The intent of the COA grant program is to support societies and schools with membership recruitment and retention efforts.
We hope the availability of grant funds will encourage creativity in your outreach efforts to prospective members, and promote a more personalized, grassroots approach to recruitment activities through social events like informal mixers, barbecues, and networking socials.
The COA membership team will review all grant requests, and a team member may reach out for more information or to offer suggestions on expanding your outreach. All requests will receive a response in 30 days or less via email.
👍 Your membership event or activity must be an focused on recruiting new and former members, in addition to retaining current members.
👍 The grant cannot be used to underwrite a regular society meeting or education event, and you must show that the activity is focused on recruiting a specific segment of nonmembers (i.e. Young ODs).
👍 The application must be from a COA local society or section leader, and a primary contact person must be listed, but coordinating with multiple societies, schools, or other optometric groups is encouraged!
👍 The application must include a description of the type of event, approximate date, budget and estimated number of nonmembers and members that will take part. You must also define how you will reach out to and follow-up with prospective members.
👍 While there is no maximum grant award at this time, you will be required to submit receipts and complete a basic expense form for reimbursement. The grant will be payable to your local society or section, and reimbursement must be used to support nonmember attendance or engagement.
👍 You will be required to submit an attendance form to help COA track engagement.
👍 Requests should be submitted at least 30 days prior to your recruitment activity. Grant requests cannot be accepted after an event.
👍 If a grant is awarded, you will be required to submit a post-event evaluation.
COA Champion Supporters:
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Chief Strategy Officer
Dr. Lance Anderson is the Chief Strategy Officer at PECAA, where he is engaged in all aspects of company strategy. He co-founded PECAA in 2007 and helped lead the organization as it grew from a small local Portland study group to a national alliance of independently owned eye care practices. He served as a board member of Rev-360 from 2015 – 2021 and helped oversee the management and successful sale of Revolution EHR, Visionary Partners, and eventually PECAA.
He earned his Doctor of Optometry degree from Pacific University in 1991. He started his own optometry practice in 1993 in Hillsboro, OR, and was able to grow the practice into a busy three-doctor clinic. He retired from clinical care in 2021 and then moved to New York City where he was tasked with helping to integrate PECAA with the HEA buying group. He recently moved to Nashville, TN where he will continue to be actively involved in creating the future vision for PECAA as it is integrated into the VSP family of businesses.
Chief Member Experience Officer
Dr. Justin Manning is the Chief Member Experience Officer at PECAA, where he leads the member experience team, encompassing member education, the Member Business Advisory services, Events, and the Cold Start program. He is the founder and host of the Practice Advantage podcast. Prior to joining PECAA, he founded The Keratoconus and Scleral Lens Institute at Bettner Vision in Colorado Springs, and eyeLeader, a consulting company focused on leadership development, technology in eyecare, and population health.
He has contributed to Review of Optometric Business and has lectured nationally and internationally on specialty contact lenses, design thinking, population health, and the patient experience. He earned his Doctor of Optometry degree from The Ohio State University and completed a residency in Geriatric Optometry at the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System in Tacoma, WA, a Master of Public Health degree at Salus University, and a graduate certificate in Customer Experience from the CU Boulder Leeds School of Business. He is driven to help all independent eye care professionals grow their businesses and enjoy their practices every single day.
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