National Charity League · Canyon Chapter
Communications Team
Kickoff Meeting
2026 – 2027 Season
Saddle Up for Service
Date
To Be Scheduled
Format
In Person or Zoom
Duration
90 Minutes
Attendees
7 Patroness Team Members
Facilitated by VP Communications
Natalie Lueders · nklueders@gmail.com
NCL Canyon · Communications Team Kickoff 2026–27
Agenda at a Glance
01
Agenda at a Glance90-minute run-of-show · Adjust times to your meeting start
+0:00
10 min
Welcome & Why We're Here
Open with gratitude, set the tone, share what this year means to you personally
+0:10
5 min
Theme Reveal: Saddle Up for Service
The "Saddle Up" story — what the western theme means for our communications voice this year
+0:15
20 min
Team Introductions & Role Spotlights
Each member shares name, daughter's class, and the one thing they are most excited to own this year
+0:35
10 min
The Year Ahead: Goals & Content Pillars
Four pillars, key moments, bandwidth map — where we focus and why
+0:45
25 min
Command Center Tour: Live Dashboard Demo
Walk the team through the dashboard — login, task tracking, contact fields, event pipeline, one-click complete
+1:10
10 min
Team Norms & Commitments
Review the three core agreements; acknowledge that this team runs on trust
+1:20
5 min
Q&A + Open Floor
Questions, ideas, anything on their minds — leave space for this
+1:25
5 min
Close: Saddle Up!
Send-off moment — shared intention, enthusiasm, what happens next
Before the Meeting — Facilitator Checklist
☐ Send calendar invite with Zoom link or location
☐ Print or share this guide with yourself only (facilitator copy)
☐ Pull up the dashboard on your laptop / shared screen
☐ Have Training Guide PDF ready to screen-share or print
☐ Test dashboard login on your device before the meeting
☐ Prepare a short personal "why this year matters" story
☐ Send a fun "Saddle Up" pre-meeting message to the group
☐ Have water and something fun to snack on if in person
NCL Canyon · Communications Team Kickoff 2026–27
Run of Show · Part 1
02
Run of ShowFacilitator script + talking points for each segment
Welcome & Why We're Here
10 min · +0:00
  • Thank everyone for showing up. Acknowledge it takes time and it means something.
  • Share one personal moment from last season that reminded you why this work matters.
  • Set the energy: this is not a committee meeting. This is a creative team with a real mission.
  • What you want them to leave with today: excitement, clarity, and a login to the command center.
Start warm. Make eye contact with each person. If on Zoom, call them by name as they join so they feel seen before the meeting officially starts.
Theme Reveal: Saddle Up for Service
5 min · +0:10
  • Introduce the chapter theme: "Saddle Up for Service." Western aesthetic — warm, spirited, community-rooted.
  • For our communications: think warmth over polish. Authentic over formal. Vibrant NCL brand with a saddle-up spirit.
  • Our content voice this year: confident, fun, mission-driven. Every post, every email, every caption should feel like it came from real people who love this chapter.
  • Show the kickoff flyer (if available) as a visual anchor for the theme direction.
Keep this short and energetic — it's a moment, not a lecture. The goal is to give the team a shared visual and emotional reference point for the whole year.
The Year Ahead: Goals & Content Pillars
10 min · +0:35
  • Quick walk through the four content pillars: Inspire · Inform · Celebrate · Recruit. Every post we ever make fits one of these.
  • Highlight the big moments: June 7 Kickoff, September Philanthropy Season, October Thankful, January Recruit, April Tea + Seniors, May Year-End.
  • Share the one rule that governs everything: Safety first, always. No names, no locations, no times on public posts. The chapter's reputation is in our hands.
  • Mention the "I Love NEGU" Hands Challenge — everyone will post together on Sept 1 at the September meeting. Mark your calendars now.
Don't read from notes here — just talk them through it conversationally. If you have the Social Media Calendar open, flip to the Year at a Glance swimlane for a visual anchor.
NCL Canyon · Communications Team Kickoff 2026–27
Command Center Tour
03
Command Center TourLive dashboard demo · 25 minutes · Screen-share or in-person device

Pull up the dashboard on a shared screen. Walk the team through each section in order. The goal: every member leaves knowing how to log in, find their tasks, and mark something complete before the meeting ends.

1
Login Page
Show the branded login screen. Each team member has an email + password sent separately. First login: use the temporary password and update immediately. Dashboard URL is saved in the chapter password manager.
Have everyone log in on their own device right now if possible — hands-on beats watching every time.
