How to Use this Template:

Complete the [bracketed fields] with your personal details, then review each paragraph and customize for your organization’s specific priorities and goals. This letter is written from the perspective of a headquarters-based professional making a case to an organizational supervisor or executive. When you are ready, copy the letter text into your own organizational letterhead or email.

[Date]

[Supervisor Name], [Title]

[Organization Name]

Dear [Supervisor Name],

I am writing to request your support in attending the 2026 Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA) Annual Meeting, held December 2-5, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. As the leading professional conference for the fraternity/sorority industry, the Annual Meeting brings together over 1,000 practitioners from campus-based and headquarters organizations, making it one of the most strategically valuable professional gatherings our organization can be represented at.

Why the AFA Annual Meeting

The AFA Annual Meeting is the only national conference purposefully built for fraternity/sorority professionals, staff, and volunteers. For headquarters professionals, it is an unmatched opportunity to engage directly with campus-based practitioners who advise and support our chapters every day to understand their challenges, share our organization’s priorities, and strengthen our working relationships. The 2026 conference is especially significant as the culminating event of AFA’s Forward to 50 strategic plan and the organization’s 50th anniversary – making it a particularly meaningful moment in the history of the profession.

Headquarters professionals represent approximately 30% of Annual Meeting attendees each year, reflecting the degree to which this conference serves as a shared professional space between campus and organizational staff. Our presence there signals our commitment to the profession and positions [organization] as an active partner in the broader FSL community.

Value to Our Organization

Attendance directly advances several strategic priorities for [organization name]:

• Campus Partner Relationships: The Annual Meeting is the single most efficient opportunity to connect face-to-face with campus advisors across multiple institutions. I plan to use the conference to strengthen existing partnerships and build new relationships with advisors at [list target institution types or specific schools].
• Organizational Priority: I am currently focused on [specific initiative, e.g., expansion, volunteer development, health/safety programming, recruitment], and the conference’s educational programming includes content and peer dialogue directly relevant to this work.

Beyond these priorities, educational programming at the conference offers substantive content in areas of direct relevance to headquarters professionals, including [optional: update topics as appropriate for your role] hazing prevention and risk management, chapter health and performance, volunteer leadership development, and the evolving legislative and legal landscape. I have identified the following sessions as particularly aligned with our current organizational priorities:

• [Session or topic name and brief rationale]
• [Session or topic name and brief rationale]
• [Session or topic name and brief rationale]

Professional Development Value

In addition to the organizational benefits, the Annual Meeting supports my own professional growth in areas directly relevant to my role at [organization name]. I am actively working to develop skills in [professional development areas, e.g., volunteer management, leadership development, public policy, member services], and the conference offers both structured programming and informal peer learning opportunities to advance these goals.

AFA data shows that professionals in the field who consistently attend the Annual Meeting stay in the profession longer and maintain professional memberships at significantly higher rates — underscoring the conference’s role not just as a learning opportunity, but as a career investment.

What I Will Bring Back

I am committed to ensuring our organization sees a meaningful return on this investment. Following the conference, I plan to:

• [Action Item: Example – Share a written summary of key takeaways and resources with our team within two weeks of returning.]
• [Action Item]
• [Action Item]

Anticipated Expenses

I have attached a detailed Expenses Worksheet outlining the full estimated cost of attendance. A summary is below:

I am requesting that [organization name] cover [full cost / partial amount / specific line items] of these expenses. I am happy to discuss further or provide any additional information that would be helpful. [Share additional details if you have applied for and/or received an AFA Foundation Annual Meeting scholarship.]

Our presence at the AFA Annual Meeting represents a meaningful investment in our relationships with the campus professionals who advise and support our members every day. I believe this conference will strengthen both my professional effectiveness and [organization name]’s standing within the broader fraternity/sorority community. I am grateful for your consideration and happy to discuss this request at your convenience.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Title]

[Organization]

[Email Address]