Report of the General President Brother JAMES R. WILLIAMS
Greetings, Brothers: In this, my last report to you as your General President, I am pleased to report great progress on the major initiatives which we have undertaken over the past four years. Collectively, the activities during this period have served to demonstrate that Alpha Phi Alpha is still willing to take its rightful place of leadership in this country. This is our legacy . . . as articulated in our national program theme: "BACK TO BASICS: The Greatness of Our Past is the Key to Our Future!" As I have traveled to meet with you — as individual Brothers, chapters and at Regional and State meetings — you have reaffirmed your belief in the future of Alpha Phi Alpha. Further, you have demonstrated that you are willing to do what is necessary to insure a firm foundation for Alpha's continued progress. This is extremely important — for difficult times call for difficult decisions. You have met the challenges head on and for this, / Thank You\ And I urge you to continue to be both visionary and pragmatic — doing those things that must be done if we are truly to be "Servants of All." Allow me at this point to recap for you some of the tremendous strides which we — all of us — have made since January of 1 9 7 7 . Fiscal Responsibility A major goal of my administration was to improve the financial posture of the Fraternity. We have been able to achieve great success in this area, primarily through two factors: (A) By placing the General Convention on a sound financial foundation, so that it does not serve as a drain on our already limited general operating funds; and (B) By setting up a Life Membership Reserve Fund, restricted to protect our accumulated assets for the future. In addition to these moves, an analysis of our situation indicated a need to expand the financial base for our essential Fraternity operations. The Brotherhood met this challenge through the enactment of the Service Fee at the 1 979 General Convention. By this expanded revenue, 2
we were able to maintain our services to the Brotherhood; provide incremental increases for our General Office staff; and expedite necessary repairs on our National Headquarters building. At the same time we sought to firm up our total operating base, we made several financial adjustments designed to help those Brothers who need help in remaining active with the organization — and to strengthen all areas of the Fraternity. In this regard, we provided for a graduated schedule of national fees for recent college graduates . . . in order to encourage them to remain active with the Fraternity; and, at this convention, we introduced a Weekend Registration Rate for College Brothers to allow for the participation of those who might have job commitments or are otherwise unable to attend the convention for its duration. Additionally, we amended the Constitution to require that each member of the Fraternity be active with his local chapter in order to participate in State, Regional or National activities. This is designed to strengthen the local chapters and insure that they receive their fair share of financial support from Brothers desiring to function in the Fraternity.
Regular meetings between the Fraternity's fiscal officers and the General Office Staff have led to an improved financial reporting system and a solid fiscal policy for the Fraternity. These proposals, collectively, have served to place Alpha Phi Alpha on a sound fiscal foundation; to provide uniform support for both the national organization and local chapters; to encourage the transition of Brothers from college to alumni chapters, thus increasing our total membership; and to realign the method of support so that ALL who share in the program of the Fraternity contribute a fair amount toward the operating expenses of our organization. This is a path we must continue in the future . . . for we are all aware that no organization such as ours, be it your church, civic organization or charity, can hope to keep pace in this society without an adequate fiscal base. Finally, in conjunction with our Fiscal Officers, we have vastly expanded and improved our financial reporting system. Brothers now have available to them the most complete financial records ever — along with comparative analyses from past years. Further, full and open budget hearings are held at each General Convention to answer any questions regarding financial status and policy. A special note of thanks is due Comptroller Charles C. Teamer, and General Treasurers Leven C. Weiss and James M. Trent for their dedicated service in this area. ORGANIZATION The General Convention: During the past four years, we have worked to make programmatic improvements in the General Convention to make it reflective of the stature of our organization. Continued on Page 28
The Sphinx / Fall 1980