SHCA Volunteer Opportunity Annoucements
SHCA's volunteer committees develop projects to help the society meet its goals and objectives. Specifically, Committees create Action Plans outlining projects; set realistic time-frames to accomplish projects; submit Action Plans to the Board of Directors (BOD) for review; and communicate progress updates on all projects to the BOD through the committee liaison.
The 2013 Call for Volunteers is now open!
If you've been thinking of a way to give back that will best use your time and talent, consider becoming a committee member for the Society for Healthcare Consumer Advocacy. Volunteers are at the heart of the society’s work. Your participation will expand your own leadership skills, broaden your professional network, and provide you with a sense of satisfaction, all while supporting SHCA strategic goals for advancing the profession.
We welcome your input and enthusiasm to this active and talented group of volunteers. We hope you will take some time to review this opportunity for participation, and discover in SHCA a vehicle to contribute to the profession.
To volunteer for a committee, click here and compete a short survey so we can best match your skills and interests with our committees. Below is a description of each committee for 2013-14 to help with your selections.
Questions? Please contact SHCA at (312) 422-3700 or shca@aha.org.
Annual Conference Planning Committee
Purpose: This Committee is responsible for planning and assisting with the execution of the annual educational conference. This committee shall work with other committees, as well as the Board of Directors, to identify topics and speakers that provide members with a valuable professional development opportunity. In concert with other committees, the board, staff and volunteers, this committee will be responsible for developing and executing activities related to the conference including networking, hospitality, and vendor relationships.
Committee Chair: Linda Verlinden
Board Liaison: Kim Pedersen, President-Elect
Time frame for participation: This committee meets year round with the heaviest workload from September through February.
Criteria for Participation:
• SHCA member in good standing
• Actively participate in committee conference calls
• Ability to attend 2014 annual conference and attend on-site meetings as needed
• Interest and/or experience in faculty development, community outreach, or vendor relationships
• Prior experience in conference planning or education is helpful
Tasks:
• Review data from previous conferences and other sources to gather input from membership, as well as presenters, on possible topics, activities, and events
• Develop conference educational tracks
• Prepare the call for presentations
• Evaluate presentations and identify sessions
• Work with SHCA staff to develop networking opportunities at the conference
• Volunteer at the conference
• Work with SHCA staff and other committees to develop ideas for promoting conference to members and non-members in the profession
Chapter Relations Committee
Purpose: This committee focuses on strengthening SHCA's relationships with local chapters and developing the content for the Chapter development workshop held at the Annual Conference.
Committee Chair: Audrey Dean, Board Member
Time frame for participation: This committee meets year round with consistent workloads.
Criteria for Participation:
• SHCA member in good standing
• Actively participate in committee conference calls
• Current or previous participation at the state chapter level highly preferred
Tasks:
• Assist chapters with the SHCA Affiliation Agreement requirements
• Serves as mentors to other chapters
• Plan the Chapter Development Workshop at the Annual Conference
• Review the applicants and make recommendations for the Chapter Recognition Award
• Plan the agenda for the annual Chapter President’s Call
• Develop ideas that engage local Chapters with SHCA national
Collaboration Committee
Purpose: This committee focuses on building relationships with outside entities (vendors, other patient advocacy groups, the VA) that will strengthen the SHCA membership and provide new opportunities to members.
Committee Chair: Carol Santalucia, President
Time frame for participation: This committee meets year round with consistent workloads.
Criteria for Participation:
• SHCA member in good standing for at least 2 years
• Actively participate in committee conference calls
• Demonstrates understanding and commitment to the strategic direction of SHCA
• Interest in identifying and developing collaborative relationships with other groups and organizations to the benefit of SHCA and its membership
• VA members, or members with knowledge of VA, encouraged to apply
• Past SHCA Presidents encouraged to apply
Tasks:
• Identify and establish opportunities for collaboration with groups that may include (but is not limited to):
o The Beryl Institute
o VA
o Partnership for Patients (CMS)
o Planetree
o Institute for Patient Centered Care
o Other patient advocacy related organizations
• Develop specific opportunities with the groups above. Examples include: joint publications, feature articles in SHCA newsletter, educational offerings, reciprocal speaking opportunities etc.
Communications and Advocacy Committee
Purpose: This committee assists with the preparation of SHCA member communications and advocacy updates in the quarterly newsletter, LinkedIn Group, Learning Network etc. This committee may work with other committees to ensure that the full breadth of SHCA’s committee work is being shared with membership through the correct communication vehicles.
Committee Chair: Gerardo DeLeon, Board Member
Time frame for participation: Activities in this committee will take place year round with heavier workloads during newsletter planning and development (June, August, November, February).
Criteria for Participation:
• SHCA member in good standing
• Actively participate in committee conference calls
• Interest in gathering news, resources, and information that is beneficial to members and can be used in newsletters, on the web site, etc.
