Helen M. Yerger Special Recognition Award ------------------------------------------------------ Requirements, Guidelines, and Hints www.hfma.org/awards/yerger/ HFMA Chapter Relations, yerger@hfma.org, (800) 252-4362 M:\MEM\Yerger\12-13\Yerger-Award-Requirements-Guidelines-and-Hints REVISED.docx Revision 11 Last Saved 2/22/2013 12:39 PM
TABLE OF CONTENTS Requirements... 3 Purpose... 3 Categories... 3 Eligibility/Participation... 3 Entry Details... 3 Deadline... 3 Award Criteria... 4 Award Presentation... 4 Feedback... 4 Inquiries... 4 Submission Criteria and Guidelines for Review... 5 Helpful Hints... 7 Intent... 7 Award Entry Basics... 7 Online Application... 8 The Judging Process... 9 Final Review... 10 For More Information... 10 2
REQUIREMENTS PURPOSE The Helen M. Yerger Special Recognition Awards recognize chapters for outstanding performance achieved by excellent results in programs, services, and administration. Multi-chapter submissions are allowed and encouraged in all categories. Yerger projects may also be accessed by any chapter wishing to take advantage of these best practices. CATEGORIES The Helen M. Yerger Special Recognition Award categories and descriptions are: Collaboration recognizes a collaborative effort with another organization outside of HFMA; Education recognizes a singular education program; Improvement recognizes significant improvement in a program, project, service or overall chapter effort; Innovation recognizes an innovative program, service, or project; Member Communications recognizes a chapter's overall member communications program; Member Service recognizes excellence and results in a program, service, or project; and Membership Recruitment and Retention recognizes the plan, process, results, and innovation of the chapter's membership recruitment and/or retention process. ELIGIBILITY/PARTICIPATION To be eligible, chapters must meet all chapter requirements. Participation in this special recognition awards program is voluntary. Entries and corresponding feedback become the property of HFMA and may be disseminated at HFMA s discretion; the submitting chapter president may opt-out of sharing the entry and/or corresponding judges feedback with other chapters by sending notification to yerger@hfma.org. ENTRY DETAILS All entries and supporting documents must be submitted online at Yerger Submit Each award entry may be submitted for one category only. First-time submittals must be based on activities that occurred within 18 months of the award deadline. Entries may not be submitted more than once, with one exception: non-winning entries may be submitted once more in the following year, provided that the chapter completes a new application which incorporates feedback from the judges. The submitter attests that each entry is submitted with the knowledge and support of the chapter president(s) and that their chapter had significant involvement in the planning and implementation of the activity. Single Chapter Entries: Chapters may submit a total of four (4) single chapter entries. Second-time submittals are subject to the four-entry limit. There is no limit to the number submitted within each category as long as the total number of single chapter entries does not exceed four. Multi-Chapter Entries: Chapters may submit/participate in a total of four (4) multi-chapter entries; these entries do not count towards the number allowed for single chapter submissions. DEADLINE All entries must be submitted via the online application (Yerger Submit) by 11:59 p.m. Central time on April 1, 2013. 3
AWARD CRITERIA For evaluation, judges will review award entries using 100-point criteria. Special Recognition Awards are awarded to entries receiving A) a cumulative average score of 75 points or more, or B) at least two (2) judges scores of 80 points or more. Needs Identification and Goals and Objectives criteria are worth 20 points each; the Methodology criterion is worth 25 points; and the Evaluation and Results criterion is worth 35 points for a total of 100 points. See the Submission Criteria and Guidelines for Review grid for expectations and word count limitations. There is no categorical or chapter limit to the number of awards that will be given. AWARD PRESENTATION Winning chapters will be recognized at the Annual Chapter Presidents Dinner and Meeting during the Annual National Institute (ANI) in June. Chapter Presidents will be notified as soon as results are available. FEEDBACK All chapters submitting award applications will receive feedback upon request. INQUIRIES Contact Yerger Project Manager at yerger@hfma.org or (800) 252-4362, ext. 363. 4
