Quarter 2
June 2020
The “Each One, Reach One” campaign will need to be marketed to our current membership in order to secure current member participation. Several marketing avenues already exist: the AAO website, AAO social media pages, and AAO publications. A general campaign with only the tagline may not resonate with many members and could be easily overlooked, but personal stories will empower members to believe that they can make a difference in the “Each One, Reach One” endeavor.
Brittany Reid Tom Garner Zac Levin Billy Neale Henry Rozen Sal Zammatti Beth Faber (EC Liaison)
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Through AAO marketing, stories of existing “Each One, Reach One” relationships in our organization could be highlighted. Articles that describe how members could share stories of how they became involved in organized orthodontics and who encouraged them along the way, accompanied with photographs, could be written and disseminated through the different AAO media avenues.
Members who enlist in the “Each One, Reach One” campaign should receive an email or packet that describes many of the benefits offered by the AAO of which many orthodontists, both members and nonmembers, are unaware. This packet should also give suggestions of how to mentor others as well as provide new orthodontists’ contact information to state organizations. By taking a one-on-one personal approach, we believe the specialty can be successful in engaging millennial orthodontists in organized orthodontics.
SAO Blue Team Leadership Project 2019
How the AAO Works for You: Increasing Engagement for Our Future INTRODUCTION As dental professionals, we pledge to uphold high ethical standards to best serve our patients. To maintain a high standard of conduct for the specialty and to promote patient advocacy requires a collaborative effort among members. The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) is the largest dental specialty organization in the world and, since its inception in 1900, has grown to represent over 18,000 members.1 The AAO provides several benefits for members of all experience levels. These include continuing education, practice management, legal and advocacy assistance, and career opportunities.1,2 The mission of the organization is to promote excellent patient care through these programs and research. The AAO’s stated purposes are: 1
THE PROBLEM 1. To promote the highest standards of excellence in orthodontic education and practice. 2. To encourage and sponsor research to advance the science and art of orthodontics. 3. To educate the public about the benefits of orthodontic treatment. 4. To provide advocacy and services that benefit a members’ pursuit of professional success. If membership in organized orthodontics is strong and member efforts are unified, our patients can benefit greatly.
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In 2016, Dr Courtney Dunn wrote a guest blog post for Orthopundit in which she presented several concerns with the current structure and leadership of the AAO and its benefits of membership. In her post, she cited several reasons why orthodontists may be failing to join the organization. Dr Dunn stated that the amount of student loan debt and the scarcity of jobs might deter new orthodontists from joining and participating in the organization and that “millennials” are typically more driven to join social media communities over traditional organizations. She also called for a diversification of leadership, new direction for the annual session, and overhaul of the current Consumer Advocacy Program (CAP).3
