MASAE Honors NAFA Fleet Management Association For Charitable Efforts

PRINCETON, N.J. - Dec. 12, 2013 - PRLog -- During the holiday season, we’re often reminded “it’s better to give than to receive” -- a mantra that NAFA Fleet Management Association has long believed in.  In recent years, the Association has pitched in with Habitat for Humanity projects in the cities where NAFA’s annual conference has taken place, held an annual charity silent auction in the name of Saint Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, and raised thousands to help with Hurricane Sandy recovery.  On December 11, NAFA was recognized by the Mid-Atlantic Society of Association Executives (MASAE) for the Association’s ongoing commitment to its community and the needs of others.

“NAFA considers this to be one of the highest honors it has ever earned,” said NAFA’s Executive Director Phillip E. Russo, CAE.

NAFA’s involvement with Habitat for Humanity began in 2009 when the Association’s annual conference was held in New Orleans.  The City was still recovering from Hurricane Katrina and the need for new housing was paramount.  NAFA teamed up with Habitat for Humanity and LeasePlan USA (whose President and CEO Mike Pitcher hailed from New Orleans) and began what became an annual pre-conference ritual.  In the years that have followed, NAFA and LeasePlan have taken part in Habitat for Humanity projects in Detroit, MI; Charlotte, NC, St. Louis, MO; and Atlantic City, NJ.  In addition, monetary contributions from NAFA, combined with matching donations, have added up to more than $25,000 presented to Habitat for Humanity during the last five years.

In addition to the Habitat for Habitat projects, NAFA’s annual conference also found a way to tie charitable work in with the exhibitors on the Expo Floor.   A silent auction allowed exhibitors to gain extra traffic to their booth by providing gifts and prizes sold to the highest bidder.  All proceeds from the auctioned items went to Saint Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Since 2010, NAFA’s donations to St. Jude’s have exceeded $20,000.

Closer to home, when Russo watched the images of Hurricane Sandy on the news, he knew the Association had to help.  NAFA’s headquarters are not only located in New Jersey (one of the states that was badly hit by the storm) but, as luck would have it, Atlantic City, NJ was the site for the annual conference in 2013.  Between NAFA’s own contributions, those from NAFA chapters, and those from industry partners, over $8,000 was raised for the recovery efforts.

"No one at NAFA went into these activities with the idea of getting recognition for doing this work,” said Russo. “We have so much to be thankful for and we consider it an honor – and a duty – to share our gifts with others."

About NAFA Fleet Management Association

NAFA is the world’s premier non-profit association for professionals who manage fleets of sedans, public safety vehicles, trucks, and buses of all types and sizes, and a wide range of military and off-road equipment for organizations across the globe. NAFA is the association for the diverse vehicle fleet management profession regardless of organizational type, geographic location or fleet composition. NAFA’s Full and Associate Members are responsible for the specification, acquisition, maintenance and repair, fueling, risk management, and remarketing of more than 3.5 million vehicles including in excess of 1.1 million trucks of which 350 thousand are medium- and heavy-duty trucks. For more information on the Association visit http://www.nafa.org.  Follow NAFA on Facebook and Twitter @nafafleet.