Conference President’s Handbook · 2019-07-08 · Conference President’s Guide 3 September 23, 2016 Executive Summary Our Mission Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St

Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Archdiocesan Council of St. Louis

September 2016

Conference President’s Handbook

1 Conference President’s Guide

September 23, 2016


September 23, 2016

Table of Contents

Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................................ 3

Vocation vs. Volunteer ........................................................................................................................................................... 4

Leadership .............................................................................................................................................................................. 5

Conference President Checklist ............................................................................................................................................. 6

Meet Your Pastor ................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Name Your Officers ................................................................................................................................................................ 8

Preparing Yourself .................................................................................................................................................................. 9

Conference Meetings ........................................................................................................................................................... 10

Tips for a Productive and Fulfilling Meeting ....................................................................................................................... 11

Financials: CAR Reports and Annual Audits ........................................................................................................................ 12

District and Presidents’ Meetings ........................................................................................................................................ 14

Status of Conference ............................................................................................................................................................ 15

Training and Formation: Conference Vincentians ............................................................................................................... 16

Model The Three Pillars ....................................................................................................................................................... 18

Resource List ......................................................................................................................................................................... 19

Appendix ............................................................................................................................................................................... 20

Works Cited .......................................................................................................................................................................... 26


September 23, 2016

Executive Summary

Our Mission

Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St. Vincent De Paul (SVDP) is an

international Catholic lay organization dedicated to providing person-to-

person service to all those in need right here at home.

We work by the model of The Three Pillars.

The three essential elements of the Society

are often referred to as the Three Pillars:

Spirituality, Friendship, and Service.

Many people join the Society as a way of

responding to God’s call to serve His

suffering and poor. However, these three

Pillars, oriented in this order, remind us that

the Society exists primarily for the Spiritual

growth of its members. As Blessed.

Frederic tells us “The Society has only one

purpose: to sanctify its members . . .” In

other words, Vincentians are called to

holiness by striving to conform themselves

to Jesus. All works of any good follow from

that. In this way, the Society differs from

many other charitable organizations whose

principal objectives are not the spiritual

advancement of their members but solely

the doing of good for others.

Like divergent spokes touching the same center, so our varied efforts tending

toward diverse ends come together in one and the same charitable mind and

proceed from the same principle.

Frédéric Ozanam


September 23, 2016

Vocation vs. Volunteer

“Take up your cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34).

As a president, you were called to lead. Some circumstance, event, or

instance guided you to this moment. You have been called to be a Servant

Leader and we thank you for answering that call.

The Merriam-Webster defines vocation as:

a summons or strong inclination to a particular state or course of

action; especially: a divine call to the religious life

The Merriam-Webster defines a volunteer as:

a person who voluntarily undertakes or expresses a willingness to

undertake a service: as a: one who enters into military service

voluntarily; b (1): one who renders a service or takes part in a

transaction while having no legal concern or interest (2) : one who

receives a conveyance or transfer of property without giving valuable

consideration

In the one life God gave you to live, you have one overriding purpose, to fulfill the will of God, because this is the key to your true destiny, eternal happiness. God gives each one of us a particular mission in life. As we grow and life progresses, He makes it known to us, usually in indirect ways, more as an invitation than an imposition.

Vocation Volunteer

Simply stated, “vocation” means a “call.” Your vocation is what God calls you to do with your life. We are all called to know, love and serve God. The difference is how each one does this.

Doing a job or task without pay. Something you are asked to do by another person. May have satisfaction from doing the task or job.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/voluntarily


September 23, 2016

Leadership

Four Key Leadership Abilities (Excerpted adapted from Leadership for Dummies, Loeb/Kindel)

After you decide that you can embrace responsibility, leadership

requires that you be able to do four things well:

Set the tone for spirituality, friendship and service. Leaders do their best to model these, The Three Pillars.

Elicit the cooperation of others. You want others to buy into your vision of the future and the right way to get there.

Listen well. Gather many kinds of information from others in order to lead.

Place the needs of others above your own needs.

Five Action Characteristics of an Effective Leader

1. Support: Give encouragement, show you care, let the members know their

opinions matter.

2. Knowledge and Skills: Provide the members with the knowledge and skills

to do the job. For example: home visits, listening, 3 pillars, avoiding

entanglements.

