Editor’s note: this is the fifth post in a series on AIHA’s strategic plan. The previous posts are “Where in the World Are We with Our Strategic Plan?,” “Tending Our Content,” “Maximizing Value for Members,” and “AIHA as Coalition-builder.” The 2016–2018 AIHA Strategic Plan is available on the AIHA website (PDF​).

AIHA’s current strategic plan, which was approved in 2015, identifies several goals related to the development and dissemination of content. The plan calls for AIHA to expand member access to content through strategic partnerships with like-minded organizations. Toward this end, AIHA works to develop new partnerships and content that generate revenue to advance AIHA’s mission of protecting worker health.

Examples of recent successes related to partnerships for content generation include the following:

• AIHA has updated how it evaluates Memoranda of Understanding with allied organizations. An MOU is a formal agreement between two or more organizations that can serve as a stepping stone toward an official partnership. Before signing an MOU, AIHA ensures that it clearly defines deliverables and specifies the criteria upon which the partnership’s success will be measured.
  
• In recent years, AIHA has executed new MOUs with the American Society of Safety Engineers, the Occupational Hygiene Training Association, NIOSH’s Total Worker Health Affiliate Program, and the Occupational Hygiene Association of Ontario.
  
• AIHA has continued to collaborate with ASSE, the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, and the U.K.-based Institution of Occupational Safety and Health to advance the mission of the Center for Safety and Health Sustainability. CSHS conducted a recent study on human capital in partnership with Harvard University.
• AIHA is working more proactively with our allied partners in the Intersociety Forum, a coalition of several health and safety organizations. Our efforts have included increased coordination on various government affairs priorities and creating a new “awareness of the profession” toolkit aimed at teens.

What’s ahead in 2018? Here are a few examples:

• We are creating a new scorecard that quantifies the value of relationships with allied groups.
  
• We will research how to further garner corporate support. For example, last year we partnered with Enviance, a provider of software for compliance with environmental, health, and safety regulations, to produce the state-of-the-EHS-industry survey (PDF).
  
• We will expand membership activities in the Hamilton Club to include partnering on providing educational content. The Hamilton Club comprises companies that are actively involved with AIHA through sponsorships, advertising, support of the American Industrial Hygiene Foundation, and other activities.
  
• We are exploring the feasibility of coordinating across the Intersociety Forum on a new OEHS Fellowship concept.
• We are mutually developing and promoting educational content with MOU partners.

In our next installment of this series on AIHA’s strategic plan, I’ll discuss focus area #5, providing support to our Local Sections. Stay tuned for that post, which should publish sometime in June. As always, if you have any comments or questions, feel free to contact me.