Guide to Promoting your Accreditation

Contents

Introduction..................................................................... 3
Marketing 101.................................................................. 4
Explain your accreditation in simple terms...................... 6
Citing and displaying your accreditation......................... 7
Available resources........................................................... 9
Examples......................................................................... 10

www.carf.org

© 2011 by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.

Revision date 09/2011

2
 Introduction

Congratulations! Attaining and maintaining CARF-accredited status requires a significant effort,

strong teamwork, and a commitment at all levels of your organization to providing quality services
and enhancing the lives of the people you serve. Your organization deserves to be proud of this
achievement, and CARF provides many tools to help you promote your accredited status and make
the most of your investment in accreditation.
To help you get started, CARF offers this brief Guide to Promoting
your Accreditation along with a Media Kit CD, which is provided free
to all accredited organizations. The CD includes logo files, text
templates, and HTML code that makes it easy to add a link to CARF
and display the CARF Seal of Accreditation on your website. CARF
also offers many free resources from our website: www.carf.org
This guide includes:
ƒƒ A basic introduction to marketing, for organizations getting
started with developing a marketing plan, along with
detailed information on how to develop and issue a news
release to announce your accreditation.
ƒƒ Specific guidelines on how to properly cite your accredited
status and use the CARF Seal of Accreditation logos in print
and online.
ƒƒ A list of various resources including videos, templates, and
printable brochures, many of which are available for free
from the CARF website and/or included on the Media Kit CD.
ƒƒ Examples of a letter and news releases announcing your
accreditation, and example print advertisements that show
some ways you can highlight your accreditation in marketing
materials.
Again, congratulations on your achievement. We hope this guide, the CARF Media Kit CD, and the
resources available on our website provide a useful toolkit to help you create an effective public
information and marketing effort to share the news and increase the value of your accreditation.
If you have any questions about how to access or use any of the resources or materials provided,
please email [email protected].

Celebrate your accreditation

Setting aside a special time for staff members to share with one another what they’ve accomplished
and acknowledge one another’s efforts will help show your appreciation of their teamwork. You
might want to honor your staff’s hard work and commitment with a staff picnic or catered lunch.
To commemorate the occasion, you could give staff members a small award. See the Promotional
Items section of the Online Store.

Persons served, civic leaders, and the public

Many providers invite persons served, civic leaders, and the public to a community event at their
organization to recognize earning accreditation. Social events can be useful vehicles to announce
your CARF accreditation and acquaint the community with your services. You could also invite
community leaders to participate in a quality forum or health fair.

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 Marketing 101

Marketing means telling your organization’s story to build goodwill in the community and to inform,
educate, and persuade people to choose your services.

You can tell your story with words and images. Although carefully written text and eye-catching
graphics might attract attention, to generate a response you must match your message to the interests
of your audience. Before you form your message, listen to what people have to say to you. What are
their needs and desires? What prompts them to change their attitudes or behaviors?

Identify your audience

Persons served and other stakeholders should know that they will find quality services at your
organization. They should be confident that your services focus on their satisfaction and that
you are continuously working to improve.

Persons served
Whether you call them consumers, customers, patients, clients, or residents, you exist to provide a
service to them. An organization’s mission is defined around the persons served, which makes them
a primary focus of any targeted marketing effort. This requires an understanding of the diverse
populations served because this diversity will require different approaches and messages.
Consider what methods and messages to use for the different segments of the persons you serve.
With some segments, a pamphlet will be effective, while a short video might work better with others.
Consider what you hope to accomplish with your marketing efforts. Will it be marketing to potential
or current persons served? Will it increase the satisfaction of persons served? Will it increase the
number of persons served? Your desired outcome will affect your message, but the heart of your
message is: We became accredited because we are committed to providing quality services to you.

Funders and regulators

Some of your funders and regulators may already know about your accreditation, but this
should not preclude you from proudly announcing it to them. Consider these questions:
ƒƒ Which funding and regulatory entities are vested in your accreditation?
ƒƒ With whom and at what level should you make contact?
ƒƒ How can you make that contact?
ƒƒ What do you expect to gain from that contact?

