Dear PFLAG Supporter,

As we’re all preparing for the fiscal new year, it’s also time to prepare for your chapter’s annual meeting! Annual meetings are an important part of your chapter’s activities and can help set you up for success in the year ahead. Think of it as a State of the Union address for your chapter. Whether it’s your first annual meeting or you’re a seasoned planner, here are some tips, reminders and resources. 

• Annual meetings are when the chapter membership should vote for board members, even if there is no opponent and/or a board member is running for re-election. As a member organization, it is essential to give your dues-paying members a voice in who is in chapter leadership.
• Generally, annual meetings are held 45 days before the end of your fiscal year. Always remember to check your bylaws for any requirements specific to your chapter.
• Share an annual overview of your treasurer’s reports throughout the year. This treasurer’s report template includes a “Projections” tab that includes a rundown of the chapter’s income + expenses for the year, as well as a anticipated budget for the upcoming year as well.
• Throw a mini party for your chapter! What did you accomplish this year? What goals were met that you’re proud of? Sharing accomplishments is an important way to show members what they are a part of. 
• Think about next year. What would you like to accomplish or grow upon? Letting your members know about your chapter’s goals will get them excited about what’s to come, and even encourage them to volunteer.
• Consider sharing a slideshow of your chapter’s wins over the last year and your goals for the next year. You can include your treasurer’s report data too. PFLAG Cape Cod has a great example of what this presentation could look like, but feel free to create your own taking into consideration your chapter’s capacity.
• Create opportunities for member engagement. Whether you’re kicking off your membership drive or surveying members for additional insight into their hopes for your chapter, including them in the process beyond notifying them of the meeting helps show that their membership matters and you’re listening to their hopes for the chapter. If you’d like a sample member survey, please reach out.
• Uplift chapter membership, reminding folks to renew their membership so they can continue to vote in chapter elections. Ahead of the meeting, encourage people to join as new members so they can participate in the annual meeting.

TONIGHT! PFLAG Academy Online: August 2024

Tuesday, August 27, 2024 | 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT: PFLAG Votes 2024: All You Need to Know To Vote—and Get Out the Vote—Like A PFLAGer

On August 15th, PFLAG National launched Loves Votes, a robust voter-engagement initiative aimed at educating and mobilizing the PFLAG community—chapters, members, and supporters—leading up to the 2024 election. Join this learning session to learn more about how you can energize and unify LGBTQ+ people and those who love them to get engaged in the upcoming election. Together we can motivate everyone to come together and be a PFLAG voter.  

Register today!

Upcoming Meeting: Rural Think Tank

We know rural chapters face specific challenges, so the Rural Think Tank is a peer-to-peer facilitated discussion space for chapter leaders from rural areas across the chapter network. September’s discussion topic will be building educational programming. 

Whether you’re interested in starting a Speaker’s Bureau or successfully running educational talks for your membership, this collaborative discussion space is for you!

Register now for the Rural Think Tank on Monday, September 9th at 5pm PT/8pm ET.

Regional Roundup

In partnership with Promise54, PFLAG is gathering insights to help us determine where we are with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and to develop a plan to ensure that PFLAG is a place where everybody belongs. We are requesting that you complete a brief survey by Friday, September 19th, to share your experiences with DEI at PFLAG. All data collected from the survey will be anonymous.

Why a Survey? Why now? PFLAG reaffirms its commitment to DEI as a core value and strategy to advance its mission to create a caring, just, and affirming world for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them. PFLAG therefore is proactively working to center DEI more explicitly and intentionally across all facets of its services, programs, and operations, and we need your support to move our DEI work forward. 

Please do not share this survey with your members by email or post it to social media; we will circulate out to all members and supporters of PFLAG, including chapter members.

Thank you in advance for your participation and support in taking this survey! For more information, read the survey FAQ. Have further questions? Contact the Promise54 team.

Stay safe,

Shaun Connors (he/they)

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