Category: 2021 July

by Clare Krabill

Engagement. It’s a buzz word we hear a lot lately. How do we engage our colleagues and keep them engaged? How do we engage our clientele in our services and our donors in our cause? How do we keep ourselves engaged in our ministry’s mission?

We ask these questions because we know engagement matters. Engagement is tied to employee satisfaction and retention. It is correlated to positive health outcomes for those we serve in the health and human service industry. It brings vibrancy to our ministries and success to our fundraising campaigns. It gives us energy and motivation in our own work and helps prevent burnout.

Yet, it can be elusive. Especially lately.

I was able to take a week of vacation recently. Somewhere around day 5, I came to a realization that has the power to drive my own engagement on multiple fronts. The steps by which this realization came to be are simple. They also take intention and time.

1. Make space to reflect on your own or conversationally.
2. Consider these pandemic months. What have you lost? What have you gained?
3. What have you discovered matters to you? What doesn’t?
4. When it comes to choosing how you will spend your resources of time, talent and money, what single thing is most important to you?
   1. Given that your time and life are precious, and not to be taken for granted, how can you use this thing as a litmus test for what you say yes or no to?
   2. How can this thing motivate you in your work, your relaxation and your relationships? How can you use it to serve God?
5. How can you hold yourself accountable to living into this sense of purpose?

If you manage people, be curious about what is most important to them and how it can be harnessed and built upon to support your mission. If you fundraise, seek to discover what it is for your donors to bring about deeply meaningful gifts. Ask those you serve and look for big and small ways your organization and your daily work can help them live into their purpose. Seek clarity on what is most important to you. When you experience the engagement that comes from this, you may find yourself motivated to help others find it as well.

Understanding what engages you and others is powerful. Discovering what it is in others is relational. Connecting it to your ministry is missional.

Do you know your disaster risk? Natural disasters, such as hurricanes, wildfires, and tornados, are more likely to happen in certain geographical locations because of weather patterns and regional characteristics.

Are you prepared? Your community likely has an emergency plan in place to keep your residents, staff and structures safe, but it doesn’t hurt to review the essentials and make sure you have the right items on hand for the most common natural disasters in your region.

Care Purchasing Services (CPS) partners with a wide range of vendors to help you prepare for, respond to, and recover from any type of emergency. Click here to download the latest CPS Emergency Preparedness guide.   If you have any questions, contact Dianne Piet, your dedicated CPS Client Account Manager, at 603-935-7923, email: pietdianne@carepurchasing.com.

What is the best lesson you’ve taken away from meeting in virtual formats?

That I really miss meeting in person. More challenging to pull yourself away from the the usual daily tasks when Zoom meeting in the office.

Delvin Zook, CEO of Rock of Ages Mennonite Home

First I will say being in person is always better, however with the lessons learned, virtual is our new norm, gone are the days of phone calls when we can virtual see and work together, better engagement every time. Great question!

Dianne Piet, Client Account Manager for Care Purchasing Services (CPS)

Meetings are more efficient as there’s less socialization – good and not so good…

Deanna S. Beins, Administrator of Menno Haven Rehabilitation Center

That it helps to remember engagement virtually is just as important as in person. People can tell when you’re multi-tasking!!

Karen Lehman, President/CEO of MHS

We can learn to adapt well to virtual meetings when required; however, I feel a stronger affinity for this physical presence now. Something is definitely gained when we are together and can experience the intricacies of human interaction in all its forms.

Curt Stutzman, President & CEO of Messiah Lifeways