Strategy development for new patient association NVOO

Advocacy & community for people with overweight and obesity 

Project Overview

Even though people with overweight and obesity are not all viewing themselves as ‘patient’, there is a need for ‘patient advocacy’; To give people with overweight and obesity a voice in (healthcare) policy and treatment plans. In 2021 the Dutch association for people with overweight and obesity came into being (Nederlandse Vereniging [voor mensen met] Overgewicht en Obesitas: NVOO).  

The NVOO wants (health)care delivery for overweight and obesity to be free of stigmas. They aim to achieve this by generating awareness and disease insight among healthcare professionals, companies, scientists as well as policy makers. Next to that, the NVOO aims to build a community where people who experience(ed) overweight and obesity can find people like themselves, with whom they can share their experiences, opinions and advice. NVOO also provides objective information about overweight, obesity and treatment.   

“Heartbeat Ventures enabled us to articulate our mission and vision. Annet helped us translate our passion into strategy, using a simple and effective framework. Additionally, we had a great team building day where inspiring work forms helped us work together.”

- Ömrüm Aydin – voorzitter NVOO 

Action and Impact

In October 2022, the NVOO asked Heartbeat Ventures for support with articulating their societal mission, long term vision and 3-year strategy, in preparation for their official launch. One of the main needs was to align the board members – which were each passionate in their own way - on a joined purpose. Another need was to get clarity on the actions in the coming 3 years. Heartbeat Ventures’ role was to facilitate an inspiring day with the board members, leading a co-creative strategy session. On this day, the founding principles for the NVOO were articulated. This resulted in a founding document with mission, vision and strategy, which helped the NVOO officially launch on December first 2022. 

Contact person: Annet Bruil