There are no plans for another summit at this time.
Held on Friday, September 28, 2018
Theme: Focus on Members!
Hosted by the Dallas Genealogical Society
This year’s Summit was attended by 40 people representing 18 North Texas Genealogical Societies.
Panel Discussion
Panelists provided their views on six key issues identified as last year’s summit: Meetings, New Members, Social Media, Remote Members, Volunteers, Beginning Researchers.
Panelists: Dickie Dixon (Angelina County Genealogical Society), John Wylie (Grand Prairie Genealogical Society), Cheryl Rasher (Erath County Genealogical Society) and Tony Hanson (Dallas Genealogical Society)
- Introduction & Panel Discussion (Video) – 45:27
After the panel discussion, each table discussed the topics from the point of view of their own societies and shared the highlights of that discussion with the other participants.
- Membership Discussion Readout (Video) – 28:04
- Membership Discussion Readout (PDF)
Table Exercises
The afternoon session was a tabletop discussion on one of two topics: An Action Plan for Key Issues, or Designing a New Genealogy Club, followed by a readout from each table:
- Afternoon Readout (Video) – 32:54
- Action Plan Readout (PDF)
- Club Design Readout (PDF)
Table Discussion Worksheets
David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FUGA, FIGRS
The day closed with a presentation by David Rencher titled “Future Vision for Genealogical Societies”
- David’s Presentation & Closing Comments (Video) – 51:12
- This is the book David refers to in his presentation: Society Management – Now and Into the Future by David E. Rencher and Edgie E. Donakay
Evaluation
The evaluation report is available!
Societies Attending
- Angelina County Genealogical Society
- Bosque County Genealogical Society
- Cedar Hill Genealogical Society
- Colin County Genealogical Society
- Dallas Genealogical Society
- East Texas Genealogical Society
- Ellis County Genealogical Society
- Erath County Genealogical Society
- Fort Worth Genealogical Society
- Genealogy Friends of Plano
- Grand Prairie Genealogical Society
- Harrison County Genealogical Society
- Lamar County Genealogical Society
- Marion County Genealogical Society
- Mesquite Historical & Genealogical Society
- Mid-Cities Genealogical Society
- North Texas Genealogical Society of Wichita Falls
- Red River County TX Genealogical Society
The Dallas Genealogical Society hosted the second North Texas Society Summit on Friday, September 29, 2017. The theme of the event was ‘Collaboration Among Societies’, and our featured speaker was D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS (www.djoshuataylor.com).
Video Overview (1:56)
The Summit was structured for leaders of genealogical societies in the North Texas area (TSGS Districts 7 through 12 , 14, 16 and 17) and focused on priority topics identified by participants at the 2016 Society Summit.
Audio Files Available
Focused Discussion #1
- Retaining & Increasing Membership ( 47:47)
- Marketing & Social Media (40:56)
Proposed Group Project: 2018 North Texas Giving Day (2:43)
- 2017 North Texas Giving Day: DGS Results Page
- North Texas Giving Day 2017: Nonprofit Toolkit – The resources and support provided for nonprofits who participated in this event were really impressive. This document outlines their recommended process and identifies the training they offer.
- The Cathy Nelson Hartman Portal to Texas History Endowment fund
Focused Discussion #2
- Society Management & Leadership (34:07)
- Fundraising (29:17)
D. Joshua Taylor – “What Now: Turning Steps into Collaborative Action” (59:34)
Wrap-Up (3:30)
Societies Attending
- Arlington Genealogical Society
- Bell County Genealogical Society
- Cedar Hill Genealogical Society
- Central Texas Genealogical Society
- Dallas Genealogical Society
- Denison TX Genealogical Society
- East Texas Genealogical Society
- Erath County Genealogical Society
- Fort Worth Genealogical Society
- Frisco Genealogical Society
- Genealogy Friends of Plano
- Grand Prairie Genealogical Society
- Harrison County Genealogical Society
- Lamar County Genealogical Society
- Mesquite Historical & Genealogical Society
- Mid-Cities Genealogical Society
- Red River County TX Genealogical Society
- Rockwall County Genealogical Society
- Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
- Wise County Genealogical Society
The DGS hosted a Genealogy Society Summit at the Dallas Public Library on Friday, September 16, 2016. 37 leaders from 19 North Texas Societies (listed below) participated in the days activities that included group discussion on common issues. This event was offered at no cost to participants.
The event also featured two presentations made by Curt Witcher:
- Session 1: ‘Keys to Our Success in These “Best of Times”’ – These are the best of times for those engaged in family history pursuits, yet member engagement and membership ranks are not growing as rapidly as they should. Important operational philosophies and strategic thinking are shared to encourage those involved in society operations to increase member engagement while enticing new members.
- Session 2: ‘Becoming the Outstanding Leader Your Society Needs’ – Practical tips and strategies for being a leader in your society are offered which include knowing your organization, working well with a wide range of individuals, and providing opportunities for new ideas and new talent to be a part of your organization. Good leaders also plan for succession, a topic which will also be covered.
A survey was distributed to all participants following the event: the results are summarized here.