2
Top Bar: Your Name + Sign Out
Your name appears in the top right when logged in. The Sign Out button is right there. Session persists for 24 hours — you won't need to log in every time you check tasks.
3
Countdown Rail — Event Pipeline
Every major event is here, sorted by how many days away. Pink badge = coming up soon. Click any card to open the task checklist for that event. Your tasks are already loaded — nothing to set up.
Click the Season Kickoff card right now. Show the task list, progress bar, and how to mark a task complete.
4
Task Checklist: Mark Complete
Every task has a checkbox. Check it off when done — it saves instantly to the shared database. Your teammates can see your progress in real time. You can also add notes to any task using the note icon, and change the owner if a task moves to someone else.
Ask everyone to find one task assigned to them right now and mark it complete as a test. Then uncheck it. That's the whole workflow.
5
Add Custom Tasks
Inside any event modal, click "+ Add task to this phase." Give it a name, assign an owner, pick platforms (IG / FB / TT / App), add notes if needed. It's saved to the database immediately and visible to the whole team.
6
Key Contacts Panel
The right panel shows every key contact's phone and email. These are editable — if a number changes, update it and it reflects for the whole team. No more tracking down contact info in old email threads.
7
Email All Team
The "Email All Team" button in the right panel opens a pre-addressed Gmail draft to all 7 members. One click, everyone's in the To field. Use it for quick team-wide announcements.
8
Pipeline Links (for Admins + Coordinators)
The left panel links to the Social Media Calendar, Team Training Guide, Brand Reference, and Event Kits — all the documents you need, one click away from the dashboard.
Natalie: show the Add Event button (admin-only). Demo adding the team's first internal meeting to the countdown rail live.
9
Email Reminders
The system automatically emails task owners when their deadlines are due or overdue. The email includes a one-click "Mark Complete" link — no login required to check off a task from an email.
This is the team's safety net. Even if someone forgets to check the dashboard, the reminder finds them.
Tour goal: Before leaving this meeting, every member should have successfully logged in, found at least one task assigned to them, and know how to mark it complete. That's success.
NCL Canyon · Communications Team Kickoff 2026–27
Role Reference · Team Commitments · Close
04
Role Reference CardsWho owns what · At a glance
Natalie Lueders
VP Communications · Class 2031
  • Sets strategy and content direction
  • Final approval on all public-facing content
  • Liaison to chapter board and NCL National
  • Weekly digest: all outstanding team tasks
Owns: Everything
Cheri Quigley
VP Comms Assistant · Class 2027
  • Supports Natalie across all comms functions
  • Tracks team deadlines and follow-ups
  • Backstop for anything that falls through cracks
  • Weekly digest: all outstanding team tasks
Owns: Operations + Oversight
Carey Gibbs-Hammill
Social Media / Video Coordinator · Class 2031
  • Day-to-day social content creation and scheduling
  • Mentors Amy, Ledena + Ticktocker SM Chairs
  • Owns Canva production and asset management
  • CC'd on overdue tasks from her committee
Owns: Social + Video Production
Amy Jacobs
PR / Social Media Committee · Class 2032
  • Philanthropy spotlights and partner content
  • Press release drafting and media outreach
  • Event announcement support
Owns: PR + Philanthropy Content
Ledena Cayetano
PR / Social Media Committee · Class 2032
  • Social content creation alongside Amy and Carey
  • Community spotlight content
  • Event recap posts and photo support
Owns: Spotlight + Recap Content
Maria Raine
Chapter Calendar / SOS · Class 2028
  • Manages chapter calendar accuracy and updates
  • Coordinates SOS (Save our Seat) communications
  • Works with Maria + event chairs on timing
Owns: Calendar + Scheduling Comms
Lien Nguyen
Website Administrator · Class 2029/2030
  • Maintains the Canyon chapter website
  • Keeps content current with events and updates
  • Coordinates with Natalie on brand consistency
Owns: Website + Digital Presence
05
Three Team CommitmentsSay these out loud together at the end of the meeting
🤝
We Communicate Early
If something comes up, we say so before the deadline — not the day of. The team can only help us when we speak up.
🛡️
We Protect Our Members
The safety policy is non-negotiable. No names, no locations, no times on public posts. When in doubt, ask Natalie.
🌟
We Celebrate Each Other
We acknowledge great work loudly. We share credit generously. We show up for this team the same way we show up for the chapter.
Saddle Up for Service
This team is ready. The year is going to be something the chapter remembers. Let's ride.
Questions? Natalie Lueders · nklueders@gmail.com · VP Communications, NCL Canyon Chapter 2026–27