1. NASW OHIO CHAPTER
REGIONAL DIRECTOR’S
ORIENTATION

2. REGIONAL DIRECTOR TRAINING
CONTENTS
 Role and Responsibilities
 To the Region
 To the Board
 To the Chapter Office
 Communication and Connection
 With the Region
 With the Board
 With the Chapter Office

3. THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
OF A REGIONAL DIRECTOR
 The Connectors
 Role and Responsibilities
 To the Region
 Marketing NASW and Outreach to Membership
 Social Networking, Social Advocacy Groups, and Meeting the Other
Needs of the Region
 Annual Banquet
 CEU Programming
 To the Board
 Attending Board Meetings
 To the Chapter Office
 Financial Responsibilities and Accountability
 Accessing Assistance

4. MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
 Each monthly, regional membership information
will be sent to you by e­mail. The information
will include the month’s suspended members,
reinstated members, and new members.
 Suspended means that their membership has lapsed
and they are at the end of a ‘90 day grace period.’ At
the end of the month this person will be considered
an inactive member.
 Reinstated means that the person has renewed their
membership within the 90 day period.
 New members are either brand new members or
members who were once members and joined again.

5. HOW DO WE RETAIN AND GAIN
MEMBERS?
 New Members
 Meetings and Workshops
 Presentations
 Bringing up NASW in conversations with
social workers
 Suspended Members
 Personal phone calls from
regional leadership
 Mailings

6. REGIONAL AWARDS
 Each year awards are given out on the regional, state, and
national levels to social workers, elected officials, public
citizens, and social work students.
 Each region will collect award nominations at the
beginning of the year, make decisions on the award
winners after verifying their membership status in early
spring, and then have a ceremony for the winners.
 After the award decisions are made regional directors will
send the materials to the state office for state
consideration.
 The state Awards Task Force makes their decision in June
and the ceremony is held during the conference in the fall.

7. BANQUET
The Chapter office is
here to help you plan your
awards banquet.
• We will assist you in marketing the event.
• Please do not use your personal credit card. Give
us a call and we will do the leg work in
contracting with the facility and paying fees.
• We will assist you in finding, ordering, and
paying for plaques or other types of honorariums.
Please give us a call once your leadership team has
identified the date, time, and place of your event
and we will assist you with the details.

8. CEU WORKSHOPS
 Providing 1 or 1.5 hours of CEU workshops is a
valuable resource to members and is an excellent
mechanism to bring social workers together.

9. PROCEDURES FOR CEU
WORKSHOPS
 Identify your presenter, time, and location of the
workshop.
 At least two weeks prior to each workshop the
chapter office needs:
 A copy of the resume of the presenter
 A copy of clear goals and objectives
 A copy of the flyer, brochure, or listing.
The Chapter must be in receipt of these items before
advertising can begin for the workshop to ensure that
CEUs can be given.

10. THE CEU WORKSHOP MUST:
 Provide a sign in sheet (available on website)
 Include an evaluation component (available on
website)
 Provide a CEU certificate to those who received
CEUS*
*These will all be provided to you by the Chapter office once
you submit the initial paperwork.
 Workshop expenses will not exceed revenues for
cash advances.
 Be offered in a place accessible to persons who
are physically challenged.

11. WHERE TO FIND THE FORMS YOU
NEED FOR CEU WORKSHOPS ON THE
WEBSITE?
 www.naswoh.org

12. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE
WORKSHOP…..
 A copy of the
attendance sheet,
indicating those who
received CEUs
Send back to  A copy of the
the Chapter: evaluations
 Return completed
Regional events
Financial Summary
form

13. QUARTERLY REPORTS TO THE
BOARD
 Regional Directors are members of the Board of
Directors and are responsible for providing a
report at each quarterly board meeting.
 On the next slide you will find the format that
you should use to organize your Quarterly
Report. The report is organized according to the
priority issues identified in the Chapter’s
Strategic Plan. Underneath each priority issue,
you will see suggestions of activities, events, and
updates to include in the report.
 You may access this form through the Chapter
website.

