BLUE RIBBON YEARBOOKS

The Scale of points for judging yearbooks was revised in 2003 to encourage more originality and to recognize achievement.  Here are some suggestions for a useful and award-winning yearbook:

Appearance/convenience:  Material may be placed in any order most logical and useful to your members.

Membership Roster:  If state and national dues are paid on associate, inactive or honorary members, they are counted in total membership; don’t crowd list; email and fax numbers are very helpful.

Programs:  A good variety of programs helps to attract and keep members.  Give speaker’s name, brief qualifications, program titles, type of program.  Example: “Deep in the Dark Forest.” Jane Elmore, owner of Elmore’s Nursery, presents a slide program on native trees.

Monthly Study:  In addition to main program, club may have 5-10 minute monthly study given by members.

Activities Optional:  Teas, field trips, tours of gardens, luncheons, workshops.  Ways & means and fund raising events are not projects.

Projects:  Projects involve actual membership participation that benefits the community and further NGC goals and objectives.  Continuing projects show dedication and new projects add enthusiasm. 

The study of birds at a meeting is a program or part of a monthly study.  Members feeding birds at home is not a project.  Club members helping school children make bird feeders for their school is a project.  Establishing a bird sanctuary at a public park is a project.

A Flower Show is a project educating the public.  Work to help our parent organization/s such as hosting a district or state convention or selling Vision of Beauty Calendars is a project.  Donations to food banks or scholarships, etc. are projects.  “Encouraging member to…” is not a project.  “Support state project” is too vague; explain how the club actually participates in the project.

Project Descriptions:  Give a brief word description as to who benefits, how members are expected to participate, the chairman etc.  Examples:

Ames Senior Facility – members give monthly garden related programs and provide refreshments for approximately 45 residents at senior residence center. Jill Johnson, Chairman.

Donate $50.00 to state scholarship fund, 9^th year (option to give number of years).  Options add interest and are not required.

Style:  Decorative cover paper; allow ample room for programs and roster; take advantage of bold type for emphasis; don’t mix too many font styles to avoid busyness; colored pages; dividers, ribbon bookmark.

Graphics:  Computer clipart or hand drawn graphics carry a theme; do not overuse or mix clipart styles.

Theme:  While not required, if a theme is chosen by the president or club, it may be carried out in the cover, graphics, clever titles of programs, quotations etc.  State and national presidents’ themes are optional.

Monthly pages:  Make meeting date large and easy to read; allow one page for each month; important dates on same pages as monthly meeting as reminder, roll call subjects.

Roster & Member Information:  May list NGC judges and consultants, list offices held in other gardening organizations, memberships in related organizations, birthdays.

Other options:  Former club presidents, design, horticulture or nature tips, bylaws, memorials, awards won last year, budget, club history, club library, conservation list, local/state legislators, related organizations information, poems, photos of members working on projects, coupon to local nursery etc.