Thank you for your interest in participating as a 2011 SHSMD volunteer. Below is a description of the volunteer opportunities planned for 2011. Please review the descriptions and complete the Leadership Pathways Volunteer Questionnaire.

The deadline for completion is October 8, 2010. If you have a question about the opportunities listed below, please visit the Common Questions page for answers, or contact the SHSMD office at 312.422.3888 or shsmd@aha.org.

Time commitment required
Volunteers can anticipate participating in at least bi-monthly conference calls, e-mail discussions, and additional time to complete projects as needed. Some committees and task forces meet monthly by conference calls.

Contributors:
There is no immediate selection process for contributor volunteer opportunities. Please select the opportunity you are interested in on the Leadership Pathways Volunteer Questionnaire and as opportunities arise throughout the year, you will be notified.

• Annual Conference Speaker
  Annual Conference Speakers are individuals who possess excellent presentation skills and have demonstrated expertise and experience related to the subject on which they are speaking. Quality speaker references are required in addition to a compelling Call for Speakers proposal which is sent to members via email in November.
  
  
• Annual Conference Moderator
  Next to being a speaker, serving as a moderator is one of the most important jobs at the conference. Moderators act as hosts and coordinators for the sessions, introducing the speakers, ensuring that everything goes as planned, and providing a safety net when quick action in coordination with staff is required. (All conference expenses are the responsibility of the moderator.)
  
  
• Annual Conference Round Table Leader
  Round Table Leaders have informal discussions at tables for 10 held during lunch. Each table has a topic and leader to guide the discussion. Attendees choose what table to sit at on a first-come, first-served basis. Information regarding singing up as a Round Table leader will be sent out closer to the Annual Conference date. (All conference expenses are the responsibility of the Round-Table Leader.)
  
  
• Online Course/ Webcasts Faculty
  Online Course and/or Webcast Faculty are individuals that are willing to share leading-edge knowledge and practical, innovative and replicable ideas with SHSMD members and other professionals throughout the healthcare industry in a virtual environment. A Call for Faculty will be delivered to members vie emial in October.
  
  
• Author
  SHSMD periodically calls upon members to submit articles for Spectrum as well as other publications.
  
  
• Peer/Content Reviewer
  Occasionally, SHSMD needs members to review submitted content, proposals, and projects. This group reviews the content and provides feedback to SHSMD.
  
  

Committees:
Committees are charged with the responsibility for major Society initiatives of a strategic and ongoing nature. They are:

• Annual Conference Planning Committee
  The Annual Conference Planning Committee members make recommendations regarding general session speakers and concurrent session tracks. They serve as track leaders, reviewing the proposals received from the annual Call for Speakers.
  
  
• Membership Experience Committee
  The Membership Experience Committee is the voice of SHSMD from within the member base. The Committee stays connected to members through personal interactions and reports back to SHSMD regarding ways processes/services can be improved to better meet the needs of members. The Committee supports the membership recruitment and retention efforts of SHSMD staff though phone calls to members, review of campaigns, participation in membership events, and the development of member benefits.
  
  
• Products and Service Committee
  The Products Committee will assess the needs of members by analyzing internal and external market research to identify those services and products opportunities that bring value to members. The Committee will make recommendations for programs, products and services that support the SHSMD strategic plan.

Task Forces:
SHSMD uses a flexible task force structure designed to bring together leaders with expertise in specific strategic and functional arenas. Task forces are charged with making recommendations to address an immediate or short-term need of the Society. The work of task forces is typically accomplished over a short time period. Task forces disband when their recommendations are submitted and any work products they develop are complete. Task forces may be brought together at a future time to review action and implementation plans.

• Emerging Media Task Force
  This Task Force will be asked to make recommendations on how SHSMD and its members can leverage emerging and social media technologies to enhance the SHSMD member experience, further establish SHSMD as the leading professional organization for provider-based healthcare marketers, planners, and communicators, and serve as a content and expertise resource for healthcare strategy leaders.
  
  
• Envionmental Sustainability Task Force
  This Task Force will make recommendations on new resources and tools that SHSMD could develop to assist hospitals and their communications professionals in communicating their organizations' commitment to enviromental sustanability and practices to in such areas as building and construction, chemicals, food, energy, materials management, water and waste. Tools and resources identified by this Task Force will become part of the American Hospital Association's new Hospital Environmental Sustainability Portal launching in fall 2010.
  
  
• Physician Strategies Task Force
  This Task Force makes recommendations on resources, products, and services designed to address the most current issues facing hospital/healthcare systems and their medical staffs. The Task Force may become involved in developing resources and educational programs.
  
  
• Annual Conference Scholarship Task Force
  This Task Force will review the criteria used to award scholarships to the 2011 Annual Conference and make recommendations regarding any changes or additions to the criteria. They will review scholarship applications and select scholarship recipients for the 2011 Annual Conference.
  
  
• Senior Leadership Task Force
  The members of this Task Force, composed of senior-level executives with 20+ years in healthcare marketing, planning, or communications experience, is charged with making recommendations for information, services, and professional development opportunities for members with senior management responsibilities in healthcare organizations. This Task Force will also be asked to develop an advocacy plan to promote a greater understanding of the important contributions that marketing, planning, and public relations-communication professional make to their hospitals and health systems.
  
  

Advisory Group:

• SHSMD Advisory Panel
  As a member of the Advisory Panel, you will be invited to weigh in on current healthcare issues by answering periodic online surveys. The group’s work is done primarily through e-mail and online surveys throughout the year.