The American Fraternal Alliance (AFA) is an
umbrella group
An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...
of
fraternal orders
A fraternal order is a fraternity organised as an order, with traits alluding to religious, chivalric or pseudo-chivalric orders, guilds, or secret societies. Contemporary fraternal orders typically have secular purposes, including social, cultu ...
in the United States. It was founded as the National Fraternal Congress of America in 1913, in Chicago and adopted its current name in 2011.
History
The origins of the AFA go back to November 17, 1886, when a congress of sixteen fraternal orders representing 535,000 members met in Washington, DC. The original meeting was called by the
Ancient Order of United Workmen
The Ancient Order of United Workmen (AOUW) was a fraternal organization in the United States and Canada, providing mutual social and financial support after the American Civil War. It was the first of the "fraternal benefit societies", organizatio ...
, the pioneer fraternal insurance society, to establish uniform insurance legislation in all states. The meeting formed a permanent organization, the National Fraternal Congress (NFC).
On March 21, 1901, several fraternal orders created the rival
Associated Fraternities of America in Chicago. It was created "as a protest against the workings" of the NFC. The two groups re-merged in 1913 as the National Fraternal Congress ''of America''.
Another group the competed with the NFC for a time was the
American Fraternal Congress, which was organized in
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
, in 1898. This group differed from the NFC in that it only allowed orders that had adopted the legal reserve system to be members.
The NFC adopted a Uniform Bill for state insurance regulations in 1893. In 1910, with the assistance of the
National Association of Insurance Commissioners
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is the U.S. standard-setting and regulatory support organization created and governed by the chief insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territor ...
– it promulgated the Mobile bill, which was modified in 1912 as the New York Conference bill. It also created a
mortality table
In actuarial science and demography, a life table (also called a mortality table or actuarial table) is a table which shows, for each age, what the probability is that a person of that age will die before their next birthday ("probability of deat ...
in 1899.
Publications
The NFC published a magazine, ''Fraternal Monitor'' and an annual ''Statistics, Fraternal Societies''.
Membership
The current members of the AFA include:
*
Alliance of Transylvanian Saxons
*
American Mutual Life Association
*
Association of the Sons of Poland
*
Baptist Life Association
*
Catholic Association of Foresters
*
Catholic Family Fraternal of the State of Texas (KJZT)
*
Catholic Financial Life
*
Catholic Holy Family Society
*
Catholic Ladies of Columbia
*
Catholic Life Insurance
*
Catholic Order of Foresters
*
Catholic Union of Texas, The KJT
*
Catholic United Financial
*
Croatian Fraternal Union of America
*
CSA Fraternal Life
*
Degree of Honor Protective Association The Degree of Honor Protective Association is a fraternal benefit society. It was originally organized as a female auxiliary to the Ancient Order of United Workmen, but split off in 1910 to become its own independent group. It merged with Catholic F ...
*
Employes Mutual Benefit Association
*
Everence Association, Inc.
*
First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association of the USA
*
First Catholic Slovak Union of the USA and Canada
*
GBU Financial Life
*
Gleaner Life Insurance Society The Gleaner Life Insurance Society, originally the Ancient Order of Gleaners, is a fraternal benefit society based in Adrian, Michigan.
History
The Ancient Order of Gleaners was formed in 1894 in Caro, Michigan by Grant Slocum. Articles of incor ...
*
Grand Court Order of Calanthe
*
Greek Catholic Union of the USA The Greek Catholic Union of the USA (GCU) is the oldest continuous fraternal benefit society for Rusyn immigrants and their descendants in the United States.
History
Founded as the Greek Catholic Union of Rusyn Brotherhoods in the USA (GCU) i ...
(GCU)
*
Independent Order of Foresters
The Independent Order of Foresters, operating as Foresters Financial, is a fraternal benefit society headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that provides life insurance and other financial solutions in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United ...
*
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...
*
Knights of Peter Claver, Inc.
*
KSKJ Life, American Slovenian Catholic Union
*
Ladies Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union
*
Loyal Christian Benefit Association (LCBA)
*
Luso-American Life Insurance Society
*
Modern Woodmen of America
*
National Catholic Society of Foresters
*
National Mutual Benefit
*
National Slovak Society
*
Order of the Sons of Hermann in the State of Texas
*
Order of United Commercial Travelers of America
United Commercial Travelers or UCT is a non-profit financial services membership organization that supports communities and causes across the United States and Canada. The organization is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, just south of Grandview ...
*
Police and Firemen’s Insurance Association
*
Polish Falcons of America
*
Polish National Alliance of the United States of North America
*
Polish National Union of America
*
Polish Roman Catholic Union of America
The Polish Roman Catholic Union of America ("PRCUA") (pol. ''Zjednoczenie Polskie Rzymsko-Katolickie w Ameryce'') is the oldest Polish American organization in the United States. Currently licensed to sell its products in 27 states, it is a frat ...
*
Polish Union of the United States of North America
*
Portuguese Fraternal Society of America
*
Providence Association of Ukrainian Catholics in America
*
Royal Neighbors of America
*
Russian Brotherhood Organization of the USA
*
Serb National Federation
*
Slovak Catholic Sokol
*
Slovak Gymnastic Union Sokol of the USA
*
Slovene National Benefit Society
*
Sons of Norway
Sons of Norway ( no, Sønner av Norge), founded in 1895 as the Independent Order of the Sons of Norway, is a fraternal organization principally representing people of Norwegian heritage in the United States and Canada. The organization include ...
*
SPJST
*
Supreme Council of the Royal Arcanum
*
Thrivent
Thrivent ( ) is a US Fortune 500 not-for-profit financial services organization headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Appleton, Wisconsin, and founded by Lutherans. As a member-owned fraternal benefit society, it operates under a chapte ...
*
Ukrainian National Association, Inc.
*
United Transportation Union Insurance Association
*
Western Catholic Union
*
Western Fraternal Life Association
The Western Fraternal Life Association, previously known as ''Zapadni Ceska Bratrska Jednota'' ( en, Western Bohemian Fraternal Association) is a friendly society, fraternal benefit society and financial services organization in the United States ...
*
Woman’s Life Insurance Society
*
Woodmen of the World and/or Assured Life Association
*
Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society
WoodmenLife (officially Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society) is a not-for-profit fraternal benefit society founded in 1890, based in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, that operates a large privately held insurance company for its members. ...
*
WSA Fraternal Life
And in Canada:
*
ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society
The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) is a Canadian trade union representing performers in English-language media. It has 25,000 members working in film, television, radio, and all other recorded media. The org ...
*
FaithLife Financial
*
Grand Orange Lodge of British America Benefit Fund
*
Independent Order of Foresters
The Independent Order of Foresters, operating as Foresters Financial, is a fraternal benefit society headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that provides life insurance and other financial solutions in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United ...
*
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...
*
Order of United Commercial Travelers of America
United Commercial Travelers or UCT is a non-profit financial services membership organization that supports communities and causes across the United States and Canada. The organization is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, just south of Grandview ...
*
Sons of Scotland Benevolent Association
*
Supreme Council of the Royal Arcanum
*
Teachers Life Insurance Society
*
Toronto Police Widows and Orphans Fund
*
Ukrainian Fraternal Society of Canada
See also
*
Canadian Fraternal Association
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official Homepage
Organizations established in 1913
Supraorganizations
1913 establishments in Illinois
Fraternal orders