As much of the Northeast received a spring snowstorm, the ONS Board of Directors met face to face in Pittsburgh the second week of March.

For this Texas girl, it was a beautiful sight to watch the falling snow as the Board discussed important organizational issues, and I couldn’t help but draw associations between our board governance work and the seasonal work of sowing into programs and reaping the reward of those programs to achieve our organizational vision.

Planting, Watering, and Pruning

The March meeting included much sowing work in planting, watering, and pruning the way our organization develops position statements on important topics. It sounds easy enough, but when you have upwards of 100 positions on numerous issues, it becomes a big issue in sharing information and collaborating with other organizations to propel care forward.

The Board was also encouraged by the blossoming of the ONS Communities, which have rapidly developed into rich soil for our members to cultivate relationships and share practical clinical information; it’s interesting to watch the communities grow organically and self-prune so members glean exactly what they need.

Reaping and Harvesting

And just as some programs and efforts are in their beginning seasons, others are in their fruitful seasons. The Board received an update on our 42nd annual ONS Congress, to be held May 3–7, 2017, in Denver, CO, which is on track to be one of the largest Congresses in many years.

We celebrated the progress of the ONS Strategic Plan, which has significantly propelled oncology nursing and the organization forward over the past year via efforts surrounding nursing education, healthcare policy, digital strategy, and much more. We recognized the fruit of last year’s bylaw changes as our first group of ONS leaders under that governance change was elected to the Board and our ONS Leadership Development Committee grew significantly. As we stewarded the organization’s financial assets, it was clear to see ONS remains in a sustained growth pattern.

I am thankful to be a part of an organization that plans for yearlong harvests, being mindful of the seasons of work, growth, and picking-time.