SUBMISSION CRITERIA AND GUIDELINES FOR REVIEW Describe and address each submission criterion separately. Entries tallying a cumulative average of 75 points or more or at least two (2) or judges scores of 80 or more will earn Yerger Awards. NEEDS IDENTIFICATION 16-20 POINTS AWARDED IF 11-15 POINTS AWARDED IF 6-10 POINTS AWARDED IF 0-5 POINTS AWARDED IF Describe, in 200 words or less, the needs identification process, including any data collected, and the specific needs identified to impact membership, events, or processes in a noteworthy and significant way. If relevant, attach and label documentation that describes the survey, number of members/non-members in target group, sampling technique, number of respondents, and analysis of the data. Strong evidence of a well thought out needs identification process to impact a project or process in a noteworthy and significant way; Clear evidence that data was gathered and analyzed; and Needs identified link directly to those stated in objectives. Needs identification process is clear; Some evidence that data was gathered and analyzed; and Needs identified relate to those stated in the objectives. Needs identification process is not clear or does not indicate advance planning; Not clear if data was gathered or analyzed; or Not clear if needs relate to objectives. Very little evidence of effort to identify needs; No data was collected or analyzed; or Needs identified do not relate to identified objectives. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 16-20 POINTS AWARDED IF 11-15 POINTS AWARDED IF 6-10 POINTS AWARDED IF 0-5 POINTS AWARDED IF State, in 200 words or less, the goals and objectives, relating them to the identified need. Specify the target audience and measurable performance levels desired for each goal/objective. Describe how achieving goals will be challenging and, if accomplished, will add value to the chapter and its customers. Objectives are clearly tied to impacting identified need(s); Target audience is identified; Measurable performance levels targeted are identified for each objective; and Goals are significant and challenging. Objectives show relation to identified need(s); Target audience is identified; Most objectives identify a targeted performance level; and Goals are meaningful and somewhat challenging. Objectives of project show only a weak measurable relation to needs; Few objectives have targeted performance levels; or Goals are not very challenging or are not very likely to add significant value if met. Objectives of project show no measurable relation to needs; The objectives do not have targeted performance levels, or targets are not measurable; or Goals are not challenging or are not likely to add significant value if met. METHODOLOGY 20-25 POINTS AWARDED IF 13-19 POINTS AWARDED IF 6-12 POINTS AWARDED IF 0-5 POINTS AWARDED IF Describe, in 300 words or less, the methods used to address the goals and objectives, specifying who, how many, how, what, and when. Include the time and resources expended, number of members involved, volunteer hours, etc. There must be evidence of conscious efforts that are clearly related to the identified needs and to the goals and objectives. Attach and label any relevant documents (examples: announcements, brochures, publications, program agenda/sample, etc.). Clearly spells out the methods used to address the stated objectives and needs identified; Provides meaningful suggestions to guide other chapters in implementing a similar project; and Resources expended, including members involved, are appropriate based on anticipated impact. Shows strong effort to address stated objectives and identified needs; Specifies who, how many, how, what and when; and Reasonable use of resources for expected results. Some relationship to objectives and identified needs is shown; Some description of process and resources expended; or Not clear if resources expended were justified based upon the expected outcomes. Very little evidence of effort to align methodology with objectives and identified needs; No description of process; Limited member involvement; or Resources expended were inappropriate based upon expected outcomes. Continued on next page 5
EVALUATION AND RESULTS 27-35 POINTS AWARDED IF 18-26 POINTS AWARDED IF 9-17 POINTS AWARDED IF 0-8 POINTS AWARDED IF Use no more than 400 words. The key is to measure and identify the impact on the chapter members, events, practices, clients, etc. Describe the methods used to determine the level of impact in other words the extent to which the performance levels stated in the goals and objectives were attained. Describe the instrumentation, data collection process, data analysis, etc. If applicable, attach and label documentation showing the query portion of the instrument, or other means used to gather the data. What were the results? Quantify the impact or the extent to which the performance levels stated in the goals and objectives were met. Attach relevant supporting documentation. Include the level of impact on, or the value to, the chapter and its customers. (Examples: increased membership, attendance, visibility in the community, revenue, evaluation results or member satisfaction with chapter products/services, etc.). Clearly describes how the performance levels stated in the goals and objectives were measured; Shows how data was collected and analyzed; and Instrumentation is clearly effective for measuring previously stated performance levels. Results reported are quantified; Results fully met desired performance levels stated in goals and objectives; Results were drawn from evaluation; and Results show strong impact on, or value to, the chapter and its customers. Strong evidence of data collection and analysis to determine whether previously defined performance levels were reached; and Instrument(s) used are clear and appropriate. Majority of reported results are quantified; Most results met desired performance levels; and Results show a moderate level of impact on, or value to, the chapter and its customers. Instrumentation, data collection and data analysis are weak. Unclear how evaluation would measure previously stated performance levels. Some results are reported in quantified terms; Majority of reporting is subjective; or Some results met the desired performance levels, with some impact on, or value to, the chapter and its customers. Instrumentation, data collection and data analysis are nonexistent; or No evidence shown that previously stated performance levels would be measured. Results reported are subjective; Little evidence that results met the desired performance levels; or Little or no impact on, or value to, the chapter or its customers shown. 6
