VOLUNTEER SERVE CONNECT CONTRIBUTE

VOLUNTEER SERVE CONNECT CONTRIBUTE Young Engaged Lodge Leaders Starter Kit

PURPOSE OF YELL! YOUTH GROUP IS TO: VOLUNTEERyour time and talents to worthy causes. SERVEyour community and help fulfill its needs. CONNECTwith other like minded young adults. CONTRIBUTEto wfla s mission of service. TABLE OF CONTENTS Section III Small & Large Projects...5 Brainstorming & Plan of Action... 6-7 Evaluation & Reflections...7 Sample Agenda...7 Conclusion...7 Frequently Asked Questions... 8-9 INTRODUCTION SECTION I WFLA is working on getting their younger members involved and needs YOUR help! Groups are being created all over the nation to be the next generation of leaders for wfla. We need help getting young members more engaged in the fun activities the lodges do. Each lodge (referred to as main lodge) has members who do charitable activities, many of which do not involve younger members. The goal is to have younger members involved in their areas so they can continue these activities. This is a guide to help you create a youth group in your community. It describes the guidelines for membership, electing officers, developing action plans, and creating sustainable youth groups. Creating these YELL! youth groups are a vital step in preserving the lodges in your communities, and it all starts with YOU! However, if you are stuck at any point of the process, Kelsey Logan is wfla s Youth Activities Director. The purpose of her role is to help the youth of the lodges get more involved in lodge activities by helping with existing lodge events or creating their own events, as well as creating and maintaining youth groups. Thank you for your interest in starting a YELL! youth group. If you found this starter kit online, please contact Kelsey Logan, youth activities director, at Western Fraternal Life Association (wfla) Home Office 1-877-9352467 ext. 134 or klogan@wflains.org to receive more information about the youth programs. Section I About wfla...1 Introduction...1 Guidelines for Starting a YELL! Group...2 Establishing Officers...3 Your Mission...4 Rules...4 Section II Safety...4 Online & Social Media... 4-5 Publicity...5 Getting New Members to Join...5 YELL! Lodge 108 ABOUT WFLA Kelsey Logan Youth Activities Director 1900 1st Ave NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 877-935-2467 ext. 134 klogan@wflains.org Facebook: Kelsey at wfla Office Hours: M-Th 7:45-4:30 p.m. Friday 7:45-1:15 p.m. WFLA is a fraternal benefit society, which means they offer life insurance and annuities to members with profits going back into the communities of its members. For more than 115 years, wfla has offered volunteer and financial assistance to local charities and organizations. Our members have counted on wfla to be a good steward of their money and protect families from economic hardships. Today, membership in wfla is open to anyone and serves as an effective and efficient volunteer network making important contributions and providing services in the communities where our members live and work. 1

Kelsey has a Facebook account set up called Kelsey at wfla. The account is used to communicate with younger and older members. If you are having trouble recruiting youth members or getting a project going, Kelsey will meet with your group and help get the ball rolling. If you want to get involved, but are not sure if you can oversee a project yourself, that is ok. WFLA will work with you and your local lodge to get a project going. These groups should inspire collaboration and passion in young leaders to become dedicated to making a difference in their communities! President Jim Wolfe, Kelsey Logan, YELL! Lodge 225, and Director Mary Bradley. GUIDELINES FOR STARTING A YELL! GROUP ONE Youth Liaison (over the age of 21 and a wfla member) The youth liaison works to oversee the youth group and is a bridge between the main lodge and the youth group. They also need to be: Interested in youth Willing to serve as an advocate for the youth to the lodge Able to communicate in ways younger members may prefer (such as text and Facebook) Promoting the youth group to new and prospective members Willing to attend events and projects that youth have coordinated and planned Able to help with financial questions and lodge compliance requirements FIVE Members to Start, TWO Must be wfla Members To begin a YELL! group, there must be at least five members who are interested and able to attend activities and meetings. Of the minimum five members, two must be wfla members; meaning they or a family member has a certificate in their name. Others who are not wfla member are also encouraged to attend. They can be friends and relatives of members. FOUR Community Service Projects a Year Each calendar or school year, depending on the age of the members, four activities need to be accomplished. These service projects could be any number of activities. Examples of activities are helping at a community event, picking up litter on a highway or park, baking and distributing cookies to local childcare centers and nursing homes, participating in a charity run/walk, doing a fundraiser, and collecting supplies for schools or childcare centers. We encourage each group to do many more activities, but four is the minimum. To see a more comprehensive list of activities, see our list online at www.wflains.org/youth.html. TWO Meetings a Year The YELL! group must have two physical meetings each year. The goal of the meetings is to come up with project ideas and followup on completed activities. Hold YELL! group meetings whenever it is convenient; they can even be done online via a video chat like Skype or facebook video chat. To count as a participant during a meeting, a member must be able to both hear and speak during the meeting. The YELL! group may operate with the Robert s Rules of Order during their meetings though it is not a requirement of the YELL! group. ONE Main Lodge Meeting a Year To connect with the members in your main lodge, at least a majority of the YELL! group and the liaison must attend at least one main lodge meeting a year. At the lodge meeting, the YELL! group should explain the activities they have done and ask for financial support if needed. Establishing Officers After starting a YELL! group, the next step is electing officers. This means voting in officers such as President, Vice President, etc. The officer posts should be determined by a group vote. Below are the titles and job descriptions. PRESIDENT oversees the planning of events, is a leader in the group, assists members with goal development and implementation, appoints committees, maintains communication with main lodge, presides over meetings, and sets times for meetings. VICE PRESIDENT (assumes position if president is unable to perform duties) coordinates welcoming of new YELL! members, and recruits project team leaders and other volunteers. SECRETARY Keeps minutes of meeting, attends to all correspondence with Home Office (with the help of the youth liaison), and keeps an accurate membership record. CORRESPONDENT documents youth group meetings, takes pictures of event, submits articles to the Fraternal Herald, and communicates with members that cannot attend meetings. TREASURER oversees all youth group funds, maintains and reports balances, keeps receipts. Beyond those main roles, the group could later create committees such as recruitment committee, social committee, volunteer committee, and other committees that help further the YELL! group purpose. 2 3

