ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

ROTARY INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT 9125 2012 DISTRICT CONFERENCE ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES OF CLUB SECRETARY PRESENTER: ROT. OLA ALOBA phf +

1. FUNCTIONING CLUB • Your club is a member of Rotary International. Through this membership it links your club to 35500 Rotary clubs worldwide with membership of over 1,300,000 members, and giving access to RI services and resources. A functioning Club is defined as a Club that:- • Pays its per capita dues to RI • Meets regularly • Ensures its members subscribe to the Rotarian and District Magazine • Implements service projects that address needs in the local community and / or in other countries • Receives the visit of the governor, assistant governor, or RI Officer • Acts in manner consistent with the RI Constitution, Bye laws and Rotary Code of Policies • Pay its RI membership and district dues without outside assistance • Resolves club disputes in an amicable manner • Maintains co-operative relations with the district • Cooperate with RI by not initiation or maintaining litigation against RI, the Rotary Foundation and associates, and the International Office of the RI secretariat

1. FUNCTIONING CLUB (Cont’d) If a club fails to function, the RI Board may authorize RI General Secretary to terminate such club. This is without prejudice to club’s response to query from DG, before making recommendations to RI Board. Dues and attendance are mandatory items for club sustenance on RI list. Clubs can be terminated due to Non payment of financial obligations, or incorrect attendance list.

2. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ROTARY CLUB • Maintain positive news media relations • Publicize successful service projects and activities that illustrate Rotary’s aims achieved • Encourage Rotarians to inform their families, friends, business associates of Rotary aims and accomplishments • Strive to let community leaders, young people and other interest groups be aware of Rotary mission, scope, programs and activities • Take definite steps to correct wrong impression of Rotary aims and objectives • Encourage news media, public relations and other communications professionals to join Rotary • Seek out avenues to be of service to the community

3. ROTARY CLUB SECRETARY • This is a Rotarian in good standing elected at least during preceding year to serve as Secretary to the Club • Club Secretary is the Officer of the Club that is knowledgeable enough to speak on Rotary ideals • Club Secretary must be ready to create enough time for Rotary business • Club Secretary is the wheel that makes Club activities to move smoothly • Club Secretary is prepared to set aside at least 1 day prior to weekly meeting to do Rotary work • Club Secretary must integrate the Club activities into his/her normal business to minimize time conflict • Club Secretary must have patience to sufficiently discharge obligations to Club members • Club Secretary is Club errand boy with no remuneration

4. EFFECTIVE ROTARY CLUB ADMINISTRATION • Effective Rotary Club administration is organizing people and resources to achieve common goals with minimal resources. • Admin responsibilities: • Planning and organizing weekly meetings and programs • Promoting fellowship amongst club members • Keeping members informed • Collecting dues • Maintaining club membership list and reporting to Rotary International • Tracking club attendance

4. EFFECTIVE ROTARY CLUB ADMINISTRATION (Cont’d) • RI Constitution and Club Bye laws is a “must use” tool for good and effective administration • Club Leadership Plan as recommended – Rotary Club Structure will assist greatly to reduce duplication of activities • Secretary Schedule is a good reference material • Club Service Director Schedule (Interconnection with others) • Hub of Club as life wire is the effective Secretary • Wrong person will either bring the club down or put more weight on the President (If I have my way, incoming President must have a definitive input on choice of Secretary) • A day before meeting must be set aside for Rotary activity or in the alternative engage a Rotaractor to come in to assist

5. WORK SCHEDULE • i. Directorates Coordination • Club service • Vocational service • Community service • International service • New Generation service

5. WORK SCHEDULE (Cont’d) ii. Rotary Business Member Access – Each member to be encouraged to use for update. New members must have access upon joining to give more information on Rotary.

5. WORK SCHEDULE (Cont’d) iii. Secretary’s Duties • Taking attendance, record keeping, writing minutes of meetings, reporting to District and RI (including semi-annual report) • Coordinates the various club committee chairs activities • Custodian of Club properties and information relating to: – • Club Service • Vocational service • Community service • International service • New Generation Service

5. WORK SCHEDULE (Cont’d) iv. Semi-Annual Report • Club Secretary receives semi-annual report (SAR) packet which includes dues invoice, in early June and early January. Updated membership list must be submitted to RI by 1st June and 1st December each year to ensure accurate dues invoice. This can also be downloaded on RI website.

