A Time to Plan for the Next Leaders....
By: Nadine Merker, Director of Member and Volunteer Engagement
As we transition from summer to fall, it reminds us that we need to begin to make plans to provide for another upcoming change-looking ahead to your group's 2017 leaders.
Hopefully your CB, LNG or COI Leadership Team has already discussed the transition process, but if not here are some suggestions/questions to discuss in beginning this process:
For the CBs- Is the Chair a 1 or a 2 year position? If your CB Chair is a one-year position, once the selection of the 2017 CB team is finalized, its first duty will be to select the new CB chair. With the 2017 State Coordinating Body Training registration opening this month, it is important that the new Chair is decided as soon as possible so that he/she can register and attend the January 13-14 program in Chicago.
If your CB chair is a 2-year term, then your group can move on to look at your other CB team member positions. Which team members are going to serve a consecutive term and which of the team members will be leaving? It’s important for continuity to have rotating positions, however multiple consecutive terms are not encouraged for the entire CB team since you want to assure greater volunteer involvement across the state. Once it is determined who is leaving your CB team and based on your method of CB representation (i.e., did each LNG send a representative or was there a call for volunteers from the entire state), you will follow this same procedure to fill to open positions. Please see pages 13-14 of the MY AADE NETWORK Leadership Manual on the selection process for CB team members.
For the LNGs- The process is similar for the LNGs. Strive for a 1-2 year position as needed for the LNG leader and team members- while discouraging multiple consecutive terms for all positions to encourage greater volunteer opportunities. Please see pages 19-20 of MY AADE NETWORK Leadership Manual on the selection process for both LNG team members and team leaders.
For CB, LNG, and COI MY AADE NETWORK Administrators- We would encourage any group whose administrators are not planning to continue their duties in 2017 to begin mentoring another volunteer to assume this role as soon as possible We will offer more administrator training webinars in 2017, but the one-to-one mentoring your current administrator can provide to a new volunteer is invaluable to having a smooth administrator transition!
For the COIs- Some COIs had previously selected a Chair-elect or a Leader-elect and therefore have someone to assume the 2017 leader position. If a Chair-elect is not in place, rather than having formal election and elected positions, the leadership should be selected from the current volunteers within a COI. Generally, the current leadership team, with assistance with AADE staff as requested, will identify and cultivate the new leaders. Please see page 12 of the Community of Interest Leadership Manual for more information.
We encourage you to make “Transition Process for 2017 Leaders” one of the topics of your next leader team call or face to face meeting. And as always, Pati and I are ready to help you with questions.
Start Thinking of Your New Team
By: Patricia Mangano, Senior Manager, Volunteer Engagement
I know you are looking at the calendar and thinking, it’s barely September 2016 and they want to know if we have our 2017 Leaders ready to hit the ground running????!!!!
Well, it is only a few short months until the CB and COI 2017 Leaders need to begin their term.
While we are on the subject—just to be clear—The terms for CB and COI Leaders follow the National AADE BOD terms: January 1 to December 31. Please be sure that your team is in place no later than January 1. If your team has changed already, please note that the current team will serve until December 31, 2017.
AADE will be requesting your leader information to be submitted in November so we will be able to update the MY AADE NETWORK State and COI pages by January 1.
As the manual and some forms are updated we will post the new information in the National Leaders Network and the COI Leaders Network so we want to be sure the new CB and COI Leaders have access to those documents.
Never hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Recruiting New Leadership?
By: Kathy Gold, RN, MSN, CDE, FAADE
It seems to me that after the AADE Annual Meeting the summer just flies by and now it is over. It was a wonderful meeting and I know I came back energized. I am also sure that lots of first time attendees are highly motivated and energized. What do you do with all that energy and enthusiasm?
When I was trying to decide what to write about this month I thought about two recent experiences. First, I had the pleasure of mentoring a senior nursing student at the Annual Meeting from the College Diabetes Network. It was her first meeting and she has type 1 diabetes. I brought her to an Advocacy Meeting and the CB/COI event and she was hooked. She has written a blog about her experience and is now committed to become a CDE upon graduation. And then last week I went to an electronic medical records training for the Federally Qualified Health Center that I work at once a week. Three of the five attendees are interested in becoming diabetes educators and are working toward their certification.
