Officer Updates – May 2025

The 2024-25 Circle Annual Report (CAR) form is open and ready for circle submission. A PDF version of the report is available here, allowing the circle to prepare responses in advance. Remember, only one officer can submit the annual report through SurveyMonkey. The form is designed to allow the submitting officer to save completed work and return it to the form at a later date. The Circle Annual Report is required to meet Circle Standards. If you have questions about the report process, contact Jamie Bouldin, Director for Membership Services, at [email protected].

The Circle Annual Report is due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern, Monday, June 30, 2025.

Make sure your Program Reports are submitted for Signature Programs. This is a separate process from the Circle Annual Report. Check the Circle Standards tracking on the MyODK Circle Executive Dashboard to see if you have submitted a report. You need to have submitted the following to meet Circle Standards:

• 1 Signature Leadership Program
• 1 Signature Service Project

This is your last chance to submit a Circle Leader of the Year (C-LOY). The submission process for 2024-25 is still open. Circles are expected to select a CLOY – a person dedicated to the circle’s leadership and success. The circle then notifies the National Headquarters of its selection. The CLOY recipients will receive a signed certificate suitable for framing and be recognized on the O∆K website and through social media. We hope to have every circle select a Circle Leader of the Year in 2025. Submission of a C-LOY recipient earns points toward circle recognition.

The submission process for 2024-25 closes on May 31, 2025.
Read more . . .

After your ceremony, it is essential to REJECT all SUBMITTED or ACCEPTED applications remaining in your Application Dashboard. If an applicant has an open application for FY 2024-25, they cannot apply for FY 2025-26 if eligible. One of the good features of MyODK is that applicants can reapply by signing in during the open application period. You will prevent them from applying if they have not been rejected and closed out from a previous application cycle. We recommend rejecting all applications right after you submit your certificate order. It is easy to “Reject All” after your ceremony, and you do not have to make any adjustments or returns.

Circles can export two important membership reports:

• Circle Application Report — This report provides the circle with a detailed report for everyone who has successfully applied during a recruitment cycle managed through MyODK.
• Master Initiate Report — This report can provide information on all members listed in MyODK for the circle. It allows circles to search for various application statuses, from started to rejected.

Note: When entering report dates, remember that MyODK is keyed to the initiation date. Make sure you include the specific initiation date or a range that includes one or more initiation dates.

MyODK Circle Officer Training has transitioned to a self-paced online format. If you have completed the training and not received the PDF guide, please contact [email protected] so we can send it to you. We will update it later this summer and make it available to all officers.

When selecting a shipping address for certificate orders or other circle orders, please select your work address unless it is absolutely necessary to ship it to your home. UPS ground to business addresses is significantly cheaper (up to 30%) than shipping to home addresses. We greatly appreciate any effort you can make to help us keep shipping costs to a minimum.

OΔK will release several updated documents this summer. Most importantly, the official Initiation Handbook, Circle Officers Handbook, and OΔK Policies and Procedures Handbook will be updated.

We will also be updating the MyODK Officers Guide and videos to incorporate system changes and additional clarifications requested by officers. We will send separate updates as each new document is released. We will also send all officers a PDF version of the revised Initiation Handbook. All documents and videos will be available on the Circle Officers web page.

In May 2025, OΔK officially launched the new Active Membership Program. Initiates of Omicron Delta Kappa hold a lifetime membership in our honor society, and their achievements will be recognized. However, looking to the future, we must acknowledge that ΟΔΚ cannot sustainably finance our organization and support our programs and services without diversified revenue. We cannot continue to rely on new initiates’ fees as the primary income source. For generations, lifetime members have had access to member benefits and services without any requirement to contribute to the Society after the initiation fee.

After careful review and many years of discussion, Omicron Delta Kappa will now ask our members to support the Society’s work through an annual or one-time Legacy membership fee.

On May 1, 2025, members whose active membership is set to expire on June 30, 2025, will begin receiving renewal notices. There is an annual renewal fee of $50. Members can become a Legacy Member through a one-time payment of $500. The result will be four statuses for our Lifetime Members. You can read about the new program and new fees here. Most importantly, Circle Officers will have no renewal fees while serving as an Advisor or Student Officer.