The community
Marketing to the community can increase the number of persons served by your organization
and strengthen your reputation. Begin your marketing efforts with a basic but important question:
What makes you stand out from your competitors? The answer should include your accreditation!
You may also consider these questions:
ƒƒ Where do you get referrals/business?
ƒƒ What community leaders or organizations might be interested in your accreditation?
ƒƒ How are you perceived in the community? How can you highlight your accreditation
to improve this image?

Your marketing efforts will ultimately be tailored to your organization and unique community.
You can customize the example announcements included in this guide to begin sharing news
of your accreditation.

4
 Marketing 101

How to distribute a news release

Decide which audiences you want to reach. Are you trying to reach potential consumers
of your services and their families, third-party payers, or the community?
Research which publications (including online ones) reach your target audience. These might be local
newspapers, magazines, or trade journals. Don’t overlook radio and TV stations if they cover business
news such as yours. In today’s social-media conscious world, you might want to reach bloggers who
write about your business, too.
Become familiar with each publication’s content. What kind of stories does it feature? Then look for
contact information for the editor or reporter on the publication’s website or in the publication itself.
You are building a media contact list.
If possible, speak to the editor face-to-face or by telephone. In your conversation, you can
further determine the types of stories the publication covers. You also can establish yourself
as an authority on specific topics for future articles.
Next, tailor the content of your news release to the needs of the editor and, by extension, the
interests of the publication’s readers. Many online resources can help you with wording to capture
the readers’ attention.
Check to be sure you submit the news release in the way the publication prefers. Most publications
accept emailed news releases, but some might prefer faxes.
If your budget permits, you might consider using a wire service, such as PRNewswire or Businesswire,
to help distribute your news release. These resources are especially helpful when you want to reach
audiences outside of your immediate geographic area. Wire services might also offer guidance in
composing a news release. Be sure to compare services and fees.

Additional marketing tools from CARF

To help you further, CARF has prepared How to craft a marketing plan, which includes two templates
for plans. Written for small and large service providers alike, the CARF Connection newsletter
article explains how to analyze your market, formulate strategies, and evaluate progress:
www.carf.org/marketing
In addition, a CARF-accredited service provider offered Innovative response to collapsing news
i­ ndustry in the Behavioral Health Promising Practices newsletter. The article describes
opportunities for organizations to gain the attention of reporters, editors, and publishers:
www.carf.org/KennebecNews

Email signature taglines

Leadership and employees can add a note about your accreditation to their email signature file.

Recorded messages
Many organizations play recorded informational messages when callers are on hold. You can use
the recording to promote your accreditation, using similar language to what you have in print.

Speakers Bureau
If your organization has a speakers bureau or has staff members give public presentations about your
services, be sure they mention your accreditation.

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 Explain your accreditation in simple terms

Accreditation can be difficult to explain to those unfamiliar with the concept. Following are some
examples of wording you can use as a starting point to help explain your accreditation in direct,
simple language.

What is accreditation?
Accreditation is official recognition that our organization is guided by internationally recognized
service standards and best practices.

CARF accreditation consists of ongoing consultation and in-depth on-site reviews to help our
organization achieve the highest quality of care for our customers.

Accreditation demonstrates that our organization has opened its service delivery and business
processes to outside scrutiny to improve the quality of our programs.

Accreditation is a public statement that our organization strives to ensure that our services are of the
highest possible quality.

What does accreditation mean to persons served?

Accreditation demonstrates to customers that our organization is committed to reducing risk,
addressing health and safety concerns, respecting cultural and individual preferences, and providing
the best possible quality of care.

Accreditation demonstrates that our organization values the input of our clients and is accountable
to the community.

Accreditation demonstrates that our organization has made a specific commitment to put the needs
of our residents at the center of everything we do.

