Have you been looking into organizations that you can get involved in as a local government leader?
As a leader in your local municipality, you might have some of the answers. But when it comes to needing a bit of advice and guidance, a strong network is essential. There are a number of niche county organizations that can be used as a resource, allowing you to take even more valuable information to the rest of the team in your municipality.
HERE’S A LIST OF 10 TO GET YOU STARTED:
1. National Association of Counties
NACo was founded in 1935 with the sole mission of strengthening the nation’s counties. This county organization serves nearly 3.6 million county employees and nearly 40,000 elected officials. The goals of the organization are to optimize county and taxpayer resources, develop leadership skills for members, promote and advocate county policies, and enlighten the public. Some of their priorities are to increase member engagement, advance policies, offer their expertise, provide resources for financial health and invoke thought leadership.
2. National Association of County Administrators
NACA is one of the most collaborative county organizations that you could join. It encourages professional development for county administrators and provides resources to fulfill its purpose; sharing knowledge, improving county administration, encouraging development, working with ICMA to achieve goals, and assisting the NACo.
3. National Association of County Community & Economic Development
Established in 1978, NACCED strives to enhance the technical capacity of county employees who work with federally-funded affordable housing, community development, and economic development programs. Creating thriving communities is their mission along with building generational knowledge by providing education, resources, advocacy, and peer support.
4. National Association of County Collectors, Treasurers & Finance Officers
The NACCTFO was established to increase and multiply the number of resources that a Collector, Treasurer, or finance officer would get from their state associations. The goal in 1954 was to exchange ideas and build relationships and that’s what they strive for today as well. This county organization encourages obtaining a certificate for broadened knowledge and industry trends. A couple of objectives are to promote professional growth, grow the level of service efficiency, and be proactive in legislation that affects county government, taxes, collection, and treasury.
5. National Association of County Information Officers
Serving and helping county Public Information Officers (PIO) and Communications Officers is how NACIO operates. If you’re looking for entertaining and engaging workshops and events, this organization can provide that. Get access to like-minded professionals who work in the same field via the NACIO Listserv.
6. National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials
The mission of the NACPRO is to promote the park, recreation, and conservation topics. This county organization is a proponent of networking; exchanging ideas and best practices. Not only is this group part of the NACo, but it’s also an affiliate of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) as well.
7. National Association of County and City Health Officials
Consisting of over 3,000 local health departments across the nation, NACCHO leader, partner, and catalyst for health departments. It was founded in 1965 and is now governed by 27 board members who were selected by their colleagues. The core values of the organization are equity, excellence, participation, respect, integrity, leadership, science & innovation. Some areas of focus are tobacco health, food safety, infectious disease, injury and violence protection, environmental health, maternity and child health, and others.
8. National Association of County Engineers
Throughout the nation, counties own 46% of the roads and 40% of the bridges. This leaves them as the largest stakeholders in local road and bridge construction, rehabilitation, expansion, and maintenance. NACE has been around for around 70 years, which gives them the expertise that their members rely on; involving innovations, best practices, software, and management systems. With nearly 3,000 members, the organization is continuing to grow and serve its engineers, supervisors, directors, and managers.
9. National Association of County Veteran Service Officers
Serving over 14.4 million veterans with over 1,800, the NACVSO has generated a combined $121 billion in annual benefits for their communities. They’ve been providing training, accreditation, and support to municipal veterans advocates since 1989, so they’ve acquired the tools, knowledge, and national-level support to help the veterans and leaders in their organization.
10. National Association of Volunteer Programs in Local Government
The National Association of Volunteer Programs in Local Government was founded in 1997 because issues that people deal with while volunteering as a member of local government can differ from those issues in more private industries. Offering expertise to local government leaders, NAVPLG shares best practices, training, and network opportunities. They are known as the “leading national association of directors, managers, and administrators of volunteer programs in city, county, and other local governments.”
Summary
Finding a county organization to get yourself involved in is not a difficult task; knowing where to start is. Whether you’re an Administrator, Clerk, Finance Officer, Engineer, Director, etc., you’ll find an association for your position.
Make sure to join in on the conversations within the groups. Simply joining the group doesn’t provide any value, but once you begin to participate, just like any organization or group you get involved in, you’ll gain more insight that you’re able to bring back to the team.
County Organizations mentioned in the article:
- National Association of Counties (NACo)
- National Association of County Administrators (NACA)
- National Association of County Community & Economic Development (NACCED)
- National Association of County Collectors, Treasurers & Finance Officers (NACCTFO)
- National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO)
- National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials (NACPRO)
- National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
- National Association of County Engineers (NACE)
- National Association of County Veteran Service Officers (NACVSO)
- National Association of Volunteer Programs in Local Government (NAVPLG)
Other County organizations:
- International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO)
- International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM)
- International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)
- National Association of County Aging Programs (NACAP)
- National Association of County Behavioral Health and Development Disability Directors (NACBHDD)
- National Association of County Civil Attorneys (NACCA)
- National Association of County Health Facilities (NACHFa)
- National Association of County Human Services Administration
- National Association of County Planners
- National Association of County Surveyors
- National Association of Local Boards of Health
- National Council of County Association Executives
- National Workforce Association
Source: NACo Committees, State Associations, and Affiliates
Find more resources on our resource page and another community to build relationships is your state’s community on our site – Check it out!
