STANDING COMMITTEES:
Americanism: Mission: The RWAAC Americanism program seeks to promote respect for the American Flag and foster allegiance to the United States and its customs and institutions.
Republican women’s clubs help carry out this mission in their local communities through educational and inspirational programs and projects.
RWAAC Chair Duties:
• Shall report at the Board and General Meetings.
• Leads the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of every meeting.
• Ensures proper display of the American flag at board meetings, general meetings, and other Club events.
• Promotes patriotism at every meeting.
• The NFRW Americanism program seeks to promote respect for the American Flag and foster allegiance to the United States and its customs and institutions.
• To aid clubs in their local efforts, the NFRW Americanism Committee assembles historic and patriotic material and provides resources, project ideas and other helpful information.
• Republican women’s clubs help carry out this mission in their local communities through educational and inspirational programs and projects. Examples include:
• Teaching the rules of Flag etiquette.
• Donating patriotic books to libraries and schools.
• Sponsoring patriotic essay contests for schools.
• Presenting flags to schools and community groups.
• A Rush Revere series at the local library (https://www.rushrevere.com/) (quarterly?)
Awards Programs:
RWAAC Chair Duties:
• Coordinates RWAAC participation in the MFRW (annual) & NFRW (bi-annual) awards program.
• Provides MFRW & NFRW awards information to RWAAC President and Executive Committee.
• Maintains working Knowledge of requirements and deadlines.
Campaign Activities:
RWAAC Chair Duties:
• Provide the campaign needs and other candidate information to the Executive Committee for review and distribution to membership.
• Coordinate information with Corresponding Secretary to keep the General Membership up-to-date on the needs of local, state and national campaigns.
• Coordinate voting education opportunities to the RWAAC membership, in cooperation with the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections and the State Board of Elections.
• Coordinate & sponsor voter registration drives (National Voter Registration Day-September).
• Prepare a monthly activity report and turn in to the President (as info is available).
• Promote candidates and Debate Forums.
• Be involved directly with the various state and national campaigns during election year.
• In coordination with Awards Chair, encourage participation for the NFRW Campaign Volunteer Awards.
Hospitality & Events:
RWAAC Chair Duties:
• *Coordinates refreshments for monthly meetings.
• Coordinates refreshments for community activities when needed.
• Chair of the Christmas/Holiday Party.
• Gift/Ornament Exchange, donations to local charities.
• Helps register the Club for various events by filling out paperwork and sending in payment (in coordination with the Treasurer).
Membership:
RWAAC Chair Duties:
• Coordinate with the Executive Board to participate in community events to help appeal to potential members. Work to boost RWAAC membership through networking.
• Contact prospective members.
• Communicate with MFRW to gather information from their annual membership contest to understand programs and projects that have bolstered membership efforts within other statewide clubs.
• Help update membership materials annually to maintain accuracy of content and update information to stay relevant in the current political environment.
• Call former members whose membership has expired.
• Assist Treasurer contact members whose dues are delinquent.
• Search GOP Database and send invitation/postcards out to potential members (Strong Republicans) for New Member events.
Political Education (Legislation):
RWAAC Chair Duties:
• Shall inform the Executive Board and the Club of any local or state legislation affecting the interests of the RWAAC, as well as all of Anne Arundel County.
• Will coordinate efforts to have membership attendance at Legislative Days in Annapolis, as well as NFRW sponsored Legislative Days in Washington, DC.
• Coordinate with MFRW Legislative Coordinator Ella Ennis for coverage of the Republican caucus meetings on Tuesdays in Annapolis during session.
• Provide a weekly email on Legislative Updates (January through April).
• Provide monthly updates at meetings regarding legislative activities in the General Assembly.
• Educates and informs RWAAC members on key proposed legislation and newly enacted laws.
• Encourage and support RWAAC members to take an active part in the public policy process.
• Provide written or oral testimony on specific legislation at the direction of RWAAC.
• Help MFRW conduct Annual Legislative Reception or other Networking functions.
• Legislative ‘alerts’ by email or text.
