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Are Volunteers Bringing Business Skills to Your AAA?

Volunteers have long played a critical role in supporting the health and well-being of the country's older adults, including helping them navigate benefits, providing transportation and leading evidence-based programming among many others. Now they are helping AAAs partner with health care entities.

With a wide range of resources available through the Aging and Disability Business Institute, AAAs are finding innovative ways to adapt to the changing health care environment to better meet the needs of older adults and build long-term organizational sustainability. By putting a few key volunteer management practices in place, or adapting those your AAA already have, your AAA can engage volunteers in your community with valuable professional experience and specialized skills, especially retirees or others in transition. Here are some possibilities:

 
  • A doctor or other health care professional to help you develop a value proposition and “speak the language of health care”
  • An attorney to help set up, negotiate or review agreements, memorandums of understanding, subcontracts with network members or contracts with a health care payer
  • An auditor or compliance officer to help you develop, implement and monitor QA policies and procedures
  • An accountant or someone with a finance background to help you determine the true cost of services and help create a cost-modeling structure for various services 
These are just a few ideas. How is your AAA involving volunteers to meet its business goals? Let us know! Send your examples to Karen Homer.
 
Want to learn more? n4a's Annual Conference includes a workshop session titled, “Raising the Bar! Strategically Recruit, Retain, and Engage Retired Professionals” to be held on Monday, July 31. n4a's Aging Network Volunteer Resource Center also provides technical assistance. For more information, contact Peter Lane.

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USAging Fact: Learn about your peers’ work—and how it can fit into your agency’s goals! The AIA Awards recognizes successful and innovative programs that USAging members have developed to serve older adults. Get inspiration from our 2024 winners!