Accreditation indicates that our organization respects the rights and individuality of our patients.

What is CARF International?

CARF International provides a framework, then consults and advises health and human service
organizations to help improve their service quality.

CARF International is a nonprofit accreditor of health and human services. Its goal is to ensure
that persons served remain at the center of the service delivery process.

CARF International is a nonprofit organization that offers accreditation services and support
for health and human services programs.

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 Citing and displaying your accreditation

Guidelines for citing your accreditation

All references to your CARF accreditation in print and online must clearly identify which programs
and services are accredited, unless all of your programs and services are accredited by CARF. If your
organization uses different names for its programs and services than those listed on the accreditation
certificate, you may use the names familiar to your customers and staff.
The examples below show some ways to accurately represent your accreditation status.

CARF (including CARF Canada)

ƒƒ A CARF (Three-Year/One-Year) Accreditation was awarded to (Name of Your Organization)
for the following (programs/services): (List programs/services).
ƒƒ CARF has accredited (Name of Your Organization) for its (list programs/services).
ƒƒ (Name of Your Organization) has been accredited by CARF for the following (programs/
services): (List programs/services).
ƒƒ (Name of Your Organization) has been accredited by CARF for (number) of its (programs/
services).
ƒƒ CARF accreditation was awarded to (Name of Your Organization) for the following (programs/
services): (List programs/services).
ƒƒ CARF has accredited (Name of Accredited ASN) as an Aging Services Network coordinating
services among the following participating providers: (List ASN Participating Providers).

CARF–CCAC
ƒƒ A CARF–CCAC Five-Year term of accreditation was awarded to (Name of Your CCRC and
other programs that were specifically surveyed such as ADS, nursing home, aging services
network, if multiple programs were surveyed).
ƒƒ (Name of Your Organization) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded CARF–CCAC
accreditation for (Name of Your CCRC and other programs that were specifically surveyed
such as ADS, nursing home, aging services network).
ƒƒ (Name of Aging Services Network Participating Provider) is a participating provider in the
CARF–CCAC-accredited (Name of Accredited ASN) Aging Services Network.

When space is at a premium, you might use one of these examples:

ƒƒ Ask about our (CARF/CARF–CCAC) accreditation.
ƒƒ What is (CARF/CARF–CCAC) accreditation? Please ask!
ƒƒ Ask what our (CARF/CARF–CCAC) accreditation means to you.

Accreditation certificate
Your accreditation certificate is a testament of your commitment to person-centered, quality services.
Most providers frame and display their accreditation certificate in a reception area or other
prominent location. Some providers have reproduced their certificate in a marketing brochure.
To purchase additional certificates, please contact CARF at 888-281-6531.

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 Citing and displaying your accreditation

Guidelines for displaying the CARF Seals of Accreditation

Logos suitable for either printed or electronic reproduction are included on the Media Kit CD and can
also be downloaded by accredited organizations from the CARF website. When displaying the seal
on your website, you are encouraged to link it to the CARF website: www.carf.org
Easy-to-copy HTML code snippets are available to add a link; a description of CARF International; and
the desired logo for CARF, CARF Canada, or CARF–CCAC. The snippets are available on the Media Kit
CD and the CARF website.
When using the CARF Seal of Accreditation in print or online you must include identification
of your accredited programs or services as described on the previous page.
You may reproduce the Seal of Accreditation alone on small promotional items such as pens, lapel
pins, or business cards.
When reproducing the logos, the following guidelines apply:
ƒƒ Nothing may be printed within or over the logo.
ƒƒ The seal may not be combined with other images or designs to create a new symbol or image.
ƒƒ The solid-color version of the logo may be reproduced in any solid color or in black, or
reversed out of a solid color background.
ƒƒ The gold versions of the seal should be reproduced as provided, in full color.
For black and white or grayscale documents, use the solid-color version.
When using the solid-color seals, CARF does not require that you match our colors, but if you want
to match the colors, use the following:
Solid Color Seals Gold Seals
CARF
ƒƒ Spot color: Pantone 285
ƒƒ CMYK: C=77 M=48 Y=4 K=0
ƒƒ RGB: Red=65 G=123 B=184

