Create a New Space for Community
The network of ACOFP affiliates is always expanding, thanks to the efforts of members like you. Founding an affiliate society at the state or regional level can be a rewarding project that will pay dividends in local connections among you and your colleagues for decades to come.
Form the Society
Notify National ACOFP
Contact national ACOFP to communicate your intent and identify the initial representative.
Draft Affiliate Society Constitution and Bylaws
Develop the regional or state constitution and bylaws and submit them to the ACOFP Constitution and Bylaws/Organizational Review Committee for feedback and approval. All affiliated societies must adhere to ACOFP’s Constitution and Bylaws.
Submit for Review
Submit the drafted state affiliate constitution and bylaws to the ACOFP Board of Governors for review and approval.
Final Approval Process
Once approved by the ACOFP Board of Governors, the regional or state affiliate constitution and bylaws will be submitted as a resolution for final approval by the ACOFP Congress of Delegates, which meets annually during ACOFP's annual conference.
Build Your Membership
Once you've officially founded your new affiliate society, take the next steps:
- Identify officers.
- Verify officer national membership status.
- Schedule elections.
- Submit the final roster of the board of directors to the national office.
- Develop a communication and membership recruitment campaign to encourage all family physicians in your state or region to become charter members of your affiliate society.
Keep Your Governance Current
Your constitution and bylaws must be re-submitted every five years or whenever they are amended. Submit your bylaws to the ACOFP Executive Director for the ACOFP Constitution & Bylaws Committee for approval and to provide recommendations to the ACOFP Board of Governors for final approval.
All current bylaws are kept on file in the ACOFP national office in Chicago, IL. Please contact Tina Burk for copies or with any other related questions.