Ok, odds are this isn’t the best place to ask this, but I dont see another place to ask, I find that it intertwines with TD in some sense, and I cant find the info on it anywhere else… would someone enlighten me on what an Affilate does and comparison with TD? This may be a real stupid question, but I have been nothing but confused over the past 3 weeks…
Thanks to any who give me there time to enlighten me 
-ryapo
An affiliate is an organization, a TD is a person.
Affiliates can sell USCF memberships and take an affiliate discount, TDs cannot.
Affiliates can run USCF-rated events, including advertising them in Chess Life, TDs cannot.
However, a USCF-rated event must be directed by a certified TD. In fact, the TD signs the rating report, not the affiliate, though the rating report must contain the USCF ID of the chief TD as well as the ID of the sponsoring affiliate.
While it is the affiliate that has the right to sell USCF memberships at tournaments, in many cases it is the TD who handles the transaction, and one of the duties of the TD is to ensure that the players in the event meet USCF membership requirements.
The TD directing an event does not need to be an officer of the sponsoring affiliate, in most large events the TDs are ‘hired guns’ brought in by the organizer. Officers of an affiliate do not need to be TDs, or even USCF members.
For more information on the differences and relationship between the two, I recommend reading through the introductory material on the TD/Affiliate Support Area home page, secure.uschess.org/TD_Affil