At Civitas Networks for Health, our members are at the heart of everything we do. As part of our 2025 operating plan and ongoing efforts to build a thriving, engaged network, we hosted our first-ever Member Resources Focus Group on March 20.
The goal? To hear directly from members about what’s working, what’s missing, and how we can better support your work with curated, meaningful resources.
We’re committed to not just listening—but acting. Based on your feedback, we’re already making changes to improve the Civitas Member Area and our member communications approach.
And this won’t be a one-time effort. We plan to host focus groups like this a few times each year to ensure your voice continues to shape our evolving member experience.
Who We Heard From
We’re grateful to the following members who took time to participate in this first conversation:
- Van Le, PelEx (Full Member)
- Jenelle Hoseus, Health Impact Ohio (Full Member)
- Brian Marentay & Anusha Tomar, Zus Health (SB&T Member)
- Jessica Skopac, Global Alliant (SB&T Member)
- Ellen Clewett, Chicago Regionwide Community Information Exchange (Full Member)
- Renee Clark, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health (Affiliate Member)
- Linda Kluge, Alliant Health Solutions (Full Member)
- Mona Matthews, MetaStar (Full Member)
- Jason Popko, Health Roads (SB&T Member)
Facilitated by Jolie Ritzo, Kelsey Matheson-Daly, and Kate Kroell, the discussion was dynamic, thoughtful, and action-oriented.
8 Key Themes and Takeaways
Civitas’ first Member Resources Focus Group offered powerful insights into what members find valuable—and what they still need.
The conversation surfaced both affirmation and opportunities for improvement: members appreciate the support and community Civitas provides, but also want tools, resources, and formats that better align with their real-world demands.
1) Civitas is a Trusted Amplifier
Members strongly affirmed Civitas’ role as a trusted convener and amplifier of national conversations in health and social care. They appreciate how we elevate member work, share lessons learned, and keep the network informed on national trends, best practices, and policy shifts. That said, many expressed a desire for more accessible, bite-sized resources that go beyond high-level updates and support real-time decision-making.
What we’re doing: We’ll continue to act as a bridge between local innovation and national awareness, but with an increased focus on making that information usable—think short summaries, quick-read case studies, and issue-specific toolkits.
2) Members Need More Visibility into Opportunities
Across the board, members asked for more clarity and consistency in how Civitas shares opportunities to engage, be featured, apply for funding, or collaborate with others in the network.
This includes everything from Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Call for Proposals (CFPs) to speaker invitations, feature opportunities, funding, and open calls for feedback.
What we’re doing: We’re introducing a section of the Member Area that will have a forward-looking view of all CFPs, RFPs, funding, and more.
3) Respecting Time, Offering Value
Time and bandwidth are constant challenges for our members. While email and webinars remain preferred formats for communication and learning, members emphasized that content must be short, relevant, and clearly structured to be useful.
Members expressed appreciation for curated content that makes their lives easier—not longer.
What we’re doing:
- Developing short-form digests that deliver high-impact insights in less time
- Implementing clear role-based tagging to ensure members receive content most relevant to them
- Honoring a 2–3x per week communication cadence to avoid email fatigue
4) Workgroups: Valuable but Crowded
Workgroups remain one of Civitas’ most appreciated offerings, but members shared that as attendance has grown, some sessions now feel too broad to be actionable. The desire for more tailored engagement came through clearly.
We’re exploring:
- Peer matching based on focus areas or goals
- Breakout rooms during workgroup sessions to facilitate smaller conversations
- More targeted webinar series on niche topics, technical needs, or member roles
5) Policy Updates are Critical
Members consistently identified policy digests and briefings as one of the most valuable services Civitas provides. These updates help them make strategic decisions around programming, staffing, and long-term planning.
“Policy digests are one of the most critical things Civitas provides—it helps us make informed choices about how we serve our communities.” – Jenelle Hoseus, Health Impact Ohio and Civitas Board Member
What we’re doing: We’re working to expand and formalize our public policy digest offerings, with plans to offer monthly or biweekly quick-read updates that focus on relevance and clarity.
6) More Tangible, Shareable Resources
Members want more ready-to-use tools and reference materials to support both internal work and external messaging. A consistent theme was the desire for resources that are easy to share across teams and help onboard new staff.
What we’re doing: Exploring development of the following resources based on these being the most highly requested:
- A glossary of common industry terms and acronyms
- A searchable case study library organized by geography, population, or policy theme
- An interactive member directory with filters for collaboration opportunities, speakers, and shared priorities
- A redesigned resource hub, with filters by format, topic, and relevance to specific roles (e.g., policy, comms, technical)
7) In-Person and Local Engagement
Many members expressed a strong desire for regional or state-based meetups and more informal networking opportunities—especially at large national events. These moments offer valuable peer support and help deepen relationships across the network.
What we’re exploring: We’re considering launching a LinkedIn group to make it easier for members to connect before, during, and after key conferences.
8) Recognition and Partnership
Above all, members shared that they feel personally supported and seen by the Civitas team. They know who to contact, feel encouraged to share updates and requests, and appreciate the responsiveness of our core staff. Members consistently mentioned Lisa Bari, Jessica Little, and Jolie Ritzo by name as go-to resources.
Actions We’re Taking Based on Feedback
We’re already implementing changes based on this feedback, starting with a full revamp of the Member Area this April. You’ll see improved navigation, new resources, a refreshed member directory, and more. We’ll also continue building out policy digests, curated opportunity lists, and member storytelling tools. Most importantly, we’ll keep listening.
You can expect to see these focus groups return a couple times a year, helping us stay connected with the evolving needs of our network and ensure we’re building the most helpful tools for your success.
If you’d like to be part of a future focus group or want to share an idea in the meantime, reach out—we’d love to hear from you.
Thank you again to all who participated. Your insights are helping us shape a better Civitas—together.
Stay tuned for more updates in Network News and on the Civitas Member Area! Need links to these resources? Email contact@civitasforhealth.org. Additionally, check out the Civitas website to learn more about our story, Civitas members, and more.
