Group Office Bearers' Responsibilities

• Group Convenor
• Group Secretary
• Group Treasurer
• Procedural Notes of Group Funds
• Additional Group Functionaries

Group Convenor

The Convenor of a Group of the Knitters’ Guild NSW Inc:

1. must be a Financial Member of the Guild as per clauses 3, 4 and 12 of the Constitution of the Knitters’ Guild NSW Inc. 2019 or as amended or suspended.
2. must have registered an affiliation with the relevant Group as per By-law clause 1.a)(i) and (ii).
3. must have knowledge of the Constitution and By-Laws 2019 of the Knitters’ Guild NSW Inc. or as amended or superseded.
4. must have knowledge of and comply with all Guild Policies, such as Guild Privacy and Remuneration Policies.
5. must have knowledge of the responsibilities of the Group Secretary and the Group Treasurer and ensure that their duties are carried out according to the Constitution and By-Laws and the Administrative Procedures as set out in this and any other procedural document relating to their duties.
6. is responsible for the venue in which the Group meets, that is, ensuring that all requirements of the venue owners or organisers are met.
   1. Also, if the meeting place of the Group is organised by an external committee the Convenor (or an appointed representative) should, if invited, attend any meetings held by the committee and subsequently report back to the Group.
   2. A copy of any Lease or Agreement between the Group and the Management Committee of the venue must be forwarded to the Guild Secretary.
7. must ensure compliance with all relevant State and Territory Government directives in relation to public gatherings.
8. is responsible for the proper management and maintenance of all assets, monetary or otherwise, of the Group and also those held on behalf of the Guild. This includes ensuring the presentation of a Group financial report at each meeting and counter signing and ensuring the accuracy of the record of cash income and expenditure transactions at each meeting, i.e. verification of the total of cash collected and paid out.
9. is responsible for conducting meetings, including AGM in November, in a proper manner and facilitating the planning and execution of Group activities (see suggested list of activity delegations attached).
10. must ensure that a physical Attendance Book/Sign-in Sheet is provided for all meetings to record the attendance of both members and visitors. As may be required, maintain an attendance record with contact d etails (phone number and /or email address) in accordance with State and Territory Government directives in relation to public gatherings.
11. must ensure that information provided by the Executive Committee is conveyed to ALL Group members, not only those who attend meetings.
12. must ensure that a written report of their Group’s activities is submitted quarterly to the Executive Committee. Until further notice Group Reports are to be submitted to the Magazine Editor for publication in each issue of the Knitters’ Guild Magazine – A Good Yarn. If requested, an annual report of the Group’s activities must be supplied for submission to the Annual General Meeting of the Guild.
13. must ensure that a calendar of events is forwarded to the G uild Secretary, either as events are formulated (adhering to Magazine or KGBytes deadlines as advertised) or when established at the beginning of each year. The annual calendar of events or advice of special events will then be forwarded for publication to the Guild’s President (for inclusion in KGBytes), Publicity Officer and the Website and Magazine Editors as may be applicable.
14. must ensure that all elected Group office bearers or functionaries are current financial members of the Knitters’ Guild NSW Inc. and are registered as being affiliated with the Group.
15. must regularly reconcile the Group Attendance Book records against the Group List of Financial Members provided by the Information Management Convenor and follow up any unfinancial members who have been attending the Group. This will also serve to highlight any financial members who have not been attending and who therefore can also be followed up.

