National Conference Scholarship – Processes, Policies, and Promotion

Scholarship Overview

• National Conference Scholarship amount: 1,500.
• Announced to recipients with a congratulatory message (e.g., “Congratulations! You were chosen as the National Conference Scholarship awardee.”).
• Summary of winners is shared publicly (newsletter, website).

Eligible / Ineligible Expenses ("What the 1,500 Can Cover")

• Conference registration fee.
• Travel-related costs:
  • Airfare or mileage reimbursement.
  • Ground transportation to and from airport & hotel (rideshare, shuttle, parking fees).
• Lodging: hotel room during conference dates.
• Limited food & beverage: only meals not already provided by the conference program.
  • Rationale: prevent recipients from using funds as an all-inclusive “vacation.”
• Examples of non-covered or discouraged uses:
  • Extended hotel stays in cities like Chicago for personal tourism.
  • Charging every breakfast, lunch & dinner if comparable meals are offered by the conference.

Reimbursement vs. Up-Front Payment

• Default method: post-conference reimbursement.
  • Recipient submits original receipts to chapter treasurer.
• Hardship option (case-by-case):
  1. Chapter can coordinate with National NAPNAP to pre-pay certain costs (e.g., registration, hotel).
  2. Privacy respected—recipient may disclose as much or as little personal context as desired.
  3. Typical reasons cited: recent divorce, single parenthood, employer refusal to fund CME, etc.
• Communication script:
  • “We normally reimburse after receipts. If you have specific financial need, let us know what portions (registration, hotel, travel) require assistance. No detailed justification required—your word is sufficient.”

Follow-Up & Customer Service

• Always provide a clear response deadline (e.g., “I’ll get back to you by end of the week”).
• Add a courtesy clause: “If you haven’t heard from me by then, please reach out.”
• Re-send full contact information in every message.

Forms & Documentation

• Google Form already created for scholarship application/acceptance.
  • Chair will share edit access with committee members.
• After award notification, send a “blurb”/letter explaining next steps and reiterating reimbursement policy.
• Keep template emails for both winners and non-winners:
  • Stored in Google Drive → Board Members Only → Your Folder → Resources & Templates.
  • If not present, create and save under clear filenames (e.g., “NationalConfScholarshipWinnerTemplate_2024”).
• Printing/Saving emails: use “Print to PDF” or “Save as Google Doc” so future chairs don’t reinvent the wheel.

Promotion & Outreach Strategy

• Goal: build a ready-made contact list months in advance—boost application numbers.
• Tools & tactics:
  • Email templates sent to hospital nurse-education coordinators, universities, and professional listservs.
  • Social-media promotion (personal Facebook, chapter page—"like" & share posts).
  • Physical bulletin boards (example: one staff member posts conference flyers in office).
• Emphasize value proposition to colleagues:
  • Paid conference days count as business days (e.g., “pick a Friday, 6–7 hrs of CE beats a regular shift”).
  • “Free money”—1,500 plus up to five employer-paid education days.

Membership Requirement

• Applicant must be a member of Ohio NAPNAP (or broader NAPNAP chapter).
• Marketing approach: scholarship acts as incentive for non-members to join.

Folder Structure & Access Tips (Google Drive)

• Location: Board Members Only → Your Name → Resources & Templates.
• Items inside may appear alphabetically; reorder or star items as needed.
• Sub-folders to maintain:
  1. “Scholarship Emails”
  2. “Conference Flyers/Images”
  3. “Sample Social Posts”
• Update outdated documents (e.g., 2023 awards email) before reuse.

Writing & Editing Support

• Chair taught doctoral-level scholarly writing; available to proofread or co-compose outreach materials.
• Encouraged workflow:
  1. Draft email.
  2. Share with chair for quick edit.
  3. Finalize and save to templates folder.

Real-World / Ethical Considerations

• Financial equity: case-by-case prepayment offers accessibility to nurses with hardship.
• Privacy: minimize personal probing; accept statements in good faith unless clarification of what (not why) is needed.
• Transparency: public posting of recipient names (newsletter/website) balanced against recipients’ consent and data-protection norms.

Practical Reminders & Minor Details

• Remember to include scholarship summary in upcoming newsletter issues.
• If conference is cancelled last-minute (e.g., family emergency), communicate promptly; funds may roll over to next eligible applicant or year.
• Always double-check that form links have the correct sharing permissions before sending.

Suggested Next Actions (for New Committee Member)

1. Review existing Google Forms; request editing rights if missing.
2. Draft outreach email template → send to chair for review.
3. Compile distribution list (hospital education contacts, universities, chapter members).
4. Post scholarship announcement on personal + chapter social media.
5. Confirm membership-verification workflow with treasurer (to ensure applicants are Ohio NAPNAP members).
6. Schedule calendar reminders for:
   • Application deadline.
   • Award notification date.
   • Reimbursement submission cut-off.
7. Upon award, attach reimbursement instructions + timeline in winner email.