April is ACA International Collectors Challenge Month

Join fellow association members across the country as ACA International celebrates Collectors Challenge Month in April—a fun and easy way to benefit your company and your industry. ACA International Education Foundation encourages ACA members to do three important action items in April:

Engage Employees to Participate in Fun Activities to Support ACA Foundation
Collectors Challenge Month offers an important opportunity to raise company morale and support the important work of the ACA International Education Foundation to promote Ask Doctor Debt. Many ACA member agencies host casual day, a company lunch or other creative and fun activity that encourages employees to make a small but impactful donation to benefit the Foundation. Download the 2011 Collectors Challenge info kit.

Let Local Media Know About Debt Collection and Ask Doctor Debt
Collectors Challenge Month also provides ACA members the opportunity to broaden awareness of debt collection and consumer rights in your community through the promotion of Ask Doctor Debt to your local media. We suggest a few very simple activities:

• On page 6 of the tool kit is a letter to the editor template. Personalize it to your agency and be sure to sign, and submit by e-mail to your local weekly or daily newspaper. Letters can be submitted through the newspaper’s website or a hard copy mailed to the editor.
• On page 7 of the tool kit is a news release that your agency can personalize and submit to local radio stations, television, newspapers and magazines serving consumers in your community.
• Consider a meeting with a local newspaper or television reporter (either at your place or theirs) to introduce your agency and debt collection in your state, as well as share Ask Doctor Debt. Helping media know you are a local debt collection resource in your community is important. The primary purpose of the meeting is to build a relationship, not generate a story. If interested, contact Mark Schiffman.

Tell ACA About it
ACA wants to share your story. Let them know how your company got involved with Collectors Challenge Month. Please e-mail your stories and photos to foundation@acainternational.org.

By supporting the ACA International Education Foundation and promoting Ask Doctor Debt, you’ll help create a more positive public image of the credit and collection industry, and encourage your employees and colleagues to take pride in the work they do. For more detailed information about the Foundation and Collectors Challenge Month, please visit http://www.acainternational.org/foundation or contact ACA International Education Foundation Executive Director Mark Schiffman.