Today's DAR
“Oh, the places you’ll go!” Little did I know when I joined DAR, 38 years ago, the wonderful people, opportunities, and adventures that lay ahead. What an absolute joy and privilege it has been to serve as Corresponding Secretary General as a part of the Wright Team.
Reflections from the Executive Officers: Corresponding Secretary General
During my three years in this role, I had the privilege to work with the talented staff of the DAR Store and DAR Insignia. Together, we enhanced key retail operations to streamline processes and improve efficiency. Our efforts included launching a new online store platform, modernizing and implementing a new sales system, and upgrading the shipping infrastructure.
With over 80 years of combined DAR service, the experience and enthusiasm of the DAR Store staff was a source of inspiration in developing new products, including the Vera Bradley line, Graduation Honor Cords, DAR Safety Vest, the Memorial Continental Hall Tea Cup, and the soon to be released DAR Library Balcony Desk Clock.
As one of the original members of the Insignia Task Force, it was a privilege to work with the DAR Insignia staff and to then build DAR’s Insignia business. Sales exceeding $11 million allowed for significant Gifts to the Nation, totaling over $1 million, benefiting the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation, the Military Women’s Memorial, and Homecoming 250 Navy Marine Corps. For the first time, all 50 states and the District of Columbia experienced a DAR Insignia Pop-Up Shop at a state event. Two new pin categories were introduced; the state historic properties pin for volunteer service at a state property and a personalized chapter pin.
I served as the executive liaison to six outstanding national chairs, all of whom worked with their teams to accomplish outstanding feats!
The Flag of the United States Committee (Marria Blinn) distributed Flag Replacement Grant impacting 180 communities nationwide, including areas hit by Hurricane Helen. More than 700 American flags were flown by the committee over Memorial Continental Hall and later available for purchase through the DAR Store.
The Insignia Committee (Mary Tedesco) and its inaugural class of Insignia Volunteers (IVs) supported 64 state Pop-Up Shops, plus three holiday and three Continental Congress Pop-Up Shops - accounting for well over $3 million in sales. The committee assisted in the approval of 65 new pins, including design work as necessary, along with providing marketing and branding support to the DAR Insignia Store. Be sure to check out the print and digital Insignia catalog due for release at this year’s Congress. In the meantime, don’t miss the ongoing the Pinnacle Pursuit contest on the Insignia DOC for a chance to win a Colonial Insignia!
Although a new committee, the Commerce Committee (LeAnn Turbyfill) made a significant impact by updating nearly a 1,000 online product and pin descriptions for the DAR Store and Insignia Store. A dedicated team of Daughters also helped streamline the order process by reviewing and approving over 70,000 orders.
Through the dedicated efforts of the DAR Leadership Training Committee (Trish Jackson) and 115 state coordinators, nearly 5,000 Daughters successfully completed more than 6,800 courses. The committee also refreshed the New Horizons course and created a course for state and chapter parliamentarians.
The Master Reports Committee (Hellen Polk) created the new State Master Report (SMR) to capture state activities and donations to be included in the state section of the Annual Proceedings. Revised the Chapter Achievement Awards to recognize chapters of all sizes and encourage active committee participation and member retention.
The DAR Genealogy Research Institute (GRI) Committee (Marcy Carter-Lovick) marked its 4th successful Annual Institute, consistently exceeding attendee expectations for the past three years. Innovations included extended DAR Library hours, pre-event Zoom meetings, and DAR-specific concurrent sessions.
The unwavering dedication of Daughters, who generously give their time to our society and their communities, is the strength of our organization. I am awestruck by their service at all levels and I thank you for the privilege to serve as your Corresponding Secretary General for these past three years.
