Dear Pam:

Does it seem like the year is just whizzing by already! Thank goodness there is an extra day in February! What will you do with this marvelous extra day? That is the question we are posing all year as we encourage people to #LeapIn and try new things.

A shout out to those who have completed their annual reports, their annual conflicts of interest, and the inventories! If you have not already done so, please either email or snail mail these documents as soon as possible. Not only does the information provide both you and PPFF tools for letting folks know how wonderful friends groups are, we use the data when we apply for the insurance that covers you as a board member and general liability.

Thank you for all that you do!

Marci J. Mowery, President

TRAINING 

Thank you to everyone who took place in the training webinars for treasurers, chapter chairs/vice chairs, and secretaries so far. The recordings for each of these sessions can now be found on the Friends Resources page of the website under Chapter Training Videos/Notes.

A reminder that Tasha's session for social media is scheduled for February 7th at 6:30 PM.

Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82107890424?pwd=UwDTYTuzehFHwToTTQhMYtqWOHMMyF.1

Meeting ID: 821 0789 0424
Passcode: Fjm6R0

TRAINING TOO

And a quick look ahead, at 6:30 PM on March 7th, PPFF has contracted with Chad Barger of Productive Fundraising for the following training, as per your request! Attendance is free and unlimited to board members of Friends groups. 

Best Practices for Membership Recruitment & Retention

Join master trainer, Chad Barger, CFRE, ACNP for a webinar on marketing and growing a thriving membership program.  Chad will provide specific, actionable steps that you can take to expand your membership program by both recruiting new members and improving your renewal rate.  Templates and resources will be provided to help attendees implement the recommendations.

Topic: Member/Volunteer Training with Chad
Time: Mar 7, 2024 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83406023976?pwd=SJkaNW7lktxgLscpWrkDJtrc6NwFsu.1

Meeting ID: 834 0602 3976
Passcode: 127225

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Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kbE8nFMDur

KNOW

As part of #LeapIn, we will be adding more resources to the PPFF Publications page for folks to use in exploring new places and activities. We want to expand, as you know, the offerings of Insider's View fact sheets already online and are working on a guide to the state park and forest wild and natural areas (and national natural landmarks). Pam has embedded an interactive map for the wild and natural areas into Publications and there's a basic checklist there also. A booklet with more detailed information is in the works.

Feel free to use and share any of these resources!

KNOW TOO

In January, PPFF welcomed two new interns, Martha Moon and Garrett Leonard. I'm sure you already read about them in "Take Five/Fridays with Pam" (see https://preview.mailerlite.com/n0p6j0e4y1). You may also be meeting Garrett virtually over the next month or so as he will be calling several chapters as he works on short profiles for the PPFF blog.

SHARE

The stats are in! Christine Ticehurst, Natural Resource Program Specialist for DCNR, shared the numbers and some kind words on First Day Hikes.

Wrote Christine, "[w]anted to send over a note of gratitude to PPFF and various Friends Groups for their tremendous support and involvement at the parks for the annual First Day Hikes. I’ve been sorting through the post hike data and am seeing at least 15 Friends Groups and or various local volunteer groups that assisted parks during their FDH events. I personally attended the Pine Grove Furnace hike and was blown away with the graciousness of their Friends group (that mulled cider was great!). I can only image how fantastic the other events were across the state. Thanks again for all the help!

If you’re interested in the numbers…

Pennsylvania hosted 66 hikes at 47 DCNR locations (43 parks and 4 forest districts); welcoming 2,981 participants, who collectively hiked 7,231 miles."

Congratulations everyone on helping people get outside. What better way to #LeapIn!