Club & District Officers Handbook

Ruritan National is an organization consisting of Ruritan clubs . Individu ‑ als are members of clubs and clubs are members of the national organiza ‑ tion. Ruritan National operates under bylaws. Each Ruritan club is entitled to send delegates to the national con ‑ vention and only these delegates can change the National Bylaws. These delegates elect a National Board of Directors and Officers and a Foun dation Trustee at the Ruritan National Convention. The Board of Directors is a policy‑making body that acts on behalf

Ruritan National Office Dublin, Virginia

Purpose of this Handbook This handbook for Ruritan club officers is de ‑ signed to help each officer become thoroughly familiar with the responsibilities and duties of each office as well as the duties of other officers and committee chairs in the club. Because Ruritan is a volunteer organization and the time members can spend is limited, it is extremely important that each officer carry his/her share of the responsibility. Clubs will be successful if each officer studies this handbook carefully and follows the recommended procedures. Always remember, Ruritan is working to make

History The first Ruritan Club was chartered May 21, 1928, in Holland, Virginia. Since that first club, Ruritan has grown throughout the United States of America, and in doing so, has become “America’s Leading Community Service Organization.” Tom Downing of Suffolk, Virginia, and Jack Gwaltney of Holland, Virginia, are known as the co founders of Ruritan. Gwaltney and Downing recog ‑ nized the need for an organization where commu ‑ nity leaders could meet and discuss ways to make their community a better place in which to live. The name “Ruritan” was suggested by Daisy Nurney, a reporter for the Norfolk Virginian - Pilot newspaper, and the club’s charter members unani ‑ mously adopted “Ruritan” as the organization’s name. The word is a combination of the Latin words for open country (ruri) and small town (tan), inter ‑ preted as pertaining to rural and small town life. Club delegates at district conventions elect a dis trict governor and a lieutenant governor for each district. The district governor appoints district officers and zone governors who constitute the district cabi net . At the discretion of the governor, elections may be held for the other district offices and zone gover ‑ nors. The national director assigned by the national president is also a member of the district cabinet. of the delegates throughout the year. The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors consists of the national officers and the immediate Past Ruritan National President. The National Board of Directors employs an Execu tive Director who in turn employs a national office staff. The Executive Director is directly responsible to the Board of Directors. The National Board of Direc ‑ tors also establishes geographical areas called dis tricts, and the president of Ruritan National assigns one director to each district to assist district leaders in following approved procedure and policies of the organization.

the community stronger and a better place in which to live. From time to time, it is a good idea for leaders in Ru ‑ ritan to review the purposes for which Ruritan was established.

This enables our organization to accomplish the most good, not only for our own community, but for our county, our state, and our country. When Ruritans are requested to sponsor and help with certain activities, they should ask the question, “Is this activity in line with the purposes of Ruritan and will it contribute to my community’s progress?” The Ruritan Mission Ruritan is a national organization dedicated to improving communities and building a better Amer ‑ ica through, “Fellowship, Goodwill, and Community Service.”

11

Revised 8/2023