HELPFUL HINTS INTENT The Helen M. Yerger Special Recognition Award program is intended to recognize excellent chapter efforts and to pool together ideas to be shared with other chapters. This process benefits all chapters while recognizing outstanding performance. A database of successful chapter projects will be populated with winning chapter entries. The Summary Description that you provide on the Application Form will be used to describe the project in a summary of the award recipients. AWARD ENTRY BASICS Participation in this award program is voluntary, but chapters must meet all chapter requirements to be eligible. All entries and supporting documents must be submitted online at Yerger Submit. Entries should demonstrate a meaningful impact to the chapter members, events, practices, clients, etc. such as increased membership, attendance, visibility in the community, revenue, evaluation results, or member satisfaction with chapter products or services, etc. Chapters can submit more than one entry per category, as long as no more than four (4) single chapter entries are submitted. Additionally, chapters may submit/participate in a total of four (4) multi-chapter entries [a multi-chapter entry is an entry involving teamwork with other HFMA chapters(s)]. Multi-chapter entries do not count towards the number allowed for single chapter submissions. Each submitter must attests that each entry is submitted with the knowledge and support of the chapter president(s) and that their chapter had significant involvement in the planning and implementation of the activity. If your chapter submitted an entry that won last year, it is redundant to submit it again unless the content is different. If you are continuing an established and successful program, clearly indicate in your entry when key activities occurred, so that the judges may determine what new chapter effort should be recognized. A new program that is expected to be successful, but does not yet have quantifiable results, should not be submitted this year. The program should still qualify next year due to the 18-month time frame allowed. By waiting, you can include your results, which are the most important criteria in the judging. An entry that did not win in the first year it was submitted can be resubmitted the following year. Allowing entries to be submitted a second time benefits successful projects that were not recognized. Use feedback from the judges and your experience to guide you in resubmitting the entry. Re-submitted non-winning entries do count towards the limit of four single or four multi-chapter entries. Carefully review the Submission Criteria and Guidelines for Review before beginning your entry. This grid can also be utilized year-round as a planning tool to help ensure that chapter activities meet member and customer needs. The online application strictly enforces the word limits. It is recommended to draft each entry in a program such as Word in order to take advantage of the improved spellchecker and word count then cut and paste your responses into each appropriate section online. Remember that special recognition award entries should describe projects or processes that have a noteworthy and significant impact on chapter membership, customers, or events beyond ordinary or required activities. Award entries must be submitted via the on-line application at Yerger Submit by 11:59 p.m. Central time on April 1, 2013. 7
ONLINE APPLICATION Hopefully, the responses to frequently asked questions make the application process as smooth as possible. Why is the Create Entry button is grayed out when Creating a New Entry? For some reason, the system is very particular about doing those steps in order. Type your Entry Title, first; select your Entry Category; then you can click Create Entry. Do I really have to type my entry into these online fields? You can copy and paste responses into the online application. Does the online system have spell check? The text fields have a basic checker, but composing your entry in a word processor like Microsoft Word then pasting into the application fields is recommended. I pasted responses, but apostrophes, quote marks, and bullet points look bad on the online form. Why? To mitigate formatting problems from copying and pasting responses into the online system, try this work-around: compose your entry in a word processor then copy it to a text file (via Notepad NOT Wordpad); this will strip out any latent formatting. Then copy and paste your response from Notepad into the online application. Hopefully, this will be less stressful than re-editing the online fields. Am I really limited to 6 attachments? The online application does have a limit of six (6) attachments. For additional materials, we recommend combining files labeling as best as possible, so judges can find what you are trying to convey. For example: event invitations, email solicitations, and an agenda could be combined into a single PDF or Word file to upload. 8
