SFA began as an Imperial Committee of Circus Chairman’s in 1970 along with Circus Producers and Circus Vender’s who were to work together in providing information and coordination to all Shrine Circus operations. In 1986 a formal separate Association was formed with full Imperial support. The Shrine Circus Association of North America (SCANA) flourished and has grown by supporting the needs of the fund-raising committees of the Shrine of North America. In recent years SCANA broadened its’ horizons to include all types of fundraising ideas and concepts and this year we will again change our name to better represent what we do for Shiners International. In Akron Ohio on Oct 5, 2018 our Association name changed to the Shrine Fundraising Association (SFA) with unanimous approval of the membership.
To promote the interest and betterment of Shrine Fundraising Events which consist of wholesome family entertainment, or programs offered to the public, as well, to encourage exchange of concepts and utilization of all related experiences by conducting annual seminars to develop and disseminate timely information for the benefit of the fraternity; to encourage the formation of Shrine Fundraising Clubs, Committees, or other unit-type organizations to promote continuity and preservation of fund raising information and thought development.
Membership in SFA is open to any Shrine Center. Any number of Nobles from a Shrine Center are permitted to attend seminars; however, only one representative from each center shall be recognized for voting purposes. Alternate Representatives can be named at any time by the Potentate of the member center.
SFA meets at the discretion of the Executive Members with the Time & Place of the Seminars communicated at least one year prior. SFA Seminars are held at the Shrine Center of the years current SFA President. The intention is to move from city to city around North America to visit other Shrine Centers and gain knowledge from seeing other fundraising events. SFA Voting Representatives meet Annually, usually in the fall, at the Annual Seminar. SFA Executive Members meet monthly on the first Wednesday during the year using ZOOM video conferences. SFA is also visible at the yearly Imperial Session, and the Executive Board holds a meeting immediately prior to the Seminar and a meeting immediately following the Seminar.
The Governing Body is the Executive Members elected at the Annual Meeting held in conjunction with the Annual Seminar. The Executive Members consist of the President, First, Second and Third Vice Presidents and the Secretary/Treasurer. Any current or previous SFA Voting Representative is eligible for nomination to the Executive Board. Fundraising background experience with your Shrine Center is highly recommended. The potential candidate for election must have the full support of their Shrine Center with submitted documentation. Information can be found on our website.
Annual dues are presently $250.00 payable in USD. Dues are to be paid by January 31st of each year. Annual dues can be changed only by approval from the Membership at Annual Meeting.
Imperial has given full support to SFA and encourages every Shrine Center to Join. SFA now attends the Assistant Rabban and Oriental Guide Seminar’s in Tampa assisting in the Fund-Raising Learning Session. SFA also travels to Shrine Association Meetings throughout the United States.
Sharing ideas, finding solutions and creating funds for our fraternity or philanthropy is at the heart of our organization. You are not in this battle for funds alone. Take advantage of the knowledge and experience of your peers throughout the Shrine world to make your Shrine Center successful. Sharing is a two-way street. Come and share your experience with your peers as they share their successes and failures to make their operations that much better. Each year more and more Shrine Centers are realizing the need for expert assistance in their fund-raising endeavors. Attendance at the fall seminar is critical to the success of all fundraising operations. If you can come away with one good idea or confirmation that what you are doing is as profitable as it can be, your objectives will have been reached.
Applications are available on the SFA website under membership and also may be obtained from the Secretary/Treasurer of SFA at secretary@shrinefundraising.com, then submit your application along with the current year’s dues to the Secretary/Treasurer. Payments may be made Online also through our website: shrinefundraising.com and are due by January 31st of each year. Membership is yearly.
SFA has expanded its ability to reach all Shrine Centers with the use of our Website, Facebook and Zoom webcasts. Facebook is just getting started and the website went through a major upgrade to create a membership forum area and information from previous seminars is being added for members only. Online payments for dues and Seminar’s are now payable Online. Using video webcasts your Shrine Center has the ability to participate in the Seminar without traveling. We hope by doing this it will help with those Shrines that may be struggling financially with sending their Nobles to us so now we can come to you. It is great to offer the Online webcasts but also remember that being in person will give you time that you will not have throughout the day, before during and after the Seminar when we are not transmitting Online. Remember that your Clubs and Units are also included with your membership to also help them with ideas.
By being a part of this Association, it is believed that the success of fund raising with the Shrine of North America will be perpetuated. The Shrine Circus remains as one of most recognizable family entertainment events within the Shrine, but over the years many other fundraising events have gained high recognition for Shrines making sizable fundraising contributions for Shrine Centers. SFA is intended to be a “Business Association” and will conduct seminars and provide its members with pertinent information. The fine tuning of all of our efforts will significantly improve our results and how we are perceived by the public.
