TERM 2022-2023
MAYA ANGELA MORROW C A N D I D A T E F O R T R E A S U R E R
Motivational Letter Dear MMSA members, I would like to start off by thanking everyone for making the past two years in medical school a more enjoyable experience. Med school is already hard as is but thanks to the diverse activities prepared by the standing committees, I was able to learn new skills, make friends, and ultimately have a great time. In order to facilitate such events, the certain behind-the-scenes planning is required and that’s where I discovered the roles of Treasurer’s Assistant and Mental Health Coordinator. Through my role as assistant, I worked closely with all standing committees and the treasurer to find the right sponsors for their events. As I started securing sponsorships, I learned that planning and communication are important to avoid any miscommunication and also hopefully re-form these sponsorships for future events. These values were more so important when organising larger events like TRD for which I was the financial coordinator. It felt rewarding to see all the members benefit from the sponsors I found that it motivated me to work more for on greater sponsors. During my role, I focused on branding with local sponsors and I wish for this to continue during my term whilst also trying to focus on more eco-friendly brands.
Another exciting aspect of the Treasurer’s Office is the merchandise sector. Last term the hoodies made a huge success and next term I wish to introduce more ideas and projects which I am sure all students will appreciate. Merchandise has become available for students all year round and for this reason, I wish to introduce a more efficient checkout and distribution system that both the coordinators and members can benefit from. Finally, I wish to add that if elected, I aim to make the Treasury Branch more efficient, accessible, ecofriendly, and practical whilst also being transparent about all that goes on. I feel that if this office follows these values, then the rest of the standing committees and ultimately MMSA can greatly benefit. The last term was very successful despite the pandemic and I wish to continue the great progress the current Treasurer was able to sustain. Yours Faithfully,
Maya Angela Morrow
GOALS TRANSPARENCY
EFFICIENCY
ACCESSIBILITY
PRACTICALITY
COMMUNICATION
GOALS The values I have chosen will help me evaluate and properly execute each decision that I will carry out with my team in the next term. These decisions include anything related to budgeting, funds, events, merchandise, and so forth. Overall I feel these values will ensure financial stability, more profits, and better relationships with both the sponsors & MMSA.
BUDGETING & FUNDS To increase financial stability I would like to introduce budgeting before each event to prevent any unnecessary costs and increase profits when possible. I shall be using previous event reports as a reference to judge which investments are valuable or not and discuss this with the standing committees prior to their events. This way I can allocate the right amount of funds to produce high-quality events.
Annual budgeting is another aspect I shall be implementing. This way I am able to assess better the diversification of funds and profits obtained from each standing committee/event in order to make the budgeting system more efficient and fair. Apart from budgets, I will be looking into EU and local grants once the VO status is complete. With more funds, the organisation can thrive better and be able to produce higher-quality events, especially those related to promoting a cause, medical skills, and so on. With these funds, I wish to make the MMSA a more prominent organisation in Malta by involving and educating the public more frequently about different medical as well as cultural issues. This may involve interviewing the public and carrying out local events.
SPONSORS I aim to keep a good rapport with our current sponsors but also introduce new sponsors to continue enhancing our organisation's events. The idea of personalising sponsorship agreements was found appealing to various companies and so I wish to continue this too. I would like to reintroduce sponsors which are fixated on sponsoring the standing committee of their choice. I understand that certain sponsors would like to put forward their sponsorships to events and causes that fit their mottos and I do not wish to exclude them from doing so.
TEMPORARY SPONSORSHIPS With regards to temporary sponsorships restricted to events, I would like to introduce a new simple system that would prevent any miscommunication and added stress on any of the officers and coordinators.
A messenger group chat will be made per standing committee officer and assistant along with the treasurer officer and assistant. When asking for sponsors, a template is to be used by the SC asking for a sponsor. This would involve the following layout: Event Date: Title of Event: Description of Event: No. of people for prize: No. of prizes: Any sponsor ideas: Ideally, this is sent out a minimum of 2 weeks before the actual event. It would allocate enough time for the treasurer's assistant to find the right sponsor for the event. Through this system, we are able to maintain good relationships with our sponsors and reform them when needed for any other events. For this reason, I shall be keeping a 'sponsor log' throughout the term.
