How to Use this Template:

Complete the [bracketed fields] with your personal details, then review each paragraph and customize for your institution and leadership as needed. Professionals are encouraged to add, remove, or adjust language to reflect their specific role, institution, and goals. When you are ready, copy the letter text into your own institutional letterhead or email.

[Date]

[Supervisor Name], [Title]

[Institution 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 those who work with fraternities and sororities in higher education, the AFA Annual Meeting offers an unparalleled opportunity for professional development and connection to the broader fraternity/sorority profession.

Why the AFA Annual Meeting

The AFA Annual Meeting is the flagship event of the only professional association dedicated specifically to fraternity/sorority advising. Each year, over 1,000 campus-based and headquarters professionals gather for multiple days of educational programming, facilitated peer dialogue, and professional networking. The 2026 conference holds special significance 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.

The Annual Meeting functions as a professional home base for practitioners at every career stage and consistently draws approximately 75% of AFA’s total membership. For campus-based professionals like myself, it is one of the few spaces where FSL-specific expertise, research, and practice are centered entirely.

How This Benefits Our Department

I am currently focused on several priorities in my work at [institution name] that I believe attendance at the Annual Meeting will directly advance:

• [Priority/Challenge 1: Briefly describe a current departmental challenge or initiative and how a specific session, community, or connection at AFAAM will help address it.]
• [Priority/Challenge 2: Briefly describe a second priority and its connection to what the Annual Meeting offers.]
• [Priority/Challenge 3: (Optional) Add a third priority, or remove this bullet if two are sufficient.]

In addition to the educational programming, the Annual Meeting provides access to the AFA Exchange – a structured space for connecting with national fraternity and sorority headquarters and educational partners whose support and services are directly relevant to our FSL community. I plan to make use of this time to explore [specific resource or partnership opportunity] on behalf of our department.

Professional Development Value

Beyond the immediate departmental benefits, attendance at the AFA Annual Meeting supports my own long-term professional growth, which in turn supports the continuity and success of our FSL community. AFA’s own data shows that professionals who consistently attend the Annual Meeting maintain membership in the profession at dramatically higher rates than those who do not, and the AFA Annual Meeting plays an important role in building the kind of professional identity and community that sustains long careers in this field.

Specifically, I am hoping to grow in the areas of [professional development goals, e.g., supervision, assessment, hazing prevention, etc.], and the conference’s educational program includes sessions directly aligned with these goals.

What I Will Bring Back

I am committed to ensuring our department sees a 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 [institution 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.]

The AFA Annual Meeting is both a conference and the professional community at the center of the fraternity/sorority life field. My participation will allow me to bring back current, field-specific knowledge and connections that strengthen our work at [institution name]. I am grateful for your consideration and happy to discuss this request at your convenience.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Title]

[Department]

[Institution]

[Email Address]