The Briefcase on the Doorstep

Transcription

1 The Briefcase on the Doorstep (adapted from POI 2007 by Linda Davidson) This is a tale of two chapters, Chapter LAZ and Chapter AOK...of two different approaches to training local chapter officers and development of leadership skills among chapter members. Which approach is right? Listen carefully to The Briefcase on the Doorstep and you decide. Many years ago, chapter LAZ stopped the practice of holding a yearly meeting for their officers. The chapter was flourishing, membership was strong and finding chapter officers was no problem. So, to save time, the officers agreed that another meeting just wasn t needed. It was simply suggested that each outgoing and incoming officer get together sometime to go over their duties. After all, their new officers were so capable and smart (finders raised in quotation marks) that they could surely figure things out for themselves. On the other hand, chapter AOK has continued to hold its yearly meeting for chapter officers the week after the new officers are installed. All of the newly installed and previous year s officers attend the meeting which only lasts about two hours. (Shirley joins Julie on stage & chats silently) Let s go now to the first meeting in March for Chapter LAZ. The officers for the coming year were just installed and now after the meeting, everyone is eager to congratulate them. There s Helen, the current corresponding secretary approaching Julie, the newly installed corresponding secretary. (Helen enters from side of stage and walks quickly towards Julie... Shirley exits stage) Helen: Oh, Julie I am so happy for. Congratulations! Hugs!!! (Hugs Julie) Well...thank you, Helen. I can t believe I m doing this. I sure hope this works out. The nominating committee just seemed so desperate when they called... I just felt I had to say yes. It really surprised me that no one else wanted this office. 1 revised 2010

2 Helen: Oh, you ll make a wonderful corresponding secretary. You re so capable and smart (finders raised in quotation marks)! You won t have any problems at all. I m just glad that they found someone like you to follow me in this office. Well, it shouldn t be too bad. If you could do it... Helen: Oh, it s a piece of cake! But, I must confess, I forgot to bring your supplies to this meeting. So, I ll just drop by sometime and we can have a cup of coffee and chat. Or, if you re not homes, I ll just leave them on the doorstep. You are so capable and smart (finders raised in quotation marks). Don t worry, you ll be great. If you have any questions, don t forget to call. (Helen exits stage.) (Heavy Sigh) (Julie exits off stage.) Well, the officers were duly elected and installed and, as you can see, Julie is so eager to take over her responsibilities...or is it Helen, who is so very eager for Julie to take over hise responsibilities. (Members of Chapter AOK enter onto stage and sit in chairs) Uptown, the outgoing and new incoming officers of Chapter AOK are gathering at a member s home for their officers meeting. Let s watch as new president, Sally, begins. I am so glad all of you could make it to this meeting. I m excited to be working with you and am really looking forward to a great year. I ve given a folder to each of you. First, in it is a copy of the Yearly Meeting for Officer Transition Training that will serve as our agenda for this meeting. 2 revised 2010

3 Also, there is a copy of the Local Chapter Officer Calendar. This outline is available on the Texas State Chapter website and explains month by month the duties of each of your offices. I ve noted on it our chapter meeting dates, meetings of our council, the Founders Day Celebration, our summer family picnic, the B.I.L. party... just about any date I thought was important for you to remember. This calendar is something new that I thought we d try to use this year. Also, I ve included the current List of Supplies from International. Just make a note on this page about what needs to be ordered and then give it to our new treasurer, Allison. She ll request a warrant at the next meeting to order these supplies. If you haven t done so already, be sure and clean house of any old supplies. OK, let s separate for individual officer training. Cindy, since you re the new corresponding secretary and I m the outgoing one, why don t we move to the table in the kitchen and go over your supplies and duties? (Everyone exits off stage) Chapter LAZ Its midnight on the day of the newt meeting of Chapter LAZ. Helen is just now delivering her supplies to Julie. (Music Pink Panther Theme) (Helen enters dressed in camouflage, fancy shoes, carrying a flashlight and large briefcase and box.) Helen: Oh my gosh, I can t believe I ve waited until the last minute to get this briefcase to Julie 3 revised 2010

4 (Sound effect Cat Meowing) What was that? (Sound effect Squish ) Oh no! What did I just step in? I hope I didn t just ruin my new shoes! (Helen shines flashlight on her fancy shoes) Gosh, I wonder what time Julie s sprinklers set to go off? I promised myself that I wouldn t do the same thing that Bambi did to me last year. I didn t get anything from her until it was too late. Gee, this briefcase weights a ton! I never could figure out what to do with half of the things in here! This box is really heavy too. I never opened it, but it must be important. Last year, Bambi couldn t wait to give it to me. Oh well! Julie is so capable and smart (fingers raised in quotation marks). I m not going to be at the meeting today, so I hope she finds this briefcase and box before she leaves. I ll put it right on the doorstep so she can t miss it. (Helen dances off stage) Aren t we glad that Julie is so capable and smart (fingers raised in quotation marks)? I bet she ll hate that phrase before the year is over. (Sally and Cindy enter with briefcase and sit at table) You ll do a great job; Cindy, but I remember how I felt when I was a new officer. It was a bit overwhelming, but I ll be around to help you. I know I ll be at the next few chapter meetings and if you ever need a pro tem...just call me. 4 revised 2010