YOUR MISSION The next step is to create a mission statement. What do you want the YELL! group to accomplish? The mission will help to clarify what the members think the YELL! group should focus on. It will also tell someone from outside the group what the YELL! group does. Mission statements should be short and about one sentence. The mission statement should also consist of the main goals of the YELL! group and are broad so if needs are met, there is room for growth. An example of a mission statement is below. The mission of the YELL! youth group is to strengthen the youth presence in the lodges by developing opportunities to serve the community. Rules The YELL! group s final step is to create a set of rules the organization must follow. The rules should be voted on by a majority of the YELL! members. Rules should include things like how often the group will meet, how long someone can hold office, how many community service projects should be done per year (four are required), how many must attend to count as a meeting. Whether it is in person or online, meetings can be held either way as long as it allows all members to have a say. There must be at least two traditional meetings a year. SECTION II Safety When doing physical or outdoor activities, it is highly encouraged that the liaison brings a First Aid kit and a cell phone in case of emergencies. It is also important to have the phone numbers and names of the parents or guardians of the participants. It is recommended that you have completed copies of the photo and permission sheets with you while doing activities. Online and Social Media An easy way to stay in touch with members is to create an online group or page for members to communicate. You could create a group on any number of platforms, common ones are blogs, websites, or Facebook. Topics for the online groups or pages should include information on the group, meeting times, photos of past projects, and contact information of the liaison. It is very important that if a group or page is created online, it MUST be up-to-date. If necessary, designate a group member to do this. This is important because it allows members to check information at their convenience; however, if the page goes dormant, others may believe that the group no longer exists. When setting up an online place for the YELL! groups, Facebook is a good place to start. Facebook has a Page set-up that allows members to Like the page and to get information as it is updated, as well as being able to communicate on the page. If you are having difficulties creating or changing the page, contact Kelsey Logan at the Home Office for assistance. Two popular blog sites that can serve to create an online presence are BlogSpot and Wordpress. With these, you can post more than just updates; you can add whole blogs about the activities of the YELL! group. The groups can use these posts as proof of activities when recording as well. If the group is very ambitious, it can create a website using a website builder such as Shutterfly or Weebly. Publicity Getting out the word about what the YELL! groups are and what they do is critical to keeping the groups alive. There are a couple ways to do publicity locally and through wfla. Locally A few ways to spread the word about the groups include writing to a local paper and inviting them to see your group in action. Try to advertise the groups meetings at the schools and other social and civic groups. Another way to advertise is to put fliers in the local convenience stores or places that might hold wfla lodge meetings. WFLA Western Fraternal Life has several publications that accept articles and will let others write as well. The Fraternal Herald, our monthly magazine, is a publication that reaches many members, some who are not currently active. Another place to mention the YELL! groups is in the secretaries newsletter (written by Kitty Chadima, lodge director). Finally, the wfla blog and the website can be used to relay stories and mention activities. It is highly encouraged that the group publishes their activities so others can be informed about what the group does. To ensure that others can contact the liaison, be sure to include contact information. Getting New Members to Join While the YELL! groups encourage nonmembers to join, we also highly encourage them to become wfla members. At least once a year, the youth liaison should explain to the nonmembers the benefits to becoming a member, as well as sending home a referral form. If possible, the liaison should encourage a wfla agent to come to the YELL! events. Having an agent involved will help acquaint the non-members with the benefits of becoming a certificateholding member. If the liaison needs any additional material or assistance, contact the Home Office. SECTION III Small and Large Projects Small projects are one-day events that take only a few members and have almost no expenses. This would be the majority of events that the YELL! group does. It includes things like collections and delivery of clothes, wrapping gifts at the mall for an agency, painting buildings or rooms, and baking for organizations. These events will not take much planning to implement or oversee. Large projects are recurring or multiple day events that take many members, collaboration with other groups, or some financial commitment. Large events may include projects like JOIN HANDS DAY, walk-a-thons, having a fundraising team, or hosting a charity event for an organization. The group should strive for both small and large projects. When creating a large project, the liaison should aim to educate the group on the logistics going into the project and the costs associated with it. We suggest not trying to do a big project in the first six months, so the group has time to establish itself. *See our list of potential activities online or in the YELL! Starter Kit folder. 4 5

