How One Homeschooler Found Herself Running a State Conference

It all started so innocently. I read in the local newspaper that there was going to be a used homeschooling book sale. I had a friend who desperately needed to get rid of some things, so I told her about it. When she asked if I would go with her, I said, "Sure."

See, I told you it was innocent. On the day of the sale, we went with other sellers and set up a table with her priced items. When the lady putting it on came around to collect her $10 fee to participate, I asked, "Who gets the money?" I was expecting to hear that her support group did, or even possibly the church we were meeting in. Instead, she shuffled her feet, turned kind of green, and sheepishly said, "It is for our own homeschooling."

I tried to put her at ease by responding, "Oh, neat!" Three months later I put on a book sale about ten times larger. I couldn't help it! As soon as she told me the participation fee was for herself and I saw her collecting $1 from each attendee, my brain began spinning.

Small Shows
By the next day I had already figured out what I liked about this used book sale. How it could be done better from a seller's point of view, how to improve it from an attendee's point of view, and what other things you could add to this to make it even better.

I rented a church and began to call new vendors to invite them to purchase tables. As soon as I had sold a few of these, I began advertising to homeschoolers who wanted to sell and shop for used books. The calls began to come in from those who wanted to sell used merchandise, and The Homeschool Market had begun!

I used every inch of the church, had a couple of hundred attendees, showcased more than 20 people selling used things and more than 20 vendors with new merchandise, and offered eight free workshops.

Since no homeschooler needs incentive to look at used books, I did a few things to encourage shoppers to look at the new merchandise! I put the used materials in the back, harder-to-reach areas; asked the vendors for donations to use as door prizes that the winner had to collect from them; and asked them to use coupons we would distribute at the door to be redeemable at their booth. I scheduled the event for August, a time when homeschoolers are done with one year's materials and ready to purchase for the next.

The next year I rented a college with double the space, increased the number of free workshops, and sold lunches.

Okay, does the thought of putting on a small show have no appeal for you? Too big to comprehend? What about setting up play dates?

Play Dates
I started a play group to fill a need of my own and, in the process, for many others as well. Here is some of what I learned. Before you do anything, set the parameters for your group. Is it an already established group you will do this for? If so, skip ahead to picking a place. If you are starting a new group, you need to decide whom you are going to invite. Is it going to be for Christians or a secular group? A few guidelines set up now will save you time and stress in the long run. How will you handle issues like biting children or inappropriate behavior or speech? Who will supervise the children? Choose your group, set your date and time, and you are ready for the next step.

Next, simply pick a place to meet. Decide if it will be outdoors or indoors. Then pick a park, church, community center, or someone's home. Then you need to publicize it. These days email makes it very easy to do. You can also make up some flyers and ask others to help you distribute them, post them in the library or church bulletin board, and send to support group leaders. Speaking of support group leaders ...

Groups
You may decide to do something a little bigger. My foray into starting a support group was done with the help of a good friend. By working together, we were able to build something bigger than we ever dreamed possible, and we had fun in the process. I guarantee there are other homeschoolers looking for the same thing you are! Your goal should be to supply a need that is not currently being filled.

First of all, you need to define what kind of group you are going to be. Support groups, co-ops, and whatever else you want to call a meeting of homeschoolers can be exciting places where homeschoolers meet and learn what to do and what NOT to do from each other! There are many different kinds of homeschool groups available today. I classify them in three categories.

Support Groups: A support group is a group of families or mothers who gather and share ideas and how-tos, answer questions, and so on, in order to effectively encourage and support each other in the common goal of homeschooling.
Co-ops: A co-op is a cooperative gathering of families that seeks to make schooling easier or more enjoyable through group activities. A true co-op uses the skills and talents of each of its members to teach classes and maintain the facility and the organization required for meeting.
Homeschoolers Private School: A private school for homeschoolers is created when families meet and cooperatively hire teachers (who may or not be homeschooling parents themselves) to teach their children for them. The parents may or may not participate in teaching but usually do take part in running the group and maintaining the building.

