ACFE Report to Members: A Look Back at 2011

GUEST BLOGGER

Scott Patterson
ACFE Media Relations Specialist

At the end of every year, we sit down and put together our Report to Members. It’s a time to reflect on the ACFE’s success over the past 12 months and measure organizational growth and benefits for our members. From a development standpoint, it’s a creative time to design what we hope is a compelling and engaging publication that will inspire readers and get them as enthusiastic about the year ahead as we are.

This year, we tried something new. We compiled the ACFE’s biggest accomplishments of 2011 and mapped them out chronologically, from quarter to quarter. The 2011 Report to Members truly became a “Year in Review.” From the debut of our Advisory Council in January to the release of “Inside the Fraudster’s Mind” in December, the Report takes you on a journey through a year of successes and milestones in our mission to provide the best training and resources in the fight against fraud worldwide. The new ACFE.com, International Fraud Awareness Week, and new seminars and resources are just a few of the highlights covered in the Report.

One major aspect of creating the Report is selecting a theme. In this case, the choice, “Growing Your Global Network,” became obvious because of the networking opportunities provided through our international conferences, social communities, Advisory Council and Corporate Alliance.

Readers of our previous Report to Members will recall a new feature: a clickable video interview with an ACFE member. I really like this multimedia highlight, and we made sure to include one again this year -- an interview with Ronnie Booth, CFE. Booth, assistant auditor general for the U.S. Naval Audit Service, sat down with the ACFE during our 22^nd Annual Fraud Conference and Exhibition to talk about his experience as an anti-fraud professional and a CFE.

We also included two great member profiles: Andy Egloff, CFE, fraud investigations manager for EMEA, Dow Europe GmbH, Horgen in Switzerland; and Grace Corbett, CFE, BSA, director of risk management for Sun East Federal Credit Union in Pennsylvania. We think you will find things in common with these two professionals in their efforts as career fraud fighters.

I hope you’ll enjoy this reflection on 2011 as much as we enjoyed creating it. Here’s to all we accomplished together in 2011, and to even more success in 2012.

Thank You to the ACFE Advisory Council

PRESIDENT'S POST

James D. Ratley, CFE
ACFE President and CEO

What began as a single idea I tossed around to staff here at the ACFE a little more than a year ago has now become one of our most valuable resources. Today, I am proud to say the ACFE Advisory Council, a council of fraud-fighting experts dedicated to the improvement and growth of the ACFE, has grown to almost 300 members.

Thanks to the valuable and knowledgeable input we received via surveys and emails over the last year, the Council helped us make important decisions regarding the style and usability of the new ACFE.com, provided feedback for the Auditing for Internal Fraud and Healthcare Fraud course materials and responded candidly to questions on how we can make our conferences more beneficial. And, that is just to name a few of the ways the Council participated.

I mentioned in my No. 1 New Year's resolution blog post that we hope to continue to grow the Advisory Council this year. We want to ensure we are hearing from as many members as possible about the ideas and resources we offer here at the ACFE. Because our membership spans continents, cultures, professions and expertise, it is vital to the fight against fraud that we get what we need to provide the best education and training possible.

I would like to personally thank each member of the ACFE Advisory Council and recognize the efforts, time and guidance you have provided us in this first year. I look forward to another exciting year at the ACFE and with the Advisory Council.

I encourage you to find more information and apply to the Advisory Council here.

And the ACFE's No. 1 New Year's Resolution Is...

PRESIDENT'S BLOG

James D. Ratley, CFE

ACFE President and CEO

And the ACFE’s #1 New Year’s Resolution for 2012 is…

#1: Continue to be the Best Anti-Fraud Organization in the World

From the moment we began the ACFE more than 20 years ago, we have always maintained that we don’t want to be the biggest organization, or the fanciest, or the most exclusive. We simply want be the best. We strive to provide the best benefits, the best education, the best events, the best products and the best people around to assist a membership we are proud to say spans borders, cultures and professions.

As we look ahead to a promising year, I can’t help but reflect on the record-breaking year we had at the ACFE in 2011. We had more than 2,200 attendees at our ACFE Annual Fraud Conference in San Diego, Calif., last June, setting attendance at an all-time high. Our Asia-Pacific Fraud Conference took place for the first time in Singapore last October, and we welcomed a record-number of new CFEs to the organization. We launched a newly-designed ACFE.com and continue to hear how much easier the site is to navigate and how the updated look reflects our growing and changing membership.

