{ association insights } Executive Office Updates All In One Day: MDA Leaders


Advocate and Prepare For Change Change is happening across the tripartite and MDA is clearly trying to move ahead. ADVOCATING FOR CHANGE


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t was a beautiful day on March 6 as 80 dentists and dental students gathered in unison at the Capitol to discuss legislative priorities directly with their elected officials to explain how these issues affect patient care and office efficiency. Many more mem- bers who were unable to attend participated through VoterVoice messages with their offi- cials. These personal interactions are critical to MDA’s advocacy strategy and success.


All through the halls you could find MDA members from every corner of the state proudly displaying their red, white and blue MDA tooth sticker. Why is this important? MDA’s reputation is already strong. The MDA lobby team not only knows MDA is- sues but is also well connected throughout the building. MDA PAC donations make a memorable impression (especially in a big election year) on key influencers. But when you add this strong showing of members who take one day out the year to attend a well-planned, turnkey event, you send a strong, positive, and lasting message about the dental profession.


Plus, there’s the whole secondary benefit of having time and space to interact with colleagues in our beautiful state Capitol. The day included a group photo, a student photo, a recognition of the profession from the House floor, and a presentation to 2023 MDA Legislative Award winner, Representa- tive Bishop Davidson who champions MDA issues on many fronts.


PREPARING FOR CHANGE I


n a recent interview with the ADA News, ADA President Dr. Linda Edgar said, “The biggest issues facing the Association:


10 focus | SPRING 2024 | ISSUE 1


connection, collaboration and communica- tion. The ADA, like most associations, is looking for better ways to create meaningful connections, increase effective collaborations and improve messaging that resonates with stakeholders, especially members and pro- spective members. So, connection, collabo- ration and communication are key. We are also hoping to create more efficiencies with updated systems like Salesforce and Fonteva and get rid of irrelevant programs. Our goal is to decrease dues.”


You might ask what that looks like both at the ADA and MDA level? This was the driv- ing motivation behind an MDA Leadership Summit held on the afternoon of March 6. A variety of leaders across all components were invited for an update moderated by MDA President, Dr. Jeremy Bowen, on significant changes on the horizon.


ADA senior staffers Jeanine Pekkarinen and Deb Brisson attended in person while Health Policy Institute researcher Adriana Menezes briefed the gathering on the latest industry trends via Zoom.


Ms. Pekkarinen explained how Fonteva, a new association management system, would allow for robust changes to the member experience. Many of the top businesses in the U.S. use Fonteva and Salesforce with great success. Increased speed, customization, and ease were all expectations for the launch scheduled for July 2024. This represents a major investment in the future. The training required by state and component staff for this new system will take place all spring.


Additionally, Ms. Pekkarinen and Ms. Brisson covered the highlights of a new membership model targeted for January 2025. While many


details still need to be finalized, the basics allow for three simple categories (student, early career, and all other dentists). Member- ship base fees will be lower with options for certain packages that allow members to add items of value to them. There’s also going to be a loyalty reward system that allows a member to redeem points earned on prod- ucts and services they use most.


These two innovations combined are mem- ber centric and will only continue to improve as the model is refined with user feedback. Those in attendance had many questions but were cautiously optimistic as they await more details to come to light, but it was unanimously agreed that system upgrades like these will be awesome for all.


The remainder of the summit was spent looking at attendee feedback about MDA’s current structures and offerings. How do we best adapt to remain instep nationally and stay attractive to a new generation of mem- bers? Technology changes and new values re- quire a thoughtful consideration of possible alternatives. The discussion was lively. While nothing decisive came out of the event, it was a good first step in exposing leaders to some of the needs and options as the Board looks for consensus on the path forward.


Ms. Pekkarinen noted, “Change is happen- ing across the tripartite and MDA is clearly trying to move ahead. Their experience and enthusiasm could help champion change in other states that might be struggling to find the resources and member engagement level necessary.”


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