Featured Chapters: Dallas Area and South Africa Chapters

Earlier this year, we awarded the 2023 Chapters of the Year to the New York Chapter and Southwest Ohio Chapter. Since there are nearly 200 chapters worldwide, it is difficult to choose the winners when there are so many deserving chapters. While we can only recognize two chapters with the award, I would like to recognize two other chapters for their accomplishments in 2022. This month, I would like to highlight the Dallas Area and South Africa Chapters.

Dallas Area Chapter #3
The Dallas Area Chapter was established in September 1989. In its nearly 35 years, the chapter has always found dedicated leaders to give back to the membership. They continue to innovate and find new and creative ways to provide an experience to the membership.

Their chapter is comprised of a dedicated board of 11 volunteers serving more than 260 chapter members. Last year, they held 9 training events worth 21 CPE credits. Not only does the chapter organize monthly luncheon events, but it also organizes an annual all-day conference in August, giving the membership plenty of opportunities to participate. They also hosted three happy hours to promote networking among members, students and guests.

For many years, the Dallas Area Chapter has supported the next generation of fraud fighters. In 2022, they donated $10,000 to the ACFE Foundation thanks to the support of their chapter members and the growth of the chapter over the past few years. They also provided $10,000 in local scholarships by their scholarship committee. Their chapter supported student chapters at several nearby universities by giving presentations about the ACFE, the CFE credential and fraud-related careers. They also established a student intern program whereby they selected students to participate in board activities, prepare an internal audit workplan, perform an audit of the chapter’s books and record the chapter’s adherence to the chapter’s bylaws.

They are also very involved in the local community. During Fraud Awareness Week, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson proclaimed Fraud Awareness Week via an official proclamation in November. They also handpicked nutritious meals specifically designed to assist in reversing and preventing undernutrition at a local food bank. The chapter also partnered with three local charitable organizations for a donation and food drive. This resulted in donating more than $6,500 to these charities.

South Africa Chapter #91
The South Africa Chapter serves more than 6,000 members. This includes more than 3,000 ACFE members and more than 2,700 affiliates. Not only do they have members from South Africa, but ACFE members from all over Africa join the South Africa Chapter. The South Africa Chapter assists several chapters throughout Africa but also serves members in other countries where no chapter exists. The pandemic was difficult for many members around the world, and the South Africa Chapter has assisted their members by helping pay their ACFE dues to enable them to keep their membership active.

The South Africa Chapter helped organize and execute more than 70 training opportunities throughout Africa. Their premier event is their Annual ACFE Africa Conference & Exhibition which is held annually in Johannesburg. This conference is the largest anti-fraud conference outside the United States. During Fraud Awareness Week, they held five separate events in five different regions in Africa.

They assist other chapters in Africa by marketing, planning and hosting events in other countries. They also provide the funding for these events. The chapter hosts quarterly chapter leaders meetings for chapters in Africa to discuss their challenges and ways they can better collaborate. They provide complimentary registration to other chapter presidents for their annual conference so they can participate in the leaders meeting that takes place during the conference. They also help members in countries where there is no chapter by helping them go through the process of forming a nonprofit organization.

Thank you to the Dallas Area and the South Africa Chapters for the time you spend giving back to the members, other chapters and the community. We look forward to hearing more about your accomplishments in 2024.