2024 Virtual FOCUS Event will Help Your Organization with Outreach and Engagement

Dear NGS Organization Members, Administrators, and Delegates,

The National Genealogical Society (NGS) is hosting our FOCUS pre-conference event for genealogy organizations virtually in 2024, and we welcome your organization’s leaders, volunteers, staff, and members to attend on 16 May.

FOCUS offers learning opportunities that foster collaboration and share successes among societies, libraries, archives, museums, and other institutions. Its goal is to strengthen our genealogy and family history community as we work to support everyone in search of their ancestors’ stories.

This year’s theme is outreach and engagement. FOCUS sessions will offer practical tips and ideas to help your organization reach new people, activate volunteers, and highlight family history as a part of the America250 celebration in 2026. Watch presentations and participate in live Q&A on 16 May, then see sessions you missed at your convenience over a few months. Registrants will have access to FOCUS recordings until 15 August.

Learn More and Register for FOCUS

Learn from Fellow Organizations in Keynote and Breakout Sessions

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FOCUS begins with a keynote presentation at 2:00 p.m. (ET) by International African American Museum (IAAM) President and CEO Tonya M. Matthews, PhD. She will share lessons from the launch of IAAM, one of the country’s newest and most compelling museums. Join us to find inspiration, a renewed sense of mission and purpose, and motivation to expand public outreach, engage volunteers, and grow your community. Matthews is a nonprofit executive leadership veteran with insights that will benefit you and your organization.
FOCUS breakout sessions take place 3:15–6:45 p.m. (ET) on 16 May. The nine available breakout options by genealogy and family history organizations include:

"Fabric of the Past: Teaching Local and Family History Research to School Teachers"—Charity Rouse, Spartanburg County Public Libraries
"Street Genealogy: Family History in a Parking Space Pop-Up"—Shamele Jordon, Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
"Using Multimedia Approaches for Public Family History Outreach to Include Diverse and Marginalized Populations"—Marcia Johnson, The National Grigsby Family Society
"Branch Out: How to Partner Societies with State or Local Libraries"—Korina Tueller and Linda Caldwell McCleary, Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records and Arizona Genealogical Advisory Board
"Cemetery Digitization Project: Engaging Volunteers and the Community to Save History"—Lynne Deese, Wake County Genealogy Society
"We Are Three Lakes: Genealogy + History = Community"—Marie Byatt, Three Lakes Genealogical Society
"Creating an Exhibit and Celebration that Captures Hearts and Gets Attention"—Marcia Fraser, Williamson County Public Library
"Growing Membership and Increasing Value with a PBS Affiliate Partnership"—Heather O’Hara, Maryland Genealogical Society
"Densho’s Story: Preserving and Sharing History by Leveraging Technology"—Caitlin Oiye Coon, Densho

Learn more about all the FOCUS sessions online and share the information with other people in your organization.
Organization Member Discount Offer for 2024 FOCUS
The FOCUS registration fee is $50, but NGS organization members with three or more FOCUS registrants can get a $40 registration for each person they sign up (a $10 discount per person). Visit the Organization Member Registration page for discount details and to access the required form.

We look forward to seeing you on 16 May at FOCUS!

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