From the Top: A Gift that Keeps on Giving

What can you say when you are not yet at liberty to say much at all?

     Plans are in the works at the AAWC that will knock your socks off. Because they are still in development and undergoing evaluation by the AAWC Board of Directors, staff, and our strategic consultant, I only can arouse your wonder and anticipation.

     Let’s use the upcoming holidays as an analogy. It is not always a welcome surprise to see the winter holiday decorations and gifts for sale as early as July in some stores. What are retailers thinking?! One thing is for sure: stores plan well ahead for the hustle and bustle (and dollars) of the holiday season to come, leading us to ask, “Are they a step ahead of us — the customers — or are we a step behind?”

     Retailers do their research. Many start advertising in the summer to early-bird shoppers. The first stores that market for the impending winter holidays likely fare the best financially, enticing shoppers to spend early for the best gifts and savings, with extended return policies through January for shopper with buyers remorse or recipients seeking exchanges. For last-minute shoppers, warnings about not having that perfect gift provide incentives. Then there are post-season sale customers who say, “I need to shop for the next holiday season as soon as this holiday season is over and things are really on sale” — ie, they hit the ground running on January 1 to take advantage of the post-holiday savings and pack their storage closets with next year’s holiday season gifts.

     The AAWC is trying the early bird approach. As I’ve said before, as an organization, our members are the owners of the AAWC, but also they are the customers and workforce behind this operation. That’s what makes a not-for-profit unique. We are not waiting until we find out it’s time to start planning for our customers. Nor are we, as customers, waiting to tackle the crowds. We’ve put our workforce into action to plan strategically in order to continue to be the voice for wound care professionals, patients, and caregivers. With advance and cost-effective planning, our organization reaps the benefits ten-fold.

     The AAWC Board of Directors met in September to discuss a new strategic direction for the AAWC in anticipation of the wound care world — not just today or next month, but for many years to come. This direction includes refreshed, streamlined mission and vision statements, as well as several strategies to meet a generous set of new goals. With input from members and staff and through enlisting the help of a renowned consultant and educator in the field of Association Management, the AAWC is well on its way to finalizing a 3- to 5-year plan that will ensure we continue to thrive while meeting the needs of members and others in wound care’s marketplace tomorrow and well into the future.

     Members, please secure the biggest shopping cart you can find. We are planning super-sized deals for you. Stay tuned to find out more about how the AAWC’s plans do more than provide a refreshed course of action and how these plans will ensure the organization continues to be “the place to go,” the first to have the products and information you need, and the best, most cost effective resource for your professional needs.

     Ben Franklin said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” In our case, a penny given is priceless. Thank you for your continued contributions and if you are not a member, please enjoy this issue of OWM and join us this holiday season to advance the practice of wound care after reading about many, but certainly not all, of the valuable benefits the AAWC currently has to offer. Contributions and new memberships are accepted through the AAWC website at www.aawconline.org.

     Just think! Our upcoming announcements after the new year will seem like holiday gift-giving all over again… even if you don’t start your holiday shopping that early!

This article was not subject to the Ostomy Wound Management peer-review process.