MMSA CARD This term I wish to introduce an MMSA Card which will contain discounts ranging from food chains to medicalrelated companies so that the MMSA can benefit from many outlets. These sponsors can also be temporary sponsors for certain events therefore I aim to maintain good relationships with the companies to benefit everyone. In turn, such an agreement would promote the company. I wish for more promotional content to be included as promised to the companies prior to the sponsorship agreement.
FUNDRAISING FOR CHARITIES/CAUSES Every quarterly I wish to start directing funds to any charities/causes that are prominent and in most need during that time. These donations will be collected from members and the public during events and also from any companies and sponsors who are willing to donate. These donations will be collected through a separate vault or account reserved for this purpose and will not be mixed with the main MMSA accounts. As a student organisation, I feel this is a great way to make an impact and encourage others to do so too.
MERCHANDISE The main priority in this sector is to introduce more efficient and accessible ways of paying for merchandise. This includes introducing BOV Pay, PayPal, and an improved checkout system that would ideally not limit members to paying either through Revolut or cash only. Onto the more exciting part, below I have enlisted new merchandise that I wish to introduce in the coming term. Clinical starter park which would include an MMSA retractable badge holder SCOPRE-Out = MMSA Luggage tags For SCOPRE-In & SCOPH related events (beat the burn, byob) & VPe & walk and cleans = MMSA Caps Since most activities will take place outside or in summer I feel that we should introduce caps.
SCOPRE-In = different coloured MMSA TShirts However, the merchandise will not be limited to just those items listed on the previous page, and the hoodies and the MMSA red tops will still be available for purchase. I wish to encourage more promotion of MMSA merchandise with the collaboration of PR Office.
MERCHANDISE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM The system of google forms and Messenger group chats for distribution of merchandise outside of events is not very efficient. If possible, a new system where allocated days and time slots are fixed for the distribution of the merch is implemented. For those who are unable to collect the items during the slots, a locker will be reserved in an area for self-pick-up.
UPDATED TEAM LAYOUT The updated team layout is as follows:
Treasurer
Treasurer's Assistant
Merchandise Coordinators
ASSISTANT The assistant will be responsible for finding temporary sponsorships for events and maintaining good relationships with these sponsors. All records will be added to the sponsors' log. Along with this, any event reports, accounting data, and others will also be in the hands of the assistant. I feel this is fair to give the allocated points whilst also being able to work closely with the Treasurer. MERCHANDISE CO-ORDS The merchandise coordinators will be responsible for contacting and comparing the best companies for merchandise production. They are also in charge of bookkeeping related to merchandise throughout the term and purchasing and picking up the goods from the company.
PAST EXPERIENCE Apart from my main role as Treasurer Assistant for the term '21-'22, I have had other roles and taken part in various events that I feel have enriched my experience as an MMSA member.
SCOPH
Diabetes Workshop and Health Check BYOB
SCORP I occupied the role of Mental Health Coordinator as I wished to focus on integrating it more into MMSA. Mental Health Minutes which focused on topics like Suicide MOHHOK HEMM event Walk and Cleans Podcasts eg. substance abuse /Posts Meetings
S
TRD During TRD I was the financial coordinator and secured sponsorships with Busy Bee and Red Bull to provide the members with drinks and some snacks.
Apart from this, as assistant, I also helped with certain financial aspects including the TRD payments and refunds.
SCOPRE
Globetrotters 2021
SCOME
Back to Basics Suturing Workshop Easy 1.0 and 2.0 Freshers' Week Video
SCORA
World Aids Day Workshop Movember Webinar
Thank you for reading through my Plan of Action. If you wish to reach out to me or ask questions, feel free to do so. Your truly,
Maya Morrow maya.morrow.20@um.edu.mt