Programs and Activities

Creating Effective Programs and Activities 

The best way to learn how your chapter can put together a great event, launch a public relations campaign, or develop an information product is to tap into the chapter network to see what other chapters are doing. Chapters embrace sharing, so never be shy about asking other chapters for advice on how they managed their achievements. Check the ASPEN chapter leaders community page in ASPENConnect for contact details.

Experienced chapter leaders know that the key is to start small and simple, focus on a topic, and keep your objectives manageable. If your chapter is just forming, we encourage you to think less about building an organization and more about developing projects and activities that will advance ASPEN’s mission of improving patient care and your chapter’s interests. 

Generally speaking, those activities will fall into a handful of categories:

  • Events and presentations – generally focused on networking, socializing, and outreach
  • Education and training – focused on increasing the knowledge base of members and the community
  • Communications and Public Education Materials – focused on building the chapter’s brand and sharing information
  • Campaigns – focused on achieving the mission through community outreach and education

Every ASPEN chapter should conduct at least one mission-related project every year. With a little planning, and some help from other chapters and ASPEN, that goal should be easily manageable.  Successful projects, large or small, will more than likely pay dividends in terms of the excitement and enthusiasm they generate from those who are actively involved in making them happen as well as those who benefit from the results.

I. Events and presentations

Events and presentations focus more on building community and general awareness in contrast to the education and training program described below. These can range from organizing a simple, introductory “About ASPEN” presentation to your chapter’s members and other interested individuals or a social event for members to participation in a larger regional event. The goal is generally networking, community-building, or building awareness. If your chapter has an example to share, let us know by contacting Carolyn Woods, Membership Engagement Manager.

II. Education and training

ASPEN chapters are led and populated by clinical nutrition experts and individuals who are knowledgeable about clinical nutrition policy, education, and cultural issues. Creating opportunities to help train and educate your membership and your community helps to further ASPEN’s goals and reward the chapter with new (or renewed) credibility. You might also consider hosting an ASPEN webinar, which is discounted for chapters and offers CE credits to everyone attending; the only planning required for this is deciding on a location, securing a computer, and marketing the opportunity. If you are building your chapter, consider participating in already-established clinical nutrition–related events that are local or regional. Here are some real-life examples:

  • Each fall, FSPEN (the Florida Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition) holds their Annual Symposium. In 2012 the title was “Complications, Controversies, and Avances in Practice” and the ASPEN national office handled all of the online registrations. 

III. Communication and public education materials

Producing educational and awareness communications, such as brochures, booklets, pamphlets, or a community blog, helps establish a chapter within a desired community and creates mechanisms for lasting recognition. When done right, these tools help brand your chapters in the minds of those who are unfamiliar with the organization, and they help establish chapters as experts and reliable and trusted sources. Some examples:

  • A patient information brochure
  • A career guide to promote the profession to students in your area
  • A series of white papers on key topics available on your website for download 

IV. Campaigns

Campaigns are a useful and often effective strategy for drawing attention to a cause as well as to your chapter. By educating yourself on ASPEN’s vision and mission and its strategic initiatives, you should be able to find causes that match up with the issues that concern your chapter’s constituents and others you want to reach, engage, and influence. For example, you may choose to undertake an awareness campaign to help people with elderly parents understand the implications of nutrition support. You could create materials, host a community forum, and follow up with articles in the local press.

Build on small success  

Again, don’t forget to start small and work your way up to larger projects and activities. A simple pamphlet could lead to a small meeting, which could lead to a larger meeting. Similarly, a small meeting could inspire a chapter to create a pamphlet that outlines pertinent issues, which could then attract sponsorships to help your chapter take on slightly larger or more diverse projects.

It is more important to stay flexible and responsive to the issues and challenges relevant to your community than to become a large organization concerned with internal management. Small events and small projects can help energize your chapter’s members, and small successes will keep everyone interested and involved. Plan ahead.

Whatever activity you have in mind, your ultimate success depends on good planning (“You get what you plan for!”). The plan should include a number of key elements, such as:

  • The Goal – Broadly, the goal should answer three questions: What will happen? Who will benefit? Why is it important? More specifically, the goal should define the desired outcome in meaningful, measureable, specific, achievable, and time-constrained metrics. These metrics will, in turn, drive the resource requirements and production timeline.
  • Resource Requirements – Develop a list of all the resources needed to complete the project. These should include:  
    • Human resources: volunteers with relevant content knowledge (who knows what?), skills and expertise (who knows how?), and relationships (who knows whom?) 
      • Financial resources: sources and uses of funds (see also our section on Financial Management) 
      • Project collateral: such as facilities, documents, registration, catering, audiovisual, and other applicable considerations 
      • Marketing and communications collateral and channels
  • Production Schedule – Working backwards from “done,” list all the important benchmarks that will help you and your team ensure that the project is on track and on time. This timeline should clearly identify who will do what, when, and how, as well as the resources in play at the time.
  • Marketing Communications Schedule– It’s great to do good work, but the value of that work is often proportional to the degree others are aware of it. Plan ahead who you will tell what, when, and how. Putting the right words in the right ears at the right time can boost the overall value and impact of your effort exponentially! See Marketing & Communications for techniques and ideas.
  • Celebration – Be sure to celebrate (and publicize) your success and loudly thank all who helped.
  • Debrief – While it’s still fresh in your mind, set up a face-to-face or virtual meeting with all the key players in the project to review the results and identify what could be improved the next time around.