By the members, for the members.([from the editor])(Editorial)

At GFOA, we take great pride in fulfilling our mandate to provide high-quality products and services to our members. Of all the activities GFOA is engaged in, perhaps none is as dependent on the membership as this publication, Government Finance Review. Since its inception 20 years ago, our guiding philosophy has always been that the magazine should be "by the members, for the members." This philosophy is actually a necessity, given that we do not employ a staff of writers to fill the pages of the magazine every other month.

It has been almost a year since we rolled out the new design of the magazine. We have received praise from both within and without the association, including the prestigious Ozzie Award for Best Redesign 2003 among association/non-profit entries. While we are thrilled with the new design and the recognition it has received, we are constantly striving to make the magazine as useful and interesting as possible to our readers.

Government Finance Review can only be as good as its contributors. The greatest challenge of editing a publication like ours is identifying finance officers who are doing things that are interesting and innovative and then motivating them to write about their experiences. Too often, the only way we will ever know about the remarkable things our members are doing is if they take the initiative to contact us.

Many members hesitate to approach us because they think they need a journalism degree to write for Government Finance Review. This is just not true. What matters most is that you have an interesting story to tell that will benefit your colleagues. We can and will work with you to develop your story in such a way that it will be suitable for publication. This is what we are here for. As those who have written for us can attest, seeing your name and your words in print is a richly satisfying experience and a significant professional accomplishment.

If you have thought about writing for Government Finance Review, but hesitated for whatever reason, please reconsider. And if you have never given much thought to contributing an article, think about the impact this exercise could have on your career, your employer, and your colleagues. We encourage all our members to join with us in making Government Finance Review a truly great publication. If you would like more information about contributing or would like to discuss a potential article, please contact me at (312) 578-2282 or pchristensen@gfoa.org.

Peter Christensen Managing Editor

Print Get the Mag Weekly Updates