Art & Frame Council

[Bob Carter]

Audrey posted on another thread (Contest closes...)her complimentary comments about AFC. A quick thought on AFC..This weekend in the magazine section of the Sunday paper the first page is the gossip Q & A's. The lead off question was "What is Daisy Fuentes doing now?". It included a cheesecake promo photo from her publicist, with a follow-up of her activities. It said that she's not doing much now, but looking for work. It listed her public service work for Folic Acid and her promoting Pilatecs(referred to as an exercise system), but nothing about her being the featured spokesperson for AFC or October being Picture Framing month.

I wonder how the AFC feels about whatever monies they spend on this personality, and the fact that they don't get mentioned at all.

Coming in behind Folic Acid and Pilatecs-unbelievable!

[Kerry Wilson, CPF, GCF]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Bob Carter:
I wonder how the AFC feels about whatever monies they spend on this personality, and the fact that they don't get mentioned at all.

Coming in behind Folic Acid and Pilatecs-unbelievable!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Has anyone ever seen a financial statement from the AFC? What do they do with their money? Yes, I know they have promotional postcards but the "October is National Custom Framing Month" posters are printed and distributed by suppliers.

Lets suppose there are 18,000 frame shops in America who have average sales of $120K a year and their cost of goods is $40K. If all 18,000 frame shops contributed 1/2 of 1 percent to the AFC that would give an income of $3,600,000. Wow! Is my math wrong? If the AFC earns that much I want some national advertising and a Real Celebrity spokesperson (Brad Pitt or Harrison Ford would be my choice)

Maybe this is how PPFA should be funded. Then everyone would be a member.

Anyone want to speak for the AFC?

Kerry

[Jana]

Does the Art and Frame Council have a website? I couldn't find one. What exactly is the AFC?

[Kerry Wilson, CPF, GCF]

The AFC's web site is www.artandframingcouncil.org (http://www.artandframingcouncil.org)

[Framar]

Nice website. But it hasn't been updated since August 2000, if I am reading it correctly.

I ordered those first brochures years ago and couldn't give them away. No one wanted them. I couldn't tell you why.

[From the sidelines]

A very good question--Bob.
Another very good question would be-- "What has PPFA done with all its money?"

Where has it promoted Picture Framing?

Where are the spokespersons of the industry?

What are the plans for promotion of our industry after the merger? Will the money come from PMA or from the reserve?

What is AFC budget? I sure it is 10% or less than what PPFA.

[Frameref]

PPFA does basically two things with its money. Actually, this is a gross oversimplification -- PPFA does many things with its money, but the bulk of the annual budget is comprised of two basic areas. First is education, which consumes more than half of the budget each year. Educational programs operate at a slight profit, but they tie up a lot of resources to do so. The next biggest expenditure is for administration -- staff salaries, rent, utilities, business expenses, travel and logistics, etc. With those two items, there's not a lot of money left over for other stuff.

Which is why, once again, we come to the proposed affiliation with PMA. You simply cannot have things like public spokespersons and national awareness campaigns unless there is money to pay for them. PPFA will not have that money unless they do one of several things. Things like slashing operating expenses, which can only be done by releasing staff members or finding a cheaper place to house the offices. Or, generating new revenue by significantly increasing membership. How do you do that? By offering new programs and benefits, or by a major membership campaign. How do you pay for that? It's pretty tough, when there's so little money to go around. Gee, what to do, what to do?

As Bob Carter and others have stated clearly, again and again and again, PMA is a business decision, plain and simple. By affiliating with PMA, PPFA's operating expenses decrease significantly, because we would all be housed in the same facility, so each sub-group would (does) share expenses like utilities and so forth. Support staff is shared. Add to that the fact that PMA has a desire to help PPFA grow its membership, and they have the experience and the revenue needed to do so. Then, we can have things like national spokespersons, and major ad campaigns to promote framing awareness, and better benefits, and whatever you, the membership, ask for!

It is so simple. PPFA can fix its management problems internally. PPFA can also rewrite its bylaws and elect board members. PPFA can shift its directions and pursue regional education. But, in the same way that you cannot get blood from a stone, you can't grow the PPFA and pursue a national promotion without money! It's a vicious cycle we're in, and PMA is the smartest, quickest, best way out.

Thank you for your continued patience,

Derek Vandeberg CPF
Frame of Reference, Bigfork, Montana

[BUDDY]

While we are discussing accountability : how many are aware of the fact that there are many if not more non-PPFA contributors to the AFC then Member. And since we ARE talking about accountability when have those of you who contribute to the AFC when buying supplies looked or asked this very question about what the AFC does with the money? It is very nice to say that someone should check this for you but who pays them to do just that? I vaguely remember as Bill has said before that this started out as a PPFA program and then was extended to ALL framers but when non members felt they should have a say also but it seems that we still want the PPFA to explain what they are doing with OUR contributions.
Maybe Kerry has a point the PPFA should find a way to add on a surcharge to all framers purchases ,after all no one will question were the money goes they will all be looking for someone else to suppervise that for them.

But enough of the sarcasum. The only people who pay the fee are those who agree to have their suppliers withhold it, memmber or not of the PPFA.The AFC is accountable for all who pay it just requires us to take care of our own donations. Some of us who pay dues can and do contact the PPFA but the real authority is the AFC and Kim Ahern.
Buddy


[This message has been edited by BUDDY (edited September 04, 2001).]

[Bob Carter]

My point had less to do with accountability(although I agree with Buddy) than our standing in the food chain of promotion. You know that the goodies listed as what Daisy is doing now came striaght from a publicist. And my complaint was how low on the chain we must be for this person, or the editor, to completely eliminate us in favor of Folic Acid.

For the record, I'm glad that AFC is attempting to garner favorable press. But this seems to point out the difficulty. I wasn't casting stones at AFC-at least they are trying. My point was maybe a call to her publicist might be in order. These items don't get placed willy-nilly and I was sure that with October on the horizon, that maybe this was a well placed item. Then the thing gets turned into incompetency of the favorite whipping boy. With logic like that, maybe we are victims of our own self-inflicted wounds. Remember the famous Pogo line ? "We have met the enemy and it's us"