3. Information: Inform the members about information they need to feel

spiritually fulfilled, and that they can use to confidently serve the poor,

information such as: Council Programs, Conference resources, relationship

with the Pastor/Parish, etc.

4. Resources: Provide resources the Conference Members need: Training,

forms, Council Program Handbook, phone numbers, other Conference

members, access to you, etc.

5. Empower: Give members freedom to take initiative and do their job. A

leader encourages others to take positive initiatives; gives support and

provides constructive feedback; gives opportunities for members to learn

and grow; encourages their development; and, recognizes and praises their

work.


September 23, 2016

Conference President Checklist

Required reading: “Rule”, “Manual” and “Conference President” book

Review Essentials on page 32 of the Conference President book to conduct effective meetings

Meet with your pastor Review Relationships on page 35 of the “Conference President” book

Name your officers (VP, Secretary, Treasurer and Spiritual Advisor)

Set schedule for Conference Meetings

Review Previous Year’s Meeting Minutes

Conduct Conference Meetings

Ensure quarterly Conference Activity Reports (CAR) are completed on time

Ensure an annual audit is conducted

Attend District Meetings

Attend Conference President Meetings in your District

Ensure all members have attended Ozanam Orientation

Groom your Successor (This can be your Vice President or another member.)

Review the status of your Conference:

Spirituality

Fund Raising

Recruitment of new members

Communication with the parish/community

Utilization of Council Programs

Model Vincentian Virtues and The Three Pillars of the Society: Vincentian Spirituality, Friendship and Service

Charity must be organized, and well organized to be effective. - Vincent de Paul


September 23, 2016

Meet with Your Pastor

Prior to this meeting, review the key points below.

VII. Relationships, page 35 of the Conference President book.

First, pastors, as well as parishioners, should be regularly informed about the income, expenses, and works of the Conference in order to demonstrate that all funds received from the parish are being handled in an appropriate manner. This can be monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, etc. Any such reports must certainly respect the confidentiality of those served, but are necessary to minimize any fears and to ensure the trust and cooperation of a pastor.

Second, if a pastor cannot attend regular meetings of the Conference, some mutually convenient time should be arranged between the Conference president and the pastor, providing each with an opportunity to share ideas, express concerns, and ask questions.

Parish Communication: It is important to communicate with your parish community for many reasons. For parishioners who donate and/or sponsor the conference, it lets them know their money is being well spent on the poor as intended. For those who do not contribute to SVDP, this is an opportunity to share the good works you do and possibly inspire them to give or join the society. In addition, having a Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference as part of the parish is a wonderful way to strengthen or reinforce the church community as a whole.

Key Notes

SVDP exists with the blessing of the Archdiocese of St. Louis and the blessing of the Pastor.

The Pastor ideally is a resource of support, encouragement and advocate for SVDP.

The Pastor does not have direct financial oversight.

Developing and Maintaining Relationship(s) with the Pastor, helps ensure the happiness and productivity of the conference. The pastor will be more likely to go along with changes that are proposed and to be implemented, and allow us to be more innovative and creative.

Faithful to the clear intentions of Blessed Frederic Ozanam and his companions, the Society has a close relationship with the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Respect of the members for the hierarchy provides the foundation for harmonious reciprocal cooperation.

- Rule: Part 1, 5.1


September 23, 2016

Name Your Officers

The President is the only elected position in the conference. All other officers are

appointed by the president and approved by the conference. The president’s term is

three years and begins the start of the fiscal year, October 1st. The president may

serve two terms.

Vice President (VP) The Vice President performs the duties of the President in the event of the President's temporary absence, and other duties as the President or Conference may assign. The VP collaborates with the President in all matters affecting the Conference. She/he attends the Conference meetings. This position is an opportunity to learn the role of the President to see if it is a good fit to possibly be the future Conference President. Spiritual Advisor (SA) The SA is not the Spiritual Director. This would be your Pastor or Deacon The SA leads the Opening and Closing Prayer and facilitates the Spiritual Reflection at Conference meetings. She/he ensures that all meetings are conducted in a spirit of Vincentian Friendship and offers programs for the spiritual development of members. The Spiritual Advisor may also mentor all Vincentians through the use of the Vincentian Pathway. Treasurer The Treasurer is responsible for the conference funds and securities. She/he

maintains full and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements in books

(official records) belonging to the Conference. The treasure’s term is three years

and begins the start of the fiscal year, October 1st. The treasurer may serve two

terms.

