On Saturday, June 7, 2008, approximately 30 Affiliate Executives, Presidents and Board Members participated in an Affiliate Networking Session as apart of the ASHP 2008 Summer Meeting in Seattle, WA. At the beginning of the session, participants agreed on several topics they would like to discuss and learn how other affiliates are tackling each issue. Topics of discussion at the session included: Leadership Development, Successful Communication, Membership Recruitment and Retention, Technician Involvement and New Sources of Revenue. Each affiliate leader had the opportunity to participate in two round table discussions. Facilitators were present at each table and also took notes. Below are the notes from Affiliate Networking Session; these are provided to your affiliate to provide opportunities to share good ideas. If your affiliate has used other best practices in the areas listed above, please feel free to send them to your Affiliate Liaison, and we will also post them to this website.

Leadership Development

• A concerning trend is the recycling of leaders.
• Size is a problem for both small affiliates (limited pool of people) and large affiliates (non-involved are perceived to be outside of the circle).
  
• Significant need for affiliate succession planning.
• Regional/local chapters – few are thinking about succession planning.
• Some societies have a need to give new volunteers/members the experience to feel confident. Too much reliance on veteran numbers.
• The Ohio Affiliate offers a one day leadership conference
  • Identify up and coming leaders to attend
  • Do a formal presentation on the enhancement of leadership skills.
  • If applicable, can offer CE
  • Offer an Open Forum where individuals can ask questions about OSHP
• Recommended reading: Marshall Goldstein, “What got you here, won’t get you there.”
• Why do great practitioners feel insecure outside of the hospital and in affiliate leader roles?
• Leadership does not mean “You have to do it all.”
• Don’t soft sell the time commitment, however.
• Need roles for volunteers but there is competition with busy work and home lives; balance issues.
• It should not be a choice of getting involved vs. family
  • What can we do to keep volunteers engaged?
  • Keep them engaged long enough for when they are ready to come back
• What is the role of residency programs?
  • Some preceptor directors make it an requirement for residents to get involved with state affiliates
  • Illinois Affiliate holds residency pearls at their annual meeting
• Illinois Affiliate – membership committee sends a survey to new members at six months and calls at nine months and asks if they want to get involved on a committee.
• Illinois Affiliate holds a three day leadership retreat. They rotate this retreat every year with strategic planning.

Successful Communications

• The Maine Affiliate uses C-vent; it manages email and invites members. The society also uses surveys.
• Ohio Affiliate – how best to manage email overload; project for new management staff
• Limited print.
• Generation gap – older members prefer paper and are uncomfortable with online publications.
• Meeting attendance is not affected by the shift to online solicitation vs. print.
• Maryland Affiliate – finding it difficult to get feedback.
• The Maine Affiliate uses a listserve to facilitate communication with members; specific organization and practice; administration by Webmaster (vol).
• The Ohio Affiliate has considered a EVP blog.
• The Maryland Affiliate is homing to change the level of engagement of membership.
• Ohio Affiliate – the topic of communications was a part of their strategic planning; information overload; how do we get members more involved in organization and profession; balance between getting attention and scare tactic .
• OPhA uses scare tactic; The Ohio Affiliate members may be more complacent ve: impact of legislation; regulatory changes.
• Maryland Affiliate – having a strong program helpful; recent fall meeting had a strong speaker, good response; Use more “passionate” members to be influencers.
• The Ohio Affiliate engages an “ambassador” corps to help with personal touch.
• The Maryland Affiliate needs to address family issues – moms with young children.
• The Maryland Affiliate mails out program flyers for meetings.
• The Ohio Affiliate has communication with general membership through publications and monthly meetings.
• The Maine Affiliate holds a meeting every other month, sends postcards and email reminders.
• The Maryland Affiliate holds programs monthly (except Aug; Dec); sends flyers on advocacy issues.
• How do we effectively help members to be effective ambassadors for the profession?
• The Maine Affiliate views communications as a part of professionalism.
• Member apathy is a serious concern.
• Blast call services.
• Segmenting email lists.
• Asking pharmacy departments to includes messages in their staff meetings.
• Outreach programs help members participate.

