How to Create a Fact Sheet about Your Aging Services Organization

UPDATED: October 17, 2005

The first step to earning public trust is providing the public with the basic information about your organization so they know who you are and how you are dedicated to serving older adults. Developing a fact sheet about your organization is one way to take this step. This guide provides a template AAHSA members can use to develop their organization's fact sheet. It includes the basic information that residents/clients, consumers, family members, policymakers and the media may want to know about your organization. Your staff and board members will also benefit from this basic fact sheet with information about your organization.

Keep in mind that this guide is just a template. You can include as much or as little information from it as you like. The important thing to remember is that the facts on the sheet should reinforce your organization's mission, commitment to quality of care and life for older adults and most important, help your organization on its journey to earn public trust.

Your organization's fact sheet should be no more than one-and-a-half pages in length. An effective way to produce your fact sheet is to copy or print it on your organization's letterhead. That will make the fact sheet easy to reproduce, insert with a packet of information, e-mail and fax. Also, use this fact sheet or the information from this fact sheet on your organization's Web site.

Here are the basic components of your organization's fact sheet:

About Us:
This section should include a one- or two-paragraph general description of your organization and its mission. This is like the "elevator conversation": if you had 30 seconds going down the elevator to the ground floor to describe your organization to a new acquaintance, what would you say?

Our History:
Include information about your organization's history in the community. Remember to emphasize your status as a not-for-profit organization committed to serving older adults. You may want to include some or all of the following information:

• Year the organization was founded.
• Your organization's religious or other affiliation.
• Other aging-services organizations affiliated with your organization.

Our Services:
Include information about what your organization is doing to improve the quality of care and life for older adults in your community. You may want to include some or all of the following information:

• A general description and/or list of your organization's services and care options.
• Number of people served in your organization. This should include both residents and clients.
• Number of person-days of care provided per month or year.
• Number of employees at your organization (include the staff to resident/client ratio if this information is available).
• Listing of additional services or programs that your organization may offer (support groups, family or residents' councils, health fairs, etc).
• Listing of quality improvement programs that your organization participates in, including accreditation and Quality First.

Our Leaders:
Since not-for-profit organizations are governed by community leaders, not investors, including information about your organization's leaders is a good way to emphasize your organization's commitment to the community-at-large. This section should include information about your organization's leaders, including your CEO, administrator, board members and/or trustees. You may want to include some or all of the following information:

• Your organization's CEO and/or administrator's name and any important biographical information.
• Your organization's board members and/or trustees names and any important biographical information.
• Any other community leaders that are involved in your organization.

Our Community:
Learning about the individuals involved in an organization can also help earn public trust. To do this, you may also want to include some or all of the following information about your organization's community in a fact sheet:

• Touch the lives of XXX residents/clients and family members per month or per year.
• Number of employees at your organization.
• Touch the lives of XXX employees and (their) family members.
• Number of volunteers from the community who work with your organization and/or volunteer hours per month or year.
• Number of student interns.
• Highlights about community partnerships, including Little League teams, community events hosted, etc.

For More Information:
This section should include information that readers can use to contact your organization, schedule a tour or find out more about your organization's services for older adults. You may want to include some or all of the following information:

• Name of your organization.
• Your organization's contact information — address, daytime phone, after hours phone (if available), fax and e-mail.
• Your organization's Web site address.
• Contact information for your organization's marketing representative.
• Contact information for your organization's media representative.