Secretary A Conference may have more than one Secretary. The Secretary attends

conference meetings, and ensures that all votes are recorded and

minutes kept of all meetings. She/he is typically the officer that sends out

meeting notices. Additional duties are: keeping the records of

Aggregation, formal documents, meeting attendance and the annual

report records.


September 23, 2016

Preparing Yourself

Required Reading

The Rule

Manual of Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Conference President’s Book

Minimum Standards of Excellence

Description of a Top Tier SVDP Conference

Recommended Reading

Conference Program Handbook

Review the minutes from the previous year’s meetings.

By-laws

Review Essentials on page 32 of the Conference President book: Conduct Effective Meetings

Optional Reading

Governance: Council/Board Manual

Annual Budget

Year-end Financials for the previous 3-4 years

Exploration of 501(c)

Servant Leadership “Vincentians are called to journey together towards holiness, because

true holiness is perfect union with Christ and the perfection of love, which is central to their

vocation and the source of its fruitfulness.” - Rule: Part I, 2.1


September 23, 2016

Conference Meetings

Set the schedule for conference meetings. (Two Meetings a Month)

Review the minutes from the previous meeting

Create an Agenda

Tips for an Effective Meeting on page 11.

Example of a Typical Agenda: 1. Opening prayer 2. Spiritual reading and discussion 3. Take attendance 4. Minutes of preceding meeting: taking minutes should be brief/minimal and

factual. 5. Business

Membership report. New candidates for membership proposed; Conference action with reference to candidates previously proposed; welcome to new members; deaths; resignations.

Report of treasurer

Members' reports and Conference action concerning families and individuals under care.

Special works reports (e.g. visitation of nursing homes or prisons)

Assignment of visitors for new cases or needs requiring Conference action.

Payment of bills and issuance of money orders voted.

Committee reports: services to aging; extension; disaster preparedness; clothes rooms; distribution of Catholic literature; annual report, etc.

Plans for advancement of the Society's charitable involvement growth, or funding.

Correspondence 6. Review what we could do differently to improve what we do. 7. Secret Collection 8. Closing prayers


September 23, 2016

Tips for a Productive and Fulfilling Meeting

Keep the meeting joyful. Have a spiritual atmosphere.

This will help avoid controversy and gossip.

Send the agenda in advance. Send the previous meeting minutes in advance. Manage the meeting by the clock: starting the meeting on time and

ending on time or a few minutes early. “Parking Lot”: to manage off topic discussions.

If a question or topic arises that is not on the agenda or will take a great deal of time to discuss, or it becomes controversial or unlikely to be resolved at this meeting, simply park it. “Jim, that does merit further discussion. Let me write down that item in the parking lot and I will include it in the meeting notes that I will send out by email so we can explore that point at a later time.”

Important Points and Decisions

You may want to meet with individuals one-to-one when making a major a decision(s). Important decisions need time and though this is time consuming, it increases the chance for a successful outcome.

Take Notes for Yourselves We recommend taking notes in a notebook on any questions or actions steps you may want to take. Though electronic devices such as smart phones and tablets are terrific, sometimes others may perceive that we are being distracted. Use your best judgement and what works best for you.

Follow-up on the meeting

Following up with an email or phone call within 24 hours is a great way to help strengthen members’ confidence in their leader, manage stress by taking care of things quickly and helps ensure important items don’t fall through the cracks.


September 23, 2016

Financials: CAR Reports and Annual Audits

CAR Report (Conference Activity Report)

CAR Reports record Conference income, expenses, and other vital information.

CAR Reports are filed with the Council Office quarterly and are due within 30

days after the quarter ends.

It is imperative that the CAR Reports are filed on time and are filled out

completely.

Vincentians, Conferences and the Council are accountable to the poor we serve,

to our donors, the church, our parishes, other members- conferences-councils,

the government and the general public.

CAR Reports satisfy that accountability.

Detailed instructions on the CAR Report can be found on the Council website

https://svdpstlouis.org/conference-activity-report .

Annual Audits

Annual Conference Audits are to be done yearly, or any time there is a change of

Conference Presidents or Conference Treasurers.

