Job Descriptions
Secretary
1. Receive reports prior to Board of Directors and Executive Committee meetings, compile and send to President and meeting participants.
2. Minutes.
A. After a Board of Directors or Executive Committee meeting, or the district convention, send a draft of the minutes to the Minutes Review Committee members. As appropriate, include copies of motions, reports of tellers committees, etc., so the committee can verify that the minutes are correct. The committee members shall send their comments to the Committee Chairman, who shall work with the Secretary to produce approved minutes. The Committee Chairman will write a letter or email that the Secretary can file with the minutes stating that they are approved.
B. Provide copies of the meeting or convention minutes to each member of the Board of Directors within 30 days of the meeting or convention. Copies may be given to others who need them (e.g., minutes with instructions for the convention should be given to the Convention Chairman).
3. Provide copies of standing rules and policies adopted by the District Convention and the Executive Committee to the Vice President of Organizational Resources. She maintains the bylaws and standing rules document and the policy section in this manual.
4. About February 1 in convention years, work with the Vice President of Communication to send a letter to each Group asking for the name of their delegate(s) and alternate(s). (See samples on the BOD Site tab on the district website and Bylaws Article V, Section 2).
5. Provide a list of delegates to the President and the Convention Registrar as soon as possible (the President makes appointments from this list).
6. LWML members who use their personal vehicles when transporting guests and speakers from out-of-the-district to district events shall provide to the district secretary copies of a valid drivers license and vehicle insurance with appropriate liability and personal injury.
7. Sign contracts and other documents as instructed by the Executive Committee.
8. Oversee Archivist-Historian
9. Maintain a chart showing the attendance and sites of past retreats and conventions. It is to be posted on the BOD Site tab of the district website along with this manual.
2. Minutes.
A. After a Board of Directors or Executive Committee meeting, or the district convention, send a draft of the minutes to the Minutes Review Committee members. As appropriate, include copies of motions, reports of tellers committees, etc., so the committee can verify that the minutes are correct. The committee members shall send their comments to the Committee Chairman, who shall work with the Secretary to produce approved minutes. The Committee Chairman will write a letter or email that the Secretary can file with the minutes stating that they are approved.
B. Provide copies of the meeting or convention minutes to each member of the Board of Directors within 30 days of the meeting or convention. Copies may be given to others who need them (e.g., minutes with instructions for the convention should be given to the Convention Chairman).
3. Provide copies of standing rules and policies adopted by the District Convention and the Executive Committee to the Vice President of Organizational Resources. She maintains the bylaws and standing rules document and the policy section in this manual.
4. About February 1 in convention years, work with the Vice President of Communication to send a letter to each Group asking for the name of their delegate(s) and alternate(s). (See samples on the BOD Site tab on the district website and Bylaws Article V, Section 2).
5. Provide a list of delegates to the President and the Convention Registrar as soon as possible (the President makes appointments from this list).
6. LWML members who use their personal vehicles when transporting guests and speakers from out-of-the-district to district events shall provide to the district secretary copies of a valid drivers license and vehicle insurance with appropriate liability and personal injury.
7. Sign contracts and other documents as instructed by the Executive Committee.
8. Oversee Archivist-Historian
9. Maintain a chart showing the attendance and sites of past retreats and conventions. It is to be posted on the BOD Site tab of the district website along with this manual.
Financial Secretary
1. Deposit checks received monthly or more frequently.
2. Monthly, send the District President and Treasurer a breakdown of
4. Communicate with the VP of Communication when dues and Quarterly funds are remitted from groups so she can follow up the initial communication.
5. Prepare a quarterly Mite offering report for the U & I Together.
6. Write thank you letters for donations over $100; see samples on the BOD Site tab on the district website. Include IRS-acceptable wording for donations of $250 or more. (The IRS doesn’t give
specific wording. The key is that the donor didn’t get any goods or services, only intangible benefits. This meets the requirements: “FOR TAX PURPOSES: The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League Utah-Idaho District is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN 23-7540676, and affirms that no goods or services were provided to you in return for your contribution other than intangible, religious benefits.”)