CARF Canada
The blue potion of the CARF Canada Seal
uses the same values as the CARF logo.
The leaf uses spot color: Pantone 208
ƒƒ CMYK: C=0 M=100 Y=36 K=37
ƒƒ RGB: Red=163 G=0 B=70

CARF–CCAC
ƒƒ Spot color: Pantone 295
ƒƒ CMYK: C=100 M=81 Y=28 K=13
ƒƒ RGB: Red=22 G=68 B=117

See the sample ads on page 14 for examples of how to use logos and cite your accreditation
in marketing materials.
Please contact CARF if you have any questions about whether the materials you are preparing
are acceptable.
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 Available resources

CARF offers the following resources to help you promote your accreditation.

Online promotion (www.carf.org/Online_Promotion)

This webpage contains text and HTML code that can be used to describe your accreditation and link
to CARF on your website.

Logos (www.carf.org/Logo)
CARF, CARF Canada, or CARF–CCAC seals can be used to identify accredited programs or services
in your printed materials and displayed on your website. You can find more information about the
logos on page 8.

Example accreditation award letters (www.carf.org/Accreditation_Award_Letters)

Notify civic and community leaders about your accreditation with a letter on your company
letterhead. An example is provided on page 11 and text templates are available on the Media Kit CD.

Example news releases (www.carf.org/Example_News_Releases)

Examples of news releases announcing a recent accreditation. Examples are provided on pages 12
and 13, and text templates are available on the Media Kit CD.

Brochures (www.carf.org/Resources/Brochures)
Printable CARF brochures are available to explain the value of accreditation.

Videos (www.carf.org/Resources/Multimedia)
Link to or download these videos to help explain and promote CARF accreditation.

Articles (www.carf.org/Resources/Articles)
Articles on a variety of topics.

Consumer resources (www.carf.org/Resources/ConsumerResources)

Information for persons who receive services and their families.

IAC resources (www.carf.org/Resources/IACResources)

Resources from members of CARF’s International Advisory Council.

CARF, CARF Canada, and CARF–CCAC decals and stickers

Your accreditation packet includes a logo decal with the “Ask about our accreditation”
message that can be displayed in a window. Gold foil starburst stickers with the logo
are another way to draw attention to your accreditation on your marketing materials.
To purchase additional decals or a roll of stickers, see the Promotional Items
section of the Online Store.

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 Examples

Following are some examples of an award letter and news releases that you can use as a starting point.
Templates are available on the Media Kit CD and the CARF website.
You might add:
ƒƒ An example of how accreditation has improved your services.
ƒƒ A quote from your leadership about the accreditation experience.
ƒƒ Staff reactions about how preparing for accreditation built teamwork.
ƒƒ Stakeholder comments about your accreditation.
ƒƒ Quotations from the survey report or outcome letter.
ƒƒ A photo of your staff celebrating news of your accreditation.

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 Examples

Example announcement letter for Three-Year Accreditation

P & C Family Health Services

The Honorable Sheldon Q. Johnson
Mayor of the City of Yourtown
1 Alameda Circle
Yourtown, AW 13578

Dear Mayor Johnson:

We are pleased to report to you that P & C Family Health Services has been accredited for a
period of three years for its Community/Housing, Prevention/Diversion, and Crisis Intervention
programs. The latest accreditation is the second consecutive Three-Year Accreditation that CARF,
the international accrediting body, has awarded to P & C Family Health Services.
By pursuing and achieving accreditation, P & C Family Health Services has demonstrated that
it meets international standards for quality and is committed to pursuing excellence.
This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to
an organization and shows the organization’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards.
An organization receiving a Three-Year Accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review
process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit that its programs and
services are of the highest quality, measurable, and accountable.
P & C Family Health Services is a not-for-profit organization that has been providing Adoption/
Foster Care Counseling, Behavioral Health Assessments, Emancipation Counseling, and Crisis
Intervention in the Yourtown area since 1999.
CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality,
value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers
on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation
of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF, the accrediting body establishes consumer-
focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and
services.
We would welcome an opportunity to further acquaint you with our services and respond to your
questions. We believe we are a valuable asset to the community we serve and are all the more
valuable because of our CARF accreditation.

