KEVIN NIDA FOR RE-ELECTION AS CSFA PRESIDENT

I am running for re-election with my family's strong support and because this administration's work is not done. I truly believe CSFA is too great for small dreams and we need to keep the momentum going.

When I took over as President, CSFA was at war with labor being declared as a rival labor organization, we had antiquated book keeping systems, inaccurate membership data, systems that did not communicate with each other and no strategy to fix what was broken. We also had lost membership due to disagreements with labor, had no strategic direction and no business plan.

During my presidency, we have continued the great relationship with CPF resulting in peace with labor for five years, excellent legislative and political success, membership is on the rise despite a poor economy and we continue to improve our benefits, products and programs. We have a winning team and formula, so why change now? A "simpler" CSFA was not successful in the past, and holds no vision for the future. If someone tells you CSFA needs to change direction, they are looking the wrong way. I do not want to see the association return to bad habits.

CSFA cannot afford to become simpler, go backwards, or have less of a broad focus. In these times, we have to continue to think out of the box, provide more member and political services and benefits and continue to show our value and innovation. We now have state-of-the art information systems, accurate data, greater fiscal responsibility and more transparency. I also led the charge to recruit and retain a new executive director who has professionalized the staff and our processes.

After attempting to work with Governor Swartzenegger's staff, I determined along with the Board's concurrence we needed to revoke the endorsement of the previous administration and make it clear that the Governor has done little to help firefighters and could not even follow his own Blue ribbon Commission's recommendations.

CSFA was successful blocking Proposition 75 which would have mandated strict regulations on union and association dues, Proposition 87 and others with strong political support. I was honored to fight Proposition 87 with over $20 million dollars of advertising showing the faults of the misguided proposition which protected the fire service's revenue stream.

During my presidency, we have defined where CSFA best fits in the fire service. We have a strategic direction, have accomplished over 25 major projects and we are not done yet. We have a better trained staff, we have reduced spending and have not had to increase dues in four years because we have developed innovative revenue development programs.

The magazine will be paying for itself in 2010 with new business partners, advertisers and a new deployment model where as before it was a $200K annual cost to the membership. We have greatly improved the quality of the magazine and of the articles, advertisers and format.

Major Accomplishments and "First's"

We supported and signed the historic Unity Pact with CPF to include quarterly meetings with CPF - resulting in the most harmonious relationship with fire labor in CSFA's history and resulting in five years of maintained peace and prosperity with labor.

We revoked the CSFA endorsement of Governor Swartzenegger after his failure to support the Blue Ribbon Commission's recommendations and his failure to support the fire service in general.

Participated in the successful "No on 87" campaign - highlighting Kevin Nida in a $35 million television plus advertising buy that gave unprecedented publicity to CSFA. Close cooperation with the California Independent Petroleum Association (CIPA) built a relationship that resulted in placing the CIPA Executive Director on the FSTI Board of Directors in 2009.

We Defined CSFA's position in the fire service as a Professional Trade Association

We developed and implemented the first strategic direction in the association's history.

Strategic Direction

The fundamental objectives for The California State Firefighters Association is to continue to be the fire service leader with regard to state and federal legislation, safety issues involving firefighters and the public-at-large, and provide the best in-service training programs available to our members. In addition, CSFA is expanding its membership and business opportunities nationwide in order to increase services and benefits to its current and future members. CSFA's strategic plan includes a key target of achieving a high new growth rate in it's membership over the next three years. To succeed in its objectives, the CSFA is pursuing the following key strategic thrusts.

Key Strategic Thrusts

Develop New Business
Increase the ability of CSFA to recruit new members by adding membership benefits specialists to accommodate increased member and Department contacts, resulting in membership growth.

Through new insurance services, other new products and expanded membership models, increase the geographic scope of the Association to the entire nation.

Increase Operational Efficiency
Develop operating synergies through cost reductions and the application of new technologies and better Board Member, Committee and Staff efficiencies.

Optimize Membership Relationships
Define and measure member needs to ensure that we continue to meet those needs as we change and expand our operating environment.

Enhance External Relationships
Work proactively with labor organizations and other key stakeholders to develop strong working relationships that are mutually beneficial.

Work proactively with other organizations to secure mutually beneficial programs that share costs savings.

We Developed a better defined CSFA
We have defined how CSFA fits in to enhance and compliment CPF & IAFF programs & benefits with the "Fire Service Pie" to visualize how CSFA fit's in with IAFF & CPF locals.

We Secured a major $800K multi-year federal SAFER grant to help volunteer fire service recruit members.