So what do I do with all this enthusiasm and interest? Well, I notified them of our upcoming state meeting, and then added them to our mailing list so they will get notices of any educational program that may be coming up. But I am thinking I need to do more. I am getting ready to retire and how will the profession continue if we don’t do more to identify enthusiastic, motivated individuals to engage in the organization?
On our registration form for our state meeting this year, we added a question—would you be interested in volunteering?
We are getting a lot of yes’s. Now the important thing is to do something with this group—to capture this enthusiasm and energy. My first thought is to find a job for them to do. I came up with the following "asks":
- Help plan an event
- Help with registration during an event
- Write a blog
- Set up a Facebook page
- Engage a state legislator about the importance of diabetes education
- Write a letter to their national representative about the high cost of insulin and to advocate for patients
- Present an educational program to staff or clinic nurses about diabetes
- Submit a proposal or a poster presentation to present at the 2017 AADE Annual Meeting
- Take a position on the LNG or CB Board
These young enthusiastic individuals can learn about the organization and all the opportunities it provides while they keep your web page updated or set up the registration pages for an event. You can began to groom them for the future by listening to their ideas; there are many ways to do things and the old way is not always the best way.
January is only a few months away so it's not too soon to think about who will fill your leadership positions for the next year. It is important that new people be engaged. We need to encourage those old timers to pass the baton and mentor these fresh, enthusiastic young educators. Let us share the wealth of our experiences and expertise. Look at your membership list and pick up the phone—a personal ask is always better.
Save the Date: 2017 State Coordinating Body Training Program in Chicago
Please mark your calendars for the day and a half CB Leader Training program scheduled for Friday, January 13-Saturday, January 14, 2017 in Chicago.
We are excited to once again offer this program (replaces the former annual Leadership Program) which will prepare newly elected volunteers in their roles as state Coordinating Body leaders by providing them with specific tools, information and resources to use in working with their groups.
Registration opens this month!
Meeting Your Quarterly Incentive: A Simple How-To Guide
By: Kendall L. Smith, MPH, RD/LD, CDE
Employ a few strategies to meeting quarterly incentives possible for your COI. Check out the tips below to see how you can engage your COI:
- Stay Organized: Develop a schedule and stick to it. Make Outlook reminders for posting blogs, writing discussion, adding items to the file library, etc.
- Establish Leadership Touch Points: Along with your COI co-chair or leadership committee, schedule regular touch points for discussing pertinent deadlines, assigning tasks, establishing a blog schedule and keeping abreast on current AADE developments. If you don’t have leadership presence (other than yourself) for your COI, now’s the time to lay the foundation for it! Schedule monthly phone conferences and make them a priority—get them on the calendar and make the time for them. Setting aside a little time of up front to establish a clear action plan will save a lot of time and help achieve quarterly incentives.
- Delegate: No single person can do it all, so delegate and wisely do it. Ask a fellow COI member to write an upcoming blog, start a new discussion thread, etc. Delegating redistributes the workload, making tasks more achievable. Remember the adage: many hands make light work!
- Bring COI Members Together: At AADE16 in August, the Plant Based Nutrition for Diabetes (PBND) COI hosted a Happy Hour Networking Event, and 10 members showed up to meet other COI members, discuss goals for the COI moving forward and share like-minded ideas about plant-based nutrition. I created a short member feedback
- Branch Out: Post COI-specific and non-specific posts. Don’t be afraid to include discussions and announcements that target your specific COI as well as more broad-based diabetes education topics, issues and news. Advocacy initiatives, upcoming conferences, and up-and-coming advancements that impact diabetes educators of ALL topics are generally welcomed among COIs. Local, state, regional and national initiatives all impact diabetes educators, so don’t be afraid to be include a variety of posts. It not only helps an AADE group meet its quarterly initiative, it also serves as a valuable resource for diabetes educators in all areas of practice.