5. WORK SCHEDULE (Cont’d) v. Record Keeping • Club Secretary is custodian of all Club records. • RI documents are not meant for commercial purposes. Secretary duty is to ensure safety. • Mandatory to receive from outgoing Secretary complete records and equipments of the club – files, bell/gavel, banners/badges; all items of the club such as Constitution, Bye laws, minutes of meetings, reports, roster of club members • Work with outgoing Secretary to ensure records are complete. In the vent of no records, it would be ideal to leave legacy by starting to produce record during your tenure • Club Constitution/Bye laws speaks of what the Club stands for in the community. Questions can come from media and even new members, for clarification of issues on Rotary. It is the duty of the Secretary to give answer to such issues. Mandatory for Secretary to read and understand at least the club Constitution / Bye laws and also to make references to RI Constitution • When legislation is adopted by the Council on legislation changes, the Standard Rotary Club Constitution will automatically affect club Bye laws. It is important to check whether such changes affects your Club Bye laws

5. WORK SCHEDULE (Cont’d) v. Record Keeping (Cont’d) • Keep documentation of your Club activities during your tenure. The archive is so important to the Club history • Club archive contains information related to the club – These include • Club application for membership in RI and list of Charter members • Club Constitution and Bye laws • Meeting notices and minutes of meetings • District Conference Programs • Press Clips, Club photos of project activities

5. WORK SCHEDULE (Cont’d) vi. Member Access www.rotary.org is RI way of keeping all Rotarians abreast of new developments in Rotary World. • You and your Club President have access privileges to the following club administration • Viewing and changing Club membership data • Viewing and printing out Club reports, roster and invoice • Updating Club data (meeting time, place and officer information) • Viewing Club contribution status to the Rotary Foundation

5. WORK SCHEDULE (Cont’d) • vi. Sources of information for Club Secretary • Board of the Club • Past Club Secretaries • Club Committees • Club Members • District Governor • Assistant Governor • Rotary International • Rotary Foundation • RI Forms, Manuel of Procedure, Magazine, Official Directories, How to propose a new member document • All these sources are basically raw information for processing for effective functioning Club. • Your role as Secretary is to begin to think critically about how these information can be used to benefit the Club.

6. DISTRICT CONFERENCE • You must attend District Conference as part of your preparation for the new Rotary year. • You will work with Club President to agree on who will be Club electors based on membership of the Club.

7. PREPARING YOUR SUCCESSOR • Rotary is continuum, therefore, there should be no gap in old and new administration of the Club. There is need for the outgoing Secretary to groom and brief the incoming Secretary on experiences, challenges, recommendations on best way forward for the Club. • All Club items must be turned over to your successor after the last Club meeting in June. • Before your term in office ends, you should make sure that Club records are current and materials are orderly for your successor. The following check list will serve as a guide:

7. PREPARING YOUR SUCCESSOR (Cont’d) • Club records on attendance, membership, Board meetings, Club Dues payments, Contribution to the Rotary Foundation • File containing the Club’s Constitutional Documents • Copies of all necessary reports in the appropriate Club file • Club equipment – bell, gavel, banners, etc

8. MONTHLY ATTENDANCE REPORT TO DISTRICT GOVERNOR • Secretary is responsible for sending Club’s monthly attendance report to DG. The report is due within 15 days of the last meeting of each month. This report is based on weekly percentages.

9. VISITING ROTARIANS’ MAKE-UP CARD • Secretary is responsible for preparing make up card for visiting Rotarians, who will use the card as make up for lost attendance at his/her club.

10. ROTARIAN RELOCATION FORM • Rotarians may relocate due to business or other circumstance to new locations. Secretary may prepare proposal card of the relocating Rotarian to the President/ Secretary of new club.

11. CLUB INFORMATION CHANGES • Any changes of Club information – new meeting place, time, or day, change of address for a President or Secretary should be reported immediately to District Governor and to RI through Member Access.

12. OFFICIAL DIRECTORY INFORMATION • By October, you will receive copy of the Club Officers Report Form to submit your Club Data for RI Official Director. It must be completed and returned to RI latest 31st December. This must be submitted to District Governor Elect to enable him contact incoming Club Presidents and the current Governor.

13. ANNUAL REPORT • You should prepare an annual report for presentation at the final club meeting of the year. You must discuss with Club President on the details. This will be brief description of actions taken by the Club Board, membership gain or loss for the year, monthly attendance percentage and any continuing projects. This must be given to incoming President for his/her report.

14. WORKING WITH CLUB LEADERS Club President • Secretary and President must work as a team to ensure effective operation of the Club. You and the President-Elect should meet with current officers to assess the state of the Club, the status of ongoing projects and other Club activities. It is ideal that you and President-Elect attend meeting of the current board, if possible, to allow you gain a greater knowledge of the Club’s administrative procedures and to ensure continuity of Club operations.