Sincerely,
P & C Family
Health
Services
Montgomery Chase
Executive Director
P & C Family Health Services

P & C Family Health Services

1-800-555-9876 | www.PandCfamily.org
1234 Fake Street Yourtown, AW 13579

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 Examples

Example news release announcing Three-Year Accreditation

Internationally Generic
Physical Therapy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Internationally Generic Physical Therapy

awarded three-year CARF accreditation
Yourtown, LS — 12/12/2011 — CARF International announced that Internationally Generic
Physical Therapy has been accredited for a period of three years for its Outpatient Medical
Rehabilitation Program.
This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to
an organization and shows the organization’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards.
An organization receiving a Three-Year Accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review
process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit that its programs
and services are of the highest quality, measurable, and accountable.
Internationally Generic Physical Therapy is a not-for-profit organization with offices at 1234 E.
Southern Road, Yourtown, LS 12345. It has been providing physical therapy services in the
Yourtown area since 2000.
CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality,
value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers
on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation
of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF, the accrediting body establishes consumer-
focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and
services.
For additional information, contact Larry Fitzwalter at (555) 555-9753.

1234 E. Southern Road  Yourtown, LS 12345  (555) 555-9753  www.IGPT.com

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 Examples

Example news release announcing CARF–CCAC Five-Year Term of Accreditation

Retirement Community

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Veritage Pointe Retirement Community

awarded CARF–CCAC accreditation
Yourtown, OJ— 12/12/2011— CARF–CCAC announced that Veritage Pointe
Retirement Community has been awarded a Five-Year Term of Accreditation.
This latest accreditation is the second consecutive CARF–CCAC accreditation
that has been awarded to Veritage Pointe Retirement Community.
An organization receiving a Five-Year Term of Accreditation has voluntarily put itself
through a rigorous peer review process and demonstrated to a team of surveyors during
an on-site survey that it is committed to conforming to CARF–CCAC’s accreditation
conditions and standards. Furthermore, an organization that earns CARF–CCAC
accreditation is commended on its quest for quality programs and services.
Veritage Pointe Retirement Community is a for profit organization with offices at 1234
Fake Street. It has been providing services in the Yourtown area since 2004.
The Continuing Care Accreditation Commission (CCAC) was founded in 1985 as the
nation’s only accrediting body for continuing care retirement communities and similar
organizations. In January 2003, CCAC merged with the Commission on Accreditation
of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), a nonprofit accreditor founded in 1966 that serves a
wide range of human service organizations.
For more information about the accreditation process, please visit the CARF website at
www.carf.org.
For additional information, contact Herb Nebberson at 1-800-555-9876.

www.veritagepointe.org | 1-800-555-9876 | 1234 Fake Street, Yourtown, OJ 13579

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 Advertisement examples

Let’s work the kinks out together!

A CARF-accredited
physical therapy
program

All programs are

CARF-accredited

Helping foster teens

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diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna
aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis

meet life’s challenges nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut
aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure
dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat.

1234 E. Southern Road

1-800-555-9876 Yourtown, LS 12345
(555) 555-9753 Internationally Generic
1234 Fake Street
www.IGPT.com Physical Therapy
Yourtown, AW 13579
www.PandCfamily.org

Retirement Community
Veritage Pointe is
an internationally
accredited Continuing
Care Retirement
Community providing
quality individualized
services to seniors.

1-800-555-9876

Welcome home
1234 Fake Street
Yourtown, OJ 13579
www.veritagepointe.org

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