We improved political programs to help CSFA locals develop strategies to get their message out, develop political partnerships and develop a winning team.

We recruited, hired and have retained for a second contract a professional Executive Director, with a masters degree and with a Association Executive Certificate.

We strengthened ties with Firehouse World Conference in San Diego to a level to co-locate a 3,000 attendee conference demonstrating CSFA's benefits, programs and training to thousands of new potential members.

Legislative enhancements and reorganization
Expanded scope of legislative advocacy team through Vargas and Associates to get three advocates for the price of one to ensure attendance at all functions and continue to represent CSFA at a very high level.

Internal changes
We professionalized office management through recruitment of John Dane, Certified Association Executive.

We Modernized CSFA's accounting and budgeting process and increased transparency of CSFA governance and finance to members.

Training Enhancements
We Assisted in the development of the Fire Services Training Institute to provide "at cost", non-profit training for all ranks of the fire service.

We increased exposure and strongly supported the Employer/Employee (E&E) Seminars

We reorganized annual conference to provide more political and E&E & political opportunities

Communications enhancements

We re-designed CSFA website with enhanced features

We re-designed CSFA magazine with new features - regional awards for excellence won

We launched monthly CSFA eNewsletter for better communication with members

We added free California Hot Shots calendar to Nov/Dec magazine

We instituted publishing of annual booklet of member services to insure members get the most from their membership

We added digital editions of Fire Engineering, FireRescue & JEMS magazine to CSFA website at no cost to members

Member recognition enhancements
We developed CSFA Valor Awards ceremony as a stand alone "signature" event in Sacramento the evening before the California Firefighter Memorial.

We increased support and participation of the California Firefighter Memorial with CPF

We developed the CSFA Purple Heart Award

We developed a multi-million dollar revenue stream for fire departments through insurance company reimbursements through two providers.

We brought San Diego FD back into CSFA

We brought Huntington Beach FD back into CSFA

We developed the San Francisco Bay Area Membership Initiative

That is where we have been and this is where we are going:

Proposed Five-Year Strategic Objectives July 2009 - July 2014

Build and diversify CSFA's financial base to assure greater revenue stability:

• Overall revenues - increase CSFA annual gross revenues from $2.25 to $3.25 million.
• Non-dues revenue - grow by $100,000 annually (50% of total revenue increase).
• Membership dues - develop a tiered dues system adding two extra benefit levels effective January 2011. Implement a dues increase effective January 1, 2012.
• Event pricing - starting in 2011, price event registration fees to assure that events are budgeted to be 90% self-supporting.
• Corporate sponsorships - add two new corporate sponsorship per year; ten active corporate sponsorships by July 2013.
• Fundraising - hire on contract a commission-based fundraiser - to secure public and private donations, public and private grants for CSFA, FSTI, PAC and the Historical Society.
• Fegle Annual Fund - in 2009 launch a new Annual Fund named after Marjorie Fegle, a significant CSFA donor. The Fegle Annual Fund will be the centerpiece for donations designated meet ongoing CSFA expenses.
• Merchandising - expand the on-line merchandise offering, improve visibility and establish a gross annual sales goal.
• Civic Development - explore new fundraising capabilities with Civic Development including PAC related contacts and a "Friends of California Firefighters" concept.

Increase membership retention, recruitment, categories and benefits:

• Membership increase - boost membership to 30,000.
• International membership - add a new international membership category in 2010.
• Billing consistency - continue membership teamwork to deepen and strengthen our communication with members and local associations, including being consistent with our 30/60/90 day billing notifications and building relationships with association contacts.
• Bay Area membership initiative - support the Greg Redden initiative with CSFA staff and leadership assistance to build membership in the Bay Area. Secure 1000 new members by December 2011.
• Volunteer PSA media/SAFER grant - build volunteer membership through the additional visibility CSFA will receive by placing PSA's in selected rural California media markets using the $200,000 annual grant. Tie effort to the Volunteer Length of Service Award program.
• Insurance-based trust - continue to explore feasibility of launching a new life insurance- based trust to provide CSFA members with $50,000 life insurance policies and with additional longer term care options through the accumulation of insurance proceeds into a new CSFA trust.
• Develop a university relationship that meets the advanced education needs of CSFA members - building upon member's associate's degrees to offer bachelor's and master's degrees statewide and on-line in a manner that accommodates the unique scheduling requirements for CSFA members.
• Benefits - Build up to sixteen ongoing lifestyle membership benefits that provide recognized discounts to members.
• Fire Services Training Institute - continue to enhance FSTI's capability to serve as CSFA's primary training organization. Assure continued CSFA governance presence on the FSTU Board of Directors.
• Regional Membership Representatives (RMR's) - continue the 75/25 cost split with CSFEWBC on RMR's and work to add one new RMR in the Bay Area in 2010 and one in northern California in 2011.