14. WORKING WITH CLUB LEADERS (Cont’d) Board of Director’s Meeting • The Club’s Board of Directors is its governing body consisting of President, Vice President, (depending on your Club Bye laws), President-Elect or nominee, Secretary, Treasurer, Immediate Past President and additional Directors according to Club Bye laws • Club president presides at Board meetings and the Secretary does the followings: • Send notices to all Board members • Confirm Board participation • Invite Assistant Governor, if necessary • Set Agenda for discussion with President • Provide support materials as needed • Take minutes and generate a report for the Club

15. CLUB ASSEMBLIES • Club Assembly is a meeting of all members to discuss Club’s programs and activities, and to educate members. The Secretary issues notices after agreeing with President on dates and record the minutes. Secretary assists President during the meeting. The Club’s Bye laws will guide on the number of times for Club Assemblies during the Rotary year. The Club President may set up Committee for the Club Assemblies.

15. CLUB ASSEMBLIES (Cont’d) • The Committee must work with President and Secretary to organize the Club Assemblies and agree on topics for discussion which may include among other items: • Club strengths and weaknesses • Goal setting and action plans • Committee activities • Membership growth and retention strategy • District Conference or other district and RI meetings • Open Forum for general discussion, most especially to educate new members

16. THE DISTRICT GOVERNOR OFFICAL VISIT • The District Governor makes official visit to each club in the district during the Rotary year as part of Rotary year schedule. The Assistant Governor will attend your Club, either on normal meeting days or during Club Assembly to formally inform of dates of DG visit. The Assistant Governor will be available to attend to questions or concerns of the Club before the visit. Your duty as Secretary is to work with Club President and determine preparation for DG’s visit.

17. NOMINATION FOR CLUB OFFICES • Your duty as Secretary is to help the President to carry out nominating procedures for candidates for Club offices as outlined in the Bye laws; decide the procedures for the election. You may agree with the President to publish the qualifications of candidates according to the Club Bye laws. The election of officers must be held no later than 31st December. After the election, the Secretary publishes their names to all members of your Club. (RI laws prohibit campaigning for any RI office).

18. CLUB TREASURER • Club Secretary and Treasurer have several responsibilities that are interrelated. It is VERY important to work closely with Treasurer in order to ensure mutual understanding of Club operations, and particularly functions of Secretary and Treasurer and Club services.

19. CLUB DUES • You must work closely with Treasurer to track and collect dues from members from July 1st. It is ideal to give gentle reminders to members at every Club meeting on the need to pay dues as at when due. Treasurer is the custodian of all Club money, not the Secretary. • Maintaining Club Membership list and report to RI • Collecting dues

20. AT WEEKLY CLUB MEETING • Secretary works with the President and Club administration committee for effective weekly club program, which provide Club members with information on incoming activities and introduce motivation to increase members participation in activities of the Club, community and the world. Secretary’s responsibilities at weekly Club meetings include but not limited to the following: • Distribution and collection of name badges • Providing badges, if required, to visitors • Paying hotel for meals, if required • Assisting with letters of appreciation for Guest Speakers • Issuing make up cards to visiting Rotarians • Assisting President in announcements

21. CLUB BULETTIN • Not all Clubs produce bulletin but it is ideal to produce one. It keeps members and visitors informed about the Club, and upcoming programs, recognition of outstanding service by a Club member, details of upcoming service projects and other activities. Club administration committee is responsible for producing club bulletin. As a member of the committee, Secretary should provide information for bulletin content. • The Rotary Club constitution states that members failing to pay their dues within 30 days of the due date should be notified in writing by Secretary. It is important to device methods peculiar to individual Club locations to get members to make payment.

22. ROTARY IDENTITY CARD • Membership cards are important as means of identification of members when visiting another Club. It is for personal use within Rotary Family. Rotary membership cards contain information about Rotary and the individual members; so it must be protected. • The District Governor may inform all Clubs to issue RI Identity Card to all members.

23. ROTARY FOUNDATION • Records of the Rotary Foundation are usually kept by the Secretary. In some Clubs, Foundation Committee keeps such records, but it is important to update the Secretary on the current status.

