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Debbie Onysyk presented the following at the 2018 Diocesan Fall workshop in Hanna:

CWL SECRETARY
Fall Workshop – September 22nd, 2018


A couple of hints as you take on the position of Secretary of your CWL Council.

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  • Minutes are a legal record of your meeting. When recording minutes at your meetings remember that you only report what was done at the meeting; NOT everything that is said.
  • Minutes must include your council name; type of meeting (executive, general etc.), date and place of meeting.
  • At the Executive meeting – list who was present and who sent regrets
  • Minutes must be approved at the next meeting either as read or circulated; or if there are corrections to be made they are approved as corrected. A motion is not needed to approve the minutes. Should changes be made at a later time to minutes that have already been approved – then a motion would be necessary to amend the minutes.
  • Always have a copy of the last meetings minutes with you for reference.
  • Ask all standing committee chairpersons to please give you their written report. That way it will be easier when you go to do up the minutes. Attach these reports to the minutes for filing.
  • Keep all minutes from the meetings together with a copy of the written reports (because you will only put the important details in the minutes) along with any correspondence that has come in. These minutes will then be put into the archives of your council when your term is done.
  • The secretary and president should sign and date the minutes once approved.
  • Motions MUST be recorded exactly as made. Include the person who makes the motion, the seconder and record whether it has been carried or defeated. Some councils keep all the motions in a separate MOTION’S BOOK (or binder)
  • Read highlights of all correspondence at the meetings.

These are just some guidelines to help you keep proper records so that years from now your council will have a recorded history.
Thank you for taking on the important role of Secretary of your Councils.

Resources: Handbook for Secretaries
www.cwl.ca
www.calgarycwl.ca
www.cwl.ab.ca