IV. The Methodology Behind the Success NDMD's phenomenal growth in magnitude and impact was by no means an accident. Rather, it was the result of carefully-planned and orchestrated steps whose execution took a high degree of organization and follow-through. AAPD was able to leverage its time by providing a written guide, consequently minimizing the need to explain NDMD individually to each person wanting to put together an event. AAPD supplemented this material with individualized attention through email and telephone contact, which enhanced working relationships and facilitated ongoing two-way communication. This turnkey system with built-in mechanisms for information distribution, key ingredients for enhancing motivation, and promoting an internal group culture that strongly emphasized collaboration, creativity, empowerment, national backing, and a deep and abiding pride in this work, enabled AAPD to maximize its time without sacrificing personalized attention to enable Local Coordinators on the ground to feel supported and appreciated. Details now follow. A. The "Toolkit" Approach and the Multiplication of Effort In 2001, the Local Coordinator Toolkit was written as a "How To" guide for anyone wanting to organize an NDMD event in their local communities. The innovation enabled mass numbers of people to learn from the same material and, in effect, to operate off the same general "blueprints." This year, AAPD released the second edition of the Local Coordinator Toolkit. Though the 2001 edition consisted of 20 pages of text and 30 pages of supplementary material, the latest edition contained 55 pages of text plus 3 appendixes made up of more than 50 pages of supplementary material in addition to copies of media coverage from the previous year, a comprehensive list of Local Coordinators, and information about existing State Organizing Committees and how Local Coordinators may form such groups where ones do not currently exist. The material produced by AAPD was made available online for anyone to download and use. Hardbound editions were sent only to Local Coordinators confirmed by AAPD. 2002 marked the introduction of the brand new Employer Toolkit, which provided a step- by-step guide to enabling businesses themselves to organize internal NDMD events. This new Toolkit was similar in many ways to the Local Coordinator Toolkit but was tailored more toward employer needs. To help students and job seekers make the most out of the NDMD experience and solidify their own career directions, AAPD distributed the first edition of the Mentee Toolkit. The electronic version was self-contained and featured links to specific sites of interest to students and job seekers within a framework that took students from evaluating what careers are best for them to specific sources to help them with understanding issues surrounding reasonable accommodations and rights and obligations under the law. B. National Conference Calls for Local Coordinators: Creating an Ongoing Dialog through Direct Interaction In May and early June, AAPD scheduled informational conference calls to answer general questions of individuals interested in starting Local Coordinatorships of their own. To receive status of official recognition by AAPD, Local Coordinators were required to undertake this endeavor as part of a broader organization and not merely acting as an individual. The purpose of this new rule was to maintain quality of NDMD implementation while promoting collaboration at an organizational level rather than merely among individuals not representing or working for a broader constituency. For confirmed Local Coordinators, AAPD provided assistance through a series of telephone conference calls. Each call had a focus and typically featured Local Coordinators as guest presenters. These calls promoted a dialog among Local Coordinators rather than merely being one-directional from national to local. They also provided AAPD with a way to update Local Coordinators about Disability Mentoring Day components, such as the dissemination of promotional materials. AAPD hosted approximately 20 national conference calls on the following topics: ? Local Organizing Committee and Planning Timeline ? Financing NDMD ? Recruiting Mentees ? Recruiting Employers ? Planning Events ? Matchmaking ? Publicity ? Follow-Up and Evaluation ? Troubleshooting C. The Local Coordinator Update: A New Email Distribution Format Through preparations for NDMD, as Local Coordinators developed their programs and shared it with AAPD, it was then shared with others. This spirit of sharing facilitated even more ideas, which enabled Local Coordinators and their committees to share still further. This information was an added refinement to Toolkit materials and included: ? Updates on national trends and NDMD news on the national front ? Sharing of new information resources discovered or used by Local Coordinators ? Sample recruitment letters geared individually toward mentees, employers, and other prospective supporters ? Sample press releases ? Sample language for model