Successful Chapter Practices The Delta Kappa Gamma Society

Successful Chapter Practices The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Presenters: Dr. Jensi Souders, Int. First Vice President Dr. Helen Popovich, International Mamber-at-Large, 2006 -2010

Survey Response Total Response: 1184 Non-Growing 616 – 52% 568 – 48%

Survey Response • • • Europe Northeast Northwest Southeast Southwest 33% 40% 46% 47% 37% • Society-Wide 43%

Meetings Question: How many meetings a year does your chapter have? Number of Meetings 4 -6 7 -9+ Growing Non-Growing 52. 5% 47. 5% 45% 55% Conclusion: Growing chapters have fewer meeting per year than do non-growing chapters, have frequent social get-togethers (lunches, picnics, field trips to interesting places, etc. ) in addition to regular meetings

Meetings Question: Describe your chapter’s typical meeting schedule (Check all that apply) 61% 63% 39% 37% 39% 20% 18% Conclusion: No significant difference 37%

Meetings Question: What meeting times work best for your chapter? 1= best attended time through 4=worst attendance Conclusion: After school or evening meetings are best for both groups. Growing groups have almost as good attendance on Saturday mornings. Growing groups tend to have better attendance at all scheduled meeting times.

Meetings Question: Describe the structure of your meetings Conclusion: Growing chapters conform more strictly to Robert’s Rules of Order and tend to have more refreshments/fewer meal meetings.

Meetings Question: On average, how long do your meetings last, excluding meal functions? Conclusion: All chapters’ most common meeting length is 1 ½ hours, excluding meals.

Meetings Question: A—Is meeting length important to your members? B—Do you encourage members to come late or leave early rather than not attending at all? Growing A—Yes 92% B--Yes 94% Non-Growing 90% 94% Conclusion: No significant difference, although B seems not to have occurred to many non-growing chapters.

Programs Question: Describe your meeting programs, ranking as follows: 1—Nearly always, 2—Sometimes, 3—Seldom, 4 -Never Conclusion: Largest differences are in highlighting community initiatives and the use of members’ talents/expertise, with growing chapters incorporating these into programming more often. Growing chapter programs meet members’ social needs to a

Projects Question: What best describes your chapter’s projects? 54% 35% 13% 52% 32% 14% Conclusion: Slightly more growing chapters engage in ongoing projects and more types of projects, both one-time and ongoing. As shown later, the difference lies in the types and quantity of projects, where growing chapters have more variety and involvement than do non-growing chapters.

Projects Question: Describe your chapter projects (Check all that apply) 67% 61% 71% 62% 59% 57% 31% 28% 66% 67% 69% 63% 59% 50% 32% 23% 26% 21% 9% 7% 1. 4% 1. 6%

Projects

Projects Question: Describe your chapter projects (check all that apply): Percentage Differences Between Growing and Non-Growing 39% * 9%* 10% * 14%* 3% -1% 38% 10 % 17% * 24%* 13% Conclusion: Growing chapters are significantly more involved in the number and kind of project involvement. In all areas but literacy and public tv/radio, growing chapters are more active than are non-growing. *indicate significant differences

Projects Question: What project(s) do your members most enthusiastically support? Those most-often mentioned by all chapters are • literacy, • grants-in-aid, and • women/children’s shelters. Growing chapters mention mentoring of new teachers far more often than do non-growing chapters.

Communications Question: How does the chapter communicate with individual members (check all that apply)? Newsletters Conclusion: Growing chapters use newsletters in somewhat larger numbers overall than do non-growing chapters. Many commented that they considered newsletters sent via email as email and this answer as print.

Communications Question: How does the chapter communicate with individual members (check all that apply)? Phone Tree Email Snail Mail (letters, postcards, etc. ) Other (describe) Growing 66% 92% 64% Non-Growing 64% 89% 64% 11% 7% Conclusion: Growing chapters communicate more with their members through all means than do non-growing chapters. Note: Websites were most often mentioned in the “Other” category.

Communications Question: Does your chapter do anything designed to make DKG known within your community/schools? If so, what? Growing Non-Growing Responded to question 75% 62% Newspaper only 17%* 22%* Newspaper + other means 21%* 14%* 9%* 10%* GIA (only or one of means) Other than news or GIA 59%* 56%* Conclusion: More growing chapters participate in activities in the communities and school that help to make the Society’s purposes and projects known. Almost 40% of non-growing chapters do nothing, or did not report anything. Growing chapters are more likely to undertake the types of activities that make them known and more likely to view their activities as opportunities to be known. *Indicative of only those %s of chapters responding.

Membership and Breaking the Mold The following answers are taken from growing chapters only for these reasons: 1. Many non-growing chapters responded, “We need to work on this, ” “We need help in this area!” “We don’t do anything special. ” 2. Many non-growing chapters left the response areas blank. 3. Most growing chapters responded to the questions with detail and enthusiasm. 4. When non-growing chapters did respond with chapter strategies, their responses were often similar to growing chapters.

