Get Out! Get Active! Get Involved!

PROXY VOTING FOR WI PRESIDENT AND WI COMMITTEE MEMBERS

As a result of requests from WI members, the NFWI board has reviewed the policy on voting for the President and WI Committee Members at WI Annual Meeting. In line with current practice, the board has agreed that WIs can decide whether or not they would allow proxy voting at WI Annual or Special Meetings.

The suggested procedure is as follows:
• The WI should take a vote whether or not it wishes to allow a proxy vote.

• If it does, those members who are unable to be present at the Annual or Special Meetings would be allowed to leave a proxy vote for one candidate for the role of the President, and one proxy vote for each committee vacancy.

• The member carrying the proxy vote would continue placing the absent member’s vote until the candidate is either voted out or wins the election.

• The WI should decide who the proxy vote should be left with to place in the elections; it may be a WI member attending the meeting chosen by the absent member, or it can be the WI Secretary for all proxy votes. Alternatively, a WI can give its members a choice.

• The member carrying the proxy vote would place the absent member’s vote in the ballot box with her own. She must not disclose the proxy vote and fully comply with secret ballot voting.

Download a copy of this information here.

MCS

Please ensure that the database is kept up to date: add, remove members and amend any changes as quickly as possible. Once you have added your new member(s) to the MCS, let WI House know the name and address in order for a WFWI Welcome Pack to be sent out.
A dual member joining your WI CAN now be added to the MCS by your own rep but if in doubt contact WI House and we will add to the system.
Any new MCS Reps who would like a training session on the system please contact Trudi on trudi@wfwi.org.uk

REPLY SLIPS

The contact details should be completed by the person who is happy to receive the information that will need to be passed on to the members/non-members attending the event.

COPYRIGHT LAWS - INFORMATION FOR WIS
All WIs need to ensure that copyright Rules/ laws are upheld when using any photographs/ illustrations, from the internet, for any form of advertising platform.

WFWI CENTENARY HISTORY BOOK

Just a reminder to all WIs who have yet to send their information in to Sylvia; please do so as soon as possible. Any queries email Sylvia on: sylvia2018wibook@gmail.com.

POSTCODE MEETING HALLS

Please ensure that the Village Hall or Meeting Room has its postcode clearly displayed in case the emergency services are needed as it is a requirement for them in order to proceed with the emergency provision.

2017 SUBSCRIPTIONS

The subscription charge for 2017 is £39.00 for a full member and £19 for a dual member.

2017 AFFILIATION FEES
The remitance forms for 2017 Affiliation Fees are available to download on our Form Downloads page.

WFWI PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE CERTIFICATE
You can download a copy of our Public Liability Insurance Certificate here.

CLASSES AND EVENTS

Please remember to send these to WI House for the attention of Trudi Tayloe and to email trudi@wfwi.org.uk and for general admin queries contact fiona@wfwi.org.uk. Don’t forget to send the appropriately sized stamped addressed envelope for any reply. Please send payment for all events on a WI cheque. Details for all events and the application forms are available on our website. Please also note that ALL meetings and events held at WI House will take place upstairs. If access is a problem, please inform the office immediately in order for alternative arrangements to be made, as ALL members attending will need to be notified. We always endeavour to cover the County when holding events but due to size and facility restrictions, at venues’, this is not always possible. Please note that we are not responsible for external information published in this Website.

REMINDER
Please use WI cheques and not personal cheques when sending payments into the office.

MCS AND NEW MEMBERS
All WIs should have a MCS Rep who is responsible for keeping their records on the system fully up to date. If your WI does not have a Rep please contact Fiona in order to give your Rep access to the system via a secure username and password. NEVER pass your username and password over to a Rep when changing roles. All new members should be added as soon as joining and then the Rep needs to let WI House know the names and addresses in order to send out Welcome Packs. Please note that the MCS Capture Forms can be destroyed once the member’s details have been added to the system. Members are entitled to WI Life magazine and access to the Moodle as soon as they join – if they are not added to the system they will not receive their entitlement. Please immediately remove a member who has passed away so as to avoid any unnecessary distress for the family. Ensure that the Affiliation fees membership figure tallies exactly with the number of members of the MCS. The information on the system is protected by the Data Protection Laws. All MCS Reps are asked to make sure their email address is listed in their record on the MCS. A dual member joining your WI CAN now be added to the MCS by your own rep but if in doubt contact WI House and we will add to the system.

CHARITY COMMISSION RULES REMINDER
A WI may only be seen to support a LOCAL charity ONLY. The charity rulings prohibit national charities supporting each other.

WFWI WEBSITE
There is a lot of information to be found on the website, both local and National. Please check regularly as this is constantly updated. If you wish to put any of your WI events or activities on the website then contact Jill at worcswi@yahoo.co.uk.

PHOTOGRAPHY PERMISSIONS
Please note that anyone sending in photographs to WI House and/or the website have implicit permission to use from everyone visible in the photograph. The onus is on the WI/photographer to check those being photographed are aware that the picture may be published.

AROUND THE COUNTY
Has your WI had an exciting meeting or been out on a trip? Then please let WI House know so we can include in the County News for other members to read about. Where possible please send a digital photo to illustrate your brief account; not forgetting to make sure anyone in it has given their permission! Send to: fiona@wfwi.org.uk.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND BUDGET FORMS

Please note that copies are kept in stock– if you require a Financial Statement and Budget Form please contact WI House in order for us to add to your next WI mailing or if required sooner then send a LARGE LETTER SAE with a cover note.

MONTHLY SAVINGS PLAN FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS

Has your WI ever considered having a monthly savings plan for subscriptions? Why not offer it to your members as a way of planning ahead for when the subscription is due in January. Monies are collected by the Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer each month and a record kept. This money is then paid into your WI’s deposit account and can be paid out to members in December in readiness for the next year’s subscription. If you need any further help please contact your Adviser or WI Independent Financial Examiner. A Member Savings Card is available to download from our Form Downloads page.

GUIDELINES - ACCESS OF CARERS TO MEMBERS WITH DISABILITIES TO WI MEETINGS AND EVENTS

Some recent enquiries received by the NFWI have highlighted a lack of knowledge among WIs about their legal responsibilities to ensure accessibility of WI meetings and events to all members. This is an important issue which, if not handled correctly could result in damage to the reputation of the WI, and unnecessary distress to those involved. Please click here to download a copy of the guidelines.