Brainstorming Plan of Action When the group has decided on who will fill the leadership positions, then they can begin to plan their service events. First, the group should decide what issues they want to address. Are school clubs in need of support? Does your local Red Cross need help at blood drives? Are there charities that need help with special events or fundraisers? Does the local park equipment need a new coat of paint or a shelter in need of used clothing or personal supplies? When creating plans, it is important to have both long term and short-term plans in place. Brainstorming should involve identifying the need, the goal of the project, the constraints of the project, and the ideas for the project. Evaluation and Reflections When the projects are completed, it is important to gain perspective by doing an evaluation of the group. Do the evaluation individually to share collectively in a group setting. The purpose of evaluating programs is to monitor progress and have a reference if the group decides to do the plan again. Reflections are also important to do after an event. They serve as a way to help the young members learn from their service experiences and to find value in their volunteerism. Reflections can help bring the group together after a stressful event or can allow the group to bask in the good feelings that come from making a difference. You will find sample forms in the folder or online. YELL! Group Need in the community Goal Constraints Ideas Plan of Action Chart The plan of action describes what actions your group takes, who in the group does the action, and the expected outcome of the action. Small projects may not have a need for a written plan of action, but when the projects require several steps and multiple people overseeing the project, it is beneficial. A written plan of action also allows for transparency and accountability for members. Who Action Deadline Done? Mark Calling hospital to set up 12/1/13 yes time to volunteer Karen Brainstorming Chart Gathering board games and cards to play with Actions project for local hospital To do a community services project that serves several different populations The hospital can t accept certain donations (like sweets) and volunteers need training Buy and deliver flowers to patients Make tie-blankets they can keep *Note: Make sure the agency that you want to benefit can accept your donation, whether it is blankets, canned foods, or toys. Agencies have many different rules regarding what they can accept. The liaison or president of the group should make calls to potential organizations to find out needs and constraints of the agencies. Many agencies have wish lists that can help in determining donated needs. 12/5/13 yes Sample Agenda 1. Opening 2. Roll call and reading of minutes: read minutes of last meeting correspondent or secretary take notes during meeting 3. Correspondence: read letters, mail, e-mail from other organizations to group 4. Reports: Officers and committees share what they have done since the last meeting and what they plan to do a. Officers b. Standing committees 5. Business: All other actions or correspondence that need to take place during meeting a. Unfinished business b. New business 6. Announcements 7. Closing: Announce the next meeting time and recap what activities need done by that time 8. Entertainment or social activity (optional but recommended) CONCLUSION On behalf of everyone at wfla, THANK YOU for helping to develop a youth program that will serve many people in years to come. We look forward to meeting all the future lodge leaders. We are anxious to hear all about the great projects the YELL! groups will create in the future. If you have any questions about the starter kit, the YELL! group, or anything related to the lodge, contact the Home Office. If you want to get involved but are not sure you can oversee a project yourself, feel free to contact us. At wfla, we will work with you and your local lodge to get a project going. For more information contact klogan@wflains.org, call wfla toll-free at 1-877-935-2467, or add Kelsey at wfla on Facebook. We are excited about uniting generations through community service and creating the future leaders of wfla. 6 7

