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The Three P's of

Chapter Health

 
 

 

When it comes to chapter health, three things really matter.  Scroll down for ideas on how to revitalize your chapter in each area. 

 
   
   
 

Planning For the Next Administration

 

   
  Prospective Members                    Participation at Meetings
  Moving Through the Process                    and Events

Planning For the Next Administration

Past Organizing Secretary General Jean Dixon Mann stated that the most common reason for disbandment is “we can’t get officers.”
Treat the Vice Regent position as important rather than someone who just steps in when the Regent is absent.  The expectation should be that the Vice Regent will become the next Regent.  The current Regent should include the Vice Regent in her plans and decisions so that the Vice Regent is well trained to assume the position of Regent.  The Regent should provide the Vice Regent with a copy of the Chapter Regent's Manual & Parliamentary Procedure Guide.
Appoint two assistants, one for the Registrar and one for the Treasurer, who will be trained to take over the officer position in the next administration. 
The NSDAR online Genealogy Education Programs (GEP) I, II, and III at a total cost of $400.00 might be too expensive for some members.  If a new Registrar (and/or Assistant Registrar) is taking office in your chapter, consider funding some of the expense for this training from the chapter's treasury.  Current and incoming Registrars can also take the free Registrar Training Course.

Prospective Members Moving Through the Process

Honorary President General Ann Turner Dillon stated that membership is the responsibility of the ENTIRE chapter, and chapter membership needs to increase by 10% every year.
Read the article "Stop Waiting for a Knock at the Door."  The Prospective Member Database (PMD) is just one avenue for recruiting members. 

Encourage your chapter members to get their friends, co-workers, and neighbors to complete as much as they know about their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents on this one-page Genealogy Worksheet.  For instructions on what to do once the prospective member returns the Genealogy Worksheet to you, watch the 30-minute video "How to Find a Provable Patriot in 90 Minutes or Less."

Have a contest with a prize for gathering the most Genealogy Worksheets that turn out to have eligible lineages.  (Not all Genealogy Worksheets will have lineages that can be proven.)  For example, one chapter is paying the dues for the member who brings the most Genealogy Worksheets with provable lineages.
Get involved in local events.  Your community needs to know that you are in town.  Have a table at one or more community events with a sign-up sheet for interested attendees.  Email the Genealogy Worksheet to them.  For an example of a tri-fold display board created with photos cut out from past issues of the American Spirit Magazine, click here.

Sponsor a genealogy workshop, and publicize it heavily.  Pass out the Genealogy Worksheet.  Click here for an outline for conducting a genealogy workshop.

Have a member speak about DAR to other organizations in your area, and pass out the Genealogy Worksheet.
Memorize a two-sentence DAR "elevator speech" and share it with the ladies you meet at church, the grocery store, the library, the doctor's office, etc.  An "elevator speech" is a 30-second advertisement that you can tell someone in a very short period of time, such as the time it takes an elevator to go from the first floor to the 10th floor.  Honorary President General Merry Ann T. Wright's elevator speech is:
The DAR is a volunteer service organization based on lineage to someone who fought or gave aid to the American Revolution. We preserve historic buildings and artifacts; provide contests, awards and scholarships; support schools and develop good citizens while celebrating the exceptional events in our American history.
Print the elevator speech on the back of your business cards so prospective members can take the information with them.
Create a chapter brochure, and place it at local libraries.  Click here for a 2-page sample brochure in Word that can be edited.  NOTE: The top page of the sample is the inside of the brochure, and the bottom page is the outside.
Update your chapter web site.
Ask your State's Chapter Development and Revitalization Commission for help.

Participation at Meetings and Events

Honorary President General Ann Turner Dillon stated that the main reason women come back to any organization is because they make friends.
The overall environment of your chapter must be friendly and welcoming.  One of the hardest things to do is to walk into a room full of women that you do not know.  If a prospective member feels ignored or rejected, she will never return.  Appoint a Membership Committee of 5 friendly members, and assign a committee member to each prospective member attending a meeting.  The committee member should greet the prospective member, introduce her to other members, and sit next to her during the meeting.
Have two greeters at the door.  When a new member or prospective member arrives, one greeter should introduce her to the member of the Membership Committee responsible for introducing her around and sitting with her during the meeting.
Provide good programs.  Attend free programs offered by your local historical society, libraries, women’s club, etc., and invite good speakers from these events.  If your chapter is in Florida, review the State Speaker Staff Directory in the SIP for a list of speakers and their programs. 
Identify your chapter members' passions, and choose a couple of projects that fit with them (e.g., taking cemetery photos, crocheting mats for the homeless, collecting books for veterans, etc.).  You don't have to do everything.  Focus on a couple of projects that really interest your members.

This editable questionnaire will help you identify your members' interests.  Feel free to modify the questionnaire to fit your needs. 

Find out what your new members like to do and suggest ways for them to participate based on their interests.
Assign friendly and knowledgeable “mentors” to all new members and prospective members.
Evaluate your meeting location, day, and time.
Keep the business portion of the meeting to 45 minutes or less.
Establish a telephone committee to call members who have not attended.
Provide an informative newsletter.
Provide name tags.
Encourage members to carpool whenever possible.  Carpooling is a great way for members to get to know one another, and as Honoarary President General Ann Turner Dillon has said, "the main reason women come back to any organization is because they make friends."
Invite new members to an orientation event.  Click here for an outline for conducting a DAR orientation workshop. 
Schedule a couple of fun events each year such as a party, picnic, spa day, or movie night. Fun, informal events provide members with an opportunity to get to know one another.
View this helpful presentation on Retaining Members by Florida Daughter Cindy Addison.
Send new members a copy of The First Thirty Days as part of your welcome email.
Encourage your members to take NSDAR's Members Course and New Horizons Course
Select some informative webinars to view on the NSDAR Webinar Library page on our Members' Site.  NOTE: You must sign in with your chapter and national number to access the page. 
Get organized! The "Regent in a Box" post on the DAR blog has some wonderful ideas on organizing all the materials that you need as Regent.
If your chapter is experiencing conflict, watch the NSDAR webinar on Conflict Resolution.  You can also download the script from the presentation.

Keep in mind that not all conflict is bad.  When it is managed properly, conflict can be a valuable tool for encouraging members to carefully analyze goals, procedures, and solutions for the best choice. However, it is important to confront conflict in its early stages when emotional involvement is low and problems can be discussed using straightforward, rational approaches.  If problems are allowed to fester, they can evolve into major clashes which then lead to low meeting attendance, resignations, and transfers.

 

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