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Subj.:  suggestions for secretaries
Contributor: ?? Anderson

SUGGESTIONS FOR SECRETARIES

Record Keeping:

1. Keep attendance at Sunday Relief Society meeting and Homemaking Meeting.

2. Each Sunday or monthly gather attendance of sisters of the Primary and YW organizations.

3. Keep statistics required by the church, take care of the roll, and fill out the reports.

4. Keep a record of sisters who don't come to Sunday Relief Society but do come to Sacrament Meeting, or just come to Homemaking Meeting.  This report can be made monthly with emphasis on those sisters not coming for 3 consecutive months.

5. The ward secretary can be a demographics expert helping her presidency realize the numbers and kinds (married/single, children/none, working/at home, etc.) of sisters in their charge.  A secretary could be invaluable in this respect.

6. Be the "best friend" of the ward clerk by getting the names of new move-ins ASAP, as well as giving him information about the sisters Relief Society learns of before he knows about them.

7. Get the VT monthly report from VT Coordinator and make a copy for each member of the Presidency, including the names of those sisters missed.  Also make a note of those sisters not contacted at least once a quarter.

8. Enter VT reports into the computer monthly.  Keep accurate Relief Society records.

9. Keep a file on special Relief Society Event, such as your VT convention, birthday celebrations.

10. Keep a list of sisters who have been baptized within the last 12 months so an extra effort is made to care for them.

11. Meet periodically with Ward Clerk to make sure that all information on the roster is up to date and complete.

12. Keep minutes of all meetings.

Assist the RS President:

1. Put a RS newsletter together.

2. Send out birthday cards from the presidency to all the sisters in the ward or make phone calls to wish them a happy birthday.

3. Help with correspondence for the president (inactive sisters or those that needed "lifts"...)

4. Make calls for the President if needed.

5. Check with the ward mission leader about any baptisms that might be scheduled for the following week.

6. Keep a record of the money is spent and what the balance is in the Relief Society budget.

7. Assist as needed in writing and mailing thank-you notes.

8. Help with Compassionate Service - letting the Compassionate Service leader know if anyone is sick or may need some extra help.

9. Help presidency with visits if the president so desires.

 Assist the Presidency:

1. Type up the agenda for Presidency meetings.

2. Keep the presidency organized; keep track of assignments made.

3. Take minutes at all presidency meetings.  Follow up with minutes at the next meeting to make sure that all assignments are reported on.

4. Make appointments for interviews with Visiting Teachers.  Help with VT interviews

5. Make appointments for presidency visits.

6. Have responsibility for gathering information for new member packet and seeing that the new member/move-in receive the packet.

 Directory  Map to building  Map to Stake Center  Meeting schedules  Information on sites to visit

7. Make and deliver invitations to Board meetings.

Assisting on Sunday:

1. Prepare the agenda for whoever is conducting and ask sisters to give the prayers each week.

2. Type up the weekly announcement sheet, get it copied at the library and see that it is distributed to the Primary, YW, Nursery, and a couple of copies to the Elders and HP so that brothers whose wives are not in church can take a copy home to them.

3. Assist the teacher in setting up the classroom.

4. Greet people at the door and give out announcements.

5. Greet new members and sit with them following the opening.

6. Gather names, addresses, and phone numbers of new members.

7. Get names of visitors and give to whoever is conducting for introductions.

8. If you don't have a music staff, hand out hymn books and write page numbers on the chalk board.

9. Take brief notes of the lesson and mail them to shut-in sisters and give to sisters to take to their sisters on the VT routes.

10. See page 17 of the Relief Society Handbook for the official guidelines.