Celebrating 10 Years!

2020 is an important year for nursing.

It's the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth, and the 10th anniversary of the AONL Foundation for Nursing Leadership Research and Education as formal, charitable organization.  In the midst of these anniversaries, we recognize that we're also living in a global pandemic and important social movements, impacting and shaping the future of health care and nursing, including the future of nursing leadership research and education.  With all this in mind, let us take a moment to celebrate the Foundation's history, see where we are today, and look ahead to the future.  

Celebrating the Foundation's history:

Though the AONL Foundation became a charitable entity in 2010, the work leading into the Foundation began much earlier.  

• In 1999, the AONE Institute for Patient Care Research and Education began as a program of the American Organization for Nurse Executives (AONE, which, in 2019, became the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, AONL).
• In 2003, the Institute's first research grants were awarded.
• In 2008, the Institute became the AONE Institute for Nursing Leadership Research and Education.
• Through the years the AONE Institute provided financial aid for nurse leaders from international organizations to attend AONE programs.
• In 2010, the Institute was formally organized as a charitable organization and became the AONE Foundation for Nursing Leadership Research and Education.
• From 2008 - 2016, the Foundation offered as many as four different educational programs to nurse leaders.  Today, these programs continue within AONL.
• In 2016, the Foundation restructured its programs to focus on research for nursing leadership and financial aid for nurse leaders.
• In 2019, the AONE Foundation became the AONL Foundation for Nursing Leadership Research and Education and adopted a new strategic plan working to the future.

AONL Foundation today:

The AONL Foundation supports its vision and mission by:

• Demonstrating the impact of nursing leadership on:
  • The patient experience, 
  • Population health,
  • Health care's value proposition of quality, service and cost, and
  • The well-being of clinicians.
• Focusing on the design and implementation of care delivery and population health models across the care continuum.
• Discovering evidence-based approaches to advance nursing leadership, recognizing the diversity of individuals and roles across health care.

In our history, more than $450,000 has been granted to support nursing leadership research.  

Currently, eleven Foundation grant-funded research studies are in process, and two people are participating in AONL Fellowship programs thanks to financial aid made possible by AONL members and friends.

Today, we celebrate this history and recognize our ongoing work, by embarking on what we are calling the 10 for 10 Campaign.  The 10 for 10 Campaign has two goals:

     1. Telling your story - recognizing the essential role nurse leaders play in creating a healthier tomorrow, we want to share stories of members and friends who make the Foundation's work happen.  We want to share your stories.  

     2.  Raising funds for the future of nursing leadership.  We are asking AONL members and other friends of the Foundation to consider pledging $100 ($10 per month for 10 months) to support nursing leadership research and education.  And, there's a special matching gift challenge happening right now.  

Special thanks to the AONL members, friends and campaign leaders who have already supported the campaign.  We have created a 10 for 10 Honor Roll to recognize these friends and partners.

The next 10 years... and beyond.

The AONL Foundation's strategic plan positions the Foundation to be successful and impactful well into the future.  

Goal 1:  A sustainable $10 million Foundation fund is developed to support research, education and annual operations.

Goal 2:  Greater than 90% of AONL membership has high awareness and appreciation of the Foundation's impact, and greater than 20% of AONL membership supports the Foundation through personal giving.

Goal 3:  A significant increase of rigorous nursing leadership studies published in peer-reviewed journals is achieved.

Goal 4:  A forum/mechanism is established to coordinate and curate existing and new nursing leadership research findings and leverage the collective ongoing knowledge and efforts of nurse leaders.

Goal 5:  At least 20 individual educational scholarships (financial assistance) are awarded to attend AONL education events from 2019 through 2023.

Goal 6:  The dissemination of nurse leadership knowledge is accelerated through partnerships / collaboration.