Annual Audits must be conducted by someone other than the Conference

officers.

Audits are usually conducted by a neighboring Conference or by uninterested

parties such as a parishioner who may be an accountant, or have accounting

skills.

Accountability and transparency dictate a minimum of yearly audits.

Audit forms can be found on the Council Website https://svdpstlouis.org .

https://svdpstlouis.org/conference-activity-report

https://svdpstlouis.org/


September 23, 2016

Please see the Appendix for:

1. Audit Worksheet

2. Audit Verification

Annual Audits: Letter from SVDP St. Louis Board President

ST. LOUIS COUNCIL

SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT de PAUL

1310 Papin Street

ST. LOUIS, MO 63103-2207

SUBJECT: CONFERENCE AUDITS (FP#2(V.2))

TO: ALL CONFERENCE PRESIDENTS

In reviewing our financial procedures across the St. Louis Council, it has come to our attention that we do not

have a standard policy for conducting conference audits. The section titled “Accountability” in the Rule and

specifically Statute 27, state that audits are a part of maintaining fiscal integrity at all levels of the Society and

that Council Presidents should require audits of conference’s finances under their purview as deemed

appropriate. This phrase deemed appropriate has caused much confusion and interpretation across the

community. Therefore, we are establishing a policy floor for the conduct of audits.

Within the St. Louis Council, audits will be required if there is a change of Presidents, a change of Treasurers or

a lapse of one years since the last audit. Audits should be recorded on the enclosed form (enclosure 1) and

made part of the permanent conference files as well as forwarding a copy to the applicable District President.

Who conducts the audit? At the Conference level, the audit may be conducted by the following;

a. Two or more members of the conference who are not currently holding office.

b. Two or more disinterested individuals who are members of the parish

c. Two or more Vincentians from another District Conference

d. A District Council Audit Team (if available)

e. If a conference has annual revenue in excess of $100,000, they will be subject to a full audit by an

independent team approved by the Council Office.

The conference audit should be conducted in accordance with enclosure 1, Worksheet for Conference Audits.

The completed audit verification form (enclosure 2) should be forwarded to the District President or his duly

appointed representative.

The St. Louis Council is working on refining financial procedures and reporting and will be publishing

guidance during the course of this year. Each Conference should use this year to examine its procedures as

measured against the guidance and bring the two into synchronization.

David Winslett President of the Board


September 23, 2016

District and Presidents’ Meetings

Attending District and Presidents’ Meetings is important for many reasons.

Friendship: Remember that the three pillars are Spirituality, Friendship, and Service.

Friendship is important, not just as a source of collegiality and to create relationships

we can use later. Friendship is important because we receive encouragement in our

faith and in our work by spending time around other Vincentians who are equally

passionate about being Christ and helping their neighbors.

Information: Leaders empower their followers when they can provide the information

needed to get something done. One of the things that can be frustrating to Conference

members is a lack of current information about how things are to be done (e.g. how to

acquire/use store credits); a sense of being “isolated” from the larger happenings

within the Council (e.g. celebrating Vincentian Sunday); and hearing things from other

Conferences or other Vincentians that they expect to hear from their President (e.g.

changes in leadership at the Board and Council level). So attending District and

President’s meetings ensures you have the information you need to be holy and

effective.

Training: Attending District and President meetings is also about you. It’s a source of

either passive or active training. When you listen to what other Conference Presidents

do, you have a chance to evaluate their practices in light of your own Conference’s

circumstances. When Council is rolling out a new procedure or a new program, they

will ask the Conference and District Presidents to comment on it first, and will then train

them on it before they roll it out to the Conferences. You become a better, more

informed leader – which means your Vincentians will want to follow you because they

know you’ll be able to help them.