• Past contributor of articles to SHCA News is preferred
• Any prior experience in advocacy or legislative affairs at the state or national level is preferred
• Social media knowledge is helpful
Tasks:
• Develop content ideas for SHCA’s quarterly newsletters (Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring 2014)
• Identify trends affecting the profession and sources of content that address them
• Write or review articles for inclusion in the quarterly newsletters (2-3 articles total per issue, not per committee member)
• Respond to member questions on the SHCA Learning Network (as needed).
• Post articles and start discussions on SHCA’s LinkedIn group (approximately once a month)
• Develop communications to members providing updates and information on key legislative issues (as needed)
• Support state advocacy initiatives as appropriate with Board approval (as needed)
Education Committee
Purpose: This committee will focus on non-conference education planning and development. This includes content development for the SHCA Domains Certificate program, the Domains annual pre-conference workshop, Hot Topic webinars and other webinars that may be developed throughout the year.
Committee Chair: Donna Johnson, Board Member
Time frame for participation: This committee meets year round with consistent workloads.
Criteria for participation:
• SHCA member in good standing
• Actively participate in committee conference calls
• Demonstrates understanding and commitment to the strategic direction of SHCA
• Prior experience in developing educational programming is helpful
• Experience or interest in teaching others is helpful
Tasks:
• Evaluate and potentially revise competencies needed for patient advocacy
• Identify the subject matter expert(s) for each educational opportunity and engage them in creating and delivering the content
• Develop, with staff, key messaging for marketing the education to SHCA members and prospects
• Ultimately, the committee acts as subject matter experts and reviewers of SHCA’s educational content
Member Engagement Committee
Purpose: This committee participates in new member and renewing member outreach initiatives. They also develop ideas for new member recruitment, assist with development of a new member welcome webinar and support mentorship.
Committee Co-Chairs: Robin Massey, Board Member & Wagih Mikhail, Board Member
Time frame for participation: This committee meets year round with consistent workloads. Most committee members will be asked to communicate one-on-one to a designated list of members (5-10 total) each month.
Criteria for Participation:
• SHCA member in good standing
• Actively participate in committee conference calls
• Willingness to contact members (new or renewing) on a monthly basis
• Experience developing recruitment campaigns at the local chapter is helpful
• Experience developing or participating in mentoring programs is helpful
Tasks:
• Develop strategies to recruit new members to SHCA
• Develop and implement member retention processes
• Welcome New members to the Society through the New Member Welcome Initiative
• Contribute content to the quarterly Newsletter (ie: prepare the new member profile and member benefit columns )
• Develop, with staff assistance, a new member welcome/member benefit overview webinar
• Explore the potential for a SHCA mentoring program
Nominations and Awards Committee
Purpose: This committee focuses on reviewing and selecting award recipients through the SHCA Recognition Program. They also assist with the nominating process for the SHCA Board of Directors. This committee is made up of the Immediate Past President, the current President and other SHCA members.
Committee Chair: Kate Clarke, Immediate Past President
Time frame for participation: This committee meets year round with the heaviest workload November through February.
Criteria for Participation:
• SHCA member in good standing for at least 3 years
• Actively participate in committee conference calls
• Previous experience with nominations or recognition programs preferred
Tasks:
• Identify each SHCA award and application timeline
• Develop, with staff, member notices to market the awards and APEx program
• Continually look for ways to improve the recognition program by reviewing award criteria and suggesting changes to Board of Directors
• Review the APEx applications as they are submitted
• Review the nominations for the Healthcare Consumer Advocacy award and select a recipient
• Establish Board positions that need to be filled and elected by membership
• Assess present composition of Board by reflecting on the diversity of members and potential members
• Review qualifications of current Board members who will be considered for slate
• Evaluate the candidates’ experience and expertise against the needs of the Board and the strategic direction of the organization
• Interview and select the most-qualified candidates to be placed on the slate
• Prepare a single slate of candidates for the Board to approve for election by the full membership (election takes place February 2014)
Publications Committee
Purpose: This Committee focuses on revising some of SHCA’s most popular publications such as In the Name of the Patient and The Written Word.
Committee Chair: Linda Reiser, Board Member
Time frame for participation: This committee meets year round with the heaviest workloads from August to December.
Criteria for participation:
• SHCA member in good standing
• Actively participate in committee conference calls
• Knowledge of SHCA publications preferred
• Experience in writing and/or editing books or educational publications highly desired
• Strong writing or editing skills
Tasks:
• Evaluate all SHCA publications for currency and make recommendations for revisions for at least two publications
• Prepare a timeline and work plan for preparing content updates (will include identifying authors, providing guidance on content, etc.)
• Identify, with staff assistance, subject matter experts to assist in updating content (experts are not limited to committee members)
• Assist with editing and proofreading the updated publication
• Identify, with staff assistance, key marketing messages to promote the sale of the updated publication