Suggestions for Leveraging Social Work Month

Click here to download a pdf version of the 2009 Social Work Month Toolkit.

Social Work Month is an excellent opportunity to showcase social workers to key audiences – consumers, media, opinion leaders, and even other social workers.  These efforts bring attention to your chapter or organization, while focusing on the extraordinary efforts of local social workers.  From small gatherings to large events, the media likes to hear about people in the community.  Look for information in the Social Work Month section of the NASW Web site, on the National Social Work Public Education Campaign site and on the Social Work Consumer Web site.

Each gathering or event can recruit more social workers to the profession.  Each outreach opportunity is a great chance to familiarize people with the profession and all of its possibilities.  Invite someone who might be interested in social work to an event and make sure that he or she knows how much important work is being done by social workers across the country and around the world.

Here are some suggestions of ways to leverage Social Work Month:

• Schools of Social Work – Connect with your local program or school of social work to create a local campaign to recruit more social workers to the profession.  Think about open houses at the schools with alumni who have taken their social work degrees down a unique path.  Or consider hosting a joint meeting with leaders from the school to determine the best recruitment strategies and challenges in your area.
• Town Hall Meeting – Hold a Town Hall Meeting to engage lawmakers, state, city or county officials in a dialogue about the efforts to address issues of importance to social workers in your area.  Discuss social work’s vital role in the community, emphasizing how things would be different without the support of social workers.
• Press Conference – Conduct a press conference at which the Mayor and/or Governor issues a proclamation designating March as National Professional Social Work Month.  Highlight local social workers in your area who are making a difference, as well as initiatives led by your organization or chapter this year to promote social workers and their work with families and communities.
• Speaking Opportunities – Arrange for speaking opportunities for the executive director or president of your organization or chapter, or local school of social work dean, to highlight the important role of social work in your community.
• Career Days – Check with your local high school or middle school about the opportunity to speak at a career day for students to learn more about all the career possibilities with a degree in social work. Organize this outreach with a local school or program of social work if possible.
• Panel Discussion – Hold a conference or panel discussion for social workers about what can be done in your local community to recruit more social workers to the profession.
• Editorial Board – Set up a meeting with your local paper editorial board to discuss their coverage of the topics important to social workers in your community.  You can provide the social work perspective to the conversation to ensure that they know all the contributions that social workers are making.
• Information Dissemination – At every meeting, panel, or conference you attend, make sure that you have information available about Social Work Month and the National Public Education Campaign for those in attendance.
• E-newsletter – Create an e-newsletter that captures all that your chapter or organization is doing surrounding Social Work Month.  Rotate different areas of practice each time you send it out so that it appeals to a wide range of audiences.
• CE Workshop – Offer a workshop for CE credits on the recruitment and retention issues for social workers and what can be done on a local level.
• Exhibit – Set up an exhibition booth at a local hospital, school or community center to disseminate information about social work.
• Banners – Display banners in highly visible areas promoting March as National Professional Social Work Month. Use the current theme and artwork.
• Web site – Make sure that your chapter or organization’s Web site has the most up-to-date information about the celebration of Social Work Month 2009 and provide a link to the “50 Ways to Use Your Social Work Degree” Web tool.
• Consumer Site – Link from your Web site to the Social Work Consumer Site – www.HelpStartsHere.org.
• Advertise – Advertise in local newspapers, magazines and billboards using the National Social Work Public Education Campaign materials.  From small and large ads to billboards and banners for Web sites, NASW has advertising that will fit your need.  Also consider buying sponsorship time on local radio programs.  Contact media@naswdc.org for more information. 

These are just a selection of suggestions that chapters, organizations and schools can use to promote the profession during Social Work Month 2009 and throughout the year.

For more information about Social Work Month 2009, please contact NASW Communications at media@naswdc.org.