Who does NASFAA represent?
Who makes up NASFAA?
Who controls NASFAA?
Aren’t lenders also members of NASFAA? Does NASFAA represent lenders?
What is NASFAA’s relationship to state and regional financial aid associations?
I would like to lend my expertise to NASFAA. How do
I get involved?
I’m not on a NASFAA Committee, how can I get involved?
How many people does NASFAA employ?
How does NASFAA stay financially viable?
Q. Who does NASFAA represent?
A. NASFAA promotes the professional preparation, effectiveness, support, and diversity of those involved in the administration of student financial aid. NASFAA’s purpose is to promote and encourage educational opportunity for all students by removing financial barriers to postsecondary education.
The Association encourages professional development for aid administrators and others who are concerned with the support and administration of student financial aid. NASFAA advocates for students on behalf of financial aid administrators and serves as a national forum on matters relating to the development, funding, and administration of student financial aid.
Q. Who makes up NASFAA?
A. There are four types of members in the Association.
- Institutional members are schools that maintain at least one full-time financial aid administrator on staff. Institutional members make up the core of NASFAA’s membership. They may vote on all official Association business and may serve on NASFAA committees and the Board of Directors. NASFAA represents more than 16,000 financial aid administrators at nearly 3,000 postsecondary institutions across the country.
- Affiliate members are financial aid administrators who are actively working for a postsecondary school even though the school is not a member of NASFAA.. Affiliate members have all of the same rights and benefits as institutional members. Affiliate members may also be elected to the NASFAA Board of Directors.
- Constituent members are other organizations, government agencies, or individuals with an interest in promoting the administration of financial aid. Student loan providers fall into this membership category, as well as attorneys, financial aid consultants, software and hardware providers, foundations, guaranty agencies and government agencies – including the U.S. Department of Education. Constituent members cannot vote, or serve on the Board of Directors. They can however serve on NASFAA committees.
- Student members are full-time students—often graduate students—who are enrolled in postsecondary institutions and have an interest in promoting student financial aid. Student members may not vote on Association matters and cannot serve in NASFAA governance positions.
Q. Who controls NASFAA?
A. Financial aid administrators control NASFAA. NASFAA institutional and affiliate members may be elected to the NASFAA Board of Directors, which is the governing body of the Association. The Board is vested with all powers to manage the Association’s business, property, and assets.
The Board does not control the day-to-day operation of the national office, however. The Board is responsible for hiring a president and CEO to be responsible for NASFAA’s
operations. The president may hire, supervise, assign, or dismiss any Association
employee. NASFAA employees answer to the president and the president answers
to the Board.
Q. Aren’t lenders also members of NASFAA? Does NASFAA represent lenders?
A. Lenders fall into the constituent member
category of NASFAA membership. By definition, members in that category
cannot hold any governing position. While the goals and objectives
of lenders and financial aid administrators are in alignment at times,
NASFAA represents financial aid administrators who are actively working
with students at institutions. Only financial aid administrators have
the ability to direct NASFAA’s advocacy efforts.
Lenders, scholarship providers, federal and state agencies, attorneys, software
providers, and others are encouraged to become members of NASFAA.
It is in the best interest of students that all stakeholders in the
highly complex world of student aid remain well-educated about the
nuances, changes, and issues as they arise.
Lenders actually make up a very small part of NASFAA’s finance structure. They
comprise only 30 percent of NASFAA’s constituent membership and less than 3 percent
of NASFAA’s total membership. Total dues collected from all constituent members – including
lenders – is less than 17 percent of all of NASFAA’s membership dues income.
Q. What is NASFAA’s relationship to state and regional financial aid associations?
A. NASFAA has no financial relationship with
state financial aid associations, nor does
NASFAA have any authority to govern or directly influence the activities
of state associations.
Still, NASFAA does partner with state associations
on training and college access and outreach activities, and frequently
solicits advice
from state association leaders to gain
a better perspective of what’s
happening with students at state and local
levels. NASFAA holds an annual spring Leadership Conference for state
leaders, and keeps them
informed on relevant issues throughout
the year with a state listserv.
NASFAA’s relationship with regional financial aid associations is more complex. Regions play a large part in NASFAA’s governance. Each regional association elects two financial aid administrators to serve on the NASFAA Board of Directors, which means nearly half of all of the NASFAA Board is made up of regional representatives. In fact, it was the regional financial aid associations that came together in 1966 to form the National Student Financial Aid Council, which eventually became NASFAA in 1969. Regional representatives to NASFAA’s Board of Directors must be employed by NASFAA member institutions.
The six national regions include: EASFAA, MASFAA, RMASFAA, SASFAA, SWASFAA, and WASFAA.
In addition, NASFAA solicits volunteers to serve on committees that work to accomplish NASFAA’s many goals. These committees generally include a volunteer from each of the six regions to ensure that the regions’ unique goals and concerns are represented in the committee and ultimately in NASFAAs’ actions.
Q. I would like to lend some of my expertise to NASFAA. How do I get involved?
A. One of the best ways to share your talents and expertise with NASFAA is to volunteer for one of NASFAA’s committees. NASFAA depends on the talents and energy of individuals at member institutions to carry out many Association activities. The actual number and types of committees vary from year to year at the discretion of the National Chair. Application deadlines are usually in the spring. To learn more about serving on a NASFAA committee, see NASFAA’s Volunteer
Facts Web page. Committees for the 2008-09 program year include the following.
- Association Governance and Membership
- Awards
- Editorial Board, Journal of Student Financial Aid
- Editorial Board, Student Aid Transcript
- Federal Issues
- Finance Committee
- Graduate/Professional Issues
- Institutional Program Management
- Leadership Development and Professional Advancement
- National Conference
- Nominations and Elections
- Research
- Student Access & Diversity
- Technology Initiatives
- Training and Best Practices
Q. I’m not on a NASFAA Committee, how can
I get involved?
A. NASFAA is a member-based organization; members take an active role in shaping the Association and its policy recommendations. NASFAA’s Roadmap
to Involvement outlines many of the ways you can get involved at the state, regional, and national levels. Here are some additional suggestions to get you started.
Q. How many people does NASFAA employ?
A. NASFAA currently employs 39
full-time employees. Employees are divided into the following four divisions under the president & CEO:
- Division of Programs and Services
- Division of Planning and Development
- Division of Finance and Administration
- Division of Governmental Relations
Q. How does NASFAA stay financially viable?
A. NASFAA is a nonprofit organization and generates revenue for the sole purpose of furthering the Association’s mission and objectives. The majority of NASFAA’s revenues come from membership dues from institutional members. The NASFAA National Conference, professional development services, and other publications and services provide other revenue streams. Those revenues are used to pay for day-to-day expenses such as rent and equipment purchases as well staff salaries and NASFAA services and programs.
By providing the highest-caliber advocacy, training, resources, and services while constantly growing to meet the changing needs of our members, NASFAA remains a strong, healthy, reliable source for financial aid professionals nationwide.
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