Group Secretary

The Secretary of a Group of the Knitters’ Guild NSW Inc:

1. must be a Financial Member of the Guild as per clauses 3, 4 and 12 of the Constitution of the Knitters’ Guild NSW Inc. 2019 or as amended or
2. must have registered an affiliation with the relevant Group as per By-law clause 1.a)(i) and (ii).
3. must have knowledge of the Constitution and By-Laws 2019 of the Knitters’ Guild NSW Inc. or as amended or
4. must have knowledge of and comply with all Guild Policies, such as Guild Privacy and Remuneration Policies.
5. must have knowledge of the responsibilities of the Group Convenor and Treasurer and assist as
6. must carry out the following duties –
   1. Maintain a physical Attendance Book/Sign-in Sheet for all meetings of the Group to record the attendance of members and visitors.
   2. Maintain a record of the proceedings of Group meetings, i.e. Minutes. The Minutes need not be a detailed account of the meeting but must record any decisions taken, the Treasurer’s report, ratification of expenditure and the persons responsible for ensuring that any actions agreed upon are carried through.
   3. Undertake correspondence on behalf of the Group. Correspondence should be under the letterhead of the Knitters’ Guild NSW Inc Group, and include the Guild logo.
   4. Maintain the archival records of past proceedings of Group meetings, official documents such as leases, correspondence and the Group Treasurer’s documents. All physical documents held by the Group Secretary should be passed onto their successor at the end of their term and the previous year’s records, i.e. the year before the current year, are to be forwarded to the Guild’s Collections Management Convenor for archiving. Electronic records are to be passed on by means of a USB stick or equivalent electronic storage device.
   5. Provide a calendar or notice of events to the Group and the Guild Secretary for publication.
   6. Provide hard copies of Guild Executive correspondence, eg. KGBytes for Group members without access to electronic communication, either at meetings or by post etc.
7. may be required to:
   1. Assist with publicity for Group
   2. Assist with the preparation and submission of Group Reports to Magazine Editor and the Guild Executive.
   3. Liaise with delegated Group functionaries (see list attached) and assist as may be necessary, circulation of Group morning or afternoon tea rosters.

Group Treasurer

The Treasurer of a Group of the Knitters’ Guild NSW Inc:

1. must be a Financial member of the Guild as per clauses 3, 4 and 12 of the Constitution of the Knitters’ Guild NSW Inc. 2019 or as amended or superseded.
2. must have registered an affiliation with the relevant Group as per By-law clause 1.a)(i) and (ii).
3. must have knowledge of the Constitution and By-Laws 2019 of the Knitters’ Guild NSW Inc. or as amended or superseded.
4. must have knowledge of and comply with all Guild Policies, such as Guild Privacy and Remuneration Policies.
5. must have knowledge of the responsibilities of the Group Convenor and Secretary and assist as required.
6. must, if practicable, continue to carry out their duties until the annual accounts are finalised and submitted to the Guild Treasurer in January, even if a new Group Treasurer is elected at the Group’s AGM in November. The overlap time can be used for handover and training.
7. must carry out the following duties:
   1. Open or continue to operate a Bank Account in the name of the Knitters’ Guild NSW Inc. – (Name) Group and, if necessary, operate a petty cash system (see By-Laws clause c).
   2. Ensure that the signatories to the Group Account are currently elected Group Executive members, i.e. the Group Treasurer plus either or both the Group Convenor or Secretary, preferably all three.
   3. Prepare a record of all income and expenditure incurred at each meeting, i.e. attendance fees collected and cash paid out for catering etc., to be counter signed as accurate by the Convenor at the conclusion of each meeting, and deposit all cash (or all cash in excess of petty cash if used) into the Group’s bank account as soon as practicable after each meeting.
   4. Ensure the timely payment of any expenditure incurred by the Group, eg. rental costs.
   5. Maintain a formal record of all financial transactions either manually or electronically. Reconcile all transactions against bank statements and ensure the accuracy of all reports prior to submission. (See template attached.)
   6. Prepare a Group financial statement for presentation at each Group meeting, consisting of income received, outgoings since the last meeting, and the Group’s bank account balance, any cash held and a list of expenditure to be ratified for payment at the meeting. A copy must also be provided to the Group Secretary to be included in the Minutes of the meeting. (See template attached.)
   7. As per the Constitution By-Law clause 1.f)(ii) quarterly reports of the Group’s financial dealings, i.e. income/expenditure, bank balance and statement of cash held, must be forwarded to the Guild Treasurer in April, July and October, the December quarter is to be included in the annual financial report as set out below. (See template attached.)
   8. By 31 January provide the Guild Treasurer with an annual statement of all financial activities of the Group for the previous year, i.e. 1 January to 31 December, accompanied by the following documentation in either hard or electronic copy:
      
