AMA-MSS Guide to Organizing a World AIDS Day Event
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MSS Guide to Organizing a World AIDS Day Event What’s inside? Instructions for Organizing your Event Pages 2-6 • Objectives • Materials • Event overview - day of the event • Step-by-step instructions and timeline • Funding sources • Follow-up Flier Template to Promote your Event Page 7 HIV/AIDS Movies Page 8 Media Advisory Template Page 9 Media Advisory Example Page 10 Objectives 1. Educate individuals about the impact of HIV and AIDS in the global community as well as your own. 2. Provide exhibits, speakers, movie screenings, demonstrations, and/or screenings focused towards individuals in your community. 3. Organize with different organizations and healthcare providers in the community to generate goodwill 4. Generate positive publicity for those organizations and individuals who are devoting their time for the benefit of World AIDS Day. 5. Empower participants with a better understanding of the many means in which they can help with the global AIDS epidemic. Back to top Materials 1. Laptop Computers for Possible Demonstrations and Mini-Workshops 2. Projectors to Enhance Computer or Personal Presentations 3. Materials for Featured Event – Discussion Forum, Speaker, Movie Screening 4. Fliers 5. Camera 6. Handouts – Relevant Information regarding the global AIDS epidemic Back to top World AIDS Day Forum – Day of the Event (December 1st) 1. Opening Remarks • General introduction, including a moment of thanks, to all of the different organizations for volunteering their time and/or money. • Explain the objective of the event as stated above. • Describe the schedule for the participants. There may be many items or there may be very few but make sure that all participants know what is offered. • Provide each participant with a handout further describing all of the services offered. 2. The Event • Participation and interaction will depend on the format of the event. • Allow all of the participants to enjoy the event. Take one small moment to enjoy what you have organized. Smile! 3. Closing Remarks • Thanks should be given once again to all the participants for attending and all of the collaborators, as well as the organizations and individuals that donated their time or money for this event. • Remind all of the participants to take to heart the lessons that they have learned today and to follow-up with their local organizations to become more involved. Back to top 2 Step-By-Step and Timeline Two Months before the event Step One: Pick the focus of your event. Event ideas include a discussion forum on HIV/AIDS, speakers (physicians, patients with HIV, advocacy groups, and many more), workshops, movie screenings, etc....There is an incredible amount of room for creativity here. The world is your oyster. Step Two: Compile a planning committee of between 8-10 individuals who are responsible for fundraising, publicizing the event, contacting sponsors, inviting speakers and clinicians, contacting the media, ordering food and drinks, and coordinating all follow-up activities. This committee should follow the timeline/step-by-step instructions, and make sure action steps are happening according to plan. Step Three: Determine how big of an event you want to organize. This particular question will allow you to better plan the next steps in the process including the number of individuals that you expect to attend, the number of speakers that you need to invite, and the financial support necessary to make this event possible. Step Four: Choosing the date of the event is easy. December 1st is World AIDS Day. Since you know the date of the event, you will have a wonderful opportunity to schedule the event as early as possible in your school calendar. Remember not to schedule the event at the same time as any other major events in the community. Step Five: Choose one individual from the planning committee to be the point person involved in contacting all of the perceived collaborators in this project. This will include the medical school, public health department, state or county medical society, and the local hospitals. Seek their advice on particular organizations, including local businesses that may be willing to donate either money or resources. Step Six: Choose one individual from the planning committee to be the point person involved in contacting local businesses, community groups, and even individual community or business leaders for donations of money or resources. One great way for the companies to assist is by promoting the event to their customers. For example, health food shops can donate food or printing companies can donate paper for posters and signs. In return for their support, give the sponsors public recognition through your publicity efforts. Step Seven: Choose one individual from the planning committee to be the point person involved in contacting the media. Determine how many total media hits that you want for your event to have as well as the types of media that you want to focus on. Send out a media advisory/press release for your event. (See media advisory template and example.) You can find your local media contact info by clicking on http://capwiz.com/ama/home/, entering your ZIP code in "Media Guide," and then clicking on the media organization of choice for website/address/email/phone/fax information. 3 Step-By-Step and Timeline (cont.) Step Eight: Choose one individual from the planning committee to be the point person involved in finding potential exhibits for the event. Approach health care providers, local or state health departments, community groups, and libraries to ask if they have information and resources on HIV. National organizations (e.g. CDC) may also be able to provide materials to distribute. Step Nine: Choose one individual from the planning committee responsible for finding as many potential audience members as possible. Student groups, schools, community service organizations, church groups, senior citizens groups, and advocacy groups might be of use. Step Ten Choose and reserve a location—school gyms, large classrooms, banquet rooms, or hospital convention rooms may all be especially nice venues in the winter while school parking lots and parks would be more ideal during warm weather. Step Eleven: Inquire about all of the legal/school policy issues that may be involved in holding an event of this nature. Ensure that an individual will be responsible for obeying school protocol. Step Twelve: Design fliers and posters that not only inform people about the event but also motivate them to come. Step Thirteen: Plan for food (snacks, drinks, catered meals). One month before the event Step Fourteen: Finalize the amount of individuals that you expect to come to the event and the number of volunteers, sponsors, and exhibits that you will have. Do everything you can to obtain as many sponsors, exhibits, etc . Having more individuals than you need is a problem that you can afford to have. Step Fifteen: Hang fliers or posters in stores, libraries, banks, restaurants, childcare centers, clinics, hospitals, physicians’ offices, and churches. Place them in as many places in the city as possible. Step Sixteen: Prepare press releases and advertisements for local newspapers and public service announcements. Step Seventeen: Invite the Media to the Event. Step Eighteen: Begin to plan the structure and organization of the actual event. Visit the venue and determine where would be the best place for exhibits and speakers. 4 Step-By-Step and Timeline (Continued) Step Nineteen: Finalize all logistic issues. This includes the location, food, security, legal issues, permits, and transportation. One week before the event Step Twenty: Confirm the attendance of every organization, volunteers, exhibitor, media member that you have been in contact with for the last two months. Step Twenty-One: Make one final flier run, hitting every location and more that you can think of publicizing the event. Step Twenty-Two: Hold a press conference to promote the event. Not necessary but this will generate some buzz. Step Twenty-Three: Further finalize all logistic issues. This includes the location, food, security, and school policy issues. Step Twenty-Four: Finalize the structure and organization of the actual event. Know where each exhibitor or sponsor sign will be placed and have all the supplies that they need from you ready. After the event Step Twenty-Five: Evaluate the success and failures of this event. What are ways that you can improve the fair in subsequent years? Back to top 5 Funding Sources • AMA Chapter Involvement Grants: www.ama-assn.org/go/cig • School Funding Sources: Contact your student council, Office of Enrichment Programs, and your Dean for Student Affairs for school-based funding information • State Medical Society: Contact your State Medical Society about funding support. Your school’s Section on Medical Schools faculty representative can be a valuable resource. Contact this person and ask how they may help put you in touch with your state medical society. • Community Grants: Community-based grants can also be a valuable resource: visit www.fundsnetservices.com/ for more information. Back to top Follow-up • After the event, send thank you notes to each organization or individual that donated time/money: Dear [Donor], On behalf of the [SCHOOL] AMA Chapter, I would like to thank you for all of your help in making the Community Health Fair such an incredible success. We appreciate your time/money, and thank you for giving a piece of yourself to this community. We hope that you continue to work with this organization