Society Honors ACA International with Awards of Excellence

ACA International, the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals (ACA), was recognized by the Midwest Society of Association Executives (MSAE) with two Awards of Excellence at the society?s 50th annual meeting, May 18 in Minneapolis.

ACA took home the society?s top honor in the categories of Electronic Communication and Lobbying/Government Relations/Public Policy.

The MSAE Award of Excellence for an Electronic Communication was presented to the ACA Information Technology Department, for its new ACA International Brief Bank. This online resource allows attorney members of the association to stay up-to-date with the latest court cases affecting the credit and collection industry. Using the Brief Bank, attorneys can submit briefs to share, and search the library by area of law, type of brief, issue addressed, jurisdiction and keyword. Members and staff of the association?s Members? Attorney Program (MAP) and the ACA Online Committee were also instrumental in developing this popular new member benefit.

The ACA Government Affairs Department received its MSAE Award of Excellence in recognition of the fully integrated approach to government affairs, political action, grassroots involvement, public relations and community outreach the association has developed.

At the beginning of 2005, ACPAC, the association?s political action committee, was given the ambitious goal of raising $225,000 for the 2005/06 election cycle, setting the bar 44 percent higher than the previous term. Midway into the cycle ACPAC had surpassed its target and set a new mark of $425,000 by election day in November 2006. ACPAC?s unprecedented success has been attributed to strong member involvement, staff expertise, savvy use of technology and sheer determination.

As a direct result of the grassroots advocacy work of ACA members, the U.S. House of Representatives passed three ACA-supported amendments to the primary federal statute governing the industry, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. This progress is the culmination of years of hard work and represents a landmark event for the credit and collection industry.

Last year also saw record numbers of ACA members meeting with their elected officials in Washington, D.C., the addition of public relations resources such as an online news room and a media handbook to assist members in presenting a positive image of the industry in media interviews, numerous legislative and regulatory victories at the state level, and a favorable ruling by the Federal Communications Commission in response to an ACA petition addressing a serious workability issue for the industry.

Ultimately, each of ACA?s 70 professional staff members contributed to the association?s success in 2005. The awards given by MSAE and other independent organizations recognizing ACA demonstrate that the association is achieving its mission to be the knowledge-based resource for success in the credit and collection industry.