Jigsaw of Life
By the end of May, you will have
agreed your Officer(s) and teams for the coming year and you will have a
framework of organisation for your club.
Consult the current President at all times to
find out the strengths and
weaknesses of your Club members, and talk to individual members to
find out what they would like to do.
A happy club works well together, so enlist the support of your
members and gain their support for new ideas.
In larger Clubs, you may decide to
organise a Board of Directors to assist you (See Page 14 of General Section
of Lioness Club Manual)
Although, it is the prerogative of
every Club to institute its own rules,
it is important that the President
is familiar with the Document of Understanding, in order to ensure that
the Club rules remain within the scope of this document.
Liaison must be maintained with
your Lions Club, particularly the President.
This may be done direct or through your Lions Club Liaison Officer.
Observe the courtesies of
Lionism by attending Zone meetings and other Clubs events when invited.
Do not operate in another Club’s
area, without speaking to them first.
In order to be covered by the
Lions Clubs International Insurance it is imperative that your Lions Club
are aware of the activities of your Club.
A copy of all Lioness Club Business meetings minutes must be sent to
your sponsoring Lions Club to ensure you are covered by the Lions insurances
for all your events.
Lions Clubs must state that they
have received your minutes by recording the fact in their own club minutes.
Your Club Secretary should
complete a monthly Membership & Activities Report by the 1st of each month.
An example of the report is included in the Secretary’s section of
the Manual. This summarises your Club activities under various headings and
asks for an indication of your involvement in various Lions projects.
It is important that you
liaise with your Secretary to ensure the reports are completed and sent in
on time as the information can then be used by other officers for Lion
and Lioness Newsletters and reports.
This form should be completed by
your Club Secretary and sent in along with the Monthly Membership &
Activities Report on 1st July each year.
An example of the form is included in the secretary’s section of the
manual.
You may find it helpful to produce
a Club Calendar which
includes all important dates for the Club, District and Multiple District,
including deadlines for reports, booking for Conference/Conventions etc.
A President’s Checklist
may also be helpful containing reminders/suggestions of useful duties,
time-scales, names and contact numbers relevant to your own club.
Your Secretary
should be:
a)
Sending the Club Minutes to the Lions Club Secretary and Liaison Officer
b)
Giving Agendas and Minutes to all members including those not present at the
meeting
c)
Submitting completed reports and forms to relevant officers as stated in the
Secretaries Manual
d)
Liaising with the Club President to ensure that all deadlines are met at
Club, District and Multiple District Level e.g. Closing dates for
Nominations and Resolutions, Submission of reports, Election of Club
Officers
e)
Ensuring that all members are fully aware of District and Multiple District
Lioness (and Lions) business including dates for meetings and Conventions
etc.
Your Treasurer
should be:
a)
Obtaining subscriptions from your members
b)
Issuing Membership Cards to those in good standing
c)
Advising the Club of non-payment of subscriptions and thereby the standing
of membership
d)
Paying any annual amounts due e.g. Licences etc
e)
Preparing Verified Accounts and forwarding these to the District Lion
Treasurer, the Multiple District Lioness Treasurer, your Lions Club Liaison
Officer and Lions Club Treasurer.
f)
Forwarding the Club’s dues either to the Multiple District Lioness Treasurer
and, where appropriate, the District Lioness and Lions Treasurer.
g)
Ensuring that the Club is given the opportunity to discuss and approve the
level of subscriptions for the subsequent fiscal year.
h)
Ensuring the Club has considered documentation on the Charities Act and,
where appropriate registered as a Registered Charity.
These notes are intended, as a
guide only, as every Club will differ and it is up to the President to run
the meetings in a way which suits the Club.
However, there are certain things
which should be done in order to gain the maximum benefit from your club and
fellow Lionesses:
Encourage every member of the
Club, to contribute, bearing in mind their talents and home and work
responsibilities.
‘The Value of
Leadership is seen in the Response to it.’
1.
Welcome
2.
Apologies for Absence
3.
Minutes
of the Last Meeting
4.
Matters Arising
5.
President’s Report
6.
Secretary’s Report
7.
Treasurer’s Report
8.
Activities Report
9.
Social Report
10.
Welfare Report
11.
Membership Report
12.
Any Other Business
13.
Tail Twister
14.
Date of Next Meeting
Diary Dates
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Every prospective member requires a Sponsoring Lioness. If they do not personally know an existing member, assign someone immediately to be their Sponsor. The sponsor is responsible for advising and encouraging the potential member by sitting with them and making them feel at ease. It is important that newcomers are made welcome and are given the background to Lionism but be careful they are not overwhelmed with too much information in one go.
Before a new member can be inducted they
are required to attend a number of meetings/activities. Club rules vary on
the number and type of meetings/activities which have to be attended but
in most Clubs they can be inducted on their third business meeting providing
there are no objections from other members to them becoming a Lioness.
The Proposal for Membership Form
(included in the Secretary’s Section of the Manual)
should be completed prior to the
induction ceremony taking place.
When a new member is inducted the
Ceremony can be as impressive or ‘low key’ as the Club wishes, however it is
expected that some degree of formality is observed on this important occasion.
The new member and Sponsoring Lioness should stand together with the President.
Some Clubs are very formal reading out the Lions Purposes and/or Ethics or more appropriately the Lioness Clubs Mission Statement, whilst others are less formal.
A suggested form of wording for the
induction is detailed below:
President - _____________ (name), since you have expressed a desire to become a member of this Club, I now ask that you confirm acceptance.
Do you accept membership in the _________________ Lioness Club, knowing that it allows you to participate in the functions of the Club?
Proposed Member – Yes (I Do)
President - Will you abide by the Code of Ethics, attend meetings regularly, accept assignments as are given to you and contribute to the programme of the Club, District and Lions Family to the best of your ability?
Proposed Member – Yes (I Will)
President - You are now a member of the _________________ Lioness Club and your Sponsor will place the Lioness emblem upon your lapel which signifies this membership.
Sponsor pins badge to lapel.
President - Lioness _______ (name) wear your badge constantly with pride and accept your Certificate of Membership and New Member Pack. We welcome you into the largest service organisation in the world – the Lions Family, and we are proud and happy to have you as a member of our Club