Pottawattamie County Genealogical Society

Committee Structure, Scope and Duties

Submitted by the Board of Directors
January 1997

Overview

Committees are the lifeblood of an organization.  They offer the general membership the opportunity to be involved in the operation of the organization and instill in them the feeling of belonging and importance.  They also facilitate the grooming of future leaders and officers.  It has been determined by the Board of   Directors that no board member shall serve as a committee chairperson and all committee chairs will be invited to the board meetings but will not have a vote on board actions.  Each member of the Board of Directors will be asked to serve on a minimum of (but not limited to) one committee each year.

All committee's will be established in accordance with the current By-Laws, Article 5, of the Pottawattamie County Genealogical Society (PCGS) of Council Bluffs, Iowa.  The size and make-up of each committee may vary, but unless otherwise determined by the Board, the minimum requirements shall consist of a Chairperson and two additional members of the PCGS, one of whom serves as the committee Secretary.  The Chairperson shall be appointed by and approved by the Board.  Additional members may be appointed by the PCGS President of Committee Chairperson.

The terms of the committee shall commence on the date of appointment and continue through the conclusion of the next Annual Meeting.  There is no limit to the number of terms a member may serve.

Committees

Finance

This committee has the responsibility to oversee all financial aspects and to recommend action as necessary to the PCGS Board for the purpose of ensuring the financial stability of the Society.  The Chairperson is appointed by the PCGS President, however the Treasurer of the Society will serve as a member of this committee.

Publication

The main responsibility of this committee is to guide and direct any publication project of the PCGS as directed by the Board of Directors.   Responsibilities include:

• Responsible for all publishing activities of the Society.

• Publish monthly newsletter and special quarterly publication.

• Study, evaluate and recommend other publishing activities including abstracts, indexes and reprints of out-of-print material.

• Coordinate publishing activities with other special committees.

• Develop and maintain a web page on the internet.

Public Relations

The ultimate goal of this committee is to promote the image of the PCGS and nurture a warm public awareness of our goals and purposes.  To help accomplish this, the following foundation should be fostered:

• Study and recommend a policy to the Board relative to the conduct of an effective and continuing public relations program.  Such a program should have as its purpose to translate into understandable terms the nature of the activities and aims of the organization and its goals to achieve favorable public recognition for the organizations, its programs and services.

• Create and prepare all news releases, articles and publicity-generating projects.

• Responsible for contacting all editors and media personnel.

• Receive and handle reports from other committees having the need to generate publicity and news releases.

• Organize a Liaison sub-committee which would be responsible for contacts with the community businesses and organizations (e.g. Council Bluffs Public Library, City Hall, Courthouse, local cemeteries, funeral homes and neighboring genealogical/historical societies).

• Organize a Speakers Bureau which would be available to give talkis to area schools and organizations.

• Distribution of all public educational material of the PCGS.

Program and Education

The objective of this committee is to help each of our members grow and learn more about genealogy.  Suggested methods include:

• Developing a schedule of programs to be presented at the monthly meetings.

• Contacting potential speakers and making arrangements for their presentations.

• Developing and organizing training classes, workshops and seminars.

• Working with neighboring genealogical societies to conduct a regional workshop.

• Developing an Outreach Educationsl Committee which would conduct introductory genealogical sessions at area schools.

Library

The Library Committee's main objective is to promote awareness for the Frontier Heritage Library, organize the collections and maintain a constant flow of general business procedures.  it is also their responsibility to:

• Maintain a current inventory of all the holdings of the library.

• Receive and reocrd all acquisitions properly and ensure that all Library Staff and others concerned are aware of the new acquisitions.

• Arrange and maintain a uniform schedule of operating hours.

• Organize all literary collections in a logical manner which will aid in research and provide assistance to visitors.

• Maintain a daily cash report and furnish a detailed report to the PCGS Treasurer at the close of each week.

• Safeguard the collections of the Society and its library.

Research and Records

This committee will work closely with the library staff and the PCGS Board of Directors.  Its main function is to collect and preserve all materials relating to the documentation of material regarding county residents and assist any person seeking this data.  Suggestions for attaining this goal are:

• Executing all responses for requests of research information.

• Collecting and preserving all materials relating to the deaths and burials of Pottawattamie County residents.

• Maintaining an obituary file and prepare cemetery records for publication by IGS.

• Maintaining a current map of all Pottawattamie County cemeteries.

• Conducting an extensive Records Survey Project which finds and identifies all historical and "people" records owned or in the custody of individuals, businesses and organizations in the county.  Determine if the holder(s) of these records will donate them to the PCGS or if the PCGS may be allowed to copy the records for placement in our library and/or refer interested individuals to them.

• Maintaining an Inventory/Source List of such records found, showing type of record, availability, location and contact information.

• Acquiring and maintaining a listing of research material available in neighboring genealogical and historical societies.

• Determining records in our collections and others that would be suitable projects for publishing.

Special Projects

This committee has the responsibility to take charge of specific projects and perform as necessary to bring them to their completion.  There may be more than one special project committee functioning  at the same time, but on different projects.  The duties and responsibilities of this committee will fluctuate with the event and will be determined as the projects develop.  Often, the Special Projects Committee will be associated with other committees and require intense concentration for only brief periods.  Duration of each special project committee may be short-term.

Recommendations for Addition to the Standing Rules and Regulations of the Pottawattamie County Genealogical Society

Auditing Committee

This committee has the responsibility of auditing all cash and bank financial records thirty (30) days prior to the annual meeting.  No other meetings except those required to (a) review the records and (b) prepare a report to submit to the annual meeting are required.  Members of this committee are all appointed and will consist of a PCGS non-board member as Chairperson, the PCGS Treasurer and one other appointed non-board member.  This committee has no other function throughout the year.

Nominating Committee

This committee has the responsibility of preparing a list of candidates to fill all vacant positions on the Board of Directors.  This slate is to be presented to the general membership at the annual meeting.  Each person on this list must be contacted personally and agree to serve if elected.  Only one name for each vacant position may appear on this list.  Individual members may place other names in nomination from the floor at the annual meeting if desired.  The nominating committee will have necessary voting materials prepared and all voting will be by ballot.   When two or more are running for the same office, a simple majority of votes cast will elect.  Electing by unanimous acclamation is not permitted as it eliminates an individual's right to a secret ballot.  The PCGS President selects one board member, not up for re-election and two members at large to count votes.  Upon conclusion of voting, this committee is disbanded.