The NAAF Organizational Structure

NAAF is an organization that is different from any existing organizations in many ways. The most notable is the distributed power model the organizational structure is based on. In the NAAF Organizational Structure, most of the power and decision making is done at the grass roots Chapter level.

Chapters

Chapters provide advice on the implementation of marketing programs and assistance to new alpaca businesses so they succeed. In addition, the Chapters provide aid and assistance where possible to alpaca business owners as a result of natural disasters.

NAAF’s organizational structure will offer an Inverted Pyramid leadership and information distribution model. This model will stress local control of local affairs in a loosely controlled federation (alliance/partnership) between individual local owners and the entire North American NAAF membership. NAAF leadership teams will be made up of local associates. This structure facilitates fluid communication and local control.

Chapters are broken further down to a co-op level with 1-3 co-ops per chapter. These co-ops are groups of members who join together to market their alpacas and their products. The co-ops work with the Chapter Director.

In addition to the Chapter Director, volunteers will be needed to take on the roles of:

• Education Chair
• Marketing Chair
• Program Execution Chair
• Secretary
• Treasurer

Regions

Each NAAF Chapter will work very closely to their Regional Advocate. The Regional Advocate will be responsible for helping to determine the types of programs to pursue at the co-op level as well as help disseminate information that is important to the organization.

The Regional Advocate will be a member of the Advocate Council and will share ideas with other Regional Advocates through quarterly conference calls.

Zones

In addition to working with the Chapters, the Regional Advocate will work closely with their Zone Liaison to provide its member businesses with marketing programs to promote the awareness of alpacas and their byproducts to the general public.

Click to enlarge map.

An NAAF Zone will consist of several regions (typically one or more state depending on breeder population). NAAF is composed of 4 regional congresses including:

• Zone 1: Canada
• Zone 2: Eastern U.S.
  (including CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC,
  NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, VA, VT, WV)
• Zone 3: Central U.S.
  (including AL, AZ, AR, IL, IA, KS, LA, MS, MO, NE, ND, OK,
  SD, TN, TX)
• Zone 4: Western U.S.
  (including AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA,
  WY)

NAAF Council

The NAAF Council consists of the following positions:

• Council Speaker
• Council Vice Speaker
• Education Chair
• Marketing Chair
• Program Execution Chair
• Membership Services Chair
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Council Attorney
• Ambassadors to Other Alpaca and International Organizations

Council of Elders

The NAAF Council of Elders is not a board of directors, rather, an advisory board of esteemed and respected individuals within the alpaca industry. The Council of Elders will oversee NAAF operations to ensure the organization delivers what it has promised. Communication between the Council of Elders and the organization's leadership will be facilitated by a Speaker for the Council of Elders.

Current Council of Elders members include:  Jim Patrick, Dr. Steve Purdy, Ian Watt , Jan Davis, and Dianna Jordan .