American College of Rheumatology Research and Education Foundation
From Association Social Media Wiki
The American College of Rheumatology Research and Education Foundation is the 501c(3) charitable foundation of the American College of Rheumatology. The mission of the REF is to improve patients' lives through support of research and training that advances the prevention, treatment and cure of rheumatic diseases.
- On July 1, 2008, the REF awarded $10.5 million in awards and grants to almost 200 individuals and institutional grant recipients, making us the second largest funder of rheumatology research and training programs in the U.S.
- Today, due in large part to the REF's efforts, including an extensive awards and grants program, the number of fellows completing rheumatology training programs has increased by more than 50 percent.
- REF web site: http://www.rheumatology.org/ref
- Within Our Reach web site: http://www.withinourreach.info
Social Media Initiatives
We have created two Facebook pages for the REF (in August 2008):
- REF Facebook Page (http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=20283684741)
- A general REF page, that promotes what the foundation is about, what it does, and to hopefully encourage people to donate.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis - Within Our Reach (http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=27887896986)
- A campaign-specific REF page to promote the REF's Within Our Reach campaign, which is a $30 million campaign to raise money and fund cutting-edge, innovative grants that will hopefully result in finding the cure for rheumatoid arthritis. We call this the WOR campaign for short.
- Facebook Posting: With the WOR site, our foundation's executive director has gone to some other arthritis/RA specific Facebook pages and posted information. Within 48 hours of doing so, we were contacted by an expert arthritis blogger requesting a press release and a subscription to our new quarterly WOR e-newsletter. This expert blogger has been quoted in mainstream media, so we are cautiously optimistic that she may write about us (she said she's considering it).
- Other Efforts: We are working on ways to get people to actually join our page, but we've just gotten started. Information about the American College of Rheumatology's social media efforts are posted here as well, just do a search for us. - Tammy Tilley, Senior Director, Communications, Marketing and Membership, ACR.