Accommodate generational change but respect diversity in our membership:

• Social media - review and select one or more social media electronic technologies that can be integrated into CSFA website and other electronic CSFA communication outlets.

• Member survey - continue annual survey to identify member training needs, consumer preferences and professional trends. Link CSFA offering to membership needs and preferences in insurance, entertainment, recreational and travel.

• Retiree programs - reflecting a huge potential retiree base - develop new outreach and benefit programs and build a 10,000 retiree base. Phase out new lifetime memberships by Dec 2009.

• Enhance communications with members:

• Monthly on-line newsletter - re-introduce this Executive Director information product to keep CSFA leadership informed about key association developments.

• Next generation website - re-launch the website in 2010 with enhanced features including social media, webcasts and other-line line interactive features.

• Membership email contact - From current email database of 8500 to 10,000 by December 2010 and 12,000 by December 2012.

• On-line membership, class and event registration - continue to promote on-line contact for membership renewal, class and event registration.

• Magazine publishing - continue to focus coverage on all aspects of California firefighting and EMS and develop a business plan to make the magazine a breakeven operation in 2010 and profitable by 2011.

Market CSFA events as integrated and complimentary to one another:

• Annual Conference/Committee Meeting Day - continue to improve Annual Conference relevance moving the event every other year between Sacramento and San Diego with the San Diego event co-located with Firehouse World. The San Diego Annual Conference will have a strong training flavor with some focus on local politics. The Sacramento Annual Conference will have a strong emphasis state-level political action with presentations by elected officials.

• Annual Legislative Reception - an ongoing event held each spring and held in conjunction with the Annual Conference every other year. Timing of the Legislative Reception should not conflict with the Annual Conference dates when that event is held in San Diego.

• Annual E/E Seminarr- ongoing marketing for Seminar similar to the marketing provided in 2009. CSFA should price the Seminar closer to seminar market rates to cover 90% of the costs of the event. Also the Board and staff need to work to assure that the leadership of the seminar transitions to the next generation of E/E presentation professionals..

Revitalize state and local government relations as a primary CSFA member service:

• Contract lobbying - continue to employ a Capitol-based contract lobbyist who oversees legislative advocacy and administrative agency contacts. The lobbyist should be responsible, too, for 1) the annual legislative reception, 2) PAC donation requests, 3) general oversight of the work of any local CSFA endorsed political consultant, 4) reporting activities and results to the Executive Director and to the PAC Chair, and 5) providing regular written material for inclusion in CSFA member communications.

• Local political consulting - should be offered and marketed to CSFA member departments. Results should be published for CSFA members as short case studies in political action.

• PAC fundraising - explore PAC fundraising opportunities, beyond dues check off. Options may include direct mail solicitation, Civic Development calls or PAC fundraisings events around the state. This program should kick- off in 2010.

Develop stronger alliances with other fire-related organizations

• Alliance development - obvious organizations include CPF, the Fire Chiefs and the Fire Districts. Opportunities should be identified in 2009 for hosting joint events, creating web site links and identifying other strategic means of sharing joint resources. In particular CSFA and CPF should together promote the legitimacy of their respective long term disability programs.

• Multi-state alliances -search for opportunities to develop strategic alliances with adjacent state fire organizations including examining the advisability of a Pacific Rim Fire Roundtable Alliance to include state and provincial jurisdictions Baja, Mexico, California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Yukon, Alaska and Hawaii.

Re-invigorate CSFA governance structure

• Expand the number of CSFA Board positions - to provide automatic Board seats for jurisdictions with more than 400 CSFA members. This would include adding seats for the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, the City of San Diego, Orange County, the City of Long Beach and the City of Fresno. To maintain some regional equity, the number of Southern California regional Board position could be reduced by two. This would create a CSFA Board of 12 individuals. The primary purpose of this change would be to reward large department for participating in CSFA and to maintain the stability of their relationship with us. To be voted on by delegates at the Annual Conference 2010.
• Establish a formal Executive Committee of the Board - to include three or four Board members and the Executive Director to identify items for full Board consideration and to conduct any conference calls as may be necessary between Board meetings. With more frequent Executive Committee conference calls Board meetings could be reduced to three per year as each meeting will include a great number of individuals.

In closing, it has been a privilege to serve and I am ready for another term as your President. Let's maintain a winning team that brings results, not just promises.