September 23, 2016

Status of Conference

Find out the status of your Conference on:

Spirituality

Fund Raising

Recruitment of new members

Communication with the parish/community

Utilization of Council Programs You may have had this experience: you’ve served as a Conference Vincentian members for some years, and you’ve noticed things you think could be done better. You’ve probably wondered why they haven’t been done. Now you’re the Conference or District President and, finally, you can make those changes. . . but whoa, not so fast! It might be good to understand why those things weren’t done before. Is there a Vincentian Rule that doesn’t allow it? Do your Vincentians need some additional training or experience before it should be done? Will it have a negative effect on fundraising or on recruitment or on the relationship with the Pastor that you might not have been aware of. A good place to start is simply doing an assessment of your Conference. How are they doing on the spirituality track? How are you doing in your own

spiritual growth as a Vincentian? What needs to happen? How is the Conference raising funds? Are we just passively receiving funds or are

we taking our responsibility to raise funds seriously? Are we growing? Are we attracting younger members? Are we losing people

because of things that are happening at the Conference? How well does the Parish/Pastor know us? How does that affect us? Do we know about and use the Council Programs to supplement our work? Are we

assessing our neighbors in need to see if their needs go beyond the reason they called us? How good are our home visits?


September 23, 2016

Training and Formation: Conference Vincentians

Ozanam Orientation

Attending Ozanam Orientation helps to ensure all of the Vincentians have a

clear understanding of the St. Vincent de Paul mission. New Vincentians are

to attend within 1 year of joining SVDP. Encourage your Vincentians to

attend for a “refresher” if it’s been awhile. The results will be worthwhile.

Spiritual Advisor

The continued theme throughout all we do in the Society of St. Vincent de

Paul is the Three Pillars, number one being Spirituality. It is the driving force

of who we are as Vincentians. It is strongly recommended that the

conference has a Spiritual Advisor. Though it is not a labor intensive job, it is

an important one. Spiritual Advisor training is offered several times a year. It

is a wonderful opportunity to grow spiritually, talk with peers and gain

confidence in the role.

Groom your Successor

This can be your Vice President or another member. It is important to keep

this person involved in conference projects. Give him/her the opportunity to

lead meetings or a portion of meetings. Additionally, having him or her get

familiar with financial reports will help to make the transition to president

much more seamless.


September 23, 2016

Home Visits

Home Visits are an imitation of Christ’s involvement in the lives and needs of others. It is the realization by the client that someone cares enough to make the visit. As Vincentians, we achieve a much greater understanding of the client’s circumstances and needs. Are other people in their home? Learn how the choices as to the uses of their assets have been made and where assistance is

most appropriate, e.g. food, rent, medicine, utilities, communication system, etc. In their own space, establish the essentially spiritual nature of the visit. Establish their residence’s proximity to the parish with an invitation to visit the church. Suggest alternatives to current use of funds such as insurance, borrowing at high interest

rates, etc. Members learn homes and surroundings in the conference’s neighborhood. Members reinforce the fact that teams composed of both men and women multiply the

effectiveness of their efforts and add to the comfort of their clients.

Training of new members is best achieved during home visits. Members realize the satisfaction of collegiality and friendship during the course of shared charitable experiences.


September 23, 2016

Model The Three Pillars of the Society

Vincentian Spirituality, Friendship and Service

Vincentian Spirituality: This call to be holy is the first call of all Vincentians. We

cannot be expected to see Jesus Christ in the poor until we can see Jesus Christ in

ourselves. And we cannot see Jesus Christ in ourselves until we recognize that

everything is in His hands, and we are only His poor instruments. This level of trust in

Divine Providence can most easily be summed up in Frederic’s daily prayer: “O God, I

will what you will, when you will, in whatever way you will, because you will.”

Vincentian Friendship: Being consistently holy in our world is a continual challenge.

Each of us knows our own human frailties and the ease with which our virtue can be

eroded by our human tendencies. The Society brings together people of good will,

intent on imitating Jesus and, by doing so, assisting each other in drawing nearer to

the Divine Model. Through the example and continual challenge of our fellow

Vincentians, our virtue is strengthened. We learn to see and love God in the person of

the other.

Vincentian Service: It is God’s unfathomable love for mankind that is central to our

understanding of the Mystery of the Incarnation. St. Vincent reminds us that “Since

Christ willed to be born poor . . . He made himself the servant of the poor.” If God

loved all mankind that much, then the corporal and spiritual works of mercy are

necessary expressions of that. We do what we do for the person of Jesus, who is, in

truth, the flesh-and-blood neighbor in need standing before us.


September 23, 2016

Resource List

Governance in a Box from SVdP National Office

http://www.svdpusa.org/members/Documents/Governance-in-A-Box

Leadership Reading List

Leadership revolves around building relationships. Those relationships might be

with fellow Vincentians, the pastor, parishioners and with those we serve. The

stronger our leadership/relationship skills are, the more effective and satisfied we

will be. The old adage applies, “They don’t care how much you know until they

know how much you care.”

