Why your association
should consider a
social responsibility
committee
It’s
no surprise
that many
association
employees
have a strong
desire to give back to their communi-
ties and make a difference. After all,
these are nonprofit core values.
Associations should combine these
inherent inclinations with a low- or no-cost way to boost morale, build camaraderie and possibly develop employee
skills by forming a social responsibility
committee. Such committees identify
and coordinate community service
opportunities — and it takes only a few
committed employees to get started.
Mission and Structure
The American Dental Association
formed its social responsibility committee two-and-a-half years ago and
asserts the initiative’s worth. To help
focus its efforts, the ADA’s Social
Responsibility Committee crafted this
statement:
The mission of the American Den-
tal Association’s Social Responsibility
Committee is to enable the Association,
its subsidiaries, and their respective
employees to be conscientious global
citizens. This is accomplished by coor-
dinating community service opportuni-
ties for staff and commending actions
that can be taken to assure the Associ-
ation and its subsidiaries have positive
influence on the communities in which
they operate.
Projects Launched
Jan Lord, manager of the acceptance
program in the ADA’s Division of Sci-
ence and chair of the ADA’s Social
Responsibility Committee, says start
small and with another organization,
if possible. For example, a good first
project is a “drive.” The ADA’s commit-
tee recently supported a coat drive by
connecting with a city wide effort. The
committee’s main tasks were to publi-
cize the drive, set up a collection point
and arrange for delivery. In 2011, 67
coats were collected.
