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We need YOU!
The Pennington Research
Association needs volunteers to be a Family Group
Leader. This is the most important job
in the PRA.
As a Group Leader, you become a
member of the Research
Committee. The Research Committee works
on important
projects and has specific
goals and objectives to help the PRA realize
its' mission.
As a Group Leader, you get help
from the other members of the Research Committee.
You will be invited to join our
website for the
John French Master File (JFMF)
to help you and your group members with their
research. On this website you will be able to download gedcom files,
genealogy material and enjoy other site benefits. You will also be able to
work directly on your Group's gedcom file and make changes directly to the file.
To see which Family Groups need a
Group Leader, click here
to go the Family Groups page.
Gene Pennington,
Research Director
Family Group Leaders - Expectations and Tenure and Steps to
be Selected
Expectations:
These expectations for the position of Group Leader reflect the thoughts and
suggestions of Group Leaders, Assistant Research Directors (ARD) and Board
members. They will be modified each year to reflect the ever changing role
of a Group Leader and the needs of the PRA.
- A Family Group Leader must commit to actively work towards specific goals
and objectives of the PRA and the Research Committee.
- A Family Group Leader must be a current
member of the Pennington Research Association.
- A Family Group Leader is expected to
communicate regularly with the Assistant
Research Director who has responsibility for the
Family Groups project to keep him/her informed
of the status of any work being conducted by
their Family Group.
NOTE: To facilitate this
communication, it is very important that a Family Group Leader have access to an Internet
e-mail account and to the World Wide Web. While
this is not an absolute requirement, it is a
great tool to help you keep up with today's
communications requirements.
- A Family Group Leader is expected to
respond to queries from individual members of
the PRA or any other
genealogy researcher.
NOTE: A Group Leader is expected to post
the query and their reply to the PRA mail
list.
- Most importantly, a Family Group Leader is expected to organize those PRA members who are part of their Family Group and
review the best available sources of data which
supports the organization of that Family Group.
NOTE: This will include collecting data from the
Family Group members and/or any other available
sources, examining the evidence and proof and
determining the composition of the group. This
is not intended to produce anything other than
the best report possible given the available
data and/or sources. This is not intended to
stifle the process nor to produce a 100%
accurate report, which as we all know in
genealogy is usually not possible, especially
when you go much beyond the 20th century in your
research.
- Each
March the Family Group Leader will present a summary report of what their
Group has accomplished in the previous year. The report will be
submitted to the Research Director
.
- If any changes to
the structure and/or name of the Family Group are needed or desired, the Family Group Leader will submit a Petition
for Change to the JFMF to the
Research Director
.
Click here to review a sample Petition for
Change to the JFMF and to learn the format to use and how to submit the
Petition to the Research Director.
Desirable Skills, Knowledge and Experience:
- A Family Group Leader becomes a member of the Research Committee upon
appointment and therefore being a team member is important.
- A Family Group Leader should have some
experience in genealogical research using
traditional and computer methods.
NOTE: The broader the experience, the more comfortable
a Group Leader will be in their role, however, this skill and experience
will be acquired as you participate in the Group.
- A Family Group Leader should be
knowledgeable of their own PRA Family Group.
NOTE: The broader the knowledge, the easier a Group
Leader will be in their role, however, this knowledge and experience will be
acquired as you participate in the Group.
Suggestions to Help a Group Leader Meet Expectations:
- Find somebody in your Group to help you! Many of your Group are just
waiting for somebody to ask them to help. You can share the work as
well as get more participation from your Group members. Many of our
Groups have co-leaders who split the work making it easier for their Group
and helps improve communications.
- Send monthly Group updates to Group Members and to the Research Committee
NOTE: You can use the
PRA mail list and/or your own
mail group. If you use this method, please send a copy to the ARD
responsible for Family Groups and the Research Director
). If you don't
have the time to do monthly reports or don't have enough new information,
then send quarterly (every 3 months) Group updates.
- Locate documents for your Group that can be shared with other researchers
and obtain consent for the PRA to publish them on our web site and in the
Pedigrees. When you have them, contact the
Research Director
and work
together to publish them on the web site and in the Pedigrees.
- Publish at least one (1) article and/or genealogy report about your Family
Group each year. With your consent, the PRA will publish it on our websites
and in the Pedigrees.
