- What is an Affiliate?
- AGS's Commitment to Affiliates
- What is COSAR?
- COSAR Member Responsibilities
- COSAR Co-Chairs
- AGS Services for Affiliates
- Affiliate Management Program
- CME Joint Sponsorship
- Requirements for Affiliate Status
- Application for Affiliate Status
- Organizing an Affiliate
- Model Job Descriptions
- Obtaining 501(c)(3) Status
- Membership Strategies
- Sustaining the Affiliate
- Fundraising Locally
- Media Toolkit
- Loan Forgiveness Toolkit
- Advocacy Center
- Aging in the Know
What is COSAR?
The Council of State Affiliate Representatives (COSAR) is the governing body of the AGS state affiliates, referred to as “the Council”. The Council is comprised of member representatives from each of the proposed, provisional, and active affiliates. Provisional and active affiliates have voting rights.
The Council meets biannually in order to exchange information on affiliate activities, and to share new ideas on development, strategy, advocacy, education, membership, public policy and other affiliate business. Below are the basic criteria for participation in COSAR:
- An active or provisional affiliate, that has formal approval from the Council and the AGS Board of Directors, is eligible to elect one representative to COSAR.
- The elected representative to COSAR from the affiliate must be a member of the AGS; only affiliate members who are also AGS members are eligible to vote in AGS elections and on AGS councils and committees.
- An affiliate's COSAR representative will serve a three-year term. Terms longer than three years are up to the discretion of the affiliate.
AGS and COSAR leadership recognize the integral role that affiliates can play in advancing professional understanding of geriatrics locally as well as increasing public awareness of the benefits of geriatricians and other geriatric healthcare team providers to patients, families, other healthcare professionals, to caregivers, and to policy-makers. The AGS is committed to strengthening the affiliate program and to establishing COSAR as an important, deliberative body that promotes geriatrics at the local level through education, clinical practice, research, and public policy.
Two representatives, the Council Co-Chairs, are elected by COSAR to serve on the AGS Board of Directors for a three-year term. The Co-Chairs, by reporting to the AGS board, represent the Council as it relates to issues affecting affiliate membership organizations. These issues include development, membership, public policy and advocacy, and other affiliate business. The Co-Chairs may bring resolutions proposed by an affiliate that are approved by the Council to the AGS Board for consideration.
