HOSA Blog: Ways to Get Community Members Involved in Your HOSA Chapter
HOSA Blog: Ways to Get Community Members Involved in Your HOSA Chapter

HOSA Blog: Ways to Get Community Members Involved in Your HOSA Chapter

By: Darius Thomas, Central Region Vice President
 
Getting the community involved with your chapter can be difficult at times, but with persistence and dedication, we are sure you can do it! Fostering connections at a community level is vital for a healthy and thriving HOSA chapter which is why I wanted to take some time to write about how to get community members involved in your chapter. Ultimately, every community is unique in some way and being members of your respective communities means that you know more about how your specific community operates. I would urge you to utilize this specialized knowledge about your community and try to make use of it. With that here some general tips and advice that you can try to apply to get businesses and other community partners involved.
 
Make the First Step- Identify exactly what HOSA- Future Health Professionals is and show you’re interested in starting a professional partnership with these specific community members. Perhaps sharing your HOSA Story with photos, videos, brochures, or any other material can be a way to do this!
 
Offer Incentives- A partnership is an agreement to work together between two parties. It must be mutually beneficial. Show the partner who you are approaching what your HOSA- Future Health Professionals chapter will gain from this partnership and make sure to highlight what they as a partner will gain from this partnership in the community. One large gain is that they are assisting in the pipeline for future health professionals! Another example is to approach a partner to sponsor the cost of your chapter’s t-shirts and then including the logo of the partner on the shirt.
 
Personal connections- A lot of times teachers or family members may have the connections that can be utilized to your benefit! Make sure to ask others for advice and additional knowledge. Building a comradery and name for your HOSA Chapter in the community will help to expand your network. 
 
Clear Vision-Once you have engaged and there is a flow of communication make sure you have defined goals and specific desired outcomes for your chapter. Using Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) Goals are a great way to do this! Example goals can be fundraising for the HOSA Service Project, covering funding for ILC, or sponsoring members of your chapter to attend the Washington Leadership Academy.