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DKG Practice/Program

Spilling the Tea! Ideas for Building

Relationships in DKG

By Beth McKay

After my first year as Pi Chapter President,
I sent our members a survey to assess the
effectiveness of our chapter and garner
feedback. The survey results showed that
members desired more social opportunities.
Similarly, when I asked members why they
had joined DKG, the strongest single factor
was a relationship. Perhaps there was a
family connection—mother, daughter,
sister—or a respected colleague or even
an admirable friend. If we were to poll
members throughout DKG, in fact, we
would likely find that relationships rank as
one of the top reasons, if not the top reason,
why members remain dedicated. With Monkey See, Monkey Do © Photograph by Margaret Meehan,
this understanding, it only seems logical Michigan; Fall 2023 Art Gallery
that all chapters should prioritize building
relationships.
So, how might we do this? Although Delta Kappa Gamma is not considered a social organization, it
is an organization comprised of key women educators, and key women educators do enjoy socializing.
Essentially, to build relationships, chapters need to create purposeful social events. It is in these social
settings that members find opportunities to connect with one another, to enjoy a relaxing conversation, and
to bond. Have no doubt that our Founders would agree. Providing social events for members does, in fact,
help to fulfill our first principle of “genuine spiritual fellowship.”
The desire for more social opportunities made sense for Pi Chapter. Our chapter meets on Saturday
mornings five times during the school year. We try to keep our meetings at a 2-hour maximum because
many members have other obligations to which they must also attend. This timeframe rarely provides
enough time to get to know each other and develop meaningful relationships. Building such friendships
takes time, but members—especially new members—need the relationships that DKG can provide now.
They join because they need support. They want encouragement. They don’t want to wait 5 years, 7
years, or 10 years—and many won’t. They will simply not renew their membership. No, members old and
new need this support and these relationships right now—and so do our chapters. We need to retain our
members so that our chapters are strong, and, in turn, our entire organization is strong, and by meeting our
members’ needs, we are more likely to find success.
With all of this in mind, I chose to create purposeful social opportunities for the members of my
chapter, and I would like to share three.
1. Host a themed party. For my chapter, I hosted the First Annual Pi Chapter Tea Party. I wanted
to create a new tradition for my chapter because traditions provide a sense of security, and the
shared experiences of a tradition bond individuals. In addition, such a party seemed like a good
idea because our chapter had no regular social events. The response from those who attended was
overwhelmingly positive. Many of the members were talking about our next tea party before they

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