Friends Groups

The Handbook is your best resource for information on forming and managing the chapter. It contains the financial policies and processes you must follow. Forms referenced in the Handbook can be downloaded separately.

• Chapter Handbook
• Check Request Form
• Deposit Spreadsheet for Accounts (Friends Groups or Park/Forest Deposits)
• Grant Submittal Policy and Cover Sheet

• Financial Policies for Park or Forest Accounts (Deposit Forms and Check Request Forms available here.)
• Financial Policies for Friends (excerpted for convenience from the Chapter Handbook) (Deposit Forms and Check Request Forms also available here.)
• Fundraising Policy for Raffles
  • Small Games of Chance Reporting Form (Excel spreadsheet)
• IRS Language for Receipts/Solicitations
• Checklist For Sales Tax
• Professional In-Kind Services Provided

Each December, the annual report required to be filed by each chapter can be found here in both Excel and pdf form. The Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Statements must be filed by each chapter board member every year in order for your board to be covered by directors and officers liability insurance and your Chapter to remain in good standing. New for 2019, the Annual Report can be completed through SurveyMonkey. Give it a try and see if it is a little easier. If not, a PDF created through Survey Monkey is linked below as well. It has a different format from previous years. Can we try an experiment?

• Annual Reports Form (SurveyMonkey)
• Annual Reports Form (good old-fashioned Excel)
• Annual Reports Form (PDF)
• Conflict of Interest Policy (Review Annually)
• Affirmation of  Compliance with Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Statement (Sign and Return Annually)

This spreadsheet looks complicated – no question! However, if you use it regularly when year-end reporting time arrives it will have done all the math you need for the financial pages of the annual report. Get in touch with Pam for a little lesson on making it work. It’s really magic!

• Deposit Tracker (Excel Spreadsheet) (pdf)
• Tracking Chapter Donations for Your Annual Report/Deposit Tracker How-To
• Sample Deposit
• Deposit Tracker Sample
• Deposit Tracker Summary Sample

• Chapter Membership Guide (Check out additional samples under Helpful Samples) (9/15/20: Please note these documents do NOT link. Technical problem. Contact Pam for documents!)
• Membership spreadsheet
• Merged membership card
• Handwritten membership card
• Welcome letter
• Renewal letter
• Membership form

• Board Commitment Form
• Bylaws
• COVID-19 Policy

• 5K Run/Walk
• Art in the Park
• Bark in the Park
• Car Shows
• Easter Egg Hunts
• Firewood Sales
• Halloween
• Barriers Checklist (Assessing for Accessibility)
• Needs Assessment (Assessing a Gateway Community)
• How to Perform a Mail Merge
• Notes from 2018 Chapter Retreats (Ideas from Your Peers)
• Notes from 2019 Chapter Retreat (Including Some “Brags”)
• Guide to Setting Up a Facebook Page
  
• Google Hangouts for Online Meetings

• Get Healthy in the Outdoors (pdf) and (jpg)
• Get Healthy in the Outdoors (Spanish) (pdf) and (jpg)
• Volunteering & Me (pdf) and (jpg)
• Year of the Trees/Value of Trees (pdf) and (jpg)
• #PracticeSafeRec (English) (pdf) and (jpg)
• #PracticeSafeRec (Spanish) (pdf) and (jpg)

• Hours Tracker (Excel) and (pdf)
• Volunteer Sign-In
• DCNR Conservation Volunteers admin documents (or sign-up online)
• Incident Report Form
• Volunteer Management and Recruitment
• Community Relations
• Working With Volunteers (wisdom from those who have been there – our park managers and district foresters)
• A good volunteer event recruitment email courtesy of the Friends of Michaux
• Leadership Programs Across the Commonwealth

• Events
  • Video
  • Audio Only
  • Chat Notes
• How to Fix Your Productivity to Amp Up Your Results
• How to Turn Event Attendees into Annual Donors
• How to Get Donor Visits and Knock Them Out of the Park
• Ten Tips to Supercharge Your Next Fundraising Appeal Letter

• Contract for Musicians/Performances
• Music Checklist

• Photo Release Form
• Photo Release Form for Group Signatures
• Waiver of Liability/Assumption of Risk

• Advocacy
• Advocacy (More Information)
• Board Development
• DCNR Meeting Facilities
• Fundraising
• Media Relations
• Social Media

Specifics for PPFF Chapters

• Chapter Compliance
• Technology is Your Friend
• Making the PPFF Calendar Work For You (How-To) and (Submit Event form)

Helpful Samples

Membership Materials

• Kings Gap Membership Form
• Kings Gap Renewal Card
• Kings Gap Renewal Letter
• Lyman Run Membership Brochure
• Lyman Run Membership Letter
• Parker Dam Membership Brochure and “mail in” insert
• Pinchot Membership Letter
• Pinchot Membership Brochure
• Ridley Creek Membership Brochure
• White Clay Creek Renewal Email

Sample Newsletters/Flyers

• Friends of Pinchot
• Individual Chapter Template (contact Pam for yours)
  • Friends of Cook Forest
  • Friends of Pine Grove Furnace
• Friends of Kings Gap events calendar

Sample Acknowledgements/Solicitation

• Acknowledgement Sample How-To
• Downloadable Acknowledgment Letter
• Downloadable Acknowledgment Letter (In Kind)
• Sample Letters to Members and Donors
• Fun, Personal Sample Letters
• Solicit by Letter (don’t forget the IRS language)

Sample Meeting Agenda

• Beltzville
• Pine Grove Furnace

Chapter Dialogue Notes and Video

• 1/11/18 – Planning the Chapter Retreat
• 2/1/18 – Notes for Chapter Chairs
• 7/23/20 – Social Media Tips from Sarah (YouTube video)

Post Chapter Retreat Notes

• 2016 East/West Notes

• Handbook for PPFF Chapters
• Promotional poster (send to website for more info)
• Logo (.jpg)
• Press Release Template (.pdf or Word document)
• Press Release Template for PPFF Chapters (.pdf or Word document)

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016