I am not going to gloss over the truth: managing a support group can be a very time-consuming ordeal. Yet, some of us are definitely called to it, and the rewards are eternal. The hardest part is the startup, because so many details have to be thought out. Here are some things that need to be considered:

Meeting place: where will you meet? Will you meet in someone's home? Will you rotate homes or always use the same one? Will you use a library or other public place, a church, a restaurant? Will you meet in the daytime or evening?
Childcare: This has been one of the greatest issues. What do you do with the children while the meeting is going on? If the meeting is during the day, then childcare is a major factor. The children must be supervised. Will you hire someone, or will moms rotate through childcare?
Meeting content: Will there be a speaker each month? Will the leader select and lead a specific discussion topic? Will the discussion be left open for whatever comes up? Will there be membership dues? If so, what is this money to be used for? Don't forget the IRS! Field trips? Brochures, handouts, flyers, etc.? Copying costs?

Have numerous contacts been made? This aspect is probably not that crucial in the beginning. At some point, if the group is ever going to grow, some PR work has got to be done. Network, network, network! Make sure as many people as possible know that you're out there. Get your group name on some message boards online. Register with some homeschool agencies. Once or twice a year, announce an open house over the radio station that would most likely be listened to by your target audience. The best times would be around late April and early August. If you can choose only one, August would be the best time.

Leadership: I would advise you to not set up the leadership in the group as co-leader and co-leader. Let's face it: anything with two heads is considered a monster. I recommend you set up as a leader and assistant leader or president and vice - something like that.

Miscellaneous details: Paperwork, guidelines, policies, etc., need to be in place as quickly as possible. I encourage you to establish a leadership group and devise a purpose statement/mission, that is, what is and is not allowed. Who is the group targeting? Is it only those in a specific geographic location or anyone who is interested in fellowshipping with other homeschoolers? Is it a Christian organization or, again, anyone interested in homeschooling? Establish what the parameters will be for behavior, class type, class size, teachers, ages, worldviews, etc. Who will be in charge? What about money?

Have you considered placing yourself under a parent organization, such as a state-recognized group? They will probably list your group on their website. What about a chapter or branch of another group? Would you rather go as a private, independent group, or nonprofit 501(c)(3), or church affiliated?

Pulling a group together can be extremely time consuming. How are you going to fit this venture into your schedule? Make sure you have at least one other person to help with all of those details and also serve as a sounding board.

Conventions
You know how one thing leads to another? A few years after I had put on my own little homeschool show, the state Christian organization contacted me about helping them relocate over on the side of the state I lived in. I talked to my husband, and after checking out a few things, we agreed I would run the exhibit hall for them. A couple of years later, we were on the board, with me in charge of the conference and my husband serving as president of the board.

Even though serving in this capacity was never my goal, all of my previous experience in organizing play dates, starting and running a support group, and putting on small shows gave me insights, fresh perspectives, and valuable experience. I have used all of my acquired knowledge from the school of hard knocks in this new capacity of putting on conferences for thousands of people with dozens of speakers.

Setting up play groups taught me how much new homeschoolers and mothers with young children just need encouragement. Much of that is gleaned from exposure to more experienced homeschoolers. Therefore at our state convention we try to hook up new homeschoolers with mentoring moms.

From my years of putting on small shows, I learned much about the special requirements of exhibitors and meeting their needs so they can in turn meet the needs of the attendees. I became aware that marketing your event is not easy and requires expertise and skill that must be learned.

From my more recent years of speaking and being a vendor at conferences across the United States, I have been privileged to see the conference through new sets of eyes. Now I am more sensitive to how a smoothly running conference is dependent on good communication and many willing volunteers. Running a large conference has more potential for failure. But the flip side is that it also brings even greater rewards. Being able to help put together something that means so much to both new and experienced homeschoolers across our state as well as many neighboring states is a blessing and a joy.

If I had to sum up what I have learned, I would say that it all depends on your heart and motivation. If the reason for putting on a play date, field trip, or outing of any kind, starting or running a group, or putting on a show of any size is that you want to be noticed, the rewards will be small. However, if you are reaching out with a sincere desire to serve others and possibly at the same time meet some of your own needs, you will be blessed through your efforts while blessing others.

Lorrie Flem has been honored to be the happy rib of Randy for 20 years. They make their home in Maple Valley, Washington until they reach the mansion Jesus is preparing for them. She considers it a privilege to be a stay-at-home homeschooling mom to their always precious and often precocious eight children.

Lorrie has always been prone to talk and as a result she has written a number of books, is the publisher of TEACH Magazine, a FREE bi-monthly ezine, and speaks nationally at conferences, retreats, and teas. Lorrie is known for her humorous and gentle words of encouragement to other keepers of the home. See her and get a sample of TEACH -- The Magazine that Puts the Home in Homeschooling -- For Mothers of Today with Yesterday's Values, at www.TEACHmagazine.com.