I encourage those of you who have “Becoming a CFE” on your list of resolutions to take advantage of the resources and people we have available here at the ACFE to help you achieve your goal. Whether you need a coach, a Review Course, tips and tricks, an organized plan or just a learned ear, we are here to get you moving in the right direction.

So, while looking ahead is exciting and a necessary step to remaining the best anti-fraud organization in the world, we also look at the many achievements and changes we have made over the last year that remind us of all that can and will be accomplished in the years to come.

Here is a recap of exactly how we plan to remain on top:

• Grow the ACFE Advisory Council
• Continue to Provide New and Relevant Courses and Events
• Expand Our International Presence
• Improve the Design and Content in Fraud Magazine

What are you hoping to achieve this year? Leave us your comments below.

Let the Countdown Begin: The ACFE’s 2012 New Year’s Resolutions

AUTHOR'S POST

Mandy Moody
ACFE Social Media Specialist

Last year we posted our top five ACFE New Year’s resolutions to give you an idea of what was to come in the year ahead. We are happy to continue this tradition and share the initiatives we are most excited about implementing in 2012. We hope you enjoy this sneak peek into what we plan to be another record-breaking year at the ACFE.

#5: Grow the ACFE Advisory Council

What began as an idea from ACFE President and CEO James D. Ratley, CFE, last January has now grown into one of our most powerful tools. The ACFE Advisory Council boasts more than 250 members worldwide, and thanks to the time and effort of these members we have received vital feedback regarding course materials, website design and content, conference topics and much more. While the Advisory Council has already made a lasting impact on various ACFE resources, we hope to increase the Council even more in 2012. Read more about the Advisory Council and apply for membership here.

#4: Continue to Provide New and Relevant Anti-Fraud Education

Unfortunately, fraudulent schemes and trends will follow us into 2012. To keep you ahead of the game, we have added new courses, events and seminars. Some of the new educational offerings are:

Events
Using Data Analytics to Detect Fraud: Attend this one-day course offered this March or November to learn data analytics tests that can be used to detect various fraud schemes

Self-Study Video
Inside the Fraudster’s Mind: Get an inside look at the fraudster’s mind, exploring psychological information and examining 10 common critical thinking errors displayed by fraudsters

Online Course
Marketing Your Fraud Examination Practice: This three-hour online course available now will help you develop a marketing strategy for your practice

Casebook
Corruption Casebook: Look for this collection of case studies written by ACFE members about corruption investigations in which they’ve taken part this June

We are looking forward to an exciting 2012. Stay tuned tomorrow as we continue our countdown with the ACFE’s No. 3 New Year’s Resolution.

ACFE Membership More Than a Certificate

AUTHOR'S POST

Mandy Moody
ACFE Social Media Specialist

My parents were both notorious for quoting one-liners they had picked up from old television shows (I think they had color back then) or recalled from inspirational books and sermons. Many Saturday mornings began with my mother knocking on my bedroom door and yelling with a slight Southern twang, “Rise and shine,” and just as many Sunday evenings closed with my father tucking me in my bed explaining, “Life is like a boomerang, Mandy. You always get back what you give.” Today, I pass on these colloquial, yet universal, bits of advice as you think about the different ways you can get the most out of your ACFE membership. For many of you, if not all, membership can be much more than a certificate, an acronym or even a conference.

Here are a few ways you may not have known about:

• Serve on the ACFE Advisory Council – provide your expert opinion and feedback on soon-to-be-released ACFE course materials, products, case studies, events and seminars. Apply now.
• Get Involved in Your Local Chapter– earn CPE locally and network with CFEs in your area by joining an ACFE Chapter. Join now.
• Sign up to Speak– share you expertise as a presenter at an ACFE training event, conference or webinar. Sign up now.
• Publish Your Work – submit an article for publication in Fraud Magazine or the ACFE’s blog, ACFE Insights. Gain exposure for your name and business by becoming a subject matter expert online or in the magazine. Submit an article now.

For any questions, or advice, you can always give us a call or email us here at the ACFE.