Letter of Introduction and Guidance for Using It

1.  Locate the organization to which you'd like to speak. Great places
    are Chambers of Commerce
    (<http://www.uschamber.com/chambers/chamber_directory.asp>) and
    Rotary Clubs (<http://www.rotary.org/support/clubs/index.html>). Use
    the links provided to find organizations local to you.

> *Chambers of Commerce* exist at all levels and concentrate their
> efforts on certain levels as well―local chambers on local issues,
> state chambers on state issues, and the U.S. Chamber on federal
> issues. Businesses of every size and industry, state and local
> chambers of commerce, and trade and professional associations are
> Chamber members.
>
> *Rotary International* is an organization composed of business and
> professional leaders who aim to provide humanitarian service,
> encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build
> goodwill and peace in the world. On the local level, its members can
> develop relationships with community and business leaders and affect
> change within their communities.

2.  Tailor the attached letter of introduction and send it to the point
    of contact. Follow up to be sure to get on an upcoming agenda.

3\. In preparing your presentation, remember that many people will be
new to Baldrige.

> Examiners and state programs tell us they have had success with
> showing Baldrige videos of the Award recipients, either at the
> beginning or end of their presentation. Among the slide sets that
> would be particularly good for an introduction to beginners are
> "Program Overview," "Generic Criteria Overview," and "Program
> Impacts." For assistance in tailoring your presentation, refer to the
> document titled *Instructions for Tailoring the 2008 BNQP Slide Set
> Presentations for a Specific Audience.*

Best wishes on your presentation! Thank you for being an active
ambassador for the Baldrige National Quality Program. Be sure to report
your activities to the Outreach and Communications Team using the
Examiner Presentation Tracking Form. You may fax it to (301) 948-3716 or

e-mail it to nqp@nist.gov.

Date

Dear \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_:

I am \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, a member of the 2008 Board of Examiners for
the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. I am writing to you because
I believe that your member organizations could benefit greatly from
participating in the Baldrige process, and I would like to help you
encourage them to get involved.

As you may know, the Baldrige Award is presented annually by the U.S.
Department of Commerce to recognize role-model organizations for
performance excellence. Manufacturing, service, small business, health
care, education, and nonprofit organizations are all eligible to apply.
The 2007 Award recipients are PRO-TEC Coating Co. (small business),
Mercy Health System (health care), Sharp HealthCare (health care), City
of Coral Springs (nonprofit), and U.S. Army Armament Research,
Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC; nonprofit).

The Baldrige *Criteria for Performance Excellence* are the basis for the
Baldrige Award and for giving feedback to Award applicants. In addition,
thousands of organizations are using the Criteria for self-assessment.
The Criteria have helped many organizations, public and private, large
and small, local and global, to improve their performance in the areas
of productivity, innovation, workforce satisfaction, organizational
competitiveness, and, most important, customer satisfaction.

Award applicants say that the Baldrige evaluation process is one of the
best, most cost-effective and comprehensive audits available. By
applying for the Award, an organization receives many benefits,
including an independent evaluation of at least 300 hours of analysis by
a minimum of five Baldrige Examiners selected for their Criteria
knowledge and industry expertise, and an extensive feedback report
highlighting strengths and opportunities for improvement.

I would like to arrange a mutually acceptable time to meet with you or a
representative from your organization to discuss using the Baldrige
Criteria for self-assessment, the benefits of feedback, contacts at
state and local Baldrige-based programs, the Award application process,
and how we can build interest in the Criteria with your members and
encourage their organizations to apply for the Award.

Please call me at (xxx) xxx-xxxx if you have any questions. You can also
call the Baldrige National Quality Program office at (301) 975-2036 or
visit its Web site at http://www.baldrige.nist.gov. I look forward to
hearing from you.

Sincerely,

xxxx

Member, 2008 Board of Examiners

Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award