A New Chapter with Our Regional Affiliates

Written By Katherine Forbes

https://www.folk.org/news/a-new-chapter-with-our-regional-affiliates

Dear FAI Community,

We are thrilled to share that, as of late June 2025, all five North American regional affiliates and Folk Alliance International have signed a new regional affiliate agreement, which is a significant milestone in our shared journey.

You can read a summary of the Affiliate Agreement or view the full signed agreements for each region on our website.

The first version of this agreement was drafted in 2012 and formally signed in 2016. In late 2023, leaders from each region and FAI came together to review and revise that original agreement, identifying areas to update, remove, or expand upon. After several virtual meetings throughout 2024 and an in-person gathering in January 2025, we set a collective goal to finalize and sign the new agreement by June 30, 2025. We’re proud to report that we met that deadline!

Key Updates to the Agreement:

  1. Regional Committee Structure: A formal Regions Committee now meets regularly to strengthen collaboration, provide peer support, and guide joint initiatives.‍

  2. Membership Revenue Sharing: As of May 1, 2024 (when FAI adjusted membership dues), 30% of North American membership revenue is being shared equally among all five regions.‍

  3. Quarterly Payments: The first payment—totaling $18,139.61 per region and covering 14 months of membership revenue—was disbursed in July 2025.

In addition to revenue sharing, FAI is committed to providing training opportunities for regional leaders. The Regions Committee is also:

  1. Developing onboarding tools for new regional board members‍

  2. Reviewing and harmonizing regional bylaws to explore standard language‍

  3. Evaluating the geographic scope of each region to assess the potential need for a new region

We’re also investing in deeper collaboration: an annual in-person Regional Leaders Gathering will continue to be supported by FAI, with two representatives from each region participating. The next gathering will focus on shared strategic planning to help guide the future of our regional network.

We’re energized by this new chapter and look forward to seeing each region grow, thrive, and continue to serve their communities in meaningful and impactful ways.

With gratitude,

Ashley Shabankareh, FAI Board President
Karen Sullivan, FAR-West Board President
Elexa Dawson, FARM Board President
Cheryl Prashker, NERFA Board President
Lucy Isabel, SERFA Board President
Andrew Delaney, SWRFA Board President

Katherine Forbes

Katherine Forbes is the founder of Nashville based website and brand design company, Designing the Row. Her client roster has grown to include GRAMMY Nominated & Award Winning Artists, New York Times Best Selling Authors, Film Composers, Reality TV Personalities, & many more! She is known for her clean and simple design style and is recognized as a Squarespace Expert and Squarespace Authorized Trainer. She is also the creator of music community, Music Biz Besties, and teaches digital music marketing as an adjunct professor at ETSU.

Her work has been featured on Forbes.com and she’s spoken on panels hosted by YELP, the Music Business Association, Women in Music, and many others.

Katherine believes that "your success depends on you taking action" and she's passionate about motivating and encouraging others to do just that!

https://www.designingtherow.com