5 Cindy; Since the nominating committee called, I ve been watching what you do at meetings. I know that it s a big job, but I ve heard that everything is written down. So, I should be OK. Let me tell you where to look first for information. I always look in the Instructions to officers of Local Chapters. Every officer s duties are spelled out in it. Read through the corresponding secretary s section first and then, when you have some time, you might want to read through the other officer s sections. Cindy: This looks like a life saver to me! Look, it tells me exactly what to do with the Chapter History Summary, what I should do when we increased or decrease our membership. Oh, and here s some information about the Annual Report. I m sure glad I won t have to try to reinvent the wheel and figure out how to do things. I know, isn t that a relief! Also, if you have any questions you can call Jayne Sullivan, the Texas State Chapter Executive Assistant. In the front of the IOLC is a retention record for every officer. It tells us how long we need to keep things. I ve already cleaned out all of the old materials and have things organized for you. Let s take out that List of supplies and as we check out your corresponding secretary notebook and we can mark down what supplies we need to order. As they continue looking through the contents in the briefcase, Sally is making sure that Cindy understands what each form and invitation is used for. She wants her to feel comfortable with knowing where to go for information and to know that she is there for guidance after this meeting. (Sally and Cindy continue to work silently for a few seconds...then exit) 5 revised 2010

6 Dare we look back at Chapter LAZ? Julie is on her way to her chapter meeting and is about to discover the dreaded briefcase on the doorstep. I don t want to be late to our first chapter meeting! Lucky for me, Helen should be there to help me. What s this? There certainly weren t here late last night when I came home. Hmm, it looks like that old briefcase I ve seen at chapter meetings They re both so heavy! Where s my B.I.L. when I need him? Let s see what s in here. Oh it s a mess! Looks like things have just been stuffed into it. What s that smell? Well, I don t have time to look at this now. I m sure I m not supposed to know anything about my office today at my first meeting. I ll just figure this out later. I have the letters that I m supposed to read during the meeting...that s probably all I ll need. (Chapter LAZ members gather at table...julie walks over and joins them) Let s drop into Julie s first meeting as corresponding secretary of Chapter LAZ and see what happens the first time she s called upon during the meeting: Chapter LAZ President: Ok...we ll now have the monthly report of the...uh...corresponding secretary! Yes, Madam President, I have a letter from Betty Smith. Dear Chapter LAZ. Chapter LAZ President: No, Julie...this is the part where you give your monthly report. I don t think I have one of those. 6 revised 2010

7 Chapter LAZ President: Well, Julie the form is called Corresponding Secretary's Monthly Report to Chapter and it would contain a count of the correspondence that you sent last month. Did you send in the Change in Membership Form for Donna s transfer in? Did you send in the Report of Election of Officers of Local Chapters? (Continuing to frantically search through her tote bag and looking very panicked... pulls out a rubber chicken. Cocks her head, looks at it, then shrugs and tosses it aside) Change in Membership Form? Report of Election of Officers of Local Chapters? Well...well Organizer; As you can see, Julie is already embarrassed and overwhelmed by her officer duties and probably will think twice before accepting another office with Chapter LAZ. (Julie and LAZ President leave Sally and Cindy enter and sit at table) The officers of Chapter OAK have finished their individual training and Sally is gathering them back together. I m glad everyone had time to briefly go through their duties. If you need to get together again just set that up between yourselves. Now, let s review the meeting procedure by flipping through the President s Book. As I read off each order of business, if you have any questions about what you should be doing, don t be afraid to ask. I would also like to take the remainder of our time together to brainstorm and set some goals for Chapter AOK for the coming year. By the end of the two hours, the new Chapter AOK officers will be prepared for their first meeting... understanding their duties (including initiation roles) and having 7 revised 2010

8 confidence that they can work together and depend upon their sisters for support in performance of their responsibilities. By having this meeting every year, they have developed a strong pool of leaders within their chapter. Membership has continued to grow and members aren t afraid to say yes to being an officer or trying new ideas for fundraising or programs. In addition, Chapter AOK is using this time together to set new goals for the coming year... I think they re definitely headed in the right direction! Is your chapter more like Chapter LAZ or is it... AOK?!?!?! Please take time in March at the beginning of each P.E.O. year, review the calendar for the year, and meet with all of the outgoing and incoming officers. Make sure your officers completely understand their duties and responsibilities Don t just assume they ll be so capable and smart (Fingers raised in quotation marks!) 8 revised 2010