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Should the Youth Liaison plan the service activities/ events? Ideally, the youth in the group would plan the events from start to finish. However, many are just learning how to become leaders and navigate in the adult world. They may not know to call a business or city hall to ask for donations or permission to do a project. Many teens and young adults still need guidance while planning events. Help the group discover what projects they can do without saying no (even if you know it probably will not work). It s better to prompt the youth with questions like, will we have enough time to do this project? Do you think we will need more help to accomplish this activity? Who do you think we should contact about this? Do you think we will need to raise money for this activity, if so, how much and how? By making subtle suggestions, you can teach the group how to problem solve without solving the problem for them. Does the group have to record activities? Yes, just like the main lodge, YELL! groups have to record activities and meetings. Each activity must have proof in the form of pictures, posts on social media (printed off), e-mails, minutes at meetings, and articles in the newspaper or Fraternal Herald to be compliant with the lodge awards. Counts towards lodge awards. How should the group record volunteer hours? It is recommended but not required that the YELL! groups record their volunteer hours counted toward the lodge. To count the volunteer hours, divide them between community service hours and fraternal support hours. When counting community service or fraternal 8 support hours, the difference is who is served. For community service hours, the activities must be on behalf of another organization, the community, or needy individuals. This could consist of JOIN HANDS DAY projects, blood drives, food and clothes donations, and fundraisers for charity. A fraternal event is an event that supports or sponsors the lodge and must include at least two people. These events could be leadership trainings, holiday parties, meetings, trips, or team building activities. Note: if an activity involves both a community service event and a fraternal event, it can only count once. For example, if a YELL! group made a tie blanket during a meeting that would be both a community event and a fraternal event. However, the hours reported could only be on either the community service hours (making the tie blanket) or fraternal support (having a meeting) but not both. To determine volunteer hours, take the number of individuals involved (members and non-members) times the hours it took to do the event. These hours can count towards either community service or fraternal but not both. For example: 5 X 2.5 = 12.5 (rounded to 13) Members hours What other benefits does wfla have to offer young members? Twenty-five $1,000 National Scholarships, as well as state and local lodge scholarships. Member must be in good standing for two years before being eligible for scholarships. Art, writing, and photo contests for cash prizes. How can the group get more members? People you know: The best people to begin asking to join are the ones you already know. Think of friends and family members who are in the age range of the group, even if you believe they are too busy. You will not know until you asked. Invite friends: have members invite friends to come to events and meetings. This is the proven way to get more members involved. Current young members: Do not forget about current wfla youth members. You should use the member roster for your lodge, provided by the Home Office, to contact these members. Tip: Look at address to determine if they are in the area so you do not waste time calling members in a different state! Location: When asking them to get involved, be sure they are within the area or if they are more than a half-hour away consider having them call in or Skype for a meeting instead. Remember: everyone is welcome, regardless of physical ability to attend a meeting. Have a couple young leaders talk at wfla lodge meetings to tell the members about the need to get more young people involved. Ask active members to give the information (about the meeting times/ activities of the youth group) to their families. Note: Have young members practice with each other at meetings explaining what the YELL! group is. This will help them become more comfortable with explaining to those whom are unfamiliar. How do we get funds for the group? Currently, there are two ways to get funding. The first is to work with the lodge and ask them to donate funds to your group. The second option is for the YELL! group to do fundraising to get money for the group if the lodge is not willing or able to help fund the group s efforts. For a list of fundraising ideas, see our webpage at www.wflains.org/youth.html. Thank You! 9 What do I do if I can t get more individuals involved? Plan a fun social activity, invite potential members to join in activities such as a bowling, skating, or a movie party, and incorporate a service project. Call, e-mail, send postcards, and facebook from your member rosters to tell them about a volunteer day (park clean up for example) you are having. Make sure to have them RSVP if interested. If you are still having trouble meeting with others, another recruitment idea is a meet and greet with local wfla members. Talk about what the YELL! group does, how you need more volunteers, and what activities you plan to do. Use an interest survey to find out what activities younger members are interested in doing with the group (wfla has a sample youth interest survey available). To encourage returning surveys, do a drawing for money.

Kelsey Logan Youth Activities Director 1900 1 st Ave NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 Office Hours: M-Th 7:45-4:30 p.m., Friday 7:45-1:15 p.m. 877-935-2467 ext. 134 klogan@wflains.org Facebook: Kelsey at wfla Twitter: wfla_ins