Spring 2015 Collaborative Session Notes
Resistant Decision Makers: What do I do?
Convener: Shannon Spollen, The Meadows, [email protected]
Scribe: Laurie Cape, The Bridge to Recovery, [email protected]
Participants:
| Dunn, Patrick | JourneyPure | [email protected] |
| Foster, Chris | American Addiction Centers | [email protected] |
| Obernauer, Lorie | LO Group, Inc. | [email protected] |
Summary:
List 3 (or more) important ideas offered by the convener.
- How to remove barriers to building a successful alumni program
- Culture
- Climate of center
- Attitudes, values of the center
- Personalities and politics of leadership
List 3 (or more) great ideas offered by the participants.
- Collaborate with other centers
- Build relationships within organization in different departments
- Collect accurate data on alumni referrals
List 3 (or more) questions or outstanding issues about the topic that everyone wants to know more about.
- Changes between interdepartmental communication and priorities
2015 Fall Collaborative Notes
How to get Management to See the Light in Alumni Services
Convener: Paul Hamblin, The Bridge to Recovery [email protected]
Scribe: Kaitlin Pickrel, Foundations [email protected]
Participants:
Ryan Miller, Futures of Palm Beach [email protected]
Krystle Conner, The Right Step [email protected]
Andrew Gelinas, Sober Grid [email protected]
Neena Wilcox, Bridge to Recovery [email protected]
Jocelyn Weiss, Foundations Atlanta [email protected]
Megan O’Connor, Valley Hope [email protected]
Mike Holtzer, CeDAR [email protected]
Dick Dillon, Innovations, LLC [email protected]
Jaime Gibbons, Cumberland Heights [email protected]
Nikki Soda, Harmony Foundation [email protected]
Tamara Jimenez, Anaheim Lighthouse [email protected]
Heidi Solomonson, Hazelden Betty Ford [email protected]
Carol Ricossa, The Oaks at La Paloma [email protected]
The Bridge to Recovery is a small organization and only Neena reports to Paul
– the main job is to drive revenue
– Before Paul was a CEO he was in marketing
– main job was to make sure people had the money to get things done
Most grateful fruit in the recovery services world is healthy alumni:
Advantages:
-at a nonprofit: alumni can donate and are a referral source
-cost effective to keep alumni connected
-alumni programs not developed to drive revenue
-there is no better recommendation than an alumni resource
-from a marketing standpoint, people want to shot anonymously on websites, there is no stronger vehicle then saying an alumni had a good experience at a treatment center
The Bridge to Recovery
-treats alumni like referral sources
-Ask admissions: how did they hear about us? Which alumni? Get a name
-Thank the alumni just like a referral source
-offer an alumni discountà 20% off case by case basis on who is referred
-Ask your company how well they track referrals
Telling every CEO- the most important business practice, produce as many sober alumni as they can- Hazelden does great with this, they nurture their alumni.
What are the challenges?
– they see the referrals, but don’t want to offer the help
– no time with follow up calls
– how do I get people to see it
Neena- The Bridge to Recovery thoughts on CEO- Alumni coordinator relationship:
CEOs need nice reports that prove the program is paying out
– need something short, sweet, and with a budget
– pulled at the data from past 3 years
– put a report down at strategic planning and proved it to the board
– show how much we lost-prove they are drowning
– Marking is stretched thin-need to go the extra mile
– Find out how many referrals come back because of the alumni program
– Giving the fluffy, emotional appeal doesn’t do it, the numbers do!
Alumni Referrals vs. Readmits:
- myth that one treatment will do it.
- They will come back
The Bridge to Recovery: sends something from the kitchen to referral sources
-write three letters to the referral, people they would like to thank-gratitude letter
- Letter to someone they love
- Letter to someone they hurt
- Letter to their referral source
CeDAR: asks their alumni would you refer to someone else or will you refer to us?
To function:
-need to have a business stance
-need to understand what your bosses want
-some organizations are toxic, and you need to get out
Client alumni- merge events:
– on campus events
– tell alumni to suit up and show them what it’s like to have fun in recovery
Goals as alumni chapters:
– make referrals
– send referrals
– help people in their community
– helps the business and helps them stay sober
– don’t reinvent the wheel
We need to become professionals, show them their goals, we need a business plan for their department