Daily Buzz: Association Helps With Relief Efforts in Indonesia

When the catastrophic earthquake hit Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, on September 28, the Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA)  (opens in a new tab) sprung into action. Although incoming and outgoing flights to the area have been restricted, an AMDA team of medical personnel arrived in Palu, Sulawesi, on October 2 after a 27-hour boat ride to provide relief to the area.

Since its arrival, the team has started working at the Undata Hospital, where team members have helped in surgical operations administering anesthesia, as well as supplying overall relief coordination.

As of October 3, two members of the AMDA team have started working in the Anutapura Hospital as well. You can follow the team’s journey on the AMDA’s website  (opens in a new tab), where the group has been documenting its relief efforts.

Creating a Diverse Board of Directors

[BLOG] Frank Kenny explains how to build a board of directors that is representative of your members (and why it’s important you do so). https://t.co/lCEi0CaUvS  (opens in a new tab)

— Trent Gifford (@MemberZoneTG) October 4, 2018  (opens in a new tab)

Representation matters. And though creating a board of directors that accurately reflects your team can be challenging, the results of a nonreflective board can have damaging impacts to both employee morale and productivity.

“Choosing good board members is critical to your association’s success,” says membership expert Frank Kenny in a blog post for GrowthZone  (opens in a new tab). “One of the uncomfortable questions I ask some board members is, ‘Do you feel the board and association adequately reflect your demographic?’ From everyone except older white men, the answer is often no, not really. And usually, several of the older white men in the room are surprised.”

To create a diverse board, Kenny suggests starting with a diversity audit of your organization. If it’s not as inclusive as it should be, develop a strategic plan to get on track. Remember, you can’t rely on underrepresented people to raise their hand to serve on the board, you have to actively recruit them—but recruit for talent, not token board members.

“When you have a diverse and inclusive organization, you not only have the potential to attract and retain more members from underrepresented communities, you get the benefit of diverse world views and ideas.”

Other Links of Note

”What’s your Instagram handle?” With the new Instagram nametags, or scannable calling cards, you’ll never have to say that again, according to The Next Web  (opens in a new tab).

Americans are 83 percent more likely to purchase a product or service with a word-of-mouth recommendation. Convince and Convert shares other ways word of mouth can affect your organization  (opens in a new tab).

Revamp your meeting menu with catering inspiration for 2019 from the Event Manager Blog  (opens in a new tab).

(via AMDA’s Facebook page)