American Fraternal Alliance

Last updated
American Fraternal Alliance
American Fraternal Alliance logo.png
Founded1913;111 years ago (1913)
Chicago, Illinois, US
TypeFraternal umbrella group
AffiliationIndependent
StatusActive
ScopeNorth America
PublicationFraternal Monitor
Chapters57 organizations
Former nameNational Fraternal Congress of America
HeadquartersPO Box 68700
Indianapolis , Indiana 46268-0700
United States
Website www.fraternalalliance.org

The American Fraternal Alliance (AFA) is an umbrella group of fraternal orders in the United States. It was founded as the National Fraternal Congress of America in 1913, in Chicago, Illinois. [1] It adopted its current name in 2011. [2]

Contents

History

The origins of the AFA go back to November 17, 1886, when a congress of sixteen fraternal orders representing 535,000 members met in Washington, DC. The original meeting was called by the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the pioneer fraternal insurance society, to establish uniform insurance legislation in all states. The 1913 meeting in Chicago resulted in the formation of a permanent organization, the National Fraternal Congress (NFC). [3] [1]

On March 21, 1901, several fraternal orders created the rival Associated Fraternities of America in Chicago. [4] It was created "as a protest against the workings" of the NFC. The two groups re-merged in 1913 as the National Fraternal Congress of America. [2] [1]

Another group the competed with the NFC for a time was the American Fraternal Congress, which was organized in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1898. This group differed from the NFC in that it only allowed orders that had adopted the legal reserve system to be members. [4]

The NFC adopted a Uniform Bill for state insurance regulations in 1893. In 1910, with the assistance of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners it promulgated the Mobile bill, which was modified in 1912 as the New York Conference bill. It also created a mortality table in 1899. [5]

It became the American Fraternal Alliance in 2011. [2] Its headquarters are in Indianapolis, Indiana. [6]

Publications

The NFC published a magazine, Fraternal Monitor and an annual Statistics, Fraternal Societies. [5]

Membership

The current members of the AFA include: [7] [8]

Former members

Former members of the AFA include: [7] [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foresters Financial</span> North American fraternal order

The Independent Order of Foresters, operating as Foresters Financial, is a fraternal benefit society headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that provides life insurance and other financial solutions in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. As of 2022, Louis Gagnon has served as the company's president and CEO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knights of the Maccabees</span> North American fraternal organization

Knights of the Maccabees was a fraternal organization formed in 1878 in London, Ontario, Canada. Most active in the U.S. state of Michigan, the group's fraternal aspects took a backseat to providing low-cost insurance to members. In the society's early years it also provided other final-expense related benefits such as society cemeteries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sons of Poland</span> American fraternal benefit society

The Association of theSons of Poland was a Polish-American fraternal benefit society which was organized in 1903. In addition to selling life insurance to members, it supported charities in the United States and Poland as well as activities in the Polish-American community in New Jersey and New York. The Sons of Poland merged with the Royal Arcanum.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, is an American Fortune 500 not-for-profit financial services organization headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Appleton, Wisconsin, and founded by Lutherans. As a member-owned fraternal benefit society, it operates under a chapter system, serving nearly 2.3 million members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benefit society</span> Organization formed to provide mutual aid

A benefit society, fraternal benefit society, fraternal benefit order, friendly society, or mutual aid organization is a voluntary association formed to provide mutual aid, benefit, for instance insurance for relief from sundry difficulties. Such organizations may be formally organized with charters and established customs or may arise ad hoc to meet the unique needs of a particular time and place.

The Citizens Flag Alliance (CFA) is an American organization advocating in favor of the Flag Burning Amendment project. CFA was founded in 1989 by the American Legion and originally called the Citizens' Flag Honor Guard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WoodmenLife</span> Fraternal life insurance company

WoodmenLife is a not-for-profit fraternal benefit society founded in 1890, based in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, that operates a large privately held insurance company for its members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Postal Workers Union</span> American labor union representing employees of the United States Postal Service

The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) is a labor union in the United States. It represents over 200,000 employees and retirees of the United States Postal Service who belong to the Clerk, Maintenance, Motor Vehicle, and Support Services divisions. It also represents approximately 2,000 private-sector mail workers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modern Woodmen of America</span> Fraternal benefit society

Modern Woodmen of America (MWA) is an American fraternal benefit society in the United States, which sells various investments and insurance products, with membership over 750,000 as of 2017. Total assets reached US$17.5 Billion billion in 2022, making it one of the largest such organization by assets. Though it shares the same founder, it is not affiliated financially in any way with another, similarly-styled fraternal benefit society, WoodmenLife, and despite the name "Modern" is actually older than its counterpart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Fraternal Association</span> Canadian trade association

The Canadian Fraternal Association / L’Association Fraternelle Canadienne (CFA-AFC) was a trade association based in Waterloo, Ontario, for fraternal benefit societies in Canada which engaged in advocacy on their behalf as well as provided services. It was dissolved in July 11, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Financial Life</span> Milwaukee-based life insurer

Catholic Financial Life (CFL) is a Milwaukee-based life insurer and fraternal organization. It is one of the largest Roman Catholic not-for-profit financial services organizations in the United States, second only to the Knights of Columbus. Fraternal benefits societies are nonprofit membership organizations that designate a portion of their income for charity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient Order of United Workmen</span> Fraternal benefit society

The Ancient Order of United Workmen (AOUW) was a fraternal organization in the United States and Canada, providing mutual social and financial support after the American Civil War. It was the first of the "fraternal benefit societies", organizations that would offer insurance as well as sickness, accident, death and burial policies. It dissolved in 1952.

The Polish Women's Alliance of America is a fraternal benefit society that was founded on May 22, 1898 in Chicago, Illinois.

Assured Life Association, formerly Woodmen of the World and/or Assured Life Association, having officially changed its name to on January 1, 2015, is a fraternal benefit society based in Denver, Colorado, whose beginnings can be traced to the same founder as Modern Woodmen of America and Woodmen of the World in 1890. Today, Assured Life Association is not affiliated with either organization. Aside from offering insurance benefits the organization is a non-profit Life Insurer organized to give back revenues to its member customers through direct benefits such as college scholarships and summer camp grants for youth and through discounts on other products and services. The Society also has a member-directed matching charitable giving program. Four national community service projects are promoted among Society member customers each year.

The Golden Age of Fraternalism is a term referring to a period when membership in the fraternal societies in the United States grew at a very rapid pace in the latter third of the 19th century and continuing into the first part of the 20th. At its peak, it was suggested that as much as 40% of the adult male population held membership in at least one fraternal order.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Alan Axelrod International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders New York; Facts on File, inc 1997 p. 24 and 179
  2. 1 2 3 "Milestones in History". Archived from the original on 2014-01-12. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  3. Alvin J. Schmidt Fraternal Orders (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press), 1930, p. 82.
  4. 1 2 Schmidt p.46
  5. 1 2 Schmidt pp.226-7
  6. "Contact Us". American Fraternal Alliance. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  7. 1 2 "Member Societies". Archived from the original on 2013-09-19. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  8. 1 2 "Member Societies". American Fraternal Alliance. Retrieved 2024-11-03.