At the ONS Board of Directors meeting on September 24–25, 2020, Board members reviewed both the organization’s year-to-date financial and investment performance as part of their stewardship responsibility. They also made plans for a data dashboard to drive decisions and discussed training options for expanding oncology nurses’ voices in the media. Highlights from those discussions follow, and the full minutes from the meeting are available at ons.org/board-minutes.
Healthy Finances
Even with today’s uncertainty, ONS continues to be a financially healthy organization. The markets are not predictable and have had wide swings. Overall since January 2020, ONS’s investment portfolio is up 6%. However, the market will continue to be uncertain until a COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine is implemented.
ONS Board of Directors Treasurer Kristin Ferguson, DNP, RN, OCN®, also provided a report: The revenue from sources other than ONS Congress™ has held steady and remains in line with revised 2020 budgets. ONS Bridge™ exceeded registration expectations, which should translate to additional net revenue. ONS’s end-of-year projections indicate a positive net operating result.
Nurses and the Media
To better prepare its leaders to serve as influencers among the media, the ONS Board reviewed two online media training options. The first would be shared in two phases. Phase I would be conducted with leadership and key staff from the ONS Board, Leadership Development Committee, and Executive Leadership staff team. Phase II would be offered to chapter leaders, conference content planning teams, and selected ONS employees. The Board will revisit the second option, a more in-depth virtual media training session, in early 2021.
Data for Decisions
ONS uses a variety of data to understand the performance and overall health of the organization. The ONS Board shared feedback on an initial sample of dashboard information to hone the data they need for their decision-making processes. Staff will adjust the dashboard, bring an edited version to the November meeting, and implement the final dashboard in January 2021.