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Point/Counterpoint: Is it Time for ALGA to Adopt a New Organization Name? December 2005 |
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Editorial Comment: The impetus for this Point-Counterpoint article was recurring comments regarding the acronym associated with the organizational name of the Association of Local Government Auditors. The ALGA Board of Directors recently agreed to appoint a task force to discuss the pros and cons of changing the name, and to present the opposing points of view to the members. The task force members are Joanne Griggs and Gary Blackmer, both charter members and past presidents of ALGA; and Eduardo Luna and Doug Jenkins, authors of this Point-Counterpoint article. The board invites ALGA members to provide input regarding this topic by sending an e-mail to Joanne Griggs at
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. If the task force recommends changing the name, the board will present the proposal to the membership for a vote at the annual business meeting in May 2006.
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Why Eduardo Luna Thinks It Is Time for ALGA to Change Its Name
Eduardo Luna is a Supervising Auditor for San Jose, California; a former ALGA board member; and a member of ALGA’s 2006 Conference Planning Committee
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“I believe we are secure enough in our membership and identity, that changing the organization’s name will not result in membership loss, but may actually strengthen the organization.”
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From time to time, the subject of changing N.A.L.G.A.'s name comes up for discussion. As N.A.L.G.A. enters its 17th year of existence, the organization is at an identity crossroads. When the organization’s Charter was signed by participants at the first meeting in Philadelphia on June 15, 1989, it established “the Association of Local Government Auditors.” Even early in the organization’s history, the founding members may have wanted an organization that would appeal to a broader audience. I would like to make four arguments to support N.A.L.G.A. adopting a new name. |
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- The mission of the group is not in sync with its current name. In April 1998, the organization’s Constitution and Bylaws were changed in “recognition of worldwide interest/participation of the organization.” Specific changes to objectives of the organization included adding “from around the world” to Article I, Section 2.a, and deleting the word, “nation” from Article I, Section 2.e. As a result, one of the objectives of the organization is “to bring together local government professionals from around the world whose primary duties involve financial or performance (operational) auditing.” Additionally, N.A.L.G.A.members have represented the organization in international conferences held in Norway, Finland, and Ireland.
- N.A.L.G.A. is not a national group. Almost 8 percent of our membership is made up of non-USA members. As of November 2005, N.A.L.G.A. has 153 members representing 20 organizations from Canada and one member from the United Kingdom. Outside of North America, N.A.L.G.A. has had members from South Africa, Australia, Finland, Spain, Sweden, Korea, and Palau.
- N.A.L.G.A. is an offensive slang term in Spanish. Our acronym has been discussed extensively in the past and was covered during one of the luncheons at the past conference. I personally find the name offensive. As an organization, if we want to continue to attract members from Spanish-speaking localities, such as Puerto Rico, we need to change the name. Plus, by changing the name, we eliminate juxtaposition of our website to an adult website.
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“As an organization, if we want to continue to attract members from Spanish-speaking localities, such as Puerto Rico, we need to change the name.”
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- Other organizations have changed names and have become stronger as a result. In 1984, the Municipal Financial Officers’ Association changed its name to Government Finance Officers’ Association. According to a GFOA director, the MFOA name was not representative of the organization and its goals. Consequently, the organization changed its name because GFOA was more representative of the organization’s mission. The name change prompted growth in membership. In 1984, before the name change, membership was 6,000. Today, membership is 16,000. Similarly, the American Association of Hispanic Certified Public Accountants changed its name to Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting. The new name reflects a broader membership scope and increases the opportunity to gain new members.
- The name change can include dropping the “National” from the group’s name, or can include coming up with something new. I believe that if the organization were to adopt a new name, the organization will grow stronger.
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Why Doug Jenkins Thinks N.A.L.G.A. Should Keep Its Name
Doug Jenkins is Deputy Director of Audits for Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, and currently serves on the Professional Issues Committee of N.A.L.G.A.
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“Is it time for the Association of Local Government Auditors to change its name? My initial reaction is, “No, but why do you ask?”
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Let me think about this…. Is it time for the National Association of Local Government Auditors to change its name? My initial reaction is, “No, but why do you ask?” Over the years, I’ve heard rumblings about a name change for various reasons that fall into three categories. Following are my thoughts on each.
It’s a Vulgar Slang Expression in Some Spanish-Speaking Quarters
In recognition of parts of the country that have large Hispanic populations, I have made it a personal point to use periods after each letter in the abbreviated version of our organization. I’m not sure to what lengths one must go to make it clear we are not using street slang as a moniker for our professional association, but I think abandoning a name we have invested 20 years of effort in associating with quality, professionalism and achievement in the audit community is too much to ask. The term N.A.L.G.A. is not vulgar in our culture; people of other cultures who are interested in learning about our organization will hopefully understand and appreciate that.
It’s No Longer a ‘National’ Organization – It Has International Membership
True enough. But no one will mistake the 2005 N.A.L.G.A. Directory with a World Atlas. A quick browse through the Directory shows that somewhere in the neighborhood of 5% of the member organizations are Canadian. Beyond that, there is an organization in Guam (a U.S. Territory) and a grand total of two other organizations outside North America. I fully understand and appreciate the profound contributions, both in rank and file support and in leadership capacities, provided by our Canadian members. This contribution has been made and recognized, despite the word ‘National’ in our organization’s title. The U.S. and Canadian audit communities, as well as the democratic foundations of their respective countries’ governing structures, are much more similar than dissimilar, making this mutually beneficial success story no surprise. The truth is, N.A.L.G.A. was spawned from a core of U.S. local government audit shops. It is equally true that N.A.L.G.A. conveys associate membership status to state, federal, and private entities. Does that mean we should abandon the ‘local government’ aspect of our name?
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“I have a hard time identifying such a bond with audit communities with which we have no common language, no fundamental similarities in our government structures, and no similarly established ‘Fourth Estate’ presence of a free press.”
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It’s Time to Reach Out and Make This a Truly International Organization
I could not disagree more. In my opinion, the strength of our organization, the one constant that has made this professional association the most valuable and relevant in my auditing career, is the underlying bond of common experiences and context among the vast majority of our membership. This essential bond is present between our U.S. and Canadian members; I have a hard time identifying such a bond with audit communities with which we have no common language, no fundamental similarities in our government structures, and no similarly established ‘Fourth Estate’ presence of a free press. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying there is nothing to be learned from government audit shops elsewhere in the world. But the opportunity for exchanging ideas does not equate, in my mind, to changing the core focus and identity of the immensely successful ‘experiment’ that began as N.A.L.G.A. from a small National Intergovernmental Audit Forum grant in 1986. That grant of $5,000 provided seed money to begin publication of a Newsletter that connected local government auditing shops at that time. The sharing of experiences and the development of a valuable, yet inexpensive, networking resource had humble beginnings, but grew steadily and surely because that’s what happens when motivated people get a good idea.
If It Ain’t Broke…
In recent years, the National Association of Local Government Auditors has invested considerable effort in solidifying and marketing an identity, with the hope of being recognized as the authoritative voice for local government auditors. We have only begun to reap the benefits of those efforts, with appointments of members to the U.S. Comptroller General’s Advisory Council on Government Auditing Standards, the U.S. Comptroller General’ Domestic Working Group, and various joint ventures with established professional associations such as the Association of Government Accountants and the Institute of Internal Auditors. I know that as auditors, we are always looking for ways to improve things. My advice on this one? Don’t over think it. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
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