7. Select two other members to help count offering money at the district convention. Offering totals will be reported to the convention body at the President’s request.
2. Monthly, send the District President and Treasurer a breakdown of
- Mite offerings from each group.
- Dues paid by each group.
- Lutheran Woman’s Quarterly subscriptions paid by each group.
- Miscellaneous offerings from each group.
4. Communicate with the VP of Communication when dues and Quarterly funds are remitted from groups so she can follow up the initial communication.
5. Prepare a quarterly Mite offering report for the U & I Together.
6. Write thank you letters for donations over $100; see samples on the BOD Site tab on the district website. Include IRS-acceptable wording for donations of $250 or more. (The IRS doesn’t give
specific wording. The key is that the donor didn’t get any goods or services, only intangible benefits. This meets the requirements: “FOR TAX PURPOSES: The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League Utah-Idaho District is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN 23-7540676, and affirms that no goods or services were provided to you in return for your contribution other than intangible, religious benefits.”)
7. Select two other members to help count offering money at the district convention. Offering totals will be reported to the convention body at the President’s request.
Vice President of Communication
The Vice President of Communication coordinates all district-wide communications. This includes
- Working with the Executive Committee, Convention Committee, and District Retreat Committee to identify news to be published. For example, as soon as a convention speaker is chosen and accepts, publicize it (speaker biography, topic, etc.). Several months before convention publish the time registration begins, convention starting and ending times, banquet start time, general agenda, speaker(s) biography and topic, and directions to the hotel. You may wish to provide a poster for groups to use and bulletin inserts (or newsletter article for congregations). Publicize the opening service and encourage people who can’t attend the entire convention to worship with us. Remind the zone presidents to talk about the exciting parts at the zone spring events.
- Selecting the media to be used (e.g. email, U & I Together, website).
- Overseeing and approving materials created by the Public Relations Director, Web Master, and Editor.
- Maintaining the email list of people receiving District news.
- Maintaining a spreadsheet of zone and group officers with their contact information (name, email, phone number and address) and providing it to the Executive Committee members. (See formrequesting this information the BOD Site tab on the district website.)
- Assisting district officers in communicating with LWML groups. For example, secretary in requesting delegate information before convention.
- Reminding groups to pay their dues and pay for the Lutheran Woman’s Quarterlys. (See form on the BOD Site tab on the district website.)
- Corresponding with the national LWML office on number of Lutheran Woman’s Quarterlys sent to each group. Keep the district Treasurer informed as to the number.
Vice President of Gospel Outreach
U & I Together
See the bylaws for the criteria for grants and the membership of the Mission Grants Committee. The table below gives the life cycle of a grant. Because your term began at convention, when grants were adopted, you begin "in the middle." Letters/forms to help you manage the grants are on the district website, BOD Site tab.
Life Cycle of a Mission Grant
Odd-Numbered Years
Winter
Note: Require photos illustrating the grant to be submitted with the application. Asking for photos later is more work for you and them.
Spring
Fall
Even-Numbered Years
Winter
Spring
- Share ideas, encouragements, resources, and scripture about sharing Jesus.
- Submit news about mission grants, “Mites in Action” (national and district). Update Mission Grant listing when grants are paid.
- See further details in the Editor’s section.
See the bylaws for the criteria for grants and the membership of the Mission Grants Committee. The table below gives the life cycle of a grant. Because your term began at convention, when grants were adopted, you begin "in the middle." Letters/forms to help you manage the grants are on the district website, BOD Site tab.
Life Cycle of a Mission Grant
Odd-Numbered Years
Winter
- Ask the Vice President of Communication to publish a call for grant proposals in the U & I—see schedule on pages 30 ff. Give her the grant criteria, the grant proposal form, and proposal deadlines.
Note: Require photos illustrating the grant to be submitted with the application. Asking for photos later is more work for you and them.