Membership Question: Describe one or two of your chapter’s successful tactics for attracting new members. Top Five Answers from Growing Chapters 1. Inviting prospects to meetings, social events, guest nights 2. Discussing DKG through word of mouth, personal contact 3. Telling the DKG story—benefits, programs, projects, resources—one on one 4. Interesting/high-quality programs/speakers 5. Exhibiting enthusiasm for organization

Membership Question: Describe one or two of your chapter’s successful tactics for retaining new members. Top Five Answers from Growing Chapters 1. Involving them immediately in chapter committees and activities 2. Contacting frequently and consistently via phone, email, notes, newsletters, etc. 3. Having meaningful, high-quality, interesting meetings and programs 4. Offering fellowship/camaraderie in a non-pressure setting 5. Mentoring

Membership Question: Describe one or two chapter activities designed to involve retired educators. Top Five Answers from Growing Chapters 1. Involving them in committees focused on special service projects 2. Implementing high-quality programming that highlights education and the interests of retirees 3. Giving them meaningful responsibilities in all chapter activities 4. Offering rides to meetings/carpooling 5. Having them present programs

Membership Question: Describe one or two chapter activities designed to accommodate and involve currently employed educators. Top Five Answers from Growing Chapters 1. Having high-quality programs/speakers on relevant educational issues and topics 2. Setting varied and convenient meeting times and dates 3. Having meetings/cultural/social events that are fun and promote fellowship 4. Providing legislative updates pertinent to education, women and children 5. Organizing meetings efficiently

Membership Question: Describe your chapter’s most effective strategies for developing chapter leaders. Top Five Answers from Growing Chapters 1. Encouraging attendance at area/state leadership programs/meetings 2. Mentoring by previous/current chapter leaders 3. Involving in committees/programs, as committee chairs 4. Delegating, assigning, and sharing work/positions 5. Having leaders work their way up from small leadership responsibilities to larger ones

Breaking the Mold Question: Name one or more traditions, rules, or practices of the Society that your chapter has abandoned in order to be more successful at gaining or retaining members. Top Five Answers from Growing Chapters 1. Strict attendance policy 2. Strict adherence to Robert’s Rules of Order/formalness of meetings 3. Singing/singing the DKG song at all meetings 4. Formal/professional dress 5. Secrecy

Breaking the Mold Question: Name one or more traditions, rules, or practices of the Society that your chapter considers essential to keep in order to have success. Top Five Answers from Growing Chapters 1. Formal/traditional initiation/installation ceremony 2. Relaxed meetings/social events that are fun and encourage fellowship 3. Business meetings that are structured/quick-moving 4. Singing/singing the DKG song 5. Emphasis on the Society’s mission, purposes, and history

Breaking the Mold Question: Name one or more things that your chapter offers to women educators that they cannot get elsewhere. Top Five Answers from Growing Chapters 1. Fellowship/interaction among highly diverse groups of educators of all ages from many fields, levels, sectors, and nations 2. Friendship/sisterhood/camaraderie 3. Mentors/mentoring 4. Quality/professionalism of the organization and members 5. Scholarships/Grants

Conclusion: Successful Chapter Model • Holds 4 -6 well-planned, relatively informal but still structured, quick-moving business meetings per year • Meets at varied times, days, and places that are convenient for working members • Meets for approximately 1 ½ hours in length, excluding meals • Plans fellowship time as part of each meeting • Has more refreshment-only meetings than meetings with meals • Focuses on meeting members’ social needs (fellowship/camaraderie)

Conclusion: Successful Chapter Model • Has a wide variety of high-quality, interesting programs and speakers, including programs that highlight community initiatives and those that use members’ talents/expertise • Supports a variety of one-time and ongoing projects that actively engage its members • Supports projects in the areas of mentoring/Collaborative Connections; fund-raising and volunteer efforts; scholarships and grants-in-aid; community initiatives, especially for women and children; literacy; the legislative process; and others, including international projects • Communicates with members in multiple ways: newsletter (print, website or email 4+ times a year), phone, email, snail mail, website • Publicizes the Society through projects and activities that

Conclusion: Successful Chapter Model • Has specific strategies in place for attracting new members, retaining members, engaging retired and employed members, and developing/nurturing new chapter leaders • Implements formal and traditional initiation and installation ceremonies • Emphasizes the Society’s mission, purposes, and history • Offers benefits and services that members cannot get elsewhere, including chapter scholarships, grants, interaction among a diverse group of educators, friendship/camaraderie, and service to community.

Chapter Success Action Plans • • Involve all members’ input in writing the plan; Have actionable activities, not just goals; Use international and/or state’s SAP as model; Involve all chapter committees/officers in plan through assigned responsibilities for carrying out certain activities; • Make the plan specific to chapter needs; • Assign a person(s) to be responsible for monitoring progress and reporting to Executive Board and/or chapter; • Ensure that plan can be and is updated and improved as new needs and ideas occur. Update/change at least every biennium.

Possible Questions for Chapter Discussion • If the chapter were perfect in every respect, what would it look like? • If you could have everything you could possibly want (chapterrelated), what two/three items would be at the top of the wish list? • What needs to local women educators have that are not currently being met? • What project/activity could the chapter participate that would a) make a valuable contribution to the community, and b) achieve positive publicity because of the nature of the activity? • What practices/policies must the chapter surrender in order to achieve great success? • What new practices/policies should the chapter institute in order to achieve greater success? • What role(s) should chapter officers and committee members play in achieving greater success? • What goals can each committee have to help the chapter be more successful?

Successful Chapter Practices The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Presenters: Dr. Jensi Souders, Int. First Vice President Dr. Helen Popovich, International Member-at-Large 2006 -2010