Attach to Form 990 or 990-EZ.| Identifier | Return Reference | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Organization's Mission | Form 990, Part III, Line 1 | THE FUTURES INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION'S MISSION IS TO BE THE GLOBAL THOUGHT LEADER, ADVOCATE AND EDUCATOR FOR FUTURES AND SWAPS WHICH ARE CENTRALLY CLEARED. AS THE PRIMARY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION FOR CENTRALLY CLEARED FUTURES AND SWAPS, FIA: - STRIVES TO PRESERVE THE SYSTEM OF FREE AND COMPETITIVE MARKETS AND PROTECT THE PUBLIC INTEREST THROUGH ADHERENCE TO HIGH STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT AND FINANCIAL INTEGRITY, AND PROMOTE PUBLIC TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN THE CLEARED MARKETS - ENGAGES IN REGULATORY AND LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY THAT IS BASED UPON COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS, MEMBER CONSENSUS, INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES, AND IN THE INTEREST OF FAIR AND EFFICIENT CAPITAL MARKETS - SEEKS TO COLLABORATE WITH REGULATORS, LEGISLATORS, AND OTHER TRADE ASSOCIATIONS GLOBALLY TO ANTICIPATE AND FULFILL MEMBERS' CURRENT AND FUTURE NEEDS - PROVIDES A FORUM FOR DISCUSSION ON CORE ISSUES WITH A GOAL OF BUILDING CONSENSUS ACROSS INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS - DELIVERS ACTIONABLE SOLUTIONS AND TECHNOLOGICAL TOOLS TO ADDRESS MARKET INEFFICIENCIES AND OTHER CHALLENGES - SERVES AS A CRITICAL SOURCE OF INDUSTRY INFORMATION THROUGH CONFERENCES, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, PUBLICATIONS, AND RAPID DISSEMINATION OF INDUSTRY NEWS, ALL RICH WITH IN-DEPTH DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF CORE INDUSTRY ISSUES Delegation of Authority Form 990, Part VI, Line 1B The FIA is a membership corporation with global reach and strives to promote good communications and better decision making by engaging a broadly representative group of Board Directors. The FIA Board has not more than 28 Directors who are elected by the Association's Regular Member or Associate Member Firms. Not more than 10 Directors shall be Associate-Member Directors. At the pleasure of the board, they may also be up to four (4) public directors. In addition, the President of FIA services on the Board as a voting member. All Board members have on vote each. The FIA Board includes up to four (4) voting members who may be, but are not required to be, independent of Association members. These independent members (Public Directors) are individuals who, in the opinion of the Board, have demonstrated the ability to represent the public interest, including the broad spectrum of "users" of the futures markets. If employed by a regular or associate member firm, a Public Director must be an individual whose primary responsibility is not associated with futures brokerage, commodity pool operators, or commodity trading advisors. Supply specialized areas of expertise or perspectives that either are not appropriate to obtain or not available from Regular and Associate Member firms. For the purposes of Form 990, a member of FIA's governing body is considered "independent" only if all four of the following circumstances applied at all times during FIA's January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012 tax year: 1. Not compensated as an FIA officer or other employee or related organization 2. Did not receive more than $10,000 compensation in 2012 from FIA or related organizations as an independent contractor, other than his/her services as a member of FIA's governing body 3. Did not otherwise receive, directly or indirectly, more than $50,000 in 2012, financial benefits from FIA or a related organization 4. Did not have a family member who received compensation or other material financial benefits from FIA or a related organization. Under this definition, the FIA's Public Directors qualify as "independent" with the exception of FIA's President, Walter Lukken, who is a full-time paid employee of FIA. |
| Members or Stockholders | Form 990, Part VI, Line 6 | Our trade association's members cannot vote directly on governance issues. That authority is reserved for the Board of Directors representing them. Governance responsibilities are concentrated into four or five officers of the board of directors and Committees of the Board of Directors. Officers consist of the President, Chairman, Vice Chairman, a Secretary-Treasurer and one or more Vice Presidents as determined by the Board. Officers are elected by the FIA Board. Committees consist of Executive Audit; Dues Membership; Nominating; and Compensation. |
| Members or Stockholders Who May Elect | Form 990, Part VI, Line 7a | representatives of the regular and associate member firms elect the individuals who serve on the board of directors. |
