Genealogy Societies, Clubs and Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
Use The Family History Guide as a primary resource for genealogical societies, genealogy clubs and SIGs.
Genealogical Societies and The Family History Guide
The Family History Guide Association is an educational partner with the National Genealogical Society (NGS). It has an agreement in place to provide training to NGS member organizations on how to use The Family History Guide to enhance family history learning and research skills.
If your genealogical society or organization is a member of NGS, you can schedule a free demo of The Family History Guide for your group by using our Contact Us page. If your group is not affiliated with NGS, we may still be able to assist with your training needs, depending on availability (use the same Contact link above).
Groups can use The Family History Guide for self-paced learning for their members, as well as taking advantage of the tools in the Trainers menu, such as:
Genealogy Clubs and Special Interest Groups
You can create or guide a genealogy club by leveraging the free content in The Family History Guide. Here are some approaches:
- Classes: Use instructor-led classes as described in Class Outlines. You can design a curriculum around the topics your club wants to focus on, in the sequence that's best for you. The Class Outlines page shows how to create and present classes quickly and easily, on over 230 topics.
- Platforms: Learn the major family history platforms—FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Findmypast—by using the Projects and Goals in the Learning Paths menu. The instructor can walk through the steps with the learners, and there are built-in Exercises as well as Show-Me slides (linked in the header area).
- Assignments: Assign club members different research topics in The Family History Guide, such as research strategies, Massachusetts vital records etc. (there are literally thousands of topics to explore). The member studies by reading the articles, watching the videos, and exploring the websites / databases mentioned in the topic on The Family History Guide, and then reporting or presenting findings to the group. This can lead to further discussions and Q&A in the club.
- Tools: Use other learning tools found in the Trainers menu, such as Practice Exercises, the Q&A Center, and Quizzes to promote interaction and learning in the group.
- Tracking Progress: The Family History Guide features the Online Tracker, a secure database that lets members track their learning progress online. There is also a Google Sheets version that does not require a separate account.
- Recruiting: To attract new members, you can let others know that the club will be exploring genealogy using The Family History Guide website. You can request The Family History Guide's free pass-along cards for your club, using the Contact Us page on the site.