14. NASW Ohio Chapter
Region ____ Report
DATE
 Information included in the report should reflect activity that has occurred in the last quarter.
 Priority Issue 1: Membership
 Outreach to students
 Contacts with suspended members (i.e. phone calls)
 Contacts with new members
 Other contacts with members
 Efforts to increase member involvement in regional activities
 Surveys or mailings sent to members in the region
 Events held during the quarter, including:
 Networking/social events
 Trainings
 Regional meetings
 Attendance at events – members and non­members (speak to the diversity of the event)
 Priority Issue 2: Social Work Public Education Campaign
 Media efforts
 Newspaper articles/ads
 Social Work Month publicity activities
 Priority Issue 3: Diversify Revenues
 Current financial status for the region
 Income brought in by fundraising efforts
 Expenses
 Priority Issue 4: Advocate for Social Policies and Advance Social Justice and Diversity
 Regional advocacy efforts
 Activity in coalitions on the regional level
 Meetings with local legislators when acting as an NASW representative
 Actions to diversify membership (geographically, culturally, professional sectors, etc.)
Respectfully Submitted,

15. COMMUNICATION IS CRITICAL
 Timely, effective communication is critical for all
of us.
 The Chapter office has set up various
communication mediums such as…
 Ohio Update (6 published per year)
 Electronic Newsletter (monthly)
 Advocacy News (weekly)
 Website (www.naswoh.org)
 Blast e­mails
 Social networks (Face book)
 The telephone (9 am – 5 pm weekdays)
 As well as U.S. postal service for post­cards, flyers,
and letters.

16. COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR
REGION
The Ohio Chapter Newsletter, the Ohio Update
• The Ohio Update, is published six times a year.
• The process:
– The newsletter articles are developed at the chapter
office.
– Sent to a graphic designer
– Designer sends proof to chapter staff for edits
– Sent to Printer
– Printer sends proof for final edits
– Printer sends final copy to mail house
A Process that takes approximately 4
weeks!!!

17. COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR
REGION
 Who receives the Ohio Update?
• All “active” members (approximately
4,000)
• 150 Legislators
• Community Leaders
• Organizations, such as the Ohio
Counselor Social Worker and
Marriage and Family Therapist
Board.
*Students and members who opt out of
printed copy receive an online version.

18. COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR
REGION
 Regional News in the Ohio Update is critical
 Members are seeking to find ways to participate
and find local information.
 This is an effective medium to communicate
 Upcoming events (meetings and workshops)
 Regional news that may impact or interest social
workers
 Recognition for regional honors and thank you to
volunteers

19. COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR
REGION
Ohio Update Newsletter
 Regions need to submit a report by:
Newsletter Due Date
September­October August 5th
November­December October 5th
January­February December 5th
March­April February 5th
May­June April 5th
July­August June 5th
 Members will not receive the newsletter until the first week
of the month; therefore do not include anything that occurs
before that date.
 Send your information by email to

20. SAMPLE: REGIONAL UPDATE
NEWSLETTER SUBMISSION
Region III Newsletter 02.15.08
Regional Director: Rebecca L. Sanford, LISW-S
(e) ohionaswregion3@hotmail.com
Happy Social Work Month! I find March to be a great month to renew my enthusiasm and passion for the work that we do as social workers. I hope
this month is a time of pride and celebration for you in the work that you do, too. Please consider ways to celebrate the wonderful work that is
being done by social workers in our community!
The Steering Committee continues to meet but has a slightly revised meeting schedule. We now meet the first Thursday of every month at 8:30am
at Phoenix Coffee at 2155 Superior Ave. The Steering Committee helps plan regional events and respond to professional issues and social justice
issues in the region. All members are welcome to join at any time! Just email to let me know if you plan to attend.
In the end of February, a survey was mailed out to members in the region along with a flyer listing the upcoming events and trainings in the region.
The Steering Committee put the survey together in an effort to better understand the needs of the members in the region and to help guide our
efforts in the future. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and I look forward to hearing from each of you.
By the time this article is published, we will have celebrated our Annual Awards Banquet. The award winners will be published in the next article,
but I want to congratulate them in advance for their accomplishments! Thanks to all who attended and took part in the celebration, too.
The email list continues to help us keep connected in the region. If you would like to be added to the email list or are not sure whether or not you
are on the list, send me an email at the address listed above. Feel free to also send me information, such as trainings, social action issues, or job
opportunities, that you would like to have shared with other members of the region.
Note the upcoming regional events:
 Training: Addictions for Non-Addictions Specialists
 Presenter: Louis Weigele, LISW
 Location: Free Clinic - 12201 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44106
 Date: 04/25/2008 and Time: 8:45am-12:00pm
 Please register for this training online at www.naswoh.org.
 Join us after the training for our quarterly Regional Meeting from 12:15pm-1:30pm and free lunch!

21. COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR
REGION
 Monthly e­Newsletter
 The E. Newsletter is sent on a monthly basis to
all members. It is an effective communication
medium to provide readership timely
information.

22. COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR
REGION
Monthly e­Newsletters
 Regional reports must be submitted by:
Month Due Date Send Date
July 09 July 22nd July 24th
August 09 August 19th August 21st
September 09 September 23rd September 25th
October 09 October 14th October 16th
November 09 November 18th November 20th
December 09 December 16th December 18th
January 10 January 20th January 22nd
February 10 February 17th February 19th
March 10 March 17th March 19th
April 10 April 21st April 23rd
May 10 May 19th May 21st
June 10 June 16th June 18th

23. COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR
REGION
Weekly Advocacy e­Letters
 Regions can submit advocacy updates/alerts to
the weekly e­letters.
 All submissions must be in by Thursday to be
sent on Friday.

24. ARCHIVAL COMMUNICATION
All of the
communications
through the state
(Ohio Update, Monthly
e­Newsletters, and
Weekly Advocacy e­
Letters) are archived
on the Ohio Chapter
Web­Site under the
tab ‘Resources’

25. E­MAILS TO YOUR REGION
 What is a blast E­mail?
 A blast e­mail is an e­mail that is sent to many
recipients.
 We can send blast e­mails to the full membership or
target…
 specific regions,
 categories of members, and/or
 specialty practice section.
 The Ohio Chapter will only Blast information for
NASW Ohio activities.
 Any information from other organizations will be
included in the monthly e­Newsletter.

26. E­MAILS TO YOUR REGION
 All e­mail blasts (e­mails that are sent to a large
number of people) need to be sent through the
Ohio Chapter.
 This ensures that all members of your region are
receiving the information, SPAM laws are
followed, and that we are consistent and accurate
in our messaging to members.
 If you want to send an e­mail to your region send the
text to the Ohio Chapter and it will be forwarded.
 If your region has a online group please make a staff
member an administrator and send the text of an e­
mail you wish to send to the Office.

27. NASW OHIO CHAPTER WEBSITE
 Our website is the most effective way to
communicate information.
 Inform your region of events, develop links and
share information within your region, and build a
strong communication link between social
workers across your geographic area.
http://www.naswoh.org

28. HOW DO YOU EFFECTIVELY
UTILIZE THE NASW, OH CHAPTER
WEBSITE?
 Staying Updated
 The webpage is continually updated­ it is the most
important place for you to access information
 Accessing Documents
 Governance Documents
 CEU Workshop Documents
 Advocacy
 CapWiz Page
 Issue Pages
 Membership Tool
 Marketing
 Archive of Publications

29. COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR
REGION­ U.S. POSTAL MAIL
 You wish to send members in your region mail.
 Remember it has become very expensive –
but there are members who are not linked
electronically, so at times, using the postal mail
service is validated.
• The Chapter office is equipped to provide mailing
service to you.
• Gives us a call or send us an email and we will
assist you with your communication.

30. QUESTIONS
 Where do you find forms that you need?
 What are effective and affordable mechanisms to
communicate with members?
 What materials must be submitted to the
Chapter your CEU event? office prior to
advertising
 What is the timetable to submit information for
publications?
 What are the responsibilities of Regional
Directors at Board Meetings?