Friday, January 25, 2013

Get Involved in the Conversation!


One of my favorite aspects of a face-to-face meeting or social gathering is the conversation.  With approximately 90,000 members, we cannot always see each other face to face; but we can still enjoy the conversation!  Have you logged in to the DKGNetwork?  It works a little like Facebook, except it is private to our Society.  Since only members can log in, you are safe from many of the worries of a public social network!       

So, log in and begin enjoying yet another benefit of your membership in DKG. Join in the the general conversation or join a specialized group.  The Members in Action group is currently discussing the issues and challenges of recruiting and engaging members.  The Educational Excellence Chairs group is exploring the goals and work of the still rather new Educational Excellence Committee.  The DKG Artists group promotes discussion about arts and music.  And the list goes on.

Visit the DKG website at www.dkg.org and explore the Network by choosing the DKGNetwork link in the upper portion of the page.  You will also find directions for setting up an account in the Library of the Society website.  "See you" on the Network!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

"Roping" in Members in the New Year

I spent the first weekend of the new year watching my husband do what he loves most: team roping.  It is a sport where a team of two horseback riders rope the head and heels of a steer and stretch him gently by tying off each rope on the horn of their saddles (a "dally" and, thus, the sport is called dally team roping). It all happens at a fast pace - covering almost 200 feet in around six seconds. The activity, like most rodeo events, grew from ranch activities where the cows must be caught and doctored in the pasture or corral.

I began to think about the art of roping - how the header must handle his cattle and depend on the strength of his horse in order for the heeler and his horse to be in the correct position for catching the heels of a steer on the run.  Teamwork.  Each horse and each rider doing his part of the job.  Getting off to a good start and following through.

In this new year, I hope we all have our team in place to get off to a great start and follow through to the finish.  Membership chairs are leading us as we identify new members and plan for orientations and initiations.  Chapter treasurers are following through with gathering dues and identifying members who have not responded so the membership committee can call them. Chapter presidents are contacting members who have not been to a meeting in a while to let them know they are missed. Is your team off to a good start and ready to "rope" in new members for the new year?