TOP 10+ REASONS TO JOIN THE PROVIDERS’ COUNCIL

1. Public Policy Advocacy and Updates support your mission and capacity to be a high performing organization. Join the association that championed the salary reserve, adding over $150 million in providers’ budgets for workers' salaries, and introduced four bills to reform the purchasing system and improve your workforce.  We worked to secure the College Cost Reduction Act which will lessen higher education costs and add a loan forgiveness provision.  We're co-leading purchase of service reform with Senate Bill S65.  We fight bills that could hurt your business, and work independently or with coalitions to strengthen our sector.
2. Endorsed Vendors provide you with discounts and value added benefits unavailable elsewhere: Enterprise Fleet Management, Interior Resources, Mass Energy Consumers Alliance, Riverbend Furniture, Ricoh Business Systems, Staples Business Advantage and TD Banknorth Insurance Agency (with Delta Dental).
3. Convention:The Annual Convention is the hallmark event  and largest celebration of human services in New England, drawing 1,000+ attendees annually.  Members get discounted rates to attend, exhibit, advertise, and a great experience to offer staff.
4. Committees direct the agenda for the Council and the human services sector.  To learn about the different committee opportunities vailable, go to: www.providers.org/aboutus/boardcommittees.
5. Communication and networking: the Provider, Provider Insider, blast faces/emails, webinars, and www.providers.org keep you up to date on what you need to know.  Members are always welcome to contact us to answer questions or provide information.  
6. Two Penny Project Research and Reports gives members resources for your communication and advocacy efforts via trainings, resource guides, tips of the week and more.
7. Jobs with Heart is our online job site - free for members - that averages hundreds of hits each month.  Saves you money and increases your exposure to the audience you want.  Access it through our newly enhanced website, www.providers.org or its own portal, www.jobswithheart.orgmore and more, our industry – and the nonprofit sector as a whole – understands the power of association with those of similar values and a commitment toward making a difference.
8. Belonging to an Association: More and more our industry understands the power of association with those of similar values and a commitment toward making a difference.
9. Civic Engagement inititiatives urge members to get their constituencies involved: clients/consumers, employees, families, funders, board of directors, stakeholders.  CareVote, GiveVoice, rallies and testimonials all speak to empowerment and our strength as an industry. 
10. The Institute for Learning and Exchange is the Providers' Council new virtual portal through which members can access information on all our trainings, seminars, roundtables, Providers' eAcademy - anything related to learning or an exchange of information.  This will speed your search of any Council program or service in these areas: 
    1. Roundtables are informal meetings allowing for networking opportunities and an open exchange of ideas in a relaxed environment.  Our Human Resources and Finance roundtables have been a tremendous success and our newest roundtable series for Emerging Leaders begins in January 2008.
    2. Providers' eAcademy® : your resource for professional development in human services is our online learning management system (LMS).  It hosts the Human Services Credentialing Program and provides members with access to an additional 300+ courses.  The LMS features make tracking all your training records - classroom and online - simple and accessible and provides easy to navigate reporting.
    3. Educational Initiatives like the nationally recognized Tuition Remission and our graduate certificates in Community Human Services Management and Administration and Finance further your objective to professionalize your workforce.  The Dr. Barbara L. Brown Memorial Scholarship Award entitles an employee of a Council member a full graduate scholarship to Simmons School of Social Work.
    4. Trainings support your commitment to the professional development of your employees and build your capacity for high performance.  There's something for everyone in the Council trainings: governance, best practices, diversity, team building, communication, etc.  Our new Certificate in Supervision series has earned rave reviews and sells out everytime we offer it.  Members get discounted rates to all our trainings.
    5. Research and Publications advance human services and educate stakeholders on important issues.  Help Wanted: The Future of the Human Services Workforce, done in collaboration with the Donahue Institute of UMass, defined the workforce crisis our industry is facing now and in years to come.  The follow-up report, Help Wanted 2: Recruiting and Retaining the Human Services Workforce, began the task of identifying approaches to the issue.  Resource Guide: Addressing the Human Services Workforce Shortage offers how-to information from our members and around the country.
    6. Webinars have been a successful way to show demonstrations of Providers' eAcademy® to members from the comfort of their own office; all you need is a phone line and computer with internet access.  We intend to expand our usage of webinars to educate members on other Council offerings and benefits of membership.

Your membership strengthens the industry and our ability to represent it. Your active participation gives us added strength to work for positive change.

.