Broadening CMSA Membership

1. Broadening CMSA Membership Karen Coish Mackey, SW, MBA President Elect, CMSNE CMSNE 484 Main St., Hampstead, NH 03841 603.329.7481 Email: cmsne@cmsne.orgwww.CMSNE.org

2. History of CMSNE Membership • Established in 1987 as the New England Association of Nurse Case Managers • Joined CMSA as a chapter May 1994 • Established CMSNE Extensions 1996 • Merger of Professional Organizations 1999 & 2002 • Brown Bag Educational Programs 2000 • Focus Group initiated 2002

3. Chapter Growth

4. Education as a means of increasing Membership • Educational programs are the basis of our chapters • Program meetings serve the purpose of: • Obtaining continuing education units • Networking • Social When looking to increase membership look toward educational opportunities.

5. How to increase Membership? • LISTEN TO YOUR MEMBERSHIP & THE HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY • ASK YOUR MEMBERSHIP WHAT THEY WANT • ACT ON YOUR MEMBERS NEEDS

6. LISTEN TO YOUR MEMBERSHIP & THE HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY Listening often involves education. • Identify hot topics that are universal across disciplines/practice settings • Work collaboratively with other professional organizations in your area/region • Attend/display at conferences and share information about the CM practice

7. Identify hot topics that are universal across disciplines/practice settings • Offer educational programs on topics that will draw in a wide variety of members • Professional Development Resources in Case Management • Standards of Practice • Ethics • Leadership • Communication • Certification Preparation • Basic as well as Advanced • Clinical as well as Behavioral • Be creative, mix program formats. • Lecture, hands on, case studies, roundtable discussions • Telephonic, web based

8. Work collaboratively with other professional organizations in your area/region • Seek out other professional organizations offering similar educational programs • Occupational Health Nurses • Rehab Nurses • Social Work/Behavioral Health Groups • Discharge Planners Working with other organizations allows you to combine forces and offer additional educational and networking opportunities.

9. Attend/display at conferences and share information about the CM practice • By attending and/or displaying at local conferences you can share information regarding CMSA membership • Surprising how many people don’t know about the organization or think they need to be certified to belong – dispel the myth • Education not only of CM’s but of leaders in the healthcare industry

10. ASK YOUR MEMBERSHIP WHAT THEY WANT • Utilize comments and suggestions on program evaluations • Survey full membership at least annually • Talk to your members – ask what they are looking for or need • Encourage members to make suggestions

11. Utilize comments and suggestions on program evaluations • Every educational program has an evaluation associated with it, be sure yours asks: What topics you would like to see covered in future educational programs offered by the organization? Use this information for future planning.

12. Survey full membership at minimum annually • Develop a survey to determine what your membership wants - Distribute it: • Electronically • Paper • Have available at chapter meetings • Web link if available • Consider offering an incentive raffle prize to those who return the survey

13. Talk to your members • Take the opportunity as leaders to ask the questions and answer the questions • Members maybe more willing to share their interests on a personal one to one level • Encourage members to share ideas and become involved – this has a dual purpose - meeting their needs and developing new leadership • Listen to non-members too – they maybe future members looking for a place to belong

14. NOW ACT Now that you have listened and asked it is time to put this knowledge into action. Keep in mind that you can’t be everything to everyone. In planning be sure to offer quality educational opportunities, that’s what your chapter will be judged by when it comes to new members.

15. ACT ON YOUR MEMBERS NEEDS • Strategic Planning Meetings • Extensions • Outreach – Brown Bag Presentations • Focus Groups • Co-sponsored programs • Public Relations

16. Strategic Planning Meetings • Annually schedule a strategic planning meeting to review short and long term goals for the chapter. • Create realistic goals based on feedback received by members • CMSNE holds their meeting prior to the transition of officers so that old and new boards can work together to ensure continuity and continuation of goals. Out of our strategic planning meetings we developed: • Extensions • Brown Bag Presentations • Focus Groups • Co-sponsored programs • Public Relations Campaign

17. Extensions ISSUE: Region covered by the chapter is too large for individuals to realistically travel to educational/ networking meetings. SOLUTION: Provide local opportunities. ACTION: Development of Chapter Extensions

18. Extensions • Extensions are developed to meet a membership need in a specific area of the region covered by the chapter. • Extensions are organized and run by member leadership within that specific area, although fall under the administration of the general chapter operations. • Extension Chair (Co-chairs) are elected members of the chapter’s Executive Board.

19. CMSNE Extension Development • Extension development started in 1996 • Chapter created Policies & Procedures regarding the development and operation of Extensions • Currently have 4 CMSNE Extensions • NH, ME, RI and Western MA • Each Extension offers at 4 - 6 programs per year – servicing 20 – 90 CM’s at each program • With each new Extension development CMSNE has experienced an increase in membership in those areas

20. Outreach – Brown Bag Presentations ISSUE: Raise awareness of CMSA and local chapter, increase membership, respond to Individuals inability to attend chapter programs. SOLUTION: Personally visit Case Management departments, provide information and continuing education unit. ACTION: Brown Bag Lunch Presentations

21. Outreach – Brown Bag Presentations • The purpose Brown Bag Educational Presentations are to provide quality onsite educational opportunities for Case Managers at their worksite during lunchtime. • The Chapter provides the speaker, materials and continuing education units, (RN, CCM, SW), the employer/organization provides the site, AV and each individual attendee provides their own beverage/food. • Providing onsite educational programs to Case Management Departments allows the chapter the opportunity to personally visit organizations and distribute CMSA/chapter materials.