      • Bank Statements – ensure they include balances as at 1 January to 31 December;
      • Detailed Financial Records of income and expenditure from 1 January to 31 December;
      • Copies of receipts or invoices relating to income and expenditure as per the Financial Records;
      • Statement of total of any cash on hand as at 31 December signed by two Group Executive Officers (noting that all cash must be banked or declared prior to 31 December By-Law clause 1.c)(iii); and any cash over $200 must be held in a bank account By-Law clause c)(ii)).

Procedural Notes in Relation to use of Knitters' Guild NSW Group Funds:

• No money pertaining to any function or activity organised by the Guild Executive, i.e. not organised by the Group, should ever be deposited into a Group’s bank account and then be forwarded as a Group payment to the Guild account. Examples include Guild Membership Fees, Certificate of Achievement payments and attendance fees for any workshops or events organised by the Guild Executives.

• Any money collected for Group activities such as workshops, bus trips, fund-raising, etc., must be receipted and deposited into the Group bank account as soon as possible after collection and any expenditure relating to these activities must be paid from the Group’s bank account. Any activities which do not comply with these procedures for the safeguarding of funds will NOT be sanctioned as Guild activities and, under the terms of Guild insurance policies, members and non-members will NOT be covered for any claims of any nature.

• Additionally, if any misadventure occurs with funds not deposited into a Guild account as directed by these procedures, it will be the responsibility of the person involved in the collection or safe-guarding of said funds to make good.

• Group Executive Officers should ensure that monies accumulated by their Group are only of an amount sufficient for general operational purposes. Any excess accumulated funds, which are not required for recurrent expenditure, special projects or purchases for the benefit of the Group, may be forwarded to the main Guild account for such general use as deemed appropriate by the Executive Committee or transferred to another Group for their use, either to fund activities or assist a member or members to attend a Guild workshop or event.

• Charity Donations:

1. It is illegal under the Association Incorporations Act 2009, Regulation 2016 to donate Guild/Group funds to any other organisations.
2. It is permissible for Groups to specifically collect donations on behalf of charitable organisations. Any funds so collected must be passed on in their entirety as soon as practicable after collection. For probity and record keeping, any funds collected should be deposited into the Group’s account and paid to the charity out of the Group account.

Additional Group Functionaries

Activities which the Convenor can delegate to Group members:

• Workshop Co-ordinator – organise local workshops, during or outside general meeting times, liaise with Guild Workshop Convenor re provision of tutors.
• External Education Co-Ordinator – organise knitting/crochet classes for the general public, provide assistance at local craft or agricultural shows.
• Hospitality – one or two members specifically designated to identify visitors and make them welcome by finding them a seat and introducing them to a few members.
• Morning Tea/Lunch/Afternoon Tea Co-ordinator – maintain general supplies, organise roster.
• Publicity Officer – organise advertising of Group events, liaise with Guild Publicity Officer and Guild Secretary.
• Magazine Reporter – provide report of Group activities for Guild Magazine A Good Yarn.
• Librarian – maintain Group Library.
• Charity Knitting Co-ordinator – organise Group charity projects, co-ordinate yarn donations, distribute items.
• External Event Co-ordinator – organise travel to and/or participation in Guild events, eg. FibreFest, World Wide Knit in Public; or travel to non-Guild activities/events.
• Internal Event Co-ordinator – organise events such as One Skein Challenges, stash sales.
• Exhibition Co-ordinator – organise presence at local craft or agricultural shows, liaise with organiser of Guild Exhibitions in relation to Group contributions.
• Particular events can, of course, be co-ordinated by specifically designed members rather than umbrella co-ordinators.