| Decisions Subject to Approval | Form 990, Part VI, Line 7b | FIA membership classes are composed of Regular Members, and Associate Members as defined below. FIA members have the right to elect FIA Board Directors when a seat becomes available through resignation, term expiration, or other event. Regular Members Definition: Any partnership, corporation, association or sole proprietorship registered as a futures commission merchant or as an introducing broker with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is eligible for election as a regular member of the Association, subject to provisions as stated in Bylaws. Associate Members Definition: Any person, partnership, association or corporation directly or indirectly associated with the commodity futures business, international or domestic (other than a futures commission merchant eligible for election as a regular member) or whose primary business purpose is the solicitation, recruitment or placement of executives, representatives, agents, brokers or other employees, is eligible for election as an associate member of the Association provided that they are of good business reputation. The FIA ByLaws further detailing the eligibility, rights and responsibilities of Association and Board members are available upon request. |
| Form 990 Review Process | Form 990, Part VI, Line 11b | CFO conducted review in collaboration with an independent accounting firm. Discussion was held at the executive level within the organization. |
| Conflict of Interest Policy Monitoring & Enforcement | Form 990, Part VI, Line 12c | FIA Conflict of Interest Policy: An FIA officer, member of the board or employee ("such persons") assumes a fiduciary duty that carries with it broad and unbending loyalty to the FIA. The Board, officers and employees have the responsibility to administer the affairs of the association honestly and prudently for the sole benefit of the organization. Such persons shall exercise the utmost good faith in all matters involved in their duties, and they shall not use their positions within the organization or knowledge gained from the organization for their personal benefit. It is the policy of the FIA to require such persons to supply a written declaration of their engagement in any activity that relates to those activities of the FIA and could contribute to or affect the success of the FIA, or may create a conflict of interest with the FIA. The conflicts may include an ownership interest in an entity from which the organization procures goods or services, or other transactions carrying the possibility of personal gain at the expense of FIA, or any transaction in which FIA is doing business with a family member or business partner of such persons. Known or possible conflicts calling for disclosure also include: -Any other entity involvement conflicts; -Subject matter conflicts; -Conflicts of current or potential financial interest, ownership, compensation in an organization that is a vendor to FIA apart from known partnerships or memberships; -Family conflicts; -Other Board/Client conflicts; - and Other conflicts that such person recognizes to be as such through analogy of those mentioned above. The FIA recognizes that disclosure of a conflict or a possible conflict does not preclude the entity from doing business with a related party. However, such persons having a conflict of interest shall not participate or use any personal influence in the discussion of the subject or make any recommendations regarding the subject and will excuse him or herself from all decision-making regarding the topic. The FIA Audit Committee is charged with responsibility for reviewing all disclosures or related activities or conflicts of interest. All officers, members of the board, and employees of FIA are required to report annually, or upon occurrence, their disclosure of conflicts using the standard FIA form provided. |
| Process for Determining Compensation | Form 990, Part VI, Line 15a | The Chairman of the FIA Board of Directors serves as Chair for both the Executive Committee and the Compensation Committee. The Executive Committee also has authority to determine the number and compensation of any paid Directors. All officers, except as the Board determines, serve without compensation. In the Fourth Quarter of each calendar year, the FIA Board's Executive Committee and Compensation Committee determines the following year's compensation of FIA's senior management. In addition, during the Fourth Quarter of each year the Compensation Committee reviews and approves the following year's compensation proposals for all other FIA employees. This process was most recently completed in the Fourth Quarter of 2012. Compensation guidelines and recommendations are based upon employee responsibility and performance and on industry and position-specific market data from sources such as the ASAE. In addition, FIA retains an HR consultant who is responsible for reviewing all job descriptions and compensation actions to ensure equitable and consistent compensation administration. |
| Process for Determining Compensation | Form 990, Part VI, Line 15b | THE PROCESS FOR DETERMINING THE COMPENSATION OF ALL EMPLOYEES INCLUDED A REVIEW AND APPROVAL BY INDEPENDENT PERSONS, COMPARABILITY DATA AND CONTEMPORANEOUS SUBSTANTIATION OF THE DELIBERATION AND DECISION. |
| How Documents are Made Available to the Public | Form 990, Part VI, Line 19 | The FIA makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public upon request and upon discretion of the organization. Other Fees Form 990, Part IX, Line 11g General Consulting 1,146,259 Foreign Consulting 650,360 Marketing Fees 215,759 ---------------- Total Other Fees $ 2,012,378 |
| OTHER CHANGES IN NET ASSETS OR FUND BALANCES | FORM 990, PART XI, LINE 9 | IMPUTED INTEREST ON INTERCOMPANY LOANS (5,188) In-Kind Expenses (194,373) ------------ Total S (199,561) |
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