Last year I was the national voluntary coordinator of National Family History Month which is held annually in August in Australia and New Zealand and I have agreed to do it again in 2014. Behind the scenes activities included liaising with sponsors, organising the launch, maintaining the website, ensuring events are added to the web calendar, liaising with event holders, answering queries and most importantly, publicity and promotion to ensure that we get as many events as possible and that everyone knows about what is happening in their own areas.

Last year I added the concept of prizes for participating genealogy societies and this year I have extended the prizes to both genealogy societies and individuals. NFHM does not have its own blog so I use my website for major updates like this and my Diary of an Australian Genealogist for brief updates and promotion. There is a NFHM Facebook page and we are currently trying to reach 1000 Likes. Why not help us out!

I have just sent off a report to AFFHO (Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations) on progress to date for NFHM 2014 and it is time to start our publicity campaign. NFHM is an AFFHO initiative to promote genealogy and family history in Australasia and was started in 2006 as a week and changed to a month in 2013. More information is on the NFHM website Home page.

Major sponsors for 2014 are AFFHO, Ancestry.com.au and FamilySearch and the National Archives of Australia have agreed to host the launch again, something they have done since 2006. Without our major sponsors it would be very hard to keep NFHM going and we thank them for their generosity and support.

Prize sponsors this year has expanded and we welcome NSW & ACT Association of Family History Societies, MyHeritage and the National Institute of Genealogical Studies to NFHM. We also welcome previous sponsors Australian Family Tree Connections, Findmypast.com.au, genEbooks, Gould Genealogy and History, Inside History Magazine, Shauna Hicks History Enterprises and Unlock the Past.

I am also pleased to announce that our major sponsors have donated prizes too. AFFHO has allocated two conference registrations for two lucky people to attend Congress 2015 in Canberra next year. The program with the theme Generations Meeting Across Time is sensational with great speakers and talks, definitely not to be missed! Early bird registration is now open. Ancestry.com.au have donated ten individual subscriptions and FamilySearch have a tablet prize.

Details of the competitions and prize draws will be announced closer to August but for now check out the list of prizes on offer on the NFHM Sponsors and Supporters page.

It would be great if everyone could encourage their local genealogy and family history society to do an event in August. It could be as simple as renaming the August monthly meeting to NFHM monthly meeting or having one of the library days as an open day for NFHM. Public libraries, archives, historical societies, museums and anyone interested in genealogy and family history are welcome to have an event in August. This year we even have a category for online events. It is easy to add an event, simply click on the link and provide all the details, not forgetting time of event.

My next task is to start contacting key organisations for genealogy and family history societies, libraries, archives, historical societies and museums for assistance in sending out the NFHM 2014 flyer which is also available from the NFHM Home page. The flyer can be used to help promote your events and if you are stuck for ideas, have a look at the 2013 list of events which is also available from the NFHM Home page.

Please join me and AFFHO in making NFHM 2014 our biggest and most successful August ever!