2021 in Review

 
2021 SKCGS in Review

And What's Coming in 2022?

At this time of year, as individuals we are reminded to reflect on our past year and make plans for the new year.  This is a good strategy for continued growth in every aspect of our lives.

It is also a good strategy for organizations, presenting a fresh, dynamic approach to the new year.  South King County Genealogical Society is striving to maintain our purpose "educational in character and devoted exclusively to furthering genealogical research and interest in family and local history.”

SKCGS has operated in the "virtual" world for nearly two years with tremendous growth in the organization in general and individuals specifically.  The efforts of society members who have contributed to this success may not have been obvious to people in the general public so we present here brief reviews and plans for the future.

Education Committee

The team is composed of the Director of Education Barbara Mattoon, Lola Weber, and Carol Friedel.

A membership survey of Program preferences was conducted in the summer of 2021. Using the responses, and the committee members' experiences, General Meeting programs for the 2021-2022 program year were planned. The committee members shared responsibility for contacting prospective presenters, negotiating fees and contracts. Lola Weber has assumed primary responsibility for coordination with our presenters each month.
The membership and the committee desired that at least one program be presented by a member of SKCGS. That program and the June 2022 program are pending.

The Committee is also responsible for preparing a monthly calendar of all Education activities: Special Interest Groups, the Study Group, and the General Meeting program, including publicity information, and sending it to the Publicity Committee for their use.

Outreach Committee

Our team provides a whole range of services – we handle membership duties, offer genealogical help in searching our own publications, send out publications ordered from our website, post upcoming programs and meetings on Facebook, and interact with other organizations in King County such as SoCoCulture and AKCHO.

                  

In 2021, we took our membership dues payments on-line through Square with the help of our Treasurer and that lead to a growth in our membership. Another new thing we did this year was develop and give a presentation on the South King County Genealogical Society to the Renton Rotary Club. Our goal for 2022 is to continue to provide our services, take our payments for publications and genealogy help on-line, and continue to increase our membership.

Publicity Committee

Throughout 2020 and early 2021, the team streamlined processes in several areas. Manual efforts requiring considerable outlay of time and resources were eliminated or simplified with the use of technology. Some of the tools and processes improved in 2020-21:
• Implemented SKCGS shared calendar; rolled-out integrated Gmail, chat, and video conferencing 

• Implemented shared drives for digital file storage and collaboration
• Redesigned website to accept monetary donations and external secure online credit/debit card payment 

• Consolidated individual contact lists for improved bulk emailing
• Introduced a volunteer resource site (the Hub) to improve volunteer on-boarding and communication

Behind the scenes, volunteers who support SKCGS with their time and talents are the greatest assets of the organization. Our volunteers are valued and very much appreciated.

Blog. One of the best publicity tools going for us. Members and visitors want to be educated and entertained with original material. The engaging and consistently high-quality content on our blog keeps people coming back. Hats off to MaryLynn, Valorie, and the contributing writers.
Social media promotion. Cheri and Valorie did an outstanding job of ensuring social media posts on Facebook and Twitter highlighted the weekly blog articles. Promotions utilizing paid advertising on social media helped spread the word and encouraged seminar attendance in October 2020 and early June 2021.
Email Marketing. Nearly 500 members and external contacts were informed every month of society meetings and events which improved engagement, brought in new members and encouraged member retention.

Social communities and websites. Our administrators on the Groups.io platform and the society’s websites kept members and guests informed of society happenings and other genealogy-related events. The detailed slideshows helped members and visitors stay connected with SKCGS programs. Informal and friendly chats and online meetings are often mentioned as reasons why people like our society. Thanks to our meeting leaders and facilitators for creating a welcoming space and fostering a sense of community.
What’s Ahead
The Publicity team looks forward to supporting new initiatives identified during the upcoming planning meetings and development of a five-year roadmap. Planning for hybrid meetings and revamp of the society’s website are on the project list.

Black Miners of Franklin Heritage Project

120 years ago, Franklin, Washington, about a mile outside Black Diamond, was full of coal miners--hundreds of them Black men brought in from the mid-West to break a strike.  There was much drama, and also the growth of families, churches, a labor union, and much more.  Twenty-five years later, the mine closed, the workers left and Franklin became a ghost town.

Join us at https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Black-Heritage-Franklin in uncovering this history. We would like to document each of the Black pioneers. We've been using Chronicling America, Ancestry.com, the Washington Digital Archives, and FamilySearch so far. We welcome more researchers, more resources and more ideas of where to look!

The Obituary Project 2021 

For many years, Barbara Heutchy and Jan Emerson, both long time, dedicated SKCGS members and volunteers, collected obituaries from the Kent Reporter and a Chelan County newspaper. The obituary dates range from 1990 - 2005.  They were very neatly organized by year in file folders and envelopes and stored in boxes.

 

Michele Mattoon and Katie Hanzeli have volunteered to take on the project of scanning, recording, preserving and publishing the obituaries, focusing on the Kent Reporter for now.  We have received permission from Sound Publishing, owner of the Kent Reporter, to publish the obituaries as long as proper credit is given and the guidelines. 

We now need of volunteers to help with a small part of the job. Please contact Michele Mattoon: m.mattoon@skcgs.org or Katie Hanzeli: k.hanzeli@skcgs.org 

Five Year Planning Committee

The Board of Directors of SKCGS invites you to take part in forming our five year plan as we evaluate the ways we serve you and our communities.  Soon we will be sending out a short survey.  When it arrives in your email inbox, please take a few minutes to give us your input.

Volunteer Opportunities

Publicity Assistant 

Assist the Publicity team with monthly activities related to email marketing, digital marketing, and calendaring. Tasks are accomplished online and can be done remotely from anywhere. Good communication and organization skills desired. Come join a fun team and enjoy working on a variety of tasks! Contact publicity-director@skcgs.org for more information. 

Publicity--Quality Assurance

Do you have an eye for detail? Help present our society in the best light possible. Assist by checking our event listings, ads, and posts on various web sites to ensure information is accurate and timely. Communicate and coordinate updates with various teams and external parties. Internet access required. Basic computer skills are helpful but good communication and follow up skills are more important. Contact publicity-director@skcgs.org for more information. 

Designer 

Are you a creative person with a love of visual communication through the use of text, photos and illustrations? Assist the Publicity team by producing designs and content for flyers and ads. Use your own software (InDesign, Publisher, etc.) or freely available Google Docs, Google Draw, Microsoft Word, etc. to create compelling visuals. To be successful, you are able to work independently, network, and find information and resources on your own. Interested in learning more? Contact publicity-director@skcgs.org for more information. 

While 2021 was a good year for our society, it was a rough one for a lot of us personally, and for our communities and county. Here's hoping for a happier, healthier 2022! Please join us in our mission: furthering genealogical research and interest in family and local history.