Spring
- Contact the NW District and Rocky Mountain District mission executives for grant ideas. You may also contact the national LWML Gospel Outreach Bank.
- Notify each grant proposal sponsor when its proposal is received.
- For each grant proposed, notify the appropriate synodical district or the LCMS Executive Director of Missions and solicit their approval of the grant.
Fall
- Send each grant proposal that meets the criteria (Bylaws Article XIV, Section 2) to the committee members for their review prior to the committee meeting.
- Chair the committee meeting that recommends grants for the ballot. This meeting may be a teleconference or video conference.
- Review the criteria with the committee and ensure that all grant applications selected meet the criteria. To support a wide variety of missions it is recommended that no grant appears on the ballot that was funded the previous biennium for the same project.
- Write the committees report, and present it to the Executive Committee for approval of the grants to appear on the convention ballot. The description of each grant should show how it meets the criteria.
- Notify by letter or email the agencies whose grants will, or will not, be on the ballot.
Even-Numbered Years
Winter
- Ask the Vice President of Communication to publicize the grants that will appear on the convention ballot. Give this information to the woman preparing the convention manual also. List the grants in alphabetical order and provide a brief description to help the general membership of the district guide their delegates in voting at the convention. The description of each grant should show how it meets the criteria.
Spring
- Prepare the grant ballots for the convention (list them in the same order as in the convention manual, state "Vote for three grants"). Prepare a PowerPoint presentation for the convention.
- Present the grants to the convention.
- Notify the appropriate synodical district and the sponsors and/or recipients of the proposed grants whether or not their grant was adopted by the convention and, if adopted, how the grant will be paid. (The president will send the National LWML Vice President of Gospel Outreach a list of the grants that will be funded on the form national sends her.)
- Monitor each grant until completion. Note that if a grant is adopted and then the recipients want to use the money for another purpose, they cannot do so; they must submit a new grant proposal. The bylaws provide for this situation.
- The Treasurer will notify you when money is available for grants. When enough is available for a grant, notify the recipient that they may request their allotted amount; there is a Grant Request form you send them for this (see the BOD Site tab on the district website). Send a copy of this form to the Treasurer. The Treasurer will send the check directly to the recipient.
- While it is desirable to pay grants adopted by the convention in the order of the number of votes received, don't hold money in the bank if Grant #2 is ready and #1 is not. (They are all supposed to be “ready to implement” before they appear on the ballot, but sometimes there are built in schedules. For example, funds for summer Vacation Bible School materials may be available in November but they don't need them until it is time to purchase the materials.)
Vice President of Organizational Resource
Bylaws Committee
Chair the Bylaws Committee. (See the Committee’s duties listed in the bylaws.) All changes must be approved by the LWML Structure Committee. Ask the District President for the LWML Structure Committee Chairman’s name and contact information. Ask the Structure Committee for the current procedures for submitting amendments for their review.
The files you inherited should have the correct format for proposed amendments (rationale followed by "existing" in left column, "proposed" in right). The dialog used to bring an amendment before the
convention is given in the section of this manual on convention business.
When changes are adopted by the convention, update the bylaws and standing rules document using the wording from the minutes.
Have on file bylaws from each zone and encourage the zones to review their bylaws at least once during your term (i.e., every four years).
Church Worker Grant Program
Conduct the Church Worker Grant program. (See the Standing Rules, printed at the end of the Bylaws, for the details of this program.) The applicant must write to the Vice President of Organizational Resources requesting a grant and
1. Naming their home church (must be in the Utah-Idaho LWML District).
2. Including a copy of the call papers for their first call.
The table below outlines the grant process. You should have copies of all the letters, bulletin announcements, etc. in your files. A sample letter announcing the grants program is found on the BOD
Site tab on the district website.
Schedule for Church Worker Grant.
Chair the Bylaws Committee. (See the Committee’s duties listed in the bylaws.) All changes must be approved by the LWML Structure Committee. Ask the District President for the LWML Structure Committee Chairman’s name and contact information. Ask the Structure Committee for the current procedures for submitting amendments for their review.
