2023 NCFR Affiliate Councils Workshops

Student and State/Regional Affiliate Workshops Planned | Proposal Deadline March 1, 2023, 11:59 p.m. PDT

Janis L. Henderson, Affiliate Councils Conference Program Representative

The NCFR Affiliate Councils (AC) and its governing body, the Affiliate Councils Board (ACB), provide support to NCFR state/regional and student affiliate organizations. As the AC conference program representative, my goal is to encourage the NCFR membership to engage more fully with an NCFR affiliate and explore the many benefits of affiliate involvement.

NCFR Affiliates provide opportunities to interact within communities at the state, regional, or university level (local), spur new initiatives within those communities, and allow members to develop new and expanded perspectives on a variety of topics important to families. Active engagement in an affiliate provides a network of colleagues who empower individuals and can support the work being done. Strong state/regional and student affiliates are vital to NCFR as they play an important role in connecting the national, state/regional, and local perspectives. Student affiliate membership consists of students who anticipate careers in Family Science as well as university faculty that serve as advisors. State/regional affiliate membership includes Family Science professionals working as researchers, scholars, and practitioners. State/regional affiliates can provide students with a network beyond their university home. State/Regional members are encouraged to explore ways they can connect with and support student affiliates – for example, offering to speak at meetings or provide guidance (easily done virtually or in person).

The 2023 NCFR Conference theme, The Way We Are Now: Families and Communities at the Center of the Syndemic, suggests that Family Science scholars and practitioners seek new understandings and views of our communities and, given the multiple pandemics, the changing needs within those communities. The AC Board seeks to build on the spirit of the theme by hosting a session in which affiliate leadership and members contribute to a series of discussions focused on promoting and strengthening participation in individual affiliates and the AC as a whole.

The ACB recognizes that with the societal challenges and the changes we are experiencing, the needs of the affiliates and affiliate members have and will continue to evolve. The ACB’s goal is to organize a session that provides NCFR affiliate leaders and members the opportunity to explore innovative ideas that promote affiliate involvement. The ACB wants to reinvigorate interest in affiliate participation, moving it to the forefront of NCFR member involvement, and seek input on building and growing stronger affiliates.

We invite affiliate members, including but not limited to those who currently serve or have served in leadership roles, to submit proposals on the following CONVERSATION TOPICS: 

  1. Challenges to and innovative strategies for engaging members.
    • Conversations surrounding programming, benefits of membership, outreach, recruitment and retention strategies, or other areas related to engaging existing, new, or potential members.
  2. Building organizational strength and sustainability through leadership and/or team building.
    • Conversations surrounding bylaws or bylaw revisions, leadership training or transition, strategic planning, fundraising, grant writing, securing donors for affiliate activities, or other issues of the process of conducting the business of the affiliate.
  3. Creating and/or maintaining social media presence or marketing strategies to promote the affiliate.
    • Conversations related to promotional and marketing the value of membership or related to advertising and promotion of programming.
  4. Encompassing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
    • Conversations can address any relevant issue, such as inclusion of marginalized groups within the affiliates’ geographic location, equity in approach to membership needs, or other related concerns.
  5. Conference and event strategies – planning, implementing, evaluating,
    • Conversations related to affiliate offerings, including what worked, what did not, or requests for guidance related to a specific area of program development.  

Proposals accepted for presentation will contribute as panel participants in  a larger discussion of each of the five conversation topics rather than being responsible for a full presentation on the topic. 

Proposals can approach the topic as an exploration of related insights or challenges, lessons learned, requests for ideas or innovative strategies, or other appropriate topic discussion.

 

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Individuals or collaborative groups are invited to submit. Please submit the following two separate documents in PDF format addressing the following:

  1. A 50-to-100-word abstract discussing the conversation topic including
    • title for proposal conversation,
    • the conversation topic,
    • the intent of the proposal (e.g., innovative idea, lesson learned, suggestion for discussion) including a short explanatory statement of how the proposal addresses the conversation topic), and
    • 1 objective

Presenter Information: Include the following for each presenter:

  • Name,
  • Name of applicable state/regional or student affiliate,
  • Email address,
  • Professionals should include degree earned, discipline and university where the degree was earned, current employer, and title.
  • Students should include the program and university in which they are currently enrolled.
  • The first presenter will be the primary contact between NCFR conference planners.

Proposal documents should be emailed by March 1, 2023, 11:59 p.m. PST.

Email to Maddie Hansen ([email protected]), Director of Development and Member Affairs

 

AFFILIATE COUNCIL AWARDS

The ACB encourages applications/nominations for the three AC awards:

  • Affiliate Grant (grant money for the affiliate group);
  • Meritorious Service Award (outstanding service by state and regional affiliate members); and
  • President for-a-Day-Award (for a student or new professional member) which encourages award recipient’s development of NCFR leadership skills. Recipient will shadow the NCFR President throughout the 2022 Conference).

See https://www.ncfr.org/awards/affiliate-councils-awards.

Contact: Janis Henderson, ACB Program Chair, J. Henderson Education Services; email: [email protected]