The Challenge

The Infusion Nurses Society (INS) is the global authority in the rapidly evolving specialty of intravenous therapy (blood, medications or fluids). Because stringent standards of practice and professional ethics are constantly changing, keeping members updated is INS’ top priority.

With members looking to INS for the latest information about the specialty, the leaders of this organization were challenged by the need to thoroughly educate its membership quickly and efficiently. After initial discussion, it became clear e-learning would be the most appropriate solution.

Approach

Chris Hunt, Executive Vice President at INS, declared from the beginning, “If we’re going to do this, we want to do it right.” INS’ prior continuing education efforts were mostly in-person meetings and seminars, which limited the number of participants and the amount of content that could be covered, and was a time-consuming process. CommPartners’ suggestion was to resolve these issues in a simple and resourceful manner, by introducing readily available online meeting technology and the expertise of our Web event managers.

One of the most important aspects of the project was to ensure that as many members as possible could take advantage of the new programming. To promote the Webinars and make it easy for members to sign up, CommPartners designed and still manages a registration Web site.

CommPartners Webinar platform is Flash based, with no need to download software that might restrict availability to some members.

It was also determined that all the Webinars would be recorded and made available in an online library, providing on-demand access to accommodate members’ schedules. INS agreed that offering members the option to participate live, or watch archived events at their convenience, would be an attractive feature of a continuing education program.

With the organization’s limited knowledge of Web conferencing media, it was essential that CommPartners manage the technology logistics, with INS supplying the speakers and the content. In addition, CommPartners was given the task to train the speakers on the technology and adapt their presentation skills to an online venue, as well as facilitate and moderate each live event. This arrangement would allow INS to focus on providing meaningful content.

Complications

With INS’ limited internal manpower, it seemed nearly impossible to pull off a successful Webinar series. The need for an external partner that could handle all aspects of an e-learning program effectively and professionally was apparent.

INS was also fearful that launching an online education program would be costly and unobtainable due to their budget limitations. INS believed that charging a fee to attend Webinars could deter individual or small-organization members from participating.

Outcome

INS and CommPartners overcame these obstacles by soliciting a corporate sponsor for each Web event. Not only did a sponsorship model enable INS to provide Webinars free of charge to all members, but it also created the opportunity to offer non-members access at a minimal cost. Chris explained INS was now “able to position the Webinars as a value-added membership benefit.” In addition to this attractive membership attribute, non-members viewing the material could see the benefits firsthand, increasing their likelihood of joining the organization.

All of the programs have been administered without any issues or setbacks—and more Webinars are in the works. Chris claims “all responses regarding the events have been 100 percent positive!” INS was especially pleased to find that with each Webinar, more members sign up for future events; their latest session had 700-plus registrants.

Pursuing corporate sponsorships has been an economically sound business plan. INS also chose to offer all archived Webinars for purchase by non-members within their Web site’s online store. Not only is this tactic generating non-dues revenue, but it also offers another means of recruiting new members.

Through their Webinar series, Chris Hunt’s need to “get information developed and out to the members quickly and efficiently” has been addressed. The online programming has also heightened INS’ profile as an educational resource within the nursing community and positively impacted membership recruiting and retention.