With that thought in mind, here is a list of great leadership/relationship books:

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Positive Personality Profiles by Dr. Robert Rohm

The Magic of Thinking Big by Dr. David Schwartz

How to Have Confidence and Power in Dealing with People by Les Giblin

http://www.svdpusa.org/members/Documents/Governance-in-A-Box


September 23, 2016

Appendix

Appendix A: Minimum Requirements for Existing Traditional Conferences

Appendix B: Description of a Truly Excellent SVDP Conference

Appendix C: People Highly Engaged Infographic

Appendix D: Audit Worksheet

Appendix E: Audit Verification


September 23, 2016

Appendix A

1

The Conference excludes no one from membership, based on age, gender, race or ethnicity.

Rule, Part I,3.2

2

The Conference meets regularly and frequently, not

less than twice a month.

Rule, Part I, 3.3.1, Part

III, Statute 12

3

The Conference has four or more active members and

a full slate of officers.

Rule, Part III, Statute 12

4

Spiritual readings and reflections, in addition to prayer, are a part of each meeting.

Rule, Part III, Statute 7

5

Conference has an active trained Spiritual Advisor who attends meetings regularly.

Rule, Part I, 3.13, Part

III, Statute 15

6

Conference is aggregated or has filed an application if in existence 1 or more years.

Rule , Part I, 3.8, Part

III, Statute 6

7

Conference serves all those in need regardless of age,

sex, race, ethnicity, religion, or life style

Rule , Part I, 1.4, Part

III, Statute 8

8

Home visits are the primary focus of work for

traditional conferences.

US Manual Page 23

9

All home visits and other interviews are made by two Vincentians.

Rule, Part II, Statute 8

10

The Conference has person-to-person contacts with

the needy, whenever possible.

Rule, Part I, 1.2, Mission

Statement

11

The Conference maintains a bank account separate from the Parish, under the control of the Conference Treasurer.

Rule, Part III, Statutes

12 and 24, US Manual,

Pages 26 & 30

12

The Conference attends District meetings and takes part in programs and events sponsored by the District/Diocesan Councils.

Rule, Part I, 3.6

13

The Conference sends it members to formation and

training sessions offered by the Society.

Rule, Part I, 3.6, 3.12,

Part III, Statute 10

14

All Conference members attend Ozanam Orientation within 12 months of joining the Conference.

Rule, Part I, 3.6, 3.12,

Part III, Statute 10

15

The Conference submits a Conference Activity Report (CAR) quarterly to the Council on a timely basis.

Rule, Part III, Statutes

22 & 23

The Conference twins with other Conferences and Council.The Council maintains a positive relationship with the

Parish and Parish clergy.

Rule, Part I, 5.1

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Minimum Requirements for Existing Traditional Conferences


September 23, 2016

Appendix B

Description of a Truly Excellent SVDP Conference

A truly excellent Conference will:

o Have enough Vincentian volunteers to respond to contacts within 24 hours and dohome visits routinely.

o Meet weekly and have spiritual reflection at half or more of the meetings.

o Have Vincentian volunteers who describe the Conference equally andenthusiastically in terms of spiritual growth, friendship and service.

o Offer multiple spiritual and service opportunities to engage all who value theVincentian mission.

o Have volunteers ready and enthusiastic to move into leadership positions.

o Have a high level of Parish and Pastor support and engagement in the mission.

o Maintain a healthy balance of younger (30-55) and older (55-80) Vincentianvolunteers.

o Have regular exposure to other Vincentians and Vincentian events (Trainings,District/Regional/National Meetings).

o Use (spend/twin) money they receive to serve the poor and avoid hoarding or“saving for a rainy day” at the expense of the needs of the poor today.

o Meet the National Standards of Excellence for operating a Conference.

o Conduct a regular self-assessment/audit against these standards to look foropportunities to improve.

“Everyone was so enthusiastic and friendly; I didn’t want to leave the meeting. This

Conference is doing really important work; I want to be a part of it and I know I can

contribute to it. This is where God is calling me to be the best version of myself.”


September 23, 2016

Appendix C

People Who Feel Highly Engaged in Their Work

Experienced the Following:

99% They know what is expected.