THE JUDGING PROCESS Yerger judges are selected from a pool of past chapter presidents with preference to select those who were involved in the production of a Yerger Award entry in the past. The judges will use the Submission Criteria and Guidelines for Review grid to identify entries reflecting special accomplishments, something out of the ordinary. In other words, completing a charter requirement, by itself, is not extraordinary. Each entry should address these five areas: Needs Identification: A maximum of 20 points can be earned in this section (200 words or less). Clearly identify and describe the need that impacts membership, customers, or events in a noteworthy and significant way. Research available information to help ensure a successful outcome. Judges look for more than a 'gut feeling' or assumptions. Ask questions of chapter members and customers to properly assess their needs. Surveys, focus groups, and program evaluations (speaker ratings, comments, etc.) are all effective tools. While you don't need input from every member, aim for a representative cross-section. Be specific in describing how needs were identified. Goals and Objectives: This section is worth up to 20 points (200 words or less). Entries should describe clear and measurable goals and objectives which are specific about what will be accomplished and when. Since results demonstrate the extent to which performance targets were met, entries can only be impactful when the results measure identified goals and objectives. Goals must relate to the identified needs of the chapter and its members and customers. Setting SMART goals will help to identify the project s impact. SMART goals are Specific and Measurable (stated clearly vs. vague generalities, and expressed numerically whenever possible); Attainable and Realistic (achievable yet challenging); and Time-bound (establish short- and long-term intermediate goals and determine when key activities will occur). Be sure to describe how achieving the goals will be challenging and, if accomplished, will add value to the chapter and its customers. Concrete goals representing significant achievements serve as powerful motivators and help identify the impact your chapter s entry made! Methodology: This section has a maximum of 25 points (300 words or less). Entries should clearly describe the methodology used for accomplishing the objectives and should provide information to help other chapters implement a similar project. Try to anticipate all questions the judges may have: who, what, when, how many people, and how many hours? Be specific about the time and resources expended: Was an existing committee utilized? Were new volunteers recruited? What lessons were learned that will help ensure the success of a similar project: critical success factors or things to avoid? Furthermore, do not assume the judge is familiar with your project's history or even your chapter, as judges do not receive entries from their own regions. Clearly, yet concisely, identify the components necessary to positively impact your chapter s membership or project. If the chapter is continuing a successful program, specify what new accomplishments occurred. Evaluation and Results: This section is worth up to 35 points (400 words or less). The key is to measure and identify the impact on the chapter members, customers, events, etc. Describe the methods used to determine the level of impact or the extent to which the performance levels stated in the goals and objectives were attained. This is impossible if the goals were not measurable. Describe in detail how the results were analyzed. Consider all relevant data. Provide context to the judges. If the entry describes an educational event, include evaluation data. Relate what impact your project had on your chapter. Describe its value to the chapter and its members and customers. Rather than make subjective statements, results should be quantified so judges can measure the extent to which your goals were met. Provide enough supporting documentation to allow judges to reach the same conclusions you reached without overwhelming them with materials. The results should specifically relate to the needs that you identified above. If applicable, describe why some goals were not fully met, or why goals were modified based on relevant new information - what lessons were learned? 9
FINAL REVIEW It is recommended to have at least one other person read over your entry before it's submitted. A good choice would be a past chapter president or someone who is unfamiliar with the project as the reviewer may identify the absence of an important detail which might have gone unnoticed by someone too close to the project. You don't need to be a great writer to complete an application. However, from the perspective of the judges, it is much easier to review a clearly written entry, as this helps them to understand the noteworthy and significant impact your project or process made. Clearly identify each of the attachments that you upload; this will help judges find referenced documents and will reduce the possibility that you forget important items. FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information about the Yerger Awards visit www.hfma.org/awards/yerger/ or contact Chapter Relations, at (800) 252-4362 or yerger@hfma.org. Good luck and thank you for participating! 10