- Build a web page for your Group. Several of our Groups have web
pages where they post information to help their members keep informed of the
latest information and as a great way to share documents, photographs and
other genealogical information.
- Attend at least one (1) PRA Reunion/Meeting every three (3) years.
While the PRA is a genealogical association, we do meet for social
interaction as well. Meeting other "cousins" is one of the
most enjoyable benefits of membership. The annual meetings meet one
year East of the Mississippi and the next year West of the Mississippi so
there is opportunity for every member to attend a meeting.
Tenure:
- A Group Leader's first appointment is for one (1) year starting in January
of their first year of appointment.
- Upon successful completion of their first year, a Group Leader may be
appointed for two (2) additional years.
- Thereafter, a Group Leader's tenure may be approved in two (2) year
increments.
NOTE: Since this process started in 2001, current
Group Leaders will all start fresh as of January, 2001. That means current
Group Leaders will be contacted in November 2001 (see "Process"
below).
- Once a person is appointed as a Group Leader, they will act as the Group
Leader immediately, regardless of the month they are appointed.
NOTE: We use a "sliding" scale based on
quarters. If a person joins in the 1st or 2nd quarter of the year (January -
June), their time will count as a full year. If a person joins in the 3rd or
4th quarter of the year (July - December), their time will be added to the
next calendar year. So for a person who joins in the 2nd half of the year,
the net affect is they will serve at least one full year, plus the number of
months from their appointment to December of the next year.
Process:
- A Group Leader will be contacted each November
and will be provided positive feedback to help ensure their continued
success. Feedback will be solicited from PRA members, PRA Board and Staff
and members of the Research Committee.
- If a Group Leader has been successful in helping to meet the PRA's
expectations, goals and objectives, they will be asked one question:
Are you willing to commit to serve as a Group Leader and to actively
work towards specific goals and objectives of the PRA and the Research
Committee?
If the reply is "Yes", the Group Leader will be invited back
but this time for two (2) years.
If the reply is "No", the Group Leader is thanked for their
hard work but will not be invited back.
- If a Group Leader's work has not met the PRA's expectations, goals and
objectives, they are thanked for their work but will not be invited back.
What Steps are Taken to be Selected as a Group Leader?
Here are the basic steps in this process.
1. A volunteer expresses their desire to be a Group Leader to the PRA.
This is usually the Research Director or one of the Assistant Research Directors
(ARD).
2. We refer the person to the
Family Group Leader page to be sure they understands the expectations,
guidelines and procedures for being a Group Leader. We also refer the individual
to the Family Groups page,
the John French Master File and the
"JFMF What Now" page to
be sure they have an understanding of our
Family Groups and the
(JFMF).
3. The person is refereed to the ARD responsible for our Family Groups and
Group Leaders. The ARD then communicates with the person and reviews their
request to be sure they are a current PRA member, are willing to adhere to the
guidelines and they have the desired interest and basic "tools" to be successful
in the job. This includes Internet access and some basic computer skills.
4. Once the ARD has completed the review and interview, they make a
recommendation to the Research Director to either appoint the person or not.
5. Once the Research Director receives the recommendation from the ARD to
either appoint the person or not, the Research Director reviews the
recommendation and makes a decision. He then communicates with the individual
and notifies them of his decision.
6. If the individual is appointed, the Research Director then makes the
announcements to the Board, Officers, Committee Chairs, the other Group Leaders
and on the PRA website and mail list.
7. Once appointed, the new Group Leader is provided with access to the
special folder on the PRA's website and their access rights on the PRA Member's
only website are changed to allow them to that of a "User" so they can work on
their family trees (gedcom files).
8. Once appointed, all of our ARDs make contact with the new Group Leader to
be sure they have all the "tools" they need to perform their job and fulfill
their responsibilities.
9. Once appointed, the new Group Leader is contacted frequently by the ARD
responsible for our Family Groups to ensure they are moving forward and to see
if they need help.
10. Once appointed, the new Group Leader will quickly move to establish
communication with their Group members and to identify what steps are needed to
accomplish the expectations, etc. for a Group Leader.
These steps are not all inclusive as there are many other parts to being a
successful Group Leader but these basic steps will help you to be a successful
Group Leader.
Page Last Updated:
05/12/2008
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