Comments from the Survey, and from the table discussions, were analyzed and grouped to focus the discussion at future events: View the summary.
The participating societies are listed below. Representatives from the Texas State Genealogical Society (which also contributed funds for the lunch that was provided to attendees) were also in attendance.
- Angelina County Genealogical Society
- Arlington Genealogical Society
- Bell County Genealogical Society
- Cedar Hill Genealogical Society
- Collin County Genealogical Society
- Dallas Genealogical Society
- Denton County Genealogical Society
- East Texas Genealogical Society
- Erath County Genealogical Society
- Fort Worth Genealogical Society
- Grand Prairie Genealogical Society
- Hogar De Dallas
- Lamar County Genealogical Society
- Mesquite Historical & Genealogical Society
- Mid Cities Genealogical Society
- North Collin County Genealogical Society
- Red River Genealogical Society
- Van Zandt County Genealogical Society
- Wise County Genealogical Society
There are several Facebook Groups that may be useful to society leaders:
North Texas Genealogical Society – This group was created to serve as a forum for leaders of Genealogical Societies located in the greater North Texas region. Membership is open to anybody who is in a position of leadership of a Genealogical Society located in this region.
Genealogical Society Leadership Forum – This group is for officers and committee chairs to help improve their societies. It is not for working on your own family tree. Topics include, but are not limited to, fundraising, newsletters, social media, volunteers, membership retention and technology.
Social Media for Genealogy – A resource for learning more about social media tools and practices. This group is open to all with an interest in genealogy and who want to leverage the power of social media to expand their genealogy research as well as promote their genealogy business.
Genealogical Society Webmasters – Created to be a resource for those actively involved in managing websites for Genealogical Societies
Technology for Genealogy – Discussion of technology used for genealogy purposes. Includes: software, apps, tablets, computers, gadgets, news, websites. Topics must be related to technology and have applicability as a genealogy tool.
- General genealogy discussion on research methodology is not permitted. Discussion of DNA and genetic genealogy are off topic in this group since other groups are available for those topics. Do not post your request for help with surnames or help with adoptee searches. That is off topic in this group.
- Even though the group is listed as closed, most requests for membership will be approved. We will not accept requests to join the group by people who have questionable profile pics, no friends and no timeline activities, especially if they have no genealogical interests on their page. This is to help prevent any spam or ads on this page. Spammers will be banned from the group.
These articles may provide society leaders with some useful insight…
- 7 Things You Can Do to Improve the Sad, Pathetic State of Board Diversity – Does your board reflect the community you serve?
- North Texas Giving Day 2017: Nonprofit Toolkit – The resources and support provided for nonprofits who participated in this event was really impressive. This document outlines their recommended process and identifies the training they offer.
- Reality Check on Nonprofit Marketing – ‘For those who do not have much of a marketing budget… there are two voices of priceless and timeless advice worth remembering and trusting: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” … and… “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”’
- The Case for Going Low-Tech in Communications and Fundraising – Fun fact from this article: “Only 64 percent of people aged 65 and older use the Internet at all”.
- How Being on a Nonprofit Board Can Be the Unexpected Career Boost You Need – Offers good reasons why people should consider being on your board.
- Every Fundraising Appeal Should Include These Five Slants – Simple, effective suggestions on how to be more effective.
- Learning From The Other Side Of The Fence / 10 Signs Your CEO Has an Outdated View of Marketing – An insightful blog post by Jacqi Stevens that outlines some penetrating questions we should be asking about our societies.
- How Popular is Genealogy? – We all hear that Genealogy is one of the most popular hobbies in the United States. This article explores that myth and makes the suggestion that there are several levels of genealogical interest.
- Do We Still Need Genealogy Societies? A conversation with Josh Taylor – A post (mainly a link to the 6 minute video created at RootsTech 2016) from Amy Johnson Crow on her “No Story Too Small” blog
- 10 Ways Your Genealogy Society Might Be Driving Away Visitors – Good insight from Amy Johnson Crow on her “No Story Too Small” blog
- Gail Dever conducted several relevant surveys in 2014
- “What are the most important factors that made you decide to join a genealogy society?”
- “What were the main reasons you did not renew your genealogy society membership?”
- Facing Up to the Long-term Future of Your Genealogy Society – First published by Dick Eastman as a Plus Edition article on March 7, 2012, he updated it and re-published it as a Standard Edition article in 2016.
- The Historical and Genealogical Society of Tomorrow – Interesting insight from a 25 year old genealogist on the “Young & Savvy Genealogists” blog
- Major Changes at GeneaBloggers.com – Interesting insights on Social Media and DNA from Thomas MacEntee (now offline)
The Federation of Genealogical Societies has published a comprehensive series of articles on a variety of topics related to managing a genealogical society. They are organized into the following categories:
- Strategies for Societies
- Strategies for Presidents
- Strategies for Vice-Presidents
- Strategies for Treasurers
- Strategies for Secretaries
- Strategies for Program Chairpersons
- Strategies for Librarians
- Strategies for Editors
The articles are available to the general public (you do not need to be a FGS member) on their website.
