Speaker Referral

The council system has the largest world affairs speakers program  in the United States with about 2,500 events annually.

The national association supports the speaker system by publishing its Recommended Speakers book every January with about 500 speaker recommendations. It also puts out a monthly email newsletter called May We Suggest with new recommendations and a special edition in February with every national conference speaker, about 50 per year. The national office also has files on about 1,500 speakers.

Foreign Policy 500, also held at all council offices nationwide, lists those whom we think are the 500 most influential people in shaping American foreign policy today. A second edition should be out in late 2005.

National Conferences
WACA puts on a national conference every year for its members. The conference is the only meeting point for the entire council movement. The goal is to make the conference the premier international affairs conference in the non-profit world.

The conference consists of high-level speakers, operations workshops, opportunities to meet with other council members and staff, tours of Washington, discussion groups, embassy receptions, a banquet and an entertainment event, luncheons with ambassadors, a national membership meeting, President’s Awards, a national board meeting, and a Chairman’s Dinner.

Leadership Missions
WACA sends delegations of its leaders abroad on leadership missions three or four times a year. The trips seek to get first hand knowledge of a country, not through the prism of the media or US foreign policy. Delegations publish a trip report after each visit and raise the level of council programming on the country visited upon their return. Recent trips have been to Japan, Brazil, Turkey, Taiwan, China, NATO, European Union, Syria, Korea, Singapore, Morocco, Lebanon, Poland, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Tunisia.

Operations
The national association seeks to help councils in improving the management and day to day operations. It holds operations workshops at the national conferences and writes operations papers based on best practices used throughout the council system. The president and national board members visit councils  and put on  local board workshops. The staff has daily phone and email consultations with council staff. The national board has task forces on Flagship Programs, branding, and use of the Internet.

School Programs
More than 50 councils have programs for schools and colleges. The national association supports these programs by holding an annual school programs workshop at its national conference. WACA also runs national Task Forces on Great Decisions and World in Transition. It also holds teachers workshops. WACA helps councils acquire travel funds for teachers study tours through the Fulbright-Hays program.

Communications
WACA publishes an email (only) national newsletter called The National Update once a month. It also sends out special announcements about program opportunities, grants, leadership missions, the national conference, and other topics. It also publishes a national brochure presenting the council system as a whole and a National Staffing Directory in order to facilitate communications among councils. National staff members visit councils frequently and consult daily by phone and email.

National Program Series
WACA organizes thematic programs with major institutional partners which are put on around the country by participating councils. Some of the previous program partners have been the State Department, the World Bank, European Union, the Carnegie Corporation and the Korean Economic Institute. WACA has sponsored over 500 such events nationwide in the last 10 years.

These include State Department Town Meetings, an International Development series, America: More or Less Secure, the European Union, an International Environmental series, Mexican Migration, the State of American Diplomacy, the Roots of Terrorism, the Future of the Korean Peninsula, Rising Anti-Americanism, Space Weapons or Space Arms Control, Building Democracy, Human Rights and UN Reform.

Travel
The council system puts on about 40-50 trips each year. The national association organizes National Leadership Missions and People-to-People Diplomacy Missions and hosts councils, teachers, or teachers when they visit Washington. It helps councils get funds for teachers study tours through the Fulbright-Hays program. WACA's newest Flagship Program Travel the World, a travel program run by the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. This program is open to all world affairs council members around the country.

Subscription Discounts
The national association has negotiated special rates on publications for world affairs council members. Discounts are available from The New York Times; Foreign Affairs; Economist; National Geographic; Aramco World; World Policy Journal; and books from Brookings, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Council on Foreign Relations. Only council members are eligible for the discounts. See your local council office for the discounts handout.

Strategic Partnerships
The national association has 28 national and international affiliates. Affiliates are counterpart organization in the US and overseas with whom WACA has a strategic working relationship. Overseas partnerships are with the UK, Canada, Turkey, Japan, Singapore, Mexico, Lebanon, and Egypt.

Videoconferences
WACA offers "Insider Discussions” with experts and officials via closed circuit television, generally with 3-4 councils at a time. Events have been on US human rights policy, countering terrorism, US policy in the Middle East and the world economy.

Publications
WACA publishes Recommended Speakers, Foreign Policy 500, National Staffing Directory, National Membership Directory, the National Brochure, trip reports, reports on particular program series, operations papers (20) and various handouts on the council system. It also distributes the publications of the Southern Center, the Foreign Policy Association, the Chicago Council, the Los Angeles Council, the Houston Council, the European Union and various think tanks to councils.

Book Tours
WACA organizes book tours with publishers or with authors around the council system. There have been about 25 over the last 10 years.

National Website
The national website offers an overview of the council system, a council news section, national program information, hyperlinks to individual councils, a national board and staff section, sponsor citations, internship information and more. There is a special section on the National Conference and on Academic WorldQuest. Members may register for the national conference using the national website.

Representation
WACA represents the council system to US Government agencies, Congress, embassies, media, the United Nations, foreign governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations both in the US and overseas.

New Councils
The national office helps new councils start up or guides organizations who want to join the council system. It advises on 501(c)3 status with IRS, membership, fundraising, forming a board, starting programs, and joining the council system. It consults by phone, email and visit with new councils. There is a start-up council operations paper and a special dues rate for one year. Over the last 10 years, 14 councils have started up or joined the council system.

National Data
The national office surveys the council system periodically to build up an aggregate picture of the system as a whole. The surveys concern membership, budgets, programs, speakers, boards, outreach, websites, media, and much more.