ADVOCIS CHAPTERS

The Chapter Relations team is focused on providing high-value, proactive chapter member engagement strategies and campaigns that are on-brand, consistent and professional – as well as provide each chapter with the ability to showcase its unique value in helping to grow great advisors.

Supporting The Advisor Of The Future

Across the country, 40 Advocis chapters led by member volunteers work throughout the year to support the professionalism and education of advisors and planners, as well as lead advocacy, financial literacy and mentorship initiatives while fostering chapter community.

Chapter Presidents oversee the well-being and sustainability of each individual chapter and consult with the national Chapter Leadership Council of Advocis to align to strategic and operational requirements.

Chapter boards – consisting of volunteer leaders with years of professional practice – guide chapter operations through coordinated activities that support local member needs for development, connection and success. This includes:

• Education initiatives that advance professionalism, designation achievement and business development

• Advocacy awareness and engagement, and strengthening the voice of advisors within the industry through provincial and federal advocacy activities

• Community building through initiatives that promote fellowship, collaboration and mentorship, as well as community leadership -particularly as ambassadors for financial literacy

In 2022, Advocis chapters organized over 350 events, held virtually, in-person or hybrid, including:

• Learning modules and mentored activities to support the practice development of new advisors

• Chapter study groups to support members working towards designations

• Advanced learning case study group discussions

• Webinars on a wide range of topics relevant to today’s practitioner, and to the advisor of the future

• Ethics and risk management sessions

Emerging Together Through Chapter Community

“Emerging Together” served as a collective shared purpose and call-to-engage across chapters throughout 2022 as volunteer members actively sought opportunities to encourage local advisor communities to come back and re-connect.

Our dedicated chapter leadership network focused on finding ways to not only support the continuing resilience of advisor members in these evolving times, but also to leverage the special power that comes with the depth and strength of Advocis chapter community – one that can enable the connection, education, mentoring and fellowship that helps to grow great advisors.

Supporting The Advisor Of The Future

Advocis chapters look to how they can create welcome spaces for advisors, both new and established, to come together to learn, develop and grow professionally while working towards a designation or otherwise enhance their expertise and skills. Some examples from 2022 included:

• Greater Vancouver welcomed over 185 attendees for the return of Building Blocks for Success, their in-person signature program for those in the financial planning, insurance and investments industry

The event was designed for participants of all levels to learn directly from their peers on how they can achieve success at any level in their careers and featured curated ‘TED-Talks’ style presentations

As a reflection of the chapter’s commitment to DIBE, they invited attendees to “connect with familiar faces and make new acquaintances in a safe, positive, inclusive environment”

• Chapters from coast-to-coast hosted monthly modules of the Advocis Practice Development Series, providing opportunities for advisors to engage with chapter mentors and industry leaders. The sessions focus on the practical skills and knowledge newer advisors need to be successful such as business planning, sales process, prospecting and marketing

Study group opportunities provided in 2022 included:

• Calgary, Kingston and Durham Region chapters led delivery of the CLU Advanced Learning Series. With sessions run virtually, CLU holders across Canada were able to join in for sessions which featured case study discussions on various topics

• To support advisors pursuing their CLU designation, both Calgary and Edmonton chapters offered CLU 257 exam prep study groups for local members

• Advocis Ottawa launched the network’s first chapter study group for students enrolled with the Advocis LLQP licensing program

Professional Development Days

2022 saw the return of a popular staple in chapter member engagement – the professional development day. These full-day events provide an opportunity for member and non-member advisors and planners to come together for education, fellowship, and networking to support their professional development and practice enhancement while allowing for engagement with key Advocis activities on professionalism, government relations and regulatory affairs.

Among the many opportunities in 2022 coordinated by chapters:

• Prairies Region Fall Conference & Mixers

• Northern Ontario Education Summit

• Strategies for Success for the Advisor Today and Tomorrow

Chapter Leadership Conference

The Chapter Leadership Conference is an opportunity for chapters to come together to collaborate on goals and share strategies for excellence in supporting member success and community. An essential foundation for volunteer executives assuming leadership roles, the conference is a great opportunity to discuss key priorities for the future, discover new ways to remain relevant and effective to members in today’s industry, and develop strategies to forge forward together.

