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Viewpoint

Possibility #2: Creating an environment where members truly
belong.
We may need to take a hard look at the chapter, state organizaton, and
international levels to create an environment where all members feel they truly
belong. Leaders at all three levels of DKG must assess whether their practices
promote the skills and talents of all members to increase the sense of belonging and
meeting members’ needs for diversity, equity, and inclusion. DKG international
committees, with the input of many, could create checklists to help determine
whether all levels of our Society promote these important components. If members
do not feel like they belong, they will no longer be members.
To promote topics of interest to members as an international educational
organization, the Society could include monthly networking opportunities and panel
discussions to encourage a feeling of ownership for all member educators. International
committees could develop and implement these presentations for those who would like
to attend via Zoom for approximately 30 minutes. Some recorded videos are already
available on the dkg.org website for
members to access at any time convenient
for them. To increase the traffic to these
sites, we can promote sessions to have
more members involved.
What if existing committees could
produce user-friendly , 1-minute leadership
videos with quick and simple hints for the
working educator (Funt, 2021)? If you
question just how much information one
can garner from such a short time span, I
recommend checking out Juliet Funt’s
Take a Minute videos (julietfunt.com). I
find them interesting and very useful for
work situations and beyond.

Possibility #3: Reorganize and revitalize two of the required
four required chapter meetings per year to be more inclusive
of members’ interests and to complement selected volunteer
opportunities or online activities.
Four regular chapter meetings per year are required according to the Delta
Kappa Gamma Society International Constitution: Chapters must have at least
4 regular meetings per year (IX.A.3). Surveys of dropped members by DKG
Society International have consistently shown more than half of the members
were satisfied or extremely satisfied with their membership and were also likely
to reinstate if asked. More than half said the reasons they dropped were family,
personal, and professional responsibilities (T. Woodley, DKG Membership
Director, personal communication, 2022). These concerning results suggest that, in
spite of a level of satisfaction, members prioritize other commitments over their
membership in DKG.
Would making meetings more relevant and able to be attended by children or
professional friends of members entice others to join our organization as we make

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