Tips for Running a Y-DNA Surname Project

Traditional Genealogy

You cannot skip on traditional genealogy. You can prime your research using lists of those with relevant family names from BMD records and then start putting the family trees together. Run them backwards in time and forwards in time to help find potential candidates to test. This requires exhaustive checks and is very time consuming but it pays to be thorough. You can get assistance from other people who have already researched the relevant trees (and WikiTree, see below)

Recruitment

Use all available resources especially the big genealogical platforms, like Ancestry, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and FamilyTree.org. As users of these platforms are already interested in genealogy you should be able to find candidates there relatively easily.

Facebook and other social media platforms can be useful too.

Use WikiTree

While it doesn't have to be your primary research platform, you should populate WikiTree and use its facilities - like categories and free-space pages. This will help people who are trying to find their ancestors or family orgins discover and gain interest in your research and potentially get Y-DNA tested as result. WikiTree, as a single canonical tree, can save vast amounts of duplicated work and is an open platorm that will likely be able to host your research long after you have passed away.

Join Local History Groups

You should join family history societies that are local to areas of interest - even if only for a limited period. They can be very useful for publicity and/or local knowledge and resources.

Respect Privacy

You have moral and legal obligations to respect people's privacy - at least to the extent possible in a surname project. Follow the advice given by FTDNA.

Rejection

People can be very relucant to get Y-DNA tested. Please don't pressure or harangue them. It can help to explain that Y-DNA is very limited in its health implications and that the FTDNA platform doesn't identify or log potential medical risks. There is a potential risk of discovering unexpected results on the paternal side, e.g. infidelity, bit it is a narrower risk than an autosomal test as it is confined to the paternal line only.

It is best to ask them to think about it and then come back in a week or two so see what they think. If they say 'no' just accept 'no' for an answer. This can be very difficult when they are the last of a lineage but you need to move on. They may come back to you of their own volition later on so you should always be friendly and leave the door open. Obviously, offering to pay for the testing will sweeten the deal.

Memento Mori

You should ensure that your efforts and research do not go to waste if you die or if your project members die. This includes the DNA samples that are held at FTDNA that might be upgradable in future. Try to arrange to have a co-admin on your project and also encourage all candidates to specifiy a beneficiary, kit manager and/or nominate the project manager to have advanced access.