When creating a new advisory council, step one is to find a group of talented individuals, dedicated to the cause at hand—but what happens next?
This has been a key question for Ann Hankin and Annette Pakula, who became the co-chairs of the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center Council when it was officially formed in 2017. The two brought a breadth of experience and deep institutional knowledge to their roles, as well as passion for all that the Children’s Center does for young patients. They had a strong group of inaugural members, and wanted a firm plan to help guide and inspire those individuals to achieve the goals set forth by the Council.
“Initially, it felt like the work of the members was one-size-fits all, everyone doing the same thing—hosting dinners, making introductions,” Ann said. “We didn’t feel that was working. We wanted volunteers to be able to use their specific talents, to take their passions and run with them.”
A new idea came from Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, a partner institution in St. Petersburg, Florida. The All Children’s Foundation Board of Trustees had been using an engagement plan document that they found to be highly effective. The document, which is filled out every year by individual members, provides clear direction on the types of activities that members can participate in and asks them to commit to a certain number of those activities.
With that as a guide, Annette and Ann created the Children’s Center engagement plan, which provided a list of specific actions related to giving, events, and more at the Children’s Center. Council members would self-select a set number of activities that were of particular interest to them, and then work one-on-one with a development officer throughout the year to ensure they stayed on track to complete them.
Ann and Annette introduced the idea to their fellow members and explained why it would be beneficial for everyone.
“We wanted people to understand that this wasn’t about obligating them to do something; it was a research tool to find their interests and what’s important to them,” Annette said. “The engagement plan is a way to give every individual on the council a voice and an ability to weigh in on the goals of the Children’s Center—and once you have a voice in a given project, you truly own it and become invested.”
The plan has been in place for less than a year, but already, there are positive results. When compared with the two years prior to the plan’s implementation, council members have increased their giving levels, their involvement in Children’s Center signature events, their meeting attendance, and their actions outside of meetings. It has also helped Council members find ways to partner with one another on projects.
Ann and Annette are excited about the initial success of individualized engagement plans and look forward to more fully analyzing their effectiveness moving forward. They are optimistic that having the right tools and guidance will help members to achieve their full potential—and ultimately, help the Children’s Center do the same.
“We want to keep everyone’s feet to the fire in terms of accomplishing something on behalf of the institution,” Ann said. “The more concrete we can be with expectations, the more people accept it as a challenge and a commitment—but also a joy.”