Role and Responsibilities

1. Role and Responsibilities Club Secretaries Presented by Paul Mears and Russell SmithRotary Club of Tawa

2. Objectives • Identify the role of the club secretary. • Identify ways to work with your club as secretary.

3. Club Secretary Responsibilities • Maintain membership records. • Record attendance and send monthly attendance report to the district governor. • Send out notices of meetings. • Record and maintain minutes. • Make required reports to RI. • Collect membership dues and submit subscriptions.

4. Member Access • Update and review membership data. • Pay club dues. • Update club data. • Report new club officer information. • View the club’s Rotary Foundation contribution reports.

5. RI Club Administration Software • Manage contacts. • Manage club information. • Assign club officers and board members. • Track club events. • Send e-mails to contacts in the database.

6. Reports • Semi-annual report* • Monthly attendance reports • Membership Data Form* • Visiting Rotarian attendance reports • Rotarian Relocation Form • Changes to club data* • Official Directory Data Form* *Can be reported through Member Access.

7. Resources • Club constitution and bylaws • Manual of Procedure • RI Catalog • The Rotarian or Rotary regional magazines • Club Secretary’s Manual

8. LETS 2010 - TIPS AND GUIDELINES FOR SECRETARIES • Prepared by Paul Mears, Rotary Club of Tawa

9. LIAISON WITH PRESIDENT AND PREDECESSOR • This enables President’s expectations to be ascertained and a smooth transition. • Check with President and previous Secretary as to practices and procedures within club and which ‘tips and guidelines’ should be followed. • Try to anticipate issues likely to arise and forewarn President of these.

10. CORRESPONDENCE SCHEDULE • Correspondence schedules are an option. • If your club keeps a correspondence schedule, maintain and distribute to President (as required) and to Board members in advance of the Board meeting.

11. INWARD MAIL • Collect at least once a week and in time to distribute at meeting. • Open every envelope, regardless of to which club officer it is addressed. • Record details of mail, including significant e mails, on correspondence schedule - assuming one is kept in your club. • Distribute mail to appropriate person. • Consult with President (or other appropriate person) if in doubt. • Be aware of deadlines imposed in urgent correspondence.

12. OUTWARD MAIL • Retain copies of outward correspondence (i.e. letters and significant e-mails). • Insert details on correspondence schedule. • Develop system for recording significant correspondence sent by other office holders on behalf of club.

13. BOARD MEETINGS • Prepare draft agenda for President’s approval (e.g. 5-6 days before meeting). • Ascertain whether members want additional items included and, if required, send reminders regarding reports from Directors. • Following President’s approval, distribute final agenda to all Board members (e.g. 2-3 days before meeting). • Following meeting, prepare minutes and send to President for approval. • Distribute minutes to Board members. • If appropriate, prepare summary of minutes for approval by President and then distribute summary to all club members (if this is the practice in your club).

14. CLUB MEETINGS & MONTHLY ATTENDANCE REPORTS • Ascertain from President as to whether agenda is required. • Take District Directory and other Rotary items which may be needed at meeting. • Obtain attendance sheet for use in preparation of monthly attendance report - attendance sheets should include details of make-ups but you may need to seek out this information. • Make-ups can be completed within 14 days (before or after) meeting. • Make-ups are personalised, not aggregated. • Submit monthly attendance report to District attendance secretary (contact details are in District directory) within 15 days following end of month.

15. MEMBERS’ ADDRESSES • Maintain list and update as required. • Distribute updated copies as required(e.g. three times per year if changes have occurred). • Please remember that this list is confidential to club members

16. STATIONERY • Purchase as required. • Ensure members undertaking club business have access to stationery, postage or other necessitiese.g. President, person arranging guest speakers, almoner, chair of funds allocation committee

17. GENERAL • Try to keep one's 'finger on the pulse' concerning supplies (e.g. new members' kits, name tags, badges up to date). • Familiarise yourself with practices and procedures in regard to matters such as applications for membership and induction of new members; visit of District Governor; granting leave of absence; club assemblies/forums; annual general meeting; club changeovers; induction of Paul Harris Fellows and which Rotary activity is focused on in a particular month.

18. General (cont’d) • Club Constitution, By-Laws, Secretary’s Manual, Manual of Procedure, District Directory and Official Directory are valuable sources of information – but experienced members should also be a great help. • Semi-annual monthly reports are completed following 30 June and 31 December respectively – forms are sent to clubs by Rotary International but are sometimes slow to arrive. • Arrange for President’s chain of office to be engraved early in the year.

19. ADDENDUM • These notes do not purport to be a complete record of a secretary's duties and are one person’s view. It is acknowledged other secretaries and clubs will successfully operate using different procedures. • Notes prepared by:Paul MearsRotary Club of TawaMay 2010