Will Your Members Continue in Your Chapter?

Picture this…
A member induction ceremony is taking place and your chapter has several new members. How exciting!

The question now becomes will those new members still be with your chapter next year? In 2 years? In 5 years?

Here are some strategies to engage and maintain your membership.

Welcoming and getting to know your members:

•     All members should welcome your new members.  Go out of your way to talk to them and make them feel they belong in your chapter.
• Assign each new member a mentor.
• Have a greeter who welcomes every member.
• Engage in ice breaker activities to ensure that members sit with different members at each meeting and get to know each other.
• Highlight your new members so we all get to know them.  Put an article about your new members in your chapter newsletter.

Programs

•     Encourage member input before planning programs.
• Provide programs that appeal to both retired and working educators.

Participation

•     Make sure new members have the calendar of meeting dates for your chapter.
• Find out how to communicate with new members (text, note, email. Apps-for example GroupMe, Remind) and contact them prior to the meeting to remind them of the meeting date and location.
• Assign new members to committees.
• Give new members a task at the meeting. 
• Get them involved in area or state events by giving them a job to do and welcoming them to DKG events.

Meetings   

• Change the meeting date and time to accommodate all members.
• Allow members to bring their young children or provide someone to watch the children.  Many high school students are looking for community service hours.
• Check on members who are absent from meetings.  Call them, text them, or write them a card or note.  Be sure they know they were missed.

Recruiting new members is vital to all chapters. Using the Membership Plan or some other way of gaining new members should be a goal of every chapter.  It is important that we not only recruit new members, but that we maintain those members in our chapters once they choose to join us.

Please check the DKG.org website to find many ideas on gaining and retaining new members. 

Join the US Forum Sessions in Detroit & Phoenix this July!

Grow Your Garden of Mental Wellness in Detroit on July 14, 2023

Do you want to learn more about how you can incorporate mental wellness in your DKG chapter, state, in the classroom, or for you personally?  Come to the US Forum session in Detroit on Friday, July 14,2023, from 2:45 p.m.-4:45 p.m. to gain a variety of valuable resources that you can replicate. We promise it will be well worth your time.

We will kick off the session with a panel of individuals who are implementing mental wellness activities. Invited panelists include Cynthia Moore, Elizabeth Tarner, Carol Linscott, and Debbie Pajula. We are proud that these panelists are active members of DKG and have expertise in this important area.  If you have a question you want to ask the panelists, you can submit it through this blog and we will share it so you get an answer.

After the panel, you will be able to move around the room and participate in a variety of activities that you can utilize for mental wellness from music to the visual arts to writing to games. Have some fun as you explore many ideas to take home with you. There will be something for everyone.

Following that we will give you information about the mental health resolution, what’s happening, and the National Legislative Seminar.

Rumor has it that there will be special small gifts for everyone to help your wellness garden grow.

Bev Johns, NE Representative, US forum

 

 

Afternoon at the SPA: Special Personal Activity

Treats for your Chapter and State Organization

Presented by The DKG US Forum Program and Session

International Conference at Wild Horse Pass, Phoenix

Friday, July 21, 2023

2:45-5:00 PM

 

Mark your calendars and come join the fun!

 

Treat yourself to a remarkable Keynote Speaker, Mr. Ashley Crose from Scottsdale Unified School District.  Mr. Crose is an award-winning educator, honored by numerous organizations including Scottsdale Charros as Scottsdale Teacher of the Year, AZK-12 semifinalist for Arizona Teacher of the Year, and the Holocaust Museum and Survivors.  He presents annually at new teacher conferences and is widely respected as an inspiration to educators and students throughout the United States.  Be a part of the interactive discussion about identifying the signs of unhealthy mental wellness and successful strategies and solutions.  

 

Treat yourself to a dynamic program about the DKG US Forum, how you can be involved, and information about the National Legislative Seminar, March 10-13 2024, in Washington D.C.  

 

Treat yourself to fun social activity you can’t experience anywhere else.  Laugh, relax, and enjoy new connections and bring these treats to your chapter and state for programs and workshops.

 

Three treats just for attending. Better than a massage and facial, this SPA Afternoon, has a place for you.  Remember, Friday, July 21, 2023, at 2:45-5:00 PM.  See ya’ll there!

 

For further information or questions, please reach either Vivian Posey or Linda Perl

 

Southeast Representative: Vivian Posey, vivposey@gmail.com

 

Southwest Representative: Linda Perl, chiscottsdale@gmail.com

Transforming Lives Through Education

In 2000 nearly a third of primary age children in Africa were out of school due to challenges including lack of schools, poverty, remoteness, HIV/AIDS, armed conflict, disabilities, and gender discrimination.  These are things that children cannot fix.

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) with the help of DKG has been working to change that. As a supporter of UNICEF’s Schools for Africa program, DKG has worked to improve early childhood development, access and retention to quality primary and secondary education, HIV prevention in schools and to provide education in an emergency.  These efforts have contributed a major impact between 1999-2012 with the percentage of children enrolled in education programs nearly doubling as did primary school attendance.  In 2019, the percentage of out of school children in Africa at the primary school age was down to 17 percent.