Membership Recruitment & Retention

• Minnesota Affiliate – numbers are going up
  • Get lists from the board of pharmacy
• The Tennessee Affiliate gets a list of the directors from the state hospital association; they invite the directors to lunch with executive director and board member; they conduct a survey on needs affecting the region.
• The Washington Affiliate has developed a corporate membership for directors; they attend for free and just $15 for a guest; the corporate membership is $500
  • The organization has started a legislative council
  • They organization has held two meetings on either side of state to discuss issues of concern
  • The organization holds meetings at hospitals
  • The organization is process of creating a pharmacy networking directory – who is doing what; best practices; areas of interest
  • The organization has best practice pearls with national speakers
  • The organization looks at ASHP member lists and id’s people who know those folks and has them reach out on a personal level
  • The organization was to have small groups locally and regionally
  • The organization sends a letter and packet to new residents (get a list from ASHP) and offers a free six months membership and then a discounted one for a year
  • Board of Pharmacy provides a one day shadow of hospital pharmacy and follows it with a residency 101 session and mock residency interview
• The Arizona Affiliate has hired a recruiting company for $2500 to conduct a phone-a-thon on August 21; the group is inviting 100 pharmacists to make calls to 4 to 9 people they know and to invite them to join
  • “Give us a test drive” Campaign offers a six month membership for half the normal fee
• The Alabama Affiliate has developed student activities at meetings to encourage attendance
  • Held a statewide session for practice for residency conference presentation to show members of the state what they can do to help their residents
  • In the fall board members attended a student meeting to give a intro to the Alabama Affiliate and bought lunch for the group
• Mississippi Affiliate – has regional membership chairs that go to hospitals and face-to-face to make a presentation about the society. The organization pays for mileage.
• The Illinois Affiliate gets a Director of Pharmacy list from the Board of Pharmacy and send a recruitment letter to each one. They are coming up with incentives for joining if a certain number of people join from one hospital
  • Has board members make follow-up calls to members that are renewing
• The California Affiliate has board members make follow-up calls to members that are renewing
  • Members receive a discount on their membership if they renew early
  • Members received a discount on membership if they refer a new member

Technician Involvement

• Technician membership numbers have increased at the state level.
• The Wyoming Affiliate used to have a separate technician organization but it fell apart. The affiliate will be discussing how to involve technicians within their organization.
• Offering education is key since certified technicians/various state regulations require certain hours/topics of education each year.
• The Ohio Affiliate offers a technician meeting with OPhA where there are about 150 attendees.
• Some affiliates offer tech tracks at their annual meetings.

New Sources of Revenue

• The Washington Affiliate has a southern state regional meeting every year to optimize attendees and exhibitors and a three day meeting in Coeur d’ Alene, ID
  • Have spoken with hospital PR department about the best way to approach potential funders
• The Arizona Affiliate holds a pharmacy day for PBS for pharmacists week – the cost is $12,000 looking for funders; working with the Council on Aging, Nonprofit Resources Center, Health Mothers/Health Babies, AARP state organization (use is primarily speakers), pain organization, PT safety/med cards, Blue Cross/Blue Shield Foundation, state hospital association.
• Challenges for some affiliates is that they only have two steams of revenue: 1) membership dues and 2) Annual Meeting registration.
• A couple of affiliates have begun recruiting companies that are not in the pharmaceutical industry
  • The Florida Affiliate – Dell computers
  • The Missouri Affiliate – Scrubs (they receive a % of sales)
• The Ohio Affiliate sells advertising space in their journal.
• The Ohio Affiliate has developed levels of corporate partnerships. Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum; The partnerships may provide one or more individual Ohio Affiliate memberships with all member benefits, varying levels of exhibit space at the Ohio Affiliate Annual Meeting with corporate recognition, and other benefits and opportunities based on the level of commitment.
• The Maine Affiliate has begun charging money for every event they sponsor.
• Illinois Affiliate – In an attempt to recoup money the affiliate will charge a person credit card $45 if they pre-register for event but then are a no show. It also helps with program attendance numbers.
• The Mississippi Affiliate and the Missouri Affiliate – have both raised dues in the last year to keep up with inflation and costs.
• The Florida Affiliate plans to start a foundation.
• The Mississippi Affiliate holds a silent auction to help raise money; encourages each board member to donate two items.