress analyze all deficit
spending, including tax exemptions, we must edu-
cate them on who the association represents
and what its members do, and the first part
of that is an effective name,” Fogel-Bub-
lick said during the teleconference. “A
name is the first thing policymakers
see and remember, so it is impor-
tant to ensure a name embod-
ies the message you want
to send.
What’s In a Name?
In December 2009, the branding task force established criteria for developing a new name:
include “fraternal”; reference
the association’s primary activities (networking, advocacy, reg-ulatory compliance, education,
community service, insurance
and financial services); refer
to the association’s national
scope (national, America/
American, United States); avoid
“congress,” “union,” “board,”
“club,” “institute,” “school,”
“foundation,” “party,” “
assembly,” and “committee,” while
considering “association,”
“organization,” “federation,”
“council,” “network,” “society,”
“exchange,” and “alliance.”
The new identity also needed to reflect these “personality”
traits: professional, strong, traditional, service, leader, integrity, and ethics. Though many of the organization’s members
are Christian, the identity was not to be overtly religious or
dominated by a single ethnicity.
Based on the criteria, Aartrijk developed 60 possible
names. The firm then worked with the branding task force to
narrow that list based on internal polling, web searches for
similar names, and other methods. From that initial group,
the task force identified 15 names as strong options that
passed their initial trademark usage review.
After considerable debate, in March 2010, the task force
presented the NFCA Board with two names: American Fraternal Alliance and Fraternal America, recommending American
Fraternal Alliance. The board also preferred American Fraternal Alliance, but requested American Fraternal Association
also be considered as several board members felt “
association” best described the organization.
Between April and June 2010, polls were conducted at all
eight NFCA Section meetings — made up of
About the American Fraternal Alliance
Formed in 1886, The American Fraternal Alliance is
a trade association composed of 72 member fraternal
benefit societies, representing more than 10 million
individuals in all 50 states, making it one of the largest
volunteer networks of community and social service
providers in the United States. Members include organizations such as the Knights of Columbus, Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans — nonprofit organizations that
offer their members a variety of financial services,
including life insurance and annuities, and use the
proceeds to organize, finance and deliver various social
services. In 2010, members invested more than 92
million hours in community works and contributed
$414 million to local, state and national charities.
The association has a $2 million annual budget and
employs eight full-time and one part-time staff.