The 2022 conference was held alongside Strategies for Success in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Aligning with its theme of Between a Rock and a Soft Place, the Leadership Conference explored the concept of Emerging Together with the agenda focused on workshops, chapter sharing and breakout time for delegates to discuss and explore ways they and their teams, together with members, communities and their sponsors, can emerge together from this pandemic, stronger and more inclusive.

Chapter Awards of Excellence

Presented annually at the Chapter Leadership Conference, the mission of the Advocis Chapter Excellence Awards is to inspire a culture of chapter excellence, recognition, and collaboration. It promotes a culture in which chapters and volunteer leaders from coast-to-coast are encouraged to pursue meaningful opportunities; to innovate for growth, and to excel in supporting member needs for education, advocacy, community, and professionalism.

Volunteers of the Year:

• British Columbia: Philip Bisset-Covaneiro and Nahanni Ackroyd, Advocis Vancouver Island

• Alberta: Amanda McCloy, Advocis Edmonton

• Prairies: Cynthia Duncan (in memoriam), Advocis Winnipeg

• Ontario North East: Janice McFarlane, Advocis Ottawa

• Ontario Central: Taivi Tayler and Elaine Erhart, Advocis Simcoe

• Ontario South West: David Reeve, Advocis Golden Triangle

• Atlantic: Jennifer Murphy and Melissa Hill, Advocis Nova Scotia

Chapters of the Year:

• Advocis Toronto and Advocis Vancouver Island

Inclusion and Belonging

Through programming and local engagement, Advocis chapters aim to nurture community and a culture of inclusion and belonging to create a space for member and non-member advisors, volunteers and our community partners that welcomes ideas and conversation, embraces unique experiences and perspectives, and builds connections. Some highlights from 2022 include:

• Events to celebrate International Women’s Day were held by chapters, each encouraging unique conversations

• Advocis Calgary launched a Women Advisors’ Mastermind chapter series as a community of local female financial advisors to support their ongoing personal and professional development

• To kick-off Pride Month, Advocis Newfoundland & Labrador hosted a half-day virtual event titled “Equality Starts From Within” featuring guest speaker Dane Woodland, a consultant whose focus is on supporting and transforming inclusive practices

• Ontario North Advocis chapter leaders coordinated the first presentation of a new women’s mastermind program developed by Jane Blaufus. Presented as a half-day pre-event opportunity before the Spring session of the Northern Ontario Education Summit, the session focused on enabling group conversation on topics of mindset, marketing/branding, value of your time, opportunities for the future of women in the industry, women and wealth, and the intergenerational transfer of wealth

Growing Program Partnerships

Through their program planning in 2022, chapters sought to expand their networks locally to connect with allied professionals and partners to engage advisors in specialized conversations that can help to broaden insights, perspectives, and ways of engaging with clients.

For example, Advocis chapters are increasing their spotlight on Canada’s aging demographics, and hosted several events focused on helping advisors enhance their services and supports for seniors.

Other highlights include:

• Advocis Ottawa hosted a professional development day entitled “Connecting with Aging Clients and Families”, featuring discussion of eldercare planning, service navigation and advice through difficult life transitions and choices

• Advocis Kingston held the inaugural session of the new Advocis chapter program “Working with Senior Clients”, which aims to help financial advisors and planners develop the practices and processes that will protect and empower their clients and protect their practice

• In the first cross-regional collaboration in the chapter network, Advocis Medicine Hat led seven Advocis chapters from coast-to-coast to host Canada’s “Farm Whisperer”, Elaine Froese, for a virtual session entitled Farm Family Business Coaching Insights to help advisors engage agricultural and small business families in courageous and necessary conversations for transition planning

National Volunteer Week: “Empathy in Action”

For 2022, the chapter network focused on the top volunteer passion points for Advocis chapter leaders with a think tank on Financial Literacy, a mastermind roundtable on Mentorship and a nationwide information session on the Advocis Advocacy Network. Sessions were led and attended by volunteer leaders who have gone above and beyond in these areas from coast-to-coast. The engagement on these topics continued to social media with the Chair of the Chapter Leadership Council, William Britton, hosting an open conversation with volunteer members on why they care about and volunteer with Advocis. Additionally, chapter leaders from across Canada worked collectively to create a video featuring their comments on what empathy in action means to them, and how our volunteers demonstrate it every day.