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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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