Newsletter Archive

Membership Organization Survey

Over the spring and summer, the IFSPT membership committee developed a survey to be answered by each member organization (MO) to evaluate what benefits MOs would like to have available to them through the IFSPT. The results of this survey will help guide the membership committee and the board of directors in planning for upcoming years.

The survey was disseminated in September and closed in October. Response was excellent; only eight member organizations did not respond. Some of this lack of response was due to IFSPT not having the proper contact in our database.

The committee is pleased to share with you the results of this survey. In the first months of 2021, the board of directors will share some new initiatives to address MO needs.

Many benefits exist…but are not being used

Through this survey, it was discovered that many of the requests our Member Organizations have for the IFSPT are already in place...our MOs are simply unaware of these opportunities despite coverage on the website and in our newsletters.

Opportunities available to our member organizations:

Promotion on the IFSPT website and in the IFSPT newsletter of official member organization congresses and educational programs. MOs need only to submit this information to marketing.
Exposure of MO activities. The newsletter is open to submission of articles from all MOs; in fact marketing welcomes them!
Use the website as a repository to collectively share information, research and connection points. The website is available for such submissions now and the board welcomes them.
Database of representatives from each MO. Just updated and posted on our website!
Discounts for IFSPT members at partner events. This is currently offered.
Ability to disseminate newsletters and communications within countries. Each newsletter has a link that is posted in social media upon release, and added to the archives on the IFSPT website. This link allows MOs to forward to their members. In addition, MOs may provide member lists to marketing, and the email will be sent directly to them. Several countries have opted into this. Those emails will be used for no other purpose. Please be certain that our main contact to your member organization is correct to receive the material in a timely fashion.

There’s more to do!

Additional requests by the member organizations that the board of directors will address in the future:

Support in developing a pathway for sports physical therapy within their country
Increased access to educational tools, free of charge or at a nominal cost. Suggested:
- Webinars
- Podcasts
- Town hall meetings
- Online courses
- YouTube
A free Journal with access for all IFSPT members. This benefit will begin in January 2021! See below.
More collaboration between the IFSPT research committee and those of member organizations
Further enhancement of the website as a portal for learning, once resources become available
Broader distribution of newsletters and communications to member organizations
Branding materials for RISPT (planned for release in first quarter of 2021)
Development of a partnership between IFSPT and the IOC.
Support MOs with IFSPT speakers for their conferences.
Transfer of IFSPT credentials from one MO to another.
Translation of communications into various languages. This would be a financial and logistical burden for IFSPT. However, any MO who wishes to translate articles or portions of the website and provide this to IFSPT, we will be happy to share. Please note that website sections have been translated into Italian and Spanish by those MOs and have been posted on the site.
Marketing research and assistance for member organizations, as well as other support in efficiently managing their MO
IFSPT-created tools for sports physical therapy competency
Gain recognition from other sports professions and sports medicine professionals
Make sections of the website accessible to individual member organizations so they can post their own information. We unfortunately will not proceed with this, as IFSPT cannot control the content of its own website this way. However, MOs are welcome to submit material they would like to share to marketing and marketing will facilitate posting on the website.

Regarding barriers to development of professional development pathways, MOs cited the small size of their group, the willingness of members to volunteer to develop pathways and lack of material available to guide them in this process. Other challenges result from difficulty deciding how to administer the professional pathway within their own country. The IFSPT can provide some support for these efforts. Please contact Vice President Colin Paterson, who is also the chair of the Education and Registration Committee, to find out what assistance the IFSPT can provide. vicepresident@ifspt.org

What does our MO need to do to participate more fully?

Working together, the membership committee and marketing stand ready to help all MOs share their activities and grow in size and expertise. But we need your help! Here are actions we need all MOs to take to effect real change in how we communicate with one another.