The files you inherited should have the correct format for proposed amendments (rationale followed by "existing" in left column, "proposed" in right). The dialog used to bring an amendment before the
convention is given in the section of this manual on convention business.
When changes are adopted by the convention, update the bylaws and standing rules document using the wording from the minutes.
Have on file bylaws from each zone and encourage the zones to review their bylaws at least once during your term (i.e., every four years).
Church Worker Grant Program
Conduct the Church Worker Grant program. (See the Standing Rules, printed at the end of the Bylaws, for the details of this program.) The applicant must write to the Vice President of Organizational Resources requesting a grant and
1. Naming their home church (must be in the Utah-Idaho LWML District).
2. Including a copy of the call papers for their first call.
The table below outlines the grant process. You should have copies of all the letters, bulletin announcements, etc. in your files. A sample letter announcing the grants program is found on the BOD
Site tab on the district website.
Schedule for Church Worker Grant.
Date |
Action |
November/ December |
Prepare mailing to go out the first week in January soliciting grant applications from students who have accepted their first call in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. This information goes to all congregations in the Utah-Idaho District’s geographic area, whether they have a group or not. Include in this mailing bulletin and newsletter announcements pertaining to the program. |
January 2 |
Send prepared mailing to churches |
January |
Send (email or snail mail) information about the Church Worker Grant to
|
May 31 |
Deadline to receive letters of application (Most calls are issued by the end of April. Students taking a call at other times may apply the following May.) |
June |
After receiving call documents of applicant(s)
Keep on file a list of all the Church Worker Grant Program recipients, their home congregation, and when and where they took their first call. Write a report for convention manual. |
Maintain this Procedures Manual.
Review their section with outgoing officers and revise as necessary so that current information is available for new officers. (If Executive Committee approval is needed for any proposed changes it should be requested at the Fall meeting (odd year) before convention.)
Insert the list of policies supplied by the secretary in this manual.
Review their section with outgoing officers and revise as necessary so that current information is available for new officers. (If Executive Committee approval is needed for any proposed changes it should be requested at the Fall meeting (odd year) before convention.)
Insert the list of policies supplied by the secretary in this manual.
Pastoral Counselor
1. As requested by the President, prepare Bible studies for Board of Directors and Executive Committee meetings.
2. Prepare devotional articles for the U & I Together. This alternates between the Pastoral Counselor (even months) and VP of Christian Life (odd months).
3. Serve on the Mission Grants Committee.
4. If requested, prepare convention Bible study.
5. Prepare the convention worship service (historically a festival communion service). Be prepared to discuss it at the Winter Executive Committee meeting before convention when the convention agenda is being planned (send courtesy copies to the Vice President of Christian Life and the President so that they can read it before the meeting).
6. As requested, work with the Vice President of Special Focus Ministries on the Gifts from the Heart dedication and the Vice President of Christian Life on the convention devotions.
7. Install newly elected officers at the District convention.
8. Serve as doctrinal advisor on printed materials to be distributed.
9. Attend the national LWML convention (most expenses are paid by District).
2. Prepare devotional articles for the U & I Together. This alternates between the Pastoral Counselor (even months) and VP of Christian Life (odd months).
3. Serve on the Mission Grants Committee.
4. If requested, prepare convention Bible study.
5. Prepare the convention worship service (historically a festival communion service). Be prepared to discuss it at the Winter Executive Committee meeting before convention when the convention agenda is being planned (send courtesy copies to the Vice President of Christian Life and the President so that they can read it before the meeting).
6. As requested, work with the Vice President of Special Focus Ministries on the Gifts from the Heart dedication and the Vice President of Christian Life on the convention devotions.
7. Install newly elected officers at the District convention.
8. Serve as doctrinal advisor on printed materials to be distributed.
9. Attend the national LWML convention (most expenses are paid by District).