NDMD proclamations ? Stories shared by Local Coordinators ? Email brainstorming sessions where questions by Local Coordinators were shared with the group for everyone to have an opportunity to answer D. Innovations with Promotional Materials AAPD launched a multi-phase public relations rollout that systematically helped Local Coordinatorships to build involvement in and anticipation about NDMD. Each promotional piece was specifically designed with NDMD Local Coordinatorships in mind by leaving places for them to put an avery label with their own local contact information. The thinking here was that, with the resources and know-how of AAPD and its partners, the organization could produce quality material with a professional look, and the resulting impression would prompt greater involvement with the Local Coordinators who sent it at the outset. It also meant that, whether a Local Coordinator is organizing a small event consisting of a handful of people or a large-scale endeavor that involved several hundred, every Local Coordinator may benefit. The public relations strategy consisted of the following phases : ? Composition and Distribution of New NDMD Fact Sheet for 2002. This piece was disseminated heavily, both online and offline. Every online recipient was asked to forward it to others, and webmasters were invited to post it onto their sites. ? Designing and Mass Distribution of 35,000 "Save The Date" Postcards. These double-sided pieces that announced NDMD 2002 to be on October 16 and prominently listed the Office of Disability Employment Policy as the key public partner in this effort. In brief catch-phrases, the postcard also briefly explained the nature of the event. The postcards were sent to Local Coordinators in bulk, and their organizations distributed these items as they saw fit. The fact sheet specifically mentioned NDMD to be a joint partnership between AAPD and the US Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy. ? Designing and Mass Distribution of 20,000 Trifold Flyers. These pieces listed basic information surrounding the NDMD concept and illustrated brief points of why NDMD could benefit students, employers, rehabilitation counselors and employment placement specialists, and educators at all levels. The name of the Office of Disability Employment Policy was on the cover of this piece. ? Design and Distribution of 15,000 Multi-Page Color Brochures. This piece was primarily designed to be given by Local Coordinators who wished to solicit in-kind and financial support for their local events and/or to recruit mentors and mentees. This 8.5 X 11 brochure featured a letter from the President, a quote from Secretary Chao, a description of the Office of Disability Employment Policy and AAPD (with the description of the former listed first), testimonials, pictures, and the logos of NDMD's National Corporate Sponsors. As an added way to promote NDMD 2003, both the front and back covers of the brochure ask people to "Save the Date" for October 15, 2003. This had the benefit of enabling Local Coordinators to use their supply of brochures beyond NDMD 2002 if they had any left over, and it helped to remind people about the opportunity to prepare for NDMD 2003 far in advance. (The circulation in 2002 is 11,000 higher than last year's brochure total.) ? Design and Distribution of 5,000 Promotional Posters. The goal here was to give high visibility to NDMD during the weeks leading up to the event. Measuring 8.5 X 17, it prominently mentioned NDMD and had the logos of the Office of Disability Employment Policy and AAPD and a list of the National Corporate Sponsors. (This year's poster distribution was double last year's amount.) ? Design and Distribution of 4,000 Certificates of Appreciation. These certificates were printed on card-stock paper and signed by AAPD President Andrew J. Imparato. A second place was left for Local Coordinators or someone they designate (such as a public official) to sign his or her name. E. Web Site Re-Design and Traffic AAPD re-designed the NDMD section of its web site now to include the NDMD Fact Sheet, a comprehensive list of Local Coordinators, a list of State Organizing Committee chairpersons and their members, a page on international moves resulting from NDMD, and the Local Coordinator Toolkit being made available online for anyone who wishes to view it. National Sponsors also have a page that recognizes them for their contributions, and visitors also have access to a Press Room, pictures, and other highlights. The new web pages devoted to NDMD amount to 22 (an increase of 16 pages). The resulting growth in web traffic from this redesign speaks for itself as is evident in seeing how the numbers of unique visitors per month have continued to be quite significant (see Appendix G), boasting consistent unique hits into the thousands due to enhanced web content. To view samples of these materials, visit http://www.aapd-dc.org, click on "National Disability Mentoring Day," and then click on "Press Room." PDF and HTML formats are available for review.