It has never been easier to access information – with the click of a mouse and a few key strokes, you can find just about anything on the Internet. For trade associations and customer service organizations alike, it has become clear that an organization’s website is crucial to its success. An entity’s website serves as its “public face” and is generally the first place customers look to answer questions or find resources.
As America’s Blood Centers’ membership becomes more and more digital, ABC’s board of directors and executive leadership team recognize the importance of offering easily accessible online resources for our members. Through strategic planning exercises, we have realized that our association’s demographics are shifting, with more members of Generations X and Y taking more leadership roles at blood centers. To better meet the needs of our shifting membership, many of whom turn to the Internet for new information, we are developing the ABC Professional Institute (API), an online learning center that will offer ABC’s core educational content through our members website.
Set to launch in August, as part of our new and improved members’ website, the API will provide educational resources and opportunities to ABC members through five learning platforms: web- and self-administered learning; online learning communities (e.g., digital boards and listservs); publications; tailored learning, including access to subject-matter-experts for blood center process intervention and assessment; and opportunities for face-to-face learning. Watch this space for more details on the rollout on each of these new features.
As you know, ABC already offers a myriad of resources within some of these areas, such as meetings and workshops, webinars, and theABC Newsletter. While some of the other offerings will be new, the true goal of the API is to streamline all of ABC’s learning and information resources by offering a one-stop-shop for educational tools and opportunities. With blood bankers striving to “do more with less” in today’s competitive healthcare environment, we know that you are busy and do not have time to search for resources, so ABC will bring them to you under one umbrella. Our goal is to turn the API into your go-to source for learning, staff development opportunities, and continued education that help you do the very important jobs that you do even better.
Matt Granato, MBA, Chief Operating Officer;mgranato@americasblood.org