Membership Regions
About Membership Regions
Membership regions were developed . . .
- To more effectively engage KNPS members and local citizens in learning to better know the native plants growing in local landscapes;
- To foster more local events and local involvement; and
- To promote a local KNPS membership community.
Find Your Region
Membership Region boundaries are drawn based on population & proximity. Regions are named after the largest city in each region. Each region has a relatively small area to allow local participation in activities.
Goals
Each membership region is encouraged to create more local events and involvement.
Goals of the Membership regions include the following:
- Develop local events in each region
- Recruit new members in each region
- Create a local community of members
Membership Leaders
Each region has a volunteer membership leader, who is available to help initiate more activities in your area.
The statewide KNPS organization is available to help the regional leaders.
Additional information for leaders and regional groups is available below.
Additional Information
Considerations for leader goals:
- Encourage a representative for each county in your region
- Develop at least one event in each county of your region
- Attract members in each county in your region
- Increase region membership by a set amount
- Encourage others in your region to help
KNPS Help for Regional Leaders!
KNPS will help leaders by supplying materials and guidance. Contact us for the following.
- Supply a list of members in the region along with contact information.
- Supply KNPS brochures and KNPS business cards for your events.
- List your events in our Events Calendar.
- Notify people of your events through the Email List.
- Supply a list of potential speakers
- Offer guidance specific to the event that is being developed.
Organize a planning meeting with fellow members in your region. Contact KNPS for a list of members in the region. A planning meeting is a fantastic way for those in the region to meet one another. It also can get more people involved to help. Consider the following topics of discussion.
Consider the following topics for discussion.
- How often to meet
- Ideas for indoor programs
- Ideas for field trips
- Places to hold meetings
- Ways to attract the public to events
- How to encourage new members
Organize field trips. Field trips are popular among members. Consider visiting one the following areas. Ask you members for ideas of places to visit.
- State fishing lake or wildlife area
- Federal reservoir property
- City or county park
- Arboretums and public gardens
- Private property, by permission only
- Private gardens, by permission only
KNPS has developed a handy Guide to Hosting a Wildflower Tour to assist with Field Trip organization for large groups.
What are your local members interests and skills?
Consider offering workshops for the region’s members. The following could be offered.
- Plant identification
- Seed collecting
- Growing native plants from seed
- Pressing plants
Ask your local members for suggestions based on their interets.
Consider having a speaker present to the region’s members. Use local speakers if possible. Contact KNPS for a list of possible speakers. Some ideas for topics are the following.
- Gardening with native plants
- Restoring or Managing prairies or woodlands
- Local wildflower slide show
A region is only as strong as the members that make up the region. Regions should try to attract new members and encourage member involvement. This is best accomplished at each event.
We suggest doing the following at any event held in your region.
- State the mission and/or goals of KNPS
- Use a KNPS Event Sign-in Sheet to collect attendee names & emails. Send the sign-in sheet to KNPS.
- Alternatively you can use the Email Group Sign Up Sheet to gather emails that KNPS can add to our email list.
- Attendees who supply their email address will be invited to join the KNPS email list so they can receive weekly events announcements
- Offer KNPS brochures or business cards
- Mention that members can request our wildflower poster when they join.
- Mention the KNPS quarterly color newsletter that members receive
- Have everyone in attendance introduce themselves. This is a great way to get people talking to one another. Starting with the leader have everyone state the following.
- Their name and city
- Member of KNPS?
- Their interest in native plants
Once events have been determined, they should be publicized to both our members and to the public.
- To publicize with KNPS, be sure to submit your event to the Events Calendar.
Publicize your events locally. Consider contacting the following entities for help publicizing, especially if the event will be held on their property.
- Public Libraries
- Extension Offices
- Conservation Districts
- State Parks
- City Parks or Nature Areas
- Federal Reservoir Parks
- National Parks
Use local publications when possible. Consider the following publications.
- Local newspapers
- Grass & Grain publication
- Local Rural Electric Cooperative publication
- Kansas Traveler Publication
Use Social Media
- KNPS Facebook
- KNPS Instagram
When looking for potential attendees for events, other organizations may have interested people. Consider contacting the following.
- Garden Clubs
- Master Gardeners
- Audubon Groups
- Sierra Club
- Ranchers
- Biology Groups (e.g. Butterflies)
- Scout Troops
