Leading Age - January/February 2011 - 37

New Congress, New Opportunities In November, dozens of new legislators were elected to serve on Capitol Hill. Many more will likely enter new leadership positions. Those changes give members the unique opportunity to build and strengthen relationships with these legislators and help them understand the issues that affect our services and the people we serve. How do you do that? Start with a letter. Our Web site features a sample letter you can use to congratulate your new or re-elected legislator and invite him or her to visit. Another option is to visit your legislator’s district office. Forming strong relationships with staff members who live and work in your community is a great strategy for getting your messages heard on Capitol Hill. Use our Contact Congress system to find out where your legislator’s district office is located. Last but not least, make the most of your organization’s networks to reach your legislator. Do you have a board member who attended a fundraiser for the legislator? Ask him or her to contact the legislator directly. Encourage staff members to find out who their legislators are and reach out to them about your organization and our field. Recruit residents to make their own appointments at the district office. You never know who might have been someone’s former teacher or baseball coach. To learn more, visit the Grassroots Connector or e-mail Sarah Mashburn or call her at (202) 508-9492. Social Media Shines at 2010 Annual Meeting Social media are here to stay, so our 2010 Annual Meeting featured activities designed to help attendees learn about and embrace this next phase in communications. The centerpiece of the social media movement was the Social Media Lab. The lab, positioned in the center of the exposition, attracted hundreds of attendees interested in learning more about these programs and their potential. Students from the University of Southern California at Davis served as “reverse mentors” and helped participants sign up or expand their presence in different programs. Dozens of attendees also Twittered about their meeting experiences using a hashtag that allowed other users to get a digest of tweets about the event and find out everything from the highlights of the general session to an exhibitor’s booth

synergy
number. By the end of the conference, you could have seen a person tweeting about an educational session, making Facebook friends with someone they met at a networking reception and checking in on Four Square. But the activity didn’t end when the conference closed. Many members still tweet regularly, ask questions on LinkedIn and share information on Facebook. Are you ready to get connected? Visit our social networking page.

Our Staff Brings New Perspective to Board Retreats When it came to his board’s annual retreat, Jason Cronk wanted to try something new. Cronk, executive director of Galloway Ridge in Pittsboro, N.C., called us for ideas. He found Melissa Sharp, one of our regional vice presidents and an experienced board retreat facilitator. After reviewing the goals for the retreat, Sharp developed an outline for the day. “Melissa understood our goal and knew exactly how to develop the day that would allow our board to be successful in what we wanted to accomplish,” Cronk says. Cronk also invited North Carolina Association of NonProfit Homes for the Aging President Tom Akins to participate in the event. What he didn’t know was that Sharp and Akins recently worked together on another board retreat. The team started the day with Akins discussing trends in aging services and how they related to Galloway Ridge’s work. Sharp then led a review of the current mission statement and discussed elements for new vision and values statements. According to Cronk, this exercise “really forced our board to reflect and discuss important elements that should be reflected in these statements and understand their value in the strategic planning process.” Since the retreat, Galloway Ridge’s board has developed drafts of all three statements. The group will come together again in February to finalize them. Do you need ideas and inspiration for your next board retreat? Contact us to find out how we can help you make the most of the event.

Written by Sarah Mashburn, LeadingAge communications manager.

index of advertisers
American Data ................................................................1 Aon Association Services ..............................................19 AquaOne...............................................................Cover 2 GlynnDevins..................................................................15 The Green House Project ................................................7 Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service................36 LeadingAge Sponsors ...................................................27 LeadingAge...................................................................11

NurseLEAD .....................................................................5 Future of Aging Services Conference ............................23

LeadingAge magazine | January/February 2011

Leading Age - January/February 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Leading Age - January/February 2011