Attach to Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Information about Schedule O (Form 990 or 990-EZ) and its instructions is at| Return Reference | Explanation |
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| Form 990, Part III, Line 1 | Organization's Mission (Continued) BY PROVIDING THE COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE OF THE MANY TO EACH, BY FOSTERING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, BY ENCOURAGING THE HIGHEST CREATIVE AND BUSINESS STANDARDS AND BY ATTRACTING EXCELLENT PEOPLE TO THE BUSINESS. * TO WORK WITH FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO HELP ACHIEVE DESIRABLE SOCIAL AND CIVIC GOALS, TO INFLUENCE PUBLIC POLICY, TO RESIST UNWISE OR UNFAIR LEGISLATION AND REGULATION, AND TO BE THE PRINCIPAL SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND ADVICE ABOUT ADVERTISING. * TO BE AN ADVOCATE OF ADVERTISING, STUDYING THE WAYS IN WHICH IT CONTRIBUTES TO THE ECONOMY AND SOCIETY AND PROMOTING THE RESULTS OF THOSE STUDIES TO ALL APPROPRIATE AUDIENCES. * TO REPRESENT THE AGENCY POINT OF VIEW TO ADVERTISERS, HELPING SOLVE MUTUAL PROBLEMS, HELPING IMPROVE OUR MEMBERS' VALUE TO THEM, HELPING RESOLVE COLLECTIVELY THOSE ISSUES THAT INDIVIDUAL AGENCIES AND CLIENTS CANNOT RESOLVE SINGLY. * TO REPRESENT THE AGENCY POINT OF VIEW TO MEDIA, PROVIDING CONSTRUCTIVE SUGGESTIONS, SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS, AND TECHNICAL HELP - WHILE RECEIVING AND ACTING UPON SIMILAR INFORMATION FROM THEM. * TO FACILITATE THE APPLICATION OF OUR MEMBERS' SKILLS AND TALENTS TO PRO BONO EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF WORTHWHILE SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY CAUSES. * TO SERVE OUR MEMBERS' NEEDS FOR INFORMATION, AGENCY MANAGEMENT COUNSEL, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PROGRAMS, AND TO BE ALERT TO NEW NEEDS AS THEY ARISE. |
| Employees reported on Form W-3 | Form 990, Part V, Line 2a The Association reported 100 employees on its 2015 Form W-3; however, the Association notes that some of those employees provided services exclusively to related organizations, AAAA Benefits, Inc. and to an unrelated party, the Health Care Coalition. The costs of those services were reimbursed in full by the designated organizations. Please refer to Schedule R for more detail. Members Or Stockholders Form 990, Part VI, Line 6 The American Association of Advertising Agencies is a trade association whose members represent a wide range of disciplines within the marketing communications landscape. Members participate in shaping their organization and entire industry through their dedicated work on committees, regions, councils, and forums as well as serving on the national board. |
| Members Or Stockholders Who May Elect | Form 990, Part VI, Line 7a The Chair of the Board, and the Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected at an annual meeting of the members of the Association to serve for two years. The Vice-Chair shall be elected at an annual meeting in years not having an election of a Chair, and shall serve for one year. The Directors-at-Large shall be elected to serve for a period of three years. Regional Directors, nominated by the respective Regions, shall be elected to serve for one year. The Directors-at-Large shall be divided into three classes, to consist of four in each class. One class shall be elected annually. |
| Decisions Subject to Approval | Form 990, Part VI, Line 7b All elections and resolutions, unless otherwise specifically provided for, shall require a majority vote of the members in attendance. Twenty percent of the members shall constitute a quorum at any annual or special meeting of the Association for the transaction of business. |
| Form 990 Review Process | Form 990, Part VI, Line 11b The Form 990 is prepared by an independent accounting firm, GRANT THORNTON, LLP, in conjunction with the Association's financial department. Once completed, a Draft of the 2015 Form 990 is sent to the members of the board of directors prior to its filing with the Internal Revenue Service. |
| Conflict Of Interest Policy Monitoring And Enforcement | Form 990, Part VI, Line 12c All Board Members, officers, key employees and employees are required annually to disclose any conflicts of interest that may arise by virtue of their employment or board service with the Association. Each individual is required to sign the Code of Conduct policy annually (which attests to their independence). Within the Code of Conduct policy there is a requirement to divulge any conflict. The signed documents are retained by Human Resources and the Board Secretary. Potential conflicts of interest are investigated immediately. |
| Process Used to determine Executive Compensation | Form 990, Part VI, Line 15 The Association has established a compensation committee to determine the compensation of the top management official. The Compensation Committee meets annually to approve both raises and bonuses. The overall salary and benefit expenses for the next fiscal year are presented to the full board of directors in January. The Board of Directors is required to approve the budget, before salary increases go into effect. None of the officers and/or key employees may have input into their own compensation packages. |
| How Documents Are Made Available To The Public | Form 990, Part VI, Line 19 The Association makes its Constitution and Bylaws available to the public on its website. The Association's conflict of interest policy, exemption application and financial statements are available upon request and at management's discretion. Form 990, Part VII, Compensation THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ADVERTISING AGENCIES, INC. ALLOCATES A PERCENTAGE OF ITS EXECUTIVE SALARIES TO A RELATED TAXABLE CORPORATION, AAAA BENEFITS, INC. FOR PURPOSES OF PART VII AND SCHEDULE J, ALL SALARY IS BEING REPORTED TO THE ASSOCIATION SINCE IT ISSUES W-2 FORMS TO THE OFFICERS. FOR THE YEAR ENDING 03/31/2016, THE ASSOCIATION ALLOCATED SALARIES EQUAL TO APPROXIMATELY $150,000 TO AAAA BENEFITS, INC. |
| Other Changes in Net Assets And Fund Balances | Form 990, Part XI, Line 9 Post Retirement Benefits Expense Other than Net Periodic Postretirement Cost ($28,643) |
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