Club & District Officers Handbook

Procedures for Installing Club Officers

board of directors’ Meetings, copies of monthly reports and other communications. Other duties include the following: 1. Notify each member of club meetings. 2. Assist the club reporter. 3. Submit books for audit. I congratulate you and am happy to install you as secretary of the Ruritan Club. VICE PRESIDENT (First Name) , you have been elected vice president of this club for the coming year, an honor which carries with it many responsibilities. These are set forth in the Officers’ Handbook. Some of these are the following: 1. Preside in the absence of the president at club and club board of directors’ Meetings. 2. Prepare community service reports with the help of the president, secretary, and the Objectives Committee. 3. Serve as chair of the Finance Committee. 4. Serve as chair of the Objectives Committee and make monthly reports to the club. The success of your club during the coming year depends upon the planning and work of these committees. Your leadership is most essential. I congratulate you and am happy to install you as vice president of the Ruritan Club. PRESIDENT (First Name) , you have been elected president of this club, the highest honor your fellow club members could confer upon you. You have demonstrated those qualities of leadership needed in Ruritan. You have worked well in the assignments that have been given you. Your fellow club members have confidence in your ability to lead them in service to the community. You have the greatest responsibility of this club. Included among your duties are the following: 1. Give direction, encouragement, and leadership to the officers and committee chairs and make certain each is fulfilling his/her assignments. 2. Preside at meetings of the club and club board of directors as prescribed in the bylaws. 3. Attend zone and district meetings and the national convention. 4. Serve as the Ex Officio member of all committees. 5. See that each new member is properly initiated. Very few persons in this community have the opportunity to contribute to its progress as you will have while serving as president of the Ruritan club. I congratulate you and am pleased to present you with a pin, gavel, or symbol of office. I install you as president of the Ruritan Club.

Initiation Ceremony for a New Ruritan Member Notes to initiating officer 1. Review this agenda prior to the initiation ceremony. 2. Be sure you know the new member’s name. 3. Be sure the new member has been properly voted into the club and indoctrinated. 4. Be sure you know the new member’s committee appointment and the committee chair’s name. 5. Have lapel button or new member kit ready for presentation. 6. Be sure the member is welcomed at the close of the meeting. Suggested Script It is always a pleasure to welcome a new member into Ruritan. It is the privilege of our club to welcome __________________ as our newest member(s). Please come forward. You have been chosen a member of this club by your fellow members because they believe you manifest those qualities of leadership and service needed in Ruritan. Ruritan’s main purpose is service to the community the center of American Life. From the community come our ideals, our integrity, our moral strength, and our leadership. These qualities are usually no stronger in the American people than they are in the communities in which they live. Ruritan is building a better America by helping to build better communities. Membership in a Ruritan Club is an honor and a privilege. However, because service is the keynote, it also involves duties and obligations. These should be performed by you with faithfulness and enthusiasm. You will serve as a member of the _______________ Committee. ________________ is its chair. As you serve on this committee and become involved in club activities, you will experience the satisfaction of working together and sharing the accomplishments of the club. This involvement creates an opportunity for fellowship that is seldom equaled. I congratulate you and present you with this lapel button, and I am sure you will wear it with dignity and pride. (Applause) Closing Comments Fellow club members, your officers can accomplish little without the cooperation and support of every member. During the coming year, all of you will have important assignments. Officers and members, as you fulfill these assignments, you are serving and strengthening your community. However, of greater importance, you are helping to keep America strong.

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Revised 8/2023