- Motive & Engage Members: At AADE16, the PBND COI hosted a PBND Happy Hour, in which 10 people attended! This group of PBND COI members met to network, discuss goals of the COI and provide feedback on PBND. The Happy Hour was a great platform to engage members, who otherwise are limited to connecting online via a virtual community. Get creative and figure out a way to keep members highly engaged in your COI.
For Your Next CB or LNG Event...
Having a CB or LNG event? Let us help you promote AADE! We can send you membership brochures, product catalogs and other assorted materials at no cost to your CB or LNG. Please send an email to Matt Eaton for more information.
A New Way to Stay up to Date on MY AADE NETWORK
You can now choose to connect with or follow other members on MY AADE NETWORK and view how they are participating online, by using the new “My Network” feature. With My Network, you can network with other members and view their activities in real time on your own personal activity stream.
Adding a member to your network.
There are two types of members within the My Network:
CONNECTIONS: Connections are members that have made a mutual network with each other. Members can request to connect with other members, but their request will have to be approved before they are added to the My Network of another member. Also, visibility settings on the My Page can be changed to show information to only those members listed as a connection.
FOLLOWERS: Followers are members that have subscribed to another member’s activities, even if they aren’t connected. Members can follow other members on the site in order to stay up to date on their participation.
For more information on how to get started with this new feature on MY AADE NETWORK, read our full guide to using My Network.
Members' Actions Succeed in Gaining Co-Sponsors for Federal Bill
By: Kurt Anderson, Director of Federal and State Advocacy
Because AADE members are the only voice for diabetes educators in the US, your voice makes a difference in the lives of other educators and your patients. When you take action, especially using face-to-face communication, you make AADE’s advocacy program stronger.
Two North Dakota members took the reins when they talked to their congressman, Representative Kevin Cramer, at town-hall meetings.
- Inform the Congressman about AADE’s federal legislation that would define the term “diabetes educator” in the Medicare statute – this would allow broader reimbursement for diabetes educators. In the case of the House of Representatives, the bill is the Access to Quality Diabetes Education Act of 2015 or H.R. 1726. An identical bill is in the U.S. Senate – S. 1345
- Ask Congressman Cramer to co-sponsor the bill which means to sign onto the bill as a supporter.
Thanks to this important work, Congressman Cramer signed onto the bill as a co-sponsor.
Here is AADE member Grace Tinderholt’s description of this successful meeting:
“I am a Certified Diabetes Educator at Great Plains Clinic in Dickinson ND. On August 4, 2016 the director of our diabetes clinic and I had the positive experience of attending a town hall meeting with Congressman Kevin Cramer. We presented information about H.R. 1726, the Access to Quality Diabetes Education Act of 2015, and asked for the congressman’s support of this important legislation.
Over twenty people attended the town hall meeting at a local coffee shop. Anyone at the meeting had the opportunity to speak. I presented statistical information about the prevalence and costs of diabetes in America, and explained that improved access to diabetes education could reduce human pain and suffering and could save money through the prevention of complications. Congressman Cramer was very receptive. He spoke highly about the importance of preventive health care, and emphasized that it makes good economic sense to spend money on keeping people well. He said that he and his staff were in the process of vetting the bill, and he was likely to support it. He also said that the best lobbyists are people like us, who have personal experience with the matter at hand.
I followed up with an e-mail to the congressman’s office. I received a reply from a staffer, saying that Congressman Cramer has decided to co-sponsor H.R. 1726.”
AADE member, Lisa Thorp went to another town-hall meeting and spoke to Representative Cramer. Here’s her description of the event:
“AADE notified me that Kevin Cramer was going to be in town for a town hall meeting. I took copies of the bill, looked up the current language of SSA and brought a copy of that as well, along with [North Dakota] stats. I can only imagine the reams of paper that are presented to them – so kept it concise and showed them the difference in the language, and explained the reimbursement barriers I encounter. The town hall meeting was very informal with local residents floating thoughts and concerns and there was a natural segue into healthcare. Our hospital CEO was in attendance as well, and I also brought our dietitian with me. I simply asked him for his support of the bill in front of the group. He had his senior advisor visit with me briefly afterwards and I gave him copies of the information. He did say “he didn’t see a problem” supporting the bill. I followed up with an email after the meeting.”