98% They have the resources they need to do their job.

98% They view the role as important to the organization.

98% Their “manager” cares about them.

98% They have opportunities to learn and grow.

97% Someone encourages their development.

92% Someone has talked about their progress.

91% Their opinions count.

88% They have been praised recently.


September 23, 2016

Appendix D

Audit Worksheet for Conferences who are members of the St. Louis Council of the Society of St. Vincent DePaul

This worksheet is for the yearly audit requirement. It is suggested, but not required, that the Conference request another neighboring Conference to do the audit. In this manner both Conferences may learn from each other. In no case should the Treasurer participate in the self-audit. This document along with the ‘Verification of Audit” form should be mailed to the applicable District Council once completed. Reporting. This is in reference to the last 4 Quarterly Reports. 1. Y or N. Were the Conference Activity (CAR) reports completed on time? 2. Y or N. Were the CAR reports complete and accurate? 3. Y or N. Were all Bank Reconciliations complete and correct? Mail and Receipts 4. Y or N. Is all mail, donations, loose cash and bank statements opened by at least two non-related persons with at least one being a Conference member? 5. Y or N. Are bank reconciliations done monthly by the end of each month and signed and dated by the Conference President or his/her designate? 6. Y or N. Following IRS regulations, are letters sent to donors for contributions over $250? Disbursements 7. Y or N. Is the Conference bank account used solely for SVDP business? 8. Y or N. Is the Conference bank account under the Councils EIN 43-0652684 ? 9. Y or N. Is the Landlord contacted to verify rent owed before dispersing funds for rental assistance? 10. Y or N. Are all expenses paid by check? 11. Y or N. Are all checks made to specific payees and not Cash or Bearer? 12. Y or N. Are all checks delivered directly to the party being paid and not a SVDP client? 13. Y or N. Do all checks over $400 require two signatures? 14. Y or N. Are checks payable to conference members supported by receipts or bill of sale. Record Retention 15. Y or N. Are Bank Deposits kept for 3 years? 16. Y or N. Are Client Case records kept in a safe place for 3 years? Other 17. Y or N. Is the Conference President aware that the Church Pastor should not be an authorized check signer? 18. Y or N. Locate the last Bank Reconciliation and review how it was prepared with the person that prepared it. Was it prepared correctly?


September 23, 2016

Appendix E

Verification of Audit

Conference being audited: ____________________________ Please Print Date audit was completed: ____________________________ Names of Persons Performing audit: _________________________________ Please Print

_________________________________ Please Print

_________________________________ Please Print

I/we the above named person(s) have completed an audit of the financial record keeping of the above named conference. _______ I/we find that the Conference is in compliance with the financial record keeping standards set down by the Society of St Vincent de Paul and further that I/we discovered no financial record keeping problems that needed to be corrected or acted upon. _______ I/we find that the Conference is in compliance with the financial record keeping standards set down by the Society of St Vincent de Paul and that there were only a few problems that were pointed out to and corrected by the Treasurer. I/we feel that intervention by an upper level of the Society is not necessary at this time. A list of the problems uncovered during the audit process is listed on a separate page. _______ I/we find that the Conference is not in compliance with the financial record keeping standards set down by the Society of St Vincent de Paul and that there are serious problems that need to be corrected. I/we feel that immediate intervention is needed by an upper level of the Society. A list of the problems uncovered during the audit process is listed on a separate page. _________________________________________________________________________________ Signature of Auditor Phone Number _________________________________________________________________________________ Signature of Auditor Phone Number _________________________________________________________________________________ Signature of Auditor Phone Number _________________________________________________________________________________ Signature of Conference President Signature of Conference


September 23, 2016

Works Cited

Conference President, National Council of the United States, Society of St. Vincent de

Paul, Inc. ©2009

SVDP in Milwaukee, Wisconsin: http://svdpmilw.org/OfficersDuties.pdf

Engagement, Original source: http://www.callcentre.co.uk/engage-contact-centre-staff-

boost-productivity/

http://svdpmilw.org/OfficersDuties.pdf

http://www.callcentre.co.uk/engage-contact-centre-staff-boost-productivity/

http://www.callcentre.co.uk/engage-contact-centre-staff-boost-productivity/


September 23, 2016