24. CLUB ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE • Club Administration is one of the five recommended standing Club Committees. Club Secretary must be a member of this Committee for effective operation of the Club due to the following reasons: • Organizing weekly meetings and special programs • Promoting fellowship among Club members • Producing Club Bulletin • Keeping attendance of Club meetings

25. CLUB MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE • The Secretary need to work closely with Membership Committee because some of the activities of the Committee require his involvement. These include: • Procedure for proposing and electing members

26. MONTHLY ATTENDANCE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS • Educate Club members about attendance requirements • Inform Club members about how to make up a missed meeting • Tracking attendance • Weekly Attendance • Number of regular members present, dividing it by the total active members in the Club has members who are excused under Sections 3b and 4 of Standard Rotary Club Constitution or because of a District Officer position, count them as present if they attend a Club meeting, but do not count as absent if they do not attend • Include active members present, members credited with make-ups, members excused by the Board for a reason considered sufficient

26. MONTHLY ATTENDANCE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS (Cont’d) c. Do not include members whose combined age and years of membership (is one or more Clubs) is 85 years or more, and have notified Club Secretary in writing of their desire to be excused from attendance. The Board must approve the request. d. Do not include current RI Officers or visitors to your Club

26. MONTHLY ATTENDANCE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS (Cont’d) Make ups • You give attendance credit to a member who misses a Club meeting if within 14 days before or after the missed meeting, the member meets one of the following conditions: • Attends at least 60% of the regular meeting of another Club • Member is present at the usual advertised place and time of another Club’s regular meeting and that Club is not meeting • Member is serving on Rotary business as an RI Committee Officer or member, a Rotary Foundation Trustee, or District Governor’s special representative in the formation of a new Club • Member attends or travels with reasonable directness to or from Rotary function • Member participates directly and actively in a service project sponsored by Rotary in a remote area • Member attends a regular meeting of any of Rotaract, Interact, community corps, or fellowship of Rotary • Member participates in a Club service project or Club sponsored community event or meeting authorized by the Board

26. MONTHLY ATTENDANCE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS (Cont’d) Monthly Attendance Report to District Governor • The Secretary is responsible for sending to the District Governor a report of the Club’s monthly attendance. It must be sent within 15 days of the last meeting of each month, based on the weekly percentages. Simply compute the average attendance percentage for the weekly meetings in a given month • Omit a regular Club meeting that is cancelled for any of the following reasons: • Officially recognized holiday • Death of a Club member • Disaster or civil disturbance affecting the community • Armed conflict in the community that endangers life of Club members • Note: Board may cancel up to 4 meetings per Rotary year for any other causes not otherwise specified, as long as it is not 3 meetings in a row. • DO NOT INCLUDE CANCELLED MEETINGS WHEN CALCULATING ATTENDANCE

27. CLUB SECRETARY CALENDAR Jan – June (Before taking office) • Begin studying the Club Secretary’s Manual, Standard Rotary Club Constitution and Rotary Club Bye laws to educate you on your schedule of activities • Confer with the President-Elect and outgoing Secretary • Attend District Assembly • Attend incoming Board of Directors meetings • Assist the incoming President, as requested, in establishing plans for the new year • Attend Club Assembly held by President-Elect after the District Assembly • Work with Club President to activate access privileges in Member Access for your Club Treasurer and Rotary Foundation Committee Chair.

27. CLUB SECRETARY CALENDAR (Cont’d) July • Inauguration into office • Use Member Access at www.rotary.org to update Club information, maintain membership records, and review reports • Obtain all Club records, Club property, etc from the outgoing Secretary • Send statements of Club dues and fees to all members. Collections may be done monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually depending on individual Club and to reflect what is culturally appropriate • Receive the official Directory from RI

27. CLUB SECRETARY CALENDAR (Cont’d) November • Update your Club’s membership list in Member Access December • Prepare for and assist with the annual meeting to elect officers, which must be by 31st December to guarantee inclusion in the next edition of the RI official Directory

27. CLUB SECRETARY CALENDAR (Cont’d) January • Send reminder on Club dues to all members who are still owing • Prepare both the semi-annual report and dues payment and send to RI on 1st January • Work with Club President and Board to raise Club program of activities and prepare mid-year progress report February • If Club decides to propose one of its members as a Governor-nominee candidate, send the Club resolution supporting that decision, to the District nominating Committee

27. CLUB SECRETARY CALENDAR (Cont’d) April • Begin briefing your successor on the various aspects of your job schedule May • Prepare your Club for RI Convention • Update your Club membership list in Member Access June • Prepare your annual report to the Club • Meet with your successor and turn over all Club records and property

REQUIRED REPORT TO RI AND DISTRICT

ROTARY INTERNATIONAL