Publicizing and promoting the Graves Family Association
People are needed to publicize and promote the Association. The means of doing this include those in the following list. Any other ideas you have will be welcomed.
- Spreading the word via online lists.
- Links to GFA web site from other sites.
- Articles in magazines and newspapers.
- Booths, brochures and presentations at genealogical conferences.
- Cooperative activities and events with other organizations.
- Each member recruit one new member.
- Have high profile speakers at Graves reunions, and/or do something unusual and newsworthy.
Family research and record gathering
Organizing, overseeing, conducting, and computerizing family research and record gathering.
See the discussion on the Ancestral Research Program.
Indexing the Graves Family Newsletter
Place name indexes and subject indexes for all newsletter are needed. A computer is needed for this, and software can be provided if necessary. We would like to have master indexes since the start of publication.
Helping create and maintain an expanded web site
This could include overall responsibility for the site, responsibility for an existing part of the site, or creating and maintaining new features.
New features could include photos of people and places, profiles of famous Graves/Greaves family members, family news, reunions of individual family groups, queries, research results, articles on how to do research and find your ancestors, etc.
Organizing and running future Graves Reunions
Help is needed with organizing and running all GFA gatherings. No one will be expected to do the entire event by themselves, but someone needs to do most of the planning and organizing (with the help of the officers of the Association), and others need to help with specific tasks.
Help is also needed for staffing the booth of the GFA at any genealogical conferences with which we will be involved.
Being a Coordinator for a family group or part of a family group
We want to eventually have a Coordinator for every family group, including every immigrant ancestor to America. If your family group is so large that you don't want to be responsible for the entire group, consider taking just a part of the family group. Activities that should be part of this program include:
- Providing a clearing house for all information on this family, gathering information on all proven or possible descendants of the ancestor.
- Putting all information in a computer genealogy program.
- Determining whether other families that may be related are and, if so, how.
- Conducting and coordinating research to establish family relationships, to find all descendants, and to gather documentation for all descendants.
- Providing articles, information, and queries for the newsletter.
- Making the information available electronically, either on the GFA Internet web site or by other means, and sharing the information in other ways.
- Developing a list of as many living descendants of this family as possible, and trying to get those people involved in research, family gatherings, etc.
Special Group Coordinator
Being a Coordinator for those with African Ancestry, Native American Ancestry, or for any other group where special attention may be desirable.
Although people who fit into this area may already be included in the preceding section on being a Coordinator for a Graves/Greaves family group, there may be broader issues which could effectively be handled by an ethnic group Coordinator. For instance, it would probably be helpful to establish liaison with various other organizations that are involved with genealogy for particular ethnic groups.
Nominating yourself or others to be officers of the Association
It is important to the success of this Association that the members participate as volunteers and as officers. Don't hesitate to nominate yourself or others for any activity or position where you think you or they might be helpful.
Representative of the Graves Family Association
Serving as the representative of the Graves Family Association to the Federation of Genealogical Societies.
This will require attending the annual meetings of the FGS (or arranging for another GFA member to do so), representing the GFA with the FGS, and communicating with the GFA on any issues of importance to it (by communicating with the GFA officers or submitting articles for the Graves Family Newsletter).