Local chapter update: Offsetting costs incurred by leadership without collecting dues

When a chapter is in its younger days, before it has gone through leadership transitions and/or created bylaws, ACDIS recommends that it does not collect dues or open banks accounts. Leaders should be sure the chapter has enough momentum and volunteers to be able to successful hand over control of the group and key aspects of the group’s functioning before tying in legal and financial obligations.

Recently, however, a chapter leader reached out to ACDIS administration asking how chapters in this early stage can offset costs incurred during the meeting planning process. The answer bears repeating in case anyone else is facing a similar conundrum.

Initially, groups tend to be smaller and events depend on volunteers and vendor support. We recommend rotating the event to different hospitals and that hospitals donate their space (free of charge). Many facilities will offer to provide lunch or at least a cookie tray and coffee.

If they do not donate food, leaders can make it a “potluck” (which can be fun in its own right) or a “brown-bag” lunch-n-learn. This time of the year, some chapters are hosting a “souper-bowl” and folks can bring crockpots of their homemade soups (those who don’t want to make soup can bring a snack like chips, bread, or desserts). Then people vote for their favorite and the winner gets a prize. Chapters can have a lot of fun with this and play on different themes for the potluck depending on the season.

Depending on the size of the event, chapter leaders may be able to get a vendor to pay for food. This tends to be  more for meetings of 50 or more attendees. If you go this route, be sure to have a vendor policy in place and have a clear understanding of what the vendor wants/will receive in return for gifting the group lunch.

The following is a list of upcoming events for ACDIS local chapters. If you have an upcoming event you would like to include, please email Melissa Varnavas (mvarnavas@acdis.org) and Linnea Archibald (larchibald@acdis.org). 

February:

• The New Orleans ACDIS chapter meets Thursday, February 7, 4-5 p.m., at Semolina’s Restaurant in Clearview. For information, contact Judith Dowling (Judith.dowling@ochsner.org).
• The North Carolina and South Carolina ACDIS chapters hold a joint meeting Friday, February 8, at Palmetto Baptist Health in Columbia, South Carolina. For information, contact the chapter leadership team (ncacdis@gmail.com).
• The Kansas City ACDIS chapter meets Wednesday, February 13, via webinar. For information, contact Angelica Naylor (angelica.naylor@outlook.com).
• The Maryland ACDIS chapter meets Friday, February 15, 12-2 p.m., at the Maryland Hospital Association in Elkridge. For information, contact Deborah McClain (dmcclain2@fmh.org).
• The Arizona ACDIS chapter and the CDI Educator networking group meet Friday, February 15, 12-1 p.m. mountain time, via webinar. For information, contact M.E. VanGelder (ME.VanGelder@honorhealth.com).
• The Michigan ACDIS chapter meets Friday, February 22, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., via webinar. For information, contact Susan Fantin (susan.fantin@comcast.net).
• The Minnesota ACDIS chapter meets Saturday, February 27, 1-2 p.m., via webinar. For information, contact Tim Lindquist (timothy.c.lindquist@healthpartners.com).

March:

• The Pediatric ACDIS networking group (APDIS) meets Thursday, March 7, 2019, 3 p.m., eastern. For information, contact Val Bica (valerie.bica@nemours.org) and Leah Savage (leah.savage@BHSI.com).
• The Virginia ACDIS chapter meets Saturday, March 23, for their spring meeting. More details to follow. For information, contact Fran DeLisser (Franchesca_Delisser@bshsi.org).
• The Tennessee ACDIS chapter meets Friday, March 29, for an all-day event at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. For information, contact Sherri Clark (sclark@utmck.edu).
• The Georgia ACDIS chapter meets Friday, March 29, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Piedmont Athens Hospital in Athens. For information, contact Jamie Doster (doster.j@icloud.com).

Save-the-date:

• The Maryland ACDIS chapter meets Friday, April 12, 12-2 p.m., at the Maryland Hospital Association in Elkridge. Visit the Maryland page on the ACDIS website for the rest of the year’s lineup. For information, contact Deborah McClain (dmcclain2@fmh.org).
• The Central Pennsylvania ACDIS chapter meets Friday, April 19, at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey. More information to follow. For information, contact Deanne Wilk (dwilk@pennstatehealth.psu.edu).
• The Washington Evergreen ACDIS chapter meets Thursday, April 25, at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. For information, contact Susan Browne (susan.browne@triohealth.org).
• The Georgia ACDIS chapter meets Saturday, June 8, in Savannah. More information to follow. Please note that this meeting will include a volunteer opportunity with the Help End Hunger Food Bank. For information, contact Jamie Doster (doster.j@icloud.com).
• The Georgia ACDIS chapter meets Thursday, September 19, at Northeast Georgia Medical Center. More information to follow. For information, contact Jamie Doster (doster.j@icloud.com).
• Missouri's three ACDIS chapters meet Saturday, October 19, 2019, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., for the fourth annual Show Me State Conference at Boone Hospital in Columbia. Click here to download the save-the-date. More information to follow. For information, contact Karen Elmore (kelmore@bjc.org).