Dear PFLAG Supporter,

It’s hard to believe, but the end of the fiscal year is just around the corner. With that comes annual meetings, elections, and new board members! It’s an exciting time for a PFLAG board, but also a time that can bring work, anxiety, and new processes. Luckily, we’ve got some support for you - check out what we’re talking about in this edition below.

In this edition of Leadership Learnings you’ll find: 

• Chapter Leader Institute Sign Ups are Open
• Annual Meeting Planning Tips
• Succession Planning Support
• Urban Think Tank Alert!

Chapter Leader Institute Sign Ups are Open

We are thrilled to announce that registration is open for the inaugural Compassion in Action: The PFLAG Chapter Leader Institute. This pre-convention institute is happening before Learning With Love: The 2025 PFLAG National Convention. Compassion in Action is a dedicated space—similar in style to our Rural and Urban Think Tanks—centering chapter work, rooted in chapter leader-focused ideas and tactics for growing community engagement. 

This year’s theme focuses on progress over perfection and sustaining a PFLAG chapter through thoughtful community engagement; we’ll explore important topics such as aligning chapter programming with community needs, fostering leadership development, creating thoughtful administrative practices, and redefining support for evolving communities.

The Institute will take place on Friday, October 10th from 9:00 - 11:50 AM, and space will be limited to the first 75 participants who register and no more than two (2) attendees per chapter board. Attendance is included as part of your convention registration, so you must be registered to attend Learning With Love in order to participate. We’re requesting registrations by September 22, 2025.

To sign up, register for Learning With Love, and answer yes to the question “Are you a part of a local chapter?” Once your convention registration is complete, please fill out the registration form for Compassion in Action here. If you have questions, please reach out to Chapter Engagement staffer Ruadhan Ward at rward@pflag.org. 

We can’t wait to be with you in person, in courageous love—and in community.

Annual Meeting Planning

Your annual meeting doesn’t have to be complicated! An annual meeting should be celebratory, a moment for your PFLAG chapter to talk about your successes over the last year and your goals for the next. Oftentimes, we see chapters host potlucks or other shared meals, which can help build camaraderie and encourage attendance. 

Annual meetings are also your time to take care of chapter business. This is your meeting to discuss the overarching finances of the chapter with members, as well as have members vote for open board positions. If you have multiple candidates running, consider building in time for them to introduce themselves and express why they are interested in running for their board position. 

For more tips and tricks on hosting your chapter’s annual meeting, check out our support resource on annual meetings.

Succession Planning Support

Board elections are a huge part of your annual meeting, and a result of your hard recruitment work. We’ve been working on a resource containing wisdom from chapter leaders (that’s you!) about successes and challenges in board recruitment. Here’s a sneak peek of some of your answers:

• Invite volunteers to sit in on a board meeting to get a better idea of the culture and commitment.
• Use committee work and service as a step towards board work and service. 
• Serve out of capacity–If no one is interested in doing a thing, we don't do it. We encourage board members to only take on tasks that they feel enthusiasm around.

Before your new board members are officially elected to their new roles (during your annual meeting) don’t forget to consider how they’ll be onboarded! 

• What might they need in order to successfully take the helm? 
• How far in advance should onboarding happen? 
• Should they start attending board meetings ahead of time, to see how they work? 

A few resources that might help with these transitions include this chapter administration notes template, so your administrative information is easily shared with new leaders; a governance manual, to document the onboarding process for years to come; and, as always, the Chapter Manual as a resource for new board members.

And as always, I’m here to help! Please reach out to me, as well as your Regional Director, for guidance and/or a sounding board for your ideas. I would love to hear from you!

Urban Think Tank Alert!

August's Urban Think Tank will be focused on strategic planning. As we approach the end of the fiscal year, it's time to set strategic goals for the next fiscal year and beyond! Whether your chapter is experienced in strategic planning or has never made a strategic plan before (or even if you don’t know what a strategic plan is), this space is for you! An interactive presentation will go through best practices for strategic planning and allow you to start brainstorming some next steps for your chapter's strategic plan. Register to join on Monday, August 26th at 5pm-6:30pm PT/8pm-9:30pm ET.

Stay safe,

Abby Shuler (she/her)

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