Keepers of DKG

In May of 2017, DKG will be 88 years young. In Illinois, most members are 60-70 years old. Our Society faces the challenge of many organizations, that is, to change our actions to meet the needs of younger individuals in the profession. The DKG mission must be to* transform our organization;* reduce the number of members dropping from our organization;* retain and grow our current membership; and* gain younger members.This article focuses on how members can work together to move the organization forward.Why DKG MattersThe challenges in today's educational landscape are different from those faced by our founders, yet we are the same in uniting around our Purposes. It is important that we learn from our history while adapting for the future. On May 11, 1929, Dr. Annie Webb Blanton founded DKG with 11 other women. They believed there was a need for an organization for women educators who could be united in professional preparation and recognition of women's work and who could provide scholarships for those who needed assistance in preparation.Delta Kappa Gamma strives to provide the necessary support, energy, and enthusiasm as educators go about their important work, and it continues to be a "supportive, lifelong, learning, community/organization for women educators who seek to grow personally and professionally to make an impact locally and globally" (Merz, 2016, slide 34).Why Membership in Organizations is DecliningData from the 2015 United States Department of Labor Time Use Survey (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015a) and others clarifies what individuals report as reasons for dropping out of organizations. Facts regarding factors impacting participation include the following:* On an average day, adults age 75 and over spent 7.8 hours engaged in leisure activities-more than any other age group; 35- to 44-year-olds spent 4.0 hours engaged in leisure and sports activities- less than any other age group (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015b).* According to the labor statistics, women who are 75 and over read more than younger women and spent more time in leisure activities. The women in the 35-44 age group spent fewer hours in leisure or sport activities, which suggests they would have a limited amount of time to attend meetings (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015b).* In a study about how individuals in their 20s spend their time, researchers found they spent 261.7 minutes per day socializing, relaxing, and in leisure activities in 2014 compared to 256.2 minutes in 2004. They spent 4.9 minutes per day in volunteer activities, compared to 3.0 minutes in 2004 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015b).* Employed adults living in households with no children under age 18 engaged in leisure activities for 4.5 hours per day, 1.1 hours more than employed adults living with a child under age 6 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015c).* According to Yohn (2016), writing for the Harvard Business Review, association memberships are falling and Millennials have found their own ways of networking, mainly through social media, while finding less value in the old ways of networking.* Volunteer hours (for an organization and without pay) are higher for those with a bachelor's degree and beyond than for high school graduates (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015d).* O'Neill (2014), writing in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, stated that, in 2013, one-third of Americans between the ages of 33 and 44 participated in a formal volunteer activity, while those between 65 and 74 contributed the most volunteer time. At the same time, women (28.4%) volunteered more than men (22.2%), and the rate for volunteerism by parents with underage children was 32%, even though they had busy schedules. They also found that college graduates volunteered more than those who did not have degrees.DKG: The Statistics Speak for ThemselvesAccording to membership data from Nita Scott, DKG International Membership Services Administrator, there has been a substantial decline in membership. …