• Educate members on how and when to influence legislation and policy issues.
• MD General Assembly Session: mid-January through mid-April.
Programs & Club Activities:
RWAAC Chair Duties:
• Work in tandem with appropriate committee chairs to ensure distribution and communication of program information.
• Coordinate with the Executive Committee to develop speaker schedules for each cycle (Jan-June, Aug-Nov)-The goal of all programs should be to educate and build enthusiasm for winning elections.
• Per RWAAC bylaws, the Club must hold at least 6 General Meetings each calendar year.
• Reserve meeting space for monthly meetings and events as directed by the Board.
• Board meetings: Book and confirm location.
• General meetings: Book and confirm location.
• Contact and secure speakers for each General Meeting.
• At meetings, be the point person for invited speaker prior to and during meetings
• Communicate event details to Corresponding Secretary for weekly Club Hub email
• The NFRW unites women as a collective force to positively impact the direction of our nation while also advancing the power of women through political access and participation. When a Republican woman becomes a member of the Federation, she has access to an array of programs and benefits which help her:
o Become an effective leader and volunteer in a variety of arenas.
o Support grassroots efforts in electing Republicans.
o Stay informed on legislative and election news and other key issues through our email and social networks, digital publications and member web site.
o Participate in training programs in the areas of leadership development, campaigns, communications, issue advocacy, membership recruitment, fundraising and more.
o Join a network of thousands of like-minded women from across the nation and develop relationships through national, regional, state and local events and through our online social network.
o Engage with dynamic elected officials, party representatives, political experts and other nationally-recognized leaders.
o Participate in our community service programs which promote Americanism, the Armed Services, literacy, private sector initiatives, volunteerism and more.
o Make her voice heard on issues important to women and support Republican principles and initiatives.
Public Relations:
RWAAC Chair Duties:
• Promote RWAAC events and meetings in the community with the goal of generating new interest and coverage.
• Works with Social Media Chair to create FB events for all events on the Club’s FB page.
• Post Club events on local Patch pages, local FB communities, etc.
• Develop and maintain list of news media.
• Maximize impact through personal phone calls and/or visits to members of the news media to discuss RWAAC events.
• Coordinate with MFRW PR Committee.
• To distribute to media: General meeting info (date, time, location, topic/speaker), Fundraiser information and Press Releases.
Fundraising:
RWAAC Chair Duties:
• Lead RWAAC membership in efforts that attract money and services needed to carry out the missions of the Club.
• Plan, organize and complete at least one “signature” fundraising event per year (ex: fashion show, wine dinner, awards banquet, themed event, etc.).
• Draft budgets, track donations and plan new programs to generate revenue.
• Focus the efforts of committee members on target audiences and groups to facilitate fundraising.
• Establish a procedure Manual on successful fundraising events.
• Determine worthy non-RWAAC charities and campaigns to host events for.
• Develop donor programs and special events at the state and local level.
Website & Social Media:
Mission: To utilize the technology of Facebook to inform members and other Republican followers of the activities within RWAAC and those events outside of the club, and news as appropriate that may be of interest.
RWAC Chair Duties:
• Maintain Club website including monthly calendar, newsletter, and group emails.
• Update Club Facebook page with relevant and timely articles and events.
• Monitors the site and Facebook page for inappropriate postings.
• Work with PR Chair to develop and promote Club events via Facebook Events on the Club FB page.
APPOINTED OFFICERS:
Parliamentarian:
Mission: To act as the official expert advisor with regard to parliamentarian Procedures in all meetings as called for.
Duties:
• Should be someone have knowledge of Parliamentary Law and Procedure and someone whom the President has confidence in.
• The duties of the Parliamentarian should be defined in the Local Club’s bylaws.
• The Parliamentarian of a Club assists the President and acts purely in an advisory capacity and must NOT infringe on the rights and duties of that officer.
• Meet with the President prior to each meeting to determine how to assist at the meeting.
• A Parliamentarian may at any time call the Chair’s attention to a parliamentary point, but this should be done discreetly and dignified.