We all know that for a child to be successful in school, that child has basic needs that need to be met. They need good nutrition, safe drinking water, medical care and immunizations, and safety.  Then they need a school building, caring and qualified teachers, and resources to learn.  UNICEF and DKG are committed to helping governments, communities, and community leaders to provide all of that for the children of Africa.

We are all teachers who know the value of an education.  For the children of Africa having an education means opportunity just as it does in the rest of the world.  Give a child an education and you transform him and the world he lives in. Your caring gifts to UNICEF can have a huge impact on the world.

State Organization Leaders Training

In the upcoming weeks, state organizations will elect new leaders who will serve for the 2023-2025 biennium. These leaders take on many responsibilities, which require a level of thoughtful and meaningful preparation. A pilot training for state leaders was developed in 2021, and was met with positive reviews. With that in mind, the DKG International Administrative Board has approved a State Organization Leaders Training retreat, which will take place in Irving, Texas. 

State organization presidents, treasurers, membership chairs and educational excellence chairs will meet June 23-25 at the Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel. This collective, all in one training, will allow attendees to meet with state officers from around our organization. Training regarding specific offices will take place in addition to critical conversations about strategic planning and moving DKG into our next century. 

Planning for this event has been under way for several weeks. Current state organization presidents have been contacted so that they can serve as liaisons between International and the incoming officers. Communication with Sarah Sanchez is important so that rooms and meals are arranged for all who will be in attendance. Meals and lodging are provided and travel costs are reimbursed following the current travel reimbursement policy. A shuttle from DFW Airport to the hotel is complimentary. If state organizations have not held their elections, spaces at the training can still be held, with names of the new officers sent at a later date. RSVP’s for this training should be sent to sarahs@dkg.org. 

The DKG International Administrative Board, along with the Leadership Development, Finance, Membership & Expansion and Educational Excellence Committees encourage all incoming state officers to attend. The SOLT retreat will be offered as an in person event, without a virtual attendance option. Questions regarding the training can be forwarded to DKG International staff, Administrative Board members or any of the committee members listed above.

DKG MYTHS

Bulls get angry when they see the color red.

Lightning never strikes the same place twice.

All deserts are hot.

Twinkies have no expiration date.

What do all these statements have in common? They are myths or widely held but false beliefs or misconceptions. Believe it or not, they are many myths surrounding DKG. Let’s look at some common DKG myths and dispel them.

If members don’t pay dues when the treasurer collects them then they must pay International on their own.  If a member needs to pay her dues after the chapter treasurer submits them, she just gives them to her chapter treasurer who will take care of moving them on.

If someone gets dropped by International for non-payment of dues that’s the end for her.  Anyone dropped for non-payment of dues who wants to remain a member can be reinstated at any time. Dues just need to be paid to the chapter treasurer who will submit them.

The chapter must approve a member’s request for reinstatement.  Once inducted, if someone leaves DKG and chooses to return, they just need to let the chapter know that they would like to be reinstated.

Retired teachers are ineligible for membership.  Retired teachers are eligible for membership.

A woman must teach two years before joining.  A person does not have to have been employed for two years before becoming a DKG member.  DKG welcomes early career educators who may just be starting out as well as junior or senior education majors.

You must have a DKG pin.  A DKG pin is not a required accessory.

You must wear your pin in a certain place.  A DKG pin can be placed anywhere on one’s clothing or name badge.

You must wear your DKG pin at all chapter meetings and DKG functions.  DKG does not require members to wear pins at meetings or functions.   

A member must return their key pin when they discontinue their membership.The key pin is given to a member when she joins. If she resigns her membership it is still her pin. Remember she can always reinstate her membership.

You must sing the DKG Song at every meeting and at DKG functions.  Singing the DKG Song is optional.

You must go through the induction ceremony before you can officially become a member.  A person is a member of DKG once her dues are paid.  An induction ceremony is a formality not tied to membership status.

Induction of members can only occur once a year.  Member inductions can happen as often as a chapter or state wants to hold them.  They are not required and if a chapter chooses not to do an induction at all, that is fine.

You must have an installation ceremony to officially become an officer.  Once elected and upon July 1 of odd years for state officers and even years for chapter officers, a person officially takes office.  (Some chapters have members assume their office upon election.)  The installation ceremony is a formality not tied to moving into an officer role.

Only Greek letters should be used for Delta Kappa Gamma.  It is appropriate to refer to the Society as DKG or Delta Kappa Gamma.  Not using Greek letters does help the Society distance itself from being thought of as a sorority.

DKG members always say YES (or DKG members never say NO).  Keeping members engaged means we are sensitive to their lives outside of the chapter.  We need to be open to members saying “No, I can’t do that at this time.”

You must be a state officer or hold an important position to go to an International Convention or Conference.  All members are welcome and encouraged to attend International Conventions, Conferences and events.

Do you know any other DKG myths?  We would love to hear them and welcome members to write them in the comment section of this blog.