How to Start an Affiliate:

• Step 1
  Make a decision to work with others in your district/area to secure appropriate gifted programs. You will need to keep this goal in sharp focus as you proceed. Think of your PAGE Affiliate as a “PTA for the Gifted.” Remember, there is strength in numbers!
• Step 2
  Contact the PAGE Executive Secretary to request a start-up package.

• Step 3
  Contact your school district’s central office about reserving a room free of charge for your first organizational meeting. Ask also if they will distribute a flyer to families of the gifted for you. Confidentiality laws may prevent the district from giving the list of names to you. All districts in Pennsylvania do provide this service, but if the district refuses to distribute the flyer for you, find other ways…ask your child to pass them out to friends in the gifted program, take them to sports games, scout troops, PTA meetings, etc. The flyer should give a sentence or two about PAGE and the who, what, when, where, et cetera about the meeting.
  • Step 4 – The First Meeting Arrange for a speaker . Choose a topic that is general enough to include all age levels. Some possibilities are: Gifted Characteristics, State Laws and Mandates, the need for an affiliate, etc. PAGE Regional Leaders and Board members are often available at no cost for this first meeting to assist you in getting started.  Or, free speakers could be a neighboring Affiliate leader, an Intermediate Unit spokesperson, a local teacher of the gifted, or your school district’s superintendent or the Special Education Coordinator. It is the responsibility of these district officials to meet with parents and most welcome the opportunity to do so. District officials are often frustrated by lack of parental involvement, some get quite enthused when parents express interest in the curriculum of the district and the gifted program. Ask the speaker to plan for 30-45 minutes. People will need time to just share stories and mingle during this first meeting.

Have a sign-in table at the door. Make sure each person is greeted, given a name tag to wear, and fills out an information sheet for future mailings and meeting announcements. This form should also include information about the children’s ages and school attended. This can be a good time to distribute an article for them to read while waiting for the meeting to begin.

Begin with welcomes and introductions, and briefly explain the need for an Affiliate. Introduce the speaker for the evening’s program. Following the speaker’s presentation, allow a few minutes for questions from the audience. Then, to encourage all who attend to express their needs and concerns, break into small groups by grade level, school, or special concerns or interests. Ask these small groups to choose a recorder to write down key ideas. After 20-30 minutes, call the large group back together and askthe recorders to share their reports with everyone.

• Step 5
  Ask for 3-5 volunteers to write a constitution for the new Affiliate. Explain that this is a short-term commitment and set the first small group meeting and a final date for completion. (May adapt from sample Affiliate or PAGE Constitution.)

Describe to the group the advantages of becoming an Affiliate of PAGE . Pass out membership forms for PAGE and explain that your group must have at least 10 paid memberships in order to become an Affiliate.

Announce the date and the topic/speaker for the next program . Thank all who attended and ask them to spread the word to other families with gifted children. Tell them that the next program will also include a brief business meeting to adopt/revise the by-laws, choose an Affiliate name, elect officers, determine a tentative calendar, and set dues.

• Step 6
  When you have approved your by-laws and have 10 people who have joined PAGE, send the PAGE Affiliation Form along with a copy of the by-laws and affiliation dues to the PAGE Treasurer, as listed on the form.
• Step 7
  Congratulate yourself! You have now provided a structure to deal with future educational issues in a proven and successful manner. You are no longer alone in you advocacy for your child’s gifted education.

• Membership Committee:
• makes phone calls
• recruits new members
• keeps mailing list in order
• sends letter of acknowledgment and welcome to new members
• Publicity and Fundraising Committee:
• writes press releases and contacts media regarding meetings and special projects
• recommends and implements fundraising projects
• Gifted Program Study and Action Committee:
• Researches curriculum options and confers with school personnel
• Special Projects Committee:
• Works on projects as recommended by membership; i.e. summer programs, Saturday programs, awards for scholastic excellence, purchasing of special equipment, applications for grants, inservice opportunities for school district professionals, parenting seminars, etc.
• Budget Committee:
• Formulates the budget for the year
• Works directly with the Executive Committee to determine allocations of funds

Each Affiliate should determine the standing committees it believes are necessary to achieve its goals.

The Executive Board can form ad hoc committees as needed, such as picnic committee, teacher appreciation party committee, etc.

Some Affiliates have four program-type meetings a year which do not include a business meeting. The Executive Committee acts on recommendations from standing committees and meets four times per year. In this case, the real work is done by the committees, who meet as necessary. Business-type information can be given to the members through the newsletter.

Other Affiliates schedule four meetings a year with a twenty-minute business meeting followed by a guest speaker. They usually schedule two in the Fall and two in the Spring. The Executive Committee meets as needed to carry on the business of the group, including negotiations with the Superintendent during the district’s budget process, attending school board meetings, providing support at budget hearings, etc.

A representative from each school or level can be very helpful. These people attend PTA, School Board, and other meetings and work closely with parents of that building. A building level representative would also help to keep the list of gifted students current. They might serve as a “gripe person,” since he or she would ideally have children in that school. Concerns vary greatly between the elementary, middle, and high school levels. It is important to keep in touch with all levels in order to insure a comprehensive gifted program.

Some Affiliates who have a president, past president, and president-elect find that this helps because the three presidents share the responsibilities.

Be sure that those who chair various committees are both motivators and workers. Chairs of standing committees should serve as members of the Executive Board

Give each member of the Executive Committee a binder with information relating to their position in your Affiliate. Include such things as:

• a description of the duties of their office or committee
• information duplicated from this Affiliate Handbook which is relevant
• a copy of your Affiliate Constitution
• telephone listing of all Executive Committee members and membership (such a listing should always be available for distribution to the membership as well.)
• minutes of meetings
• past activities of their committee or office

The Executive Committee member should be responsible for keeping the binder up to date, and giving it to the person who succeeds them on the Executive Committee.

Not all groups are this formal, and you are not a failure if you do not follow these models. Each group must adjust to suit its particular needs. Some groups are extremely effective with only 2-5 active members.

An Affiliate leader should always try to make sure that those who are volunteering their time and energy to the Affiliate feel appreciated for their efforts. Although this sounds simplistic, it is sometimes one of the most difficult tasks as well as one that can get lost in the flurry of getting things done. A short note or phone call, or perhaps special mention in the newsletter, will work wonders.