On 6 Aug 08 chapter members met in the Garrison Conference Room to “build” care packages for our adopted unit. A pizza luncheon was provided and members came prepared with their own special recipes and goodies ready to send to Iraq.

I think it’s safe to say that everyone had fun preparing the boxes for shipment. Actually, we may have a few basketball stars in our midst as you can see from the jump shots shown below. Our chapter will continue to provide support throughout their deployment cycle with boxes loaded with goodies.

We all owe Roxy & Co. a big hand for organizing the shipments and taking the “Adopt-A-Unit” program personally.

First, please review your eligibility. The Certified Defense Financial Manager is open to all candidates who have the qualifications shown below. ASMC anticipates that most candidates will be civilian or military members
of the Department of Defense, US Coast Guard, or employees of Defense contractors or suppliers.

To apply and sit for the examination a candidate must:

Promise to adhere to the ASMC Pledge of Professionalism and Have a high school diploma or equivalent.

If you meet these requirements, please complete the CDFM Enrollment Form and mail it, with the enrollment fee (check, American Express, Visa or MasterCard), to the address shown on the application. If not currently an ASMC member you can qualify for the member rate by including a membership application with your CDFM enrollment form.

In addition to completing all three module examinations, the candidate must satisfy the following financial management experience requirements before being issued his or her CDFM certificate.

Complete four years of federal government related financial management experience (with an associate degree or higher), or Complete three years of Defense related financial management experience (without degree), or Complete two years of Defense related financial management experience if the candidate holds an Associate, Baccalaureate, or higher degree.

For those candidates who have satisfied the financial management experience requirement prior to sitting for the examination, we encourage you to submit your experience documentation at the same time you submit your enrollment form. This will speed the processing of your CDFM certification after you have passed your third examination. You do not, however, have to satisfy the experience requirement prior to taking an exam.

The enrollment fee opens a certification account with ASMC, which is good for two years. As long as you complete all three modules within the two-year period, this enrollment fee will not be charged again. In the rare event a candidate takes longer than two years to successfully complete the three examination modules, a new enrollment fee must be paid to ASMC. However, all successfully completed test modules still remain valid toward the certification.

Upon acceptance of your application, you will receive a letter from the ASMC containing your nine-digit candidate ID number and the procedures to follow in registering for the modules examinations. Remember, you can take module examinations one at a time, or in any combination, or in any order.

Examinations cost $95 per module, paid in advance. So, when scheduling your appointment, please be prepared to pay for the examination by the following methods: American Express, Master Card, Discover, or Visa. Please note, that if for some reason you cannot keep your appointment and must cancel, you must follow the directions provided in your Authorization Letter.

SUMMARY OF FEES - Effective June 1, 2004

Enrollment Fee $70.00
Discounted Enrollment Fee for ASMC Members $35.00
Extension of Enrollment Fee (Member and Non-Member) $70.00
One module examination $95.00
Three module examination $285.00
Re-examination per module $95.00
Late Cancellation, no show, late show (more than 15 minutes late for appointment) $95.00- (per module)
Renewal of Certification (every 24 months) $20.00
Replacement Certificate $40.00

Executive council discussed possible ways to encourage ASMC participation by awarding points for attending meetings, volunteering time for ASMC events, etc. In turn, these points would be used to select an ASMC member for PDI attendance, paid for by ASMC.

The Yankee Candle fundraiser brought in $948.00 in total sales with local chapter profits of $379.20. (a BIG thank you to Patti Marcello for organizing this event).

A proposal was presented to integrate committee chairpersons into the Executive Council meetings in the future and all members were in agreement.

Topics for discussion at the next general session included the possibility of a VTC breakfast with deployed comptrollers, providing families of our deployed with gift cards for a Thanksgiving meal and the annual Christmas Party. More information to follow.

Help us get the word out! Prospective members of ASMC may now apply for membership online at the ASMC website. This method decreases the processing time by up to a week, so please encourage anyone you may be recruiting to apply online. Also, current members may renew online and update member information (new e-mail, address, job title, etc). Please read the instructions at ASMC Online Renewal on how to determine your default username and password.