Defined Contributions Insights MagazineMay/June 2008
Participate in Upcoming PSCA Events
Member volunteers help strengthen PSCA’s mission.
by Kara Schappa
PSCA is busy in 2008 with several upcoming events, and we would like to thank our dedicated member volunteers for contributing to the success of these beneficial and informative programs. Member volunteers are valuable to our organization because they help support PSCA’s mission. We invite interested PSCA members to join in this worthwhile endeavor which helps ensure a strong private retirement system for America. Following are descriptions of several PSCA committees and member involvement.
In early 2008, the Conference Planning Committee met to discuss the details of PSCA’s upcoming 61st Annual National Conference, which will take place September 16–19, 2008 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. Committee members discussed ideas for interesting and informative conference topics and how to make the overall conference experience more valuable to attendees. Participants on this committee help ensure that topics covered at the premier conference of the year are topics important to attendees. This committee meets annually to develop the agenda and events at each year’s conference.
On June 4, 2008, PSCA will host its annual Public Policy Fly-In in Washington DC. This one-day event is a great way for members to let their voices be heard and help set PSCA’s agenda in Washington. Members interested in the legislative aspect of defined contribution plans can become involved in PSCA’s Legal and Legislative Committee. The Legal and Legislative (L&L) Committee’s primary mission is to provide the PSCA perspective in Washington on sound retirement policy in both the regulatory and legislative areas. The L&L Committee meets quarterly and has numerous sub-committee meetings. Participation on this committee will allow you to be directly involved in PSCA’s work in Washington and provides you with firsthand knowledge of events and developments in Washington. The end result of our work is that the American private retirement system — in particular, 401(k) plans — has never been stronger or more influential. Most importantly, we are preserving the ability of each employee to retire in a dignified and financially secure fashion.
Members of PSCA’s Education and Communication Committee (E&C) provide access to effective, high-quality communication and financial education materials and ideas that are on the cutting edge. The goal of the E&C Committee is to help plan sponsors communicate the benefits of plan participation to their employees and improve participant use and appreciation for their plan. This committee manages the Signature Awards competition and 401(k) Day. PSCA’s exciting new 401(k) Day campaign will be available May 15 on the 401(k) Day Web site, www.401kday.org. Also, it is not too late to participate in this year’s Signature Awards program. The final deadline for entries is May 30, 2008. PSCA also reaches out to its members to come to Chicago to judge the entries in this annual campaign. Some of the best and the brightest minds in the defined contribution industry have evaluated dozens of communication and education programs entered from around the country. Signature Awards volunteer judges can also contribute to the annual Signature Awards Magazine by writing articles about the winning entries.
Finally, PSCA is currently accepting questionnaires for its 51st Annual Survey. The deadline for entries is May 9, 2008. For PSCA members interested in keeping up with the latest data and trends in the defined contribution industry, the Research Committee identifies areas of investigation and develops surveys to document current plan practices and employee behaviors. In addition to serving as a valuable tool for plan sponsors, PSCA’s data provides an important backbone of real-world experience to support PSCA’s legislative efforts.
PSCA credits much of its success to its dedicated member volunteers. For more information on how you can get involved in one of PSCA’s projects, visit our Web site at www.psca.org or call us at 800-255-2710.
Kara Schappa is Editor for PSCA.