The Young Advisor Team Expands to State and Locals

By Emily Cabbage

What happens when you bring NAIFA’s Young Advisors together? You experience the power of NAIFA Nation. In April, the YATs held their first All-YAT call, inviting YAT chairs from across the NAIFA Nation to come together. Leaders discussed the role of our young professionals in the 2025 Strategic Plan and attendees learned of engagement opportunities.

Young professionals have a pivotal role in NAIFA’s 2025 Strategic Plan and check all the boxes in aligning to the three pillars of brand amplification, membership growth and member experience. Trustee Liaison to the YAT committee, Mark Acre, LUTCF (loyal member since 2009), stated, “Our future is in us, the 40 and under membership, and [the NAIFA Board of Trustees] wants to do what we can to support you. YAT voices are being heard. We have a board that is invested in making sure you have the support you need, the programs you need, and the opportunities you need to connect with other YATs and make NAIFA what it will be in five, 10, 15, 20 years from now.”

Trish May (loyal member since 2013), NAIFAPA’s YAT chair, shared her success story of engaging the young advisors in her chapter. She sent a personal email to every member in Pennsylvania to organize a “YAT Chat.” Those who were not YATs offered “nuggets of wisdom,” such as things they wish they knew early in their careers. A second Pennsylvania YAT Chat focused on Advocacy. YAT Co-Chairs Blake Gillies, DIA (loyal member since 2012), and Carina Hatfield, LUTCF, CLCS, LACP (loyal member since 2005), shared personal experiences of being a part of NAIFA’s Advisor Ambassador Program and Future Leaders Session. Both are opportunities for YATs across NAIFA Nation to volunteer and help move the needle on membership while increasing their brand and circles of influence. Gillies said of the All-YAT call: “That was one of the best YAT things I’ve done at NAIFA. We need to do more of this.”

Yat Framework

The National Membership Committee recently recommended that YAT chairs serve on their chapters’ membership teams, working side by side with state and local chapter membership chairs. The chapter YAT chair is being strongly recommended to be a standing board position at the state and local chapter levels. Members of the National YAT Committee along with past YAT Leaders of the Year will reach out to chapters to aid chapters in identifying and equipping the YAT chairs with the right job description, programs, and support.

A great way to tie YAT and Membership together is through the award-winning Advisor Ambassador Program. This is an opportunity not only to bring prospective members into our funnel but to also showcase YATs sharing their best practices and keys to success. Chapters should continually recommend YATs serve as ambassadors, in addition to encouraging your prospects to experience NAIFA as a “try before you buy” when they participate in this bi-monthly session.

The state board of NAIFA-Ohio chose to create a new YAT chair in 2020 and selected new member Derek Scheetz (loyal member since 2019) to lead the charge. Scheetz joined on December 23, 2019, after sharing a coffee with the membership chair and learning more about NAIFA. Three years into the business and recently married, Scheetz was busy building a vertical focused on dental practices, but quickly made time for NAIFA. During 2020, Scheetz participated in the Advisor

Ambassador program and the inaugural Future Leaders program before getting involved in the National YAT Committee. The state chapter awarded Scheetz its first Young Advisor Team Leader of the Year at its annual business meeting and conference in December 2020.

Our association recognizes a YAT Leader of the Year as the face of NAIFA membership, as well as identifying Four Under 40 winners annually. State and local chapters are encouraged to scale these awards to recognize young advisor leaders within their communities — it’s another benefit to offer as your chapter and gets more recognition for NAIFA members!