22. CMSNE Brown Bag Programs • Brown Bag presentations grew out of a PR outreach initiative in 2000 • Chapter recently revised Brown Bag Guidelines to include electronic/teleconferencing opportunities • Speakers are CMSNE members • Programs previously offered: • Professional Development Resources in Case Management • Case Management – What it is – what it isn’t • Ethics in Case Management • Standards of Practice • Case Management for Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury • ED Case Management – Moving Standards into Practice • Integration of Interrelated Processes

23. Focus Groups ISSUE: Topics of significant concern identified by various methods that the chapter wants to address (whether to increase membership of certain group or CM’s, or to cover certain issues). SOLUTION: Bring a cross reference of membership from an identified group together to discuss topic and develop goals. ACTION: Focus Group

24. Focus Groups • Identify focus topic • Identify members who meet criteria of the focus • Send invitations to identified members • Conduct pre meeting questionnaire to establish a base of knowledge and experience of the participants • Offer dinner and CEU’s

25. CMSNE Focus Groups • First Focus Group was held 2002 at CMSNE Annual Conference – group identified was Hospital Based Case Managers • From Focus Group Results the chapter developed • Online egroup for electronic discussion of hospital related issues • Annual full day Hospital Based Case Management Conference attracting 75-100 CM’s Hospital Based CM participation and membership has increased over the last 5 years.

26. CMSNE Focus Groups • CMSNE additional focus groups • Health Policy/Legislation • HP/Leg members only egroup established - provides an opportunity for sharing information regarding healthcare legislation that impacts CM practice. • Web page established for HP/Leg information. • NLC has become a major focus of education for RI and MA members. • Membership • Plans are being considered for a Worker’s Comp Focus Group

27. Co-sponsored Programs • Collaboration with other healthcare organizations to educate healthcare professionals about CMSA and the practice of Case Management • Collaboration can also lead to additional chapter specialized programs meeting a specific groups needs (i.e. workers’ comp, hospital based CM’s) • Co-sponsorship of educational programs such as Certification Preparation courses

28. CMSNE Co-sponsored Programs • CMSNE has co-sponsored educational programs with the ME Occupational Health Nurses, the NH Rehab Nurses, the ME Association of Social Workers, New England College of Occupational/Environmental Medicine and the New England Rehab Nurses • Twice yearly CMSNE co-sponsors a Preparing for CM Certification course with CCMI Associates – each program generally brings in 3-5 members, but serves a greater good of meeting the needs of CM’s in the New England region.

29. Public Relations ISSUE: Educating case managers about the existence of the organization. Getting the word out. SOLUTION: Making the organization more visible in different arenas. ACTION: Public Relations Initiative

30. Public Relations • Create an Identity for your chapter something members and non-members can identify the organization with • Utilize tools and materials from National • Logo, identifying colors • Teach your members to be your best sales person • Create a membership Cost Benefit Analysis • Develop brochures. informational flyers and business cards specific to your chapter • Use technology – egroups, websites, teleconferencing • Invest in a display board

31. CMSNE Public Relations • Identify local conferences and negotiate an exchange for a registration, booth space or sharing of resources • In 2007 CMSNE rolled out a PR packet for members and non-members it includes 8 different case studies, fact sheets regarding CM and CMSA, and national and local membership materials. • Let people know who your leaders are. CMSNE Executive Board utilizes special bronze name badges that they wear at all meetings. • Waive the chapter dues for non-members joining onsite at educational programs.

32. CMSNE Public Relations • CMSNE over the years has invested in a chapter membership booth to be utilized at large chapter educational programs and conferences. • Create a brochure that describes who you are and benefits of membership.

33. CMSNE Public Relations • Above all have fun, laugh, smile and welcome members and non-members to a program. Who wouldn’t want to join a group of fun people?

34. Do ACTIONS always work? NO……not always Examples: • Pediatric CM wanted to set up egroup for this small membership population – outreach to chapter provided no interest • Survey of SW members of the chapter (21) provided a return of 9 surveys indicating that they were pleased with current programming and services offered • Requests for development of an Extension south of Boston resulted in no membership interest in taking on the leadership roles

35. Additional Resources • Network with other chapters • Publicize your programs in local healthcare publications • Develop a fax campaign to hospitals, SNFs, insurance companies • Create an email distribution lists • Utilize national resources • Cynthia D’Amour Chapter Leader Resources www.chapterleaders.com

36. CMSNE Resources • Visit our chapter website www.cmsne.org and download Policies and Procedures and PR Packet from our Archive page • Contact the chapter office and request samples of Focus group literature cmsne@cmsne.org

37. Thank You