Action Ideas: Team Leaders

Tips For Regional Team Leaders:

Regional Group Upkeep

  • Set regular meetings. Use meetings to share information, identify needs/gaps (then report these gaps to the steering committee), set goals for your group, and brainstorm ideas for future events
  • Encourage everyone to join the MaineMCN. Minimally, this means signing up on the Web to get one email a month; information relevant to helping service members and families
  • Be sure NEW group members sign up for your MaineMCN Regional List.
  • Stay in touch with your local military liaison (or Maine Military Family Assistance Center)
  • Find a local member to be your backup in case you cannot hold your regular meeting
  • Add events to the MaineMCN Calendar, including your own meetings, by Submitting an Event
  • Add resources to the Maine Resource Guide for Service Members and Families
  • Add new MMCN volunteers to the MFAC (Military Family Assistance Center) database by asking them to fill out this MFAC Volunteer Sign-up Sheet, then sending it to Kerry Birmingham, MFAC Manager at kerry.birmingham@us.army.mil
  • Conference Planning

Communication

  • Use your Regional email group to contact your members, remind them about upcoming events and follow up with goals and tasks
  • Bring people together by encouraging groups who don’t usually talk to communicate at your region meetings
  • Learn as much as possible about organizations and people and be the one to connect them
  • Share announcements from the state and nation (from the Steering Committee, join the monthly calls or read the minutes) with your group
  • Sign-up to get emails about relevant issues (www.pdhealth.mil/nl_signup.asp, www.ptsd.va.gov/about/subscribe.asp, www.witnessjustice.org/mailinglist.cfm)
  • Share information about local talents and resources (local CBOC, MFAC, FRG, counseling, Vet Center van) and have members tell others to join the Maine Military and Community Network
  • Scan the news for stories and events to add to the MaineMCN calendar

Planning and Goals

  • Record the group’s goal(s), specifying deadlines
  • Determine an action plan for the goal, with specific tasks/activities taken on by group members
  • Send an email to your regional group reiterating the goal, period of time, and action plan
  • Track progress: identify successes and areas where your group could improve
  • Be persistent
  • Share the goals and progress with the Regional Group on a regular basis

Example

Time Frame: In the next 6 months, by June 15

Who: The Bangor Regional Group

What: (Goals)

  1. Create a list of volunteers to help others in area with yard work and shoveling.
  2. Hold a town hall meeting to show and discuss the film “After the Fog”; invite the local police, teachers and religious leaders, and ask an expert from the MaineMCN steering group to come to talk to the group afterward to answer any questions.
  3. Set up MaineMCN booth at two local events

Action Plan:

  1. Group member A will keep track of volunteer list; writes down two from that day and will email draft to group before the next meeting. Shares his/her contact info with group so all can forward more ideas.
  2. Group member B will contact steering committee for speaker at event, Group member C is designing posters before the next meeting, Group Member D is contacting the local VFW and local colleges to ask for donated space to host the event. Group Member E can make photocopies of 50 posters to advertise the town hall meeting.
  3. Group Member B will ask the steering committee ad look online for upcoming events that could use the MMCN booth, and will report on progress at the next meeting.

Progress:

1 month:

Goal 1 Progress:

Draft of list was emailed before meeting. We have two people on list of volunteers to help shovel.  Group member A also told the local MFAC about the list so they can let local families know.

Goal 2 Progress:

Got the names of two potential presenters for the film discussion. Found local VFW hall that will provide free space to show the film on April 20th. Found a copy of the film at the local library to rent and display. Need 3 people to post posters about the meeting.

Goal 3 Progress:

Group member provided information on a local religious leaders conference that would be good to have the MaineMCN presence at. Another member volunteered to follow-up with the leaders about a booth.