Topic

Key Points Raised

Decision/Action

Evaluation Report

Do we use the structure DeAnn proposed or do we use Community Coalition Action theory?  Do we want to frame the report as answers to evaluation questions?

Or do we discuss recommendations and action steps across categories (membership communications, functioning, participation)?  Areas of strength, areas for improvement, and action steps?

The report to the steering committee should be short, readable, with clear action steps.

Draft by Dec 15^th

·   Lisa will write up the membership section and the

·   DeAnn will write about Alliance functioning and the survey methods

·   Julia will write up the qualitative methods

·   Liz will describe the structure, Alliance activities and a framework for evaluation, and reschedule with Eileen

·   Nicole will describe types of communication

Membership

• The greatest strength of the Alliance is the people. 
• A large number of people said they couldn’t evaluate items. 
• We need to communicate who members are
• We need to improve at informing members about what is going on
• People who have been involved for a while are happy.
• Satisfaction and length of involvement are positively associated.
• People involved for shorter time period were not sure how to evaluate

Actions

• People appreciated opportunities to network
• New members and old members want more opportunities to network and socialize.
• Consider orientation for new Steering Committee members
• Meeting expectations

Lisa

Communications

• Majority say communication is “good to excellent”
• There are many modes of communication
• Most people are as informed as they want to be
• People use all of the tools
• Very few people said we sent too much email

Areas to improve

• Communicate more about tobacco topic area
• ¼ are not as informed as they want to be
• It is not clear that we can do anything about this

Suggestions

• Develop editorial calendar for newsletter/site
• Could be more systematic about communications
• Enhance site by making contact info available to members to ‘find people’.
• Embed newsletter in email
• Consider offering option for paper newsletter
• Newsletter on homepage with link by email

Barriers

• Steering Committee to develop strategy for how communication is patterned?
• Complexity of effort
• Send agendas for meeting 24 hours in advance
• Differing views of what purpose of Alliance is
• SC needs to repackage vision of alliance to make it meaningful for all members

Idea

• Directory of organizations and primary contacts
• Blurb about each organization, why joined Alliance
• Cross-reference with category

Lisa & Nicole

Alliance Functioning

• Not everyone knows his/her role
• Priority areas are clear, but some people who are interested in topics outside the priority area feel their expertise is not valued

DeAnn

Participation/Partnership

• Hard to see relevance to job and organization
• Implement recognition efforts such as a dinner, certificate or plaque
• Recognition at summit
• Recognition employee to employer

Member Survey Completion Incentive

• Incentive to complete member survey such as target gift cards—donated
• Gift Certificates must be no more than $25 value or recipient may be taxed
• If we had reward for completing the survey, we could offer a limited number of gifts and distribute them by lottery.  (you will be entered 2 times if you complete the survey within one week. You will be entered once if you complete the survey within two weeks or on time. Etc)

DeAnn

Consider offering survey in 18 months-2 years (Summer 2008)

New article on comp cancer “Cancer Plans Help States Fight Cancer Locally”

J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006 Nov 15;98(22):1592-1594.

Social Network Analysis

DeAnn met with Doug Wholey about social network analysis.  One thing we could do is count number of organizations that send someone to be on a committee—network analysis.

David Simmons will create a matrix of organizations by committee