• Can act as an advisor of the Bylaws Committee.
Historian
RWAAC Chair Duties:
• Collects and maintains records of Club events and happenings including programs, pictures, news articles, etc.
• Is responsible for storing previous years’ compilations of scrapbooks.
Chaplain
Mission: To serve as the official person that offers invocations, benedictions and spiritual influence to meetings and activities.
Duties:
• Responsible for attending all meetings called by the President.
• Responsible for the Invocation at all Board meetings and General meetings and any other events as directed by the President.
SPECIAL COMMITTEES
Bylaws
Mission: The Bylaw Committee’s mission is to assure that the Clubs Bylaws are current and in Compliance with the State and National directives.
NOTE: Bylaws are the most important rules that an organization can compose for itself.
They are rules of such importance that they cannot be changed without previous notice to the membership and a two-thirds vote. And they cannot be suspended – no matter how large the vote in favor of doing so or how inconvenient the rule in question may be – unless the particular rule specifically provides for its own suspension.
Local Club bylaws must contain provisions that are clearly binding by national and state bylaws. They should not contain provisions in national or state bylaws that have no application. Any action that conflicts with national, state or local laws or with the bylaws of the organization is null and void.
Duties:
• Conducts a review of the Club’s bylaws no less than every 2 years.
• Is prepared to make sure all applicable bylaws are available at each meeting.
• Keeps abreast of all changes in state and national bylaws and proceeds with the procedure to amend as needed to conform when necessary.
• The Bylaws committee is authorized to initiate or eliminate amendments to the bylaws in order to conform to the current Bylaws of the NFRW and the MFRW, and are to keep themselves informed of any and all changes that effect the RWAAC bylaws. The Bylaws Committee will present and proceed with any changes that are to be made by following NFRW policies in doing so.
Proposed changes for bylaws should be sent to the State Federation Bylaws chair for her review and approval. Once approved the Club may vote on them. Bylaws should always state the procedure for their amendment. All RWAAC club members should have a copy of the club bylaws.
Nominating Committee
Mission: To identify qualified candidates to serve in the following year’s executive board.
RWAAC Chair Duties:
• Insure that there are names put up for the next members but will not put names forward herself.
• Will serve as a sounding board and ensure that members that do are chosen in a timely manner and are informed of the roles and responsibilities
• Select the most qualified candidates for office. These candidates will become leaders of the organization for the next term.
• Below are some guidelines for members who are elected to serve on a Nominating Committee.
1. Be familiar with the bylaws of the organization, and be sure that you are familiarwith the duties prescribed for each office.
2. If possible, copies of all biographical data on candidates should be available to all members of the nominating committee.
3. Prior to beginning your meeting, establish the methods to be used for the determination of each candidate for each office, including the precise method of voting.
4. If you do not have on hand a candidate’s “willingness to serve, if elected” statement in writing, you must telephone the individual to obtain her acceptance of a nomination to a particular office.
5. Weigh carefully all factors of a candidate’s exposure to Federation work:
- characteristics of leadership
- knowledge of Federation procedures
- traits such as tact and diplomacy
- and ability to work well with others, both within and outside the Federation
6. To become a candidate, a nominee must receive a majority of votes of the committee.
Scholarships and Internships
Goal: To involve more young women in the political process and to provide educational opportunities, the Republican Women of Anne Arundel County and the National Federation of Republican Women offers the following annual scholarships and internships:
RWAAC Chair Duties:
• Chair the annual scholarship.
• Decide annual essay topic,finalize application form.
• Contact local high schools in AA County to distribute scholarship details.
• Collect essays and applications.
• Meet with Scholarship committee to review essays and applications to determine the recipient.
• Contact recipient, arrange for presentation of scholarship.
Clara Angelis Scholarship (RWAAC)
Nancy Reagan Pathfinder Scholarship (NFRW)
Betty Rendel Scholarship (NFRW)
Dorothy Andrew Kabis Internship (NFRW)
Maryland Senatorial Scholarship
MD House of Delegates Scholarship