These members met with their Congressman and were able to communicate to him how important diabetes education is for the well-being of his constituents. Through their well-planned actions, AADE’s federal bill gained another co-sponsor.
For more information on how to get involved, please contact AADE Director of Federal and State Advocacy, Kurt Anderson at Kurt Anderson
You belong. And So Do Your Colleagues
By: Dan Goldberg, Senior Manager, Membership & Marketing
AADE membership is on the rise, with more than 14,500 members and counting. As the only multi-disciplinary professional membership organization dedicated to improving diabetes care, we believe strength is in numbers. So we’re looking to continue this growth and want your help.
How can you help? AADE’s new membership campaign theme is “You belong. This is your community.” As a volunteer leader, you have many opportunities to help spread this message. We encourage you to promote this theme in your state CB’s marketing communications as well as at your events. Remind non-members who participate your CB’s activities that they belong as a member of AADE no matter their discipline, experience or whether they’re a CDE or not. AADE is a community for all diabetes educators.
You can help share this message by distributing this AADE Membership Flier for CBs that you can customize with information about your CB or handing out copies of the new AADE membership brochure at your meetings and events. To receive copies of the brochure, please contact Cindy Wilson.
Also, don’t forget that AADE has an ongoing member referral contest that encourages members to refer colleagues to join. For each referral who joins, you can receive an entry into a drawing for prizes including gift cards and memberships.
Event Help: Save Time by Copying your Event
It continues to be exciting to see the number of CBs and LNGs using online event registration with MY AADE NETWORK! We have seen many groups utilize MY AADE NETWORK to set up events successfully and seamlessly. With online event registration, you’re able to:
- Easily track your attendees from year to year
- Ask and maintain attendee special request lists for events—questions about dietary restrictions, physical accessibility questions, or special housing accommodations
- Provide attendees with immediate online registration confirmations via email
- Allow attendees and vendors to pay via a secure credit card transaction
Did you know that you can copy over all of the information from a past event to a new event?
This could save you time in entering information that is mostly the same from last year’s programs. Here’s admins can copy over a previous event:
- Go to your states home page
- Click on the burgundy button called ‘National Admins Network’
- Click ‘Create an Event’ on the right hand side
- Select the CB or LNG
- Click ‘Copy Event’
- Select from the drop down menu, which event you’d like to copy over
- Press ‘OK’ and your event has been duplicated
Feel free to edit the event to match the new information.
Remember, here are a few tips we would like to share to ensure your event displays all of the information you have available to potential registrants:
- If you haven’t had an opportunity to attend a training on setting up events, this is available as a recorded webinarthat you can view at your convenience.
- When setting up your online registration, pay special attention to your marketing page setup, as this is the first page attendees will see when they click on a calendar item and want to register for your event.
- Make sure your online registration includes a cancellation policy if you would like to set a deadline and/or fee for last minute cancellations. We can’t stress the importance of anticipating late cancellations enough—if the attendee has a last minute cancellation, it's important that each CB and LNG knows their own policy. For an example of AADE's annual meeting cancellation policy, please visit our website. Individual CBs and LNGs may borrow from the policy as they see appropriate as well seek guidance on this topic by reaching out to AADE.
If you need additional support setting up your MY AADE NETWORK event, need access to be able to setup events online, or have specific questions that aren’t addressed here, contact us for help.
Upcoming Events in 2016
CB, LNG and COI Leadership Audio
October 19- Leadership Audio for CB, LNG and COI Leaders - "Preparing for a Successful Leader Transition" will prepare CB, LNG, and COI leaders in implementing an effective transition process for their incoming leaders.
October 25, 2016 - MAC Co-Facilitator Quarterly Call - Discuss their experience as a MAC Co-facilitator and provide suggestions for next years's leaders.