It takes many volunteers to run a successful organization and, as we have been told over countless years, “Many hands make light work”.
The following list outlines ways in which you can get involved and thereby help the guild achieve its goals.
1) Make a lap-sized comfort quilt.
Small quilts made by guild members are presented to a variety of individuals in need of comfort: e.g., cancer patients (to keep them comfortable during chemotherapy); women and children rescued from abusive situations, victims of fire or natural disasters. They may be any design. A typical size is 48″ X 54″.
2) Take part in the governance of the guild.
The following is the list of positions defined within the RNQG Board. Click on a job title to see a description of the tasks associated with the position.
According to our constitution, only full RNQG members are eligible to vote and serve in any office of the board. Nominations are submitted to the board in March; elections are usually held in April. If you are interested in matters concerning operation of the guild, let any current board member know how you would like to assist.
Vice President / President Elect (2 year commitment)
Vice-President Duties: (year 1)
The Vice President/President Elect shall:
- Preside over meetings of the Board and of the Guild in the absence of the President; and
- Perform other tasks requested by the President.
President Duties: (year 2)
The President shall
- Work with the past president and current vice president of the guild to recommend officers for the next fiscal year
- Preside over meetings of the Board and the Guild
- Negotiate the contract for guild meeting location
- Select recipient town(s) for scholarships and library donations
- Assist the guild treasurer in formulating a budget for the current fiscal year
Treasurer (2 year commitment)
Treasurer Duties
- Receive and dispense all monies for the Guild;
- Keep a record of all receipts and expenditures;
- Maintain and keep balanced all accounts;
- Make all financial records available for audits;
- File tax returns and any other required financial statements;
- With information support from the other members of the Board, present an annual budget for review and action by the Board at a meeting before the first Program Meeting of the fiscal year;
- Present a financial report to the Guild members at its annual business meeting;
- Obtain (annual) Raffle Permit from Town of Walpole prior to September Guild meeting;
- File the Annual Report with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reflect current board membership;
- Pick up Guild mail from Walpole Post Office box on a regular basis; pay annual Box fees; and
- Perform all other duties normal to an organizational treasurer.
Secretary
Secretary Duties
- Record the minutes of all Board meetings;
- Keep a permanent record of all minutes and correspondence;
- Distribute Board meeting minutes to Board Members in a timely fashion for review after all Board meetings;
- Handle all correspondence;
- Maintain any other necessary Guild records; and
- Perform all other duties normal to an organization secretary.
Standing Committees
Membership
The Membership Committee shall
- Arrange for a sign-in sheet for all attendees at monthly Guild meetings
- Receive and process applications for membership
- Collect dues and meeting fees and turn monies over to the Treasurer
- Issue membership cards upon payment of annual dues
- Provide informational kits to new members
- Maintain the membership list
- Generate the mailing list for the newsletter editor
- Arrange to greet new members at their first meeting
- Arrange for a sign-in sheet for all attendees at monthly Guild meeting
Newsletter
The Newsletter Editor shall:
- Solicit and encourage input about and content for newsletter from Guild membership
- Produce and distribute via email to the membership a periodical newsletter on the activities of the Guild and its members.
Hospitality
The Hospitality Committee shall arrange for refreshments as appropriate for all programs and Guild meetings.
Currently, this role is suspended due to food and beverage restrictions at our meeting site.
Quilt Show Chair (2 year commitment)
The Quilt Show Chair is responsible for the planning, coordination, arrangements and conduct of the biennial Guild quilt show. A task description book is available for detailed information.
Programs (2 year commitment)
The Programs and Workshop Committee shall
Year 1:
- Collect information on topics of interest to Guild members
- Research speaker availability, fees and other expenses (e.g., mileage, public transportation, meals, lodging)
- Investigate possibility of sharing expenses for out-of-area speakers and coordinate plans with other guilds
- Prepare suggested schedule of programs and budget in cooperation with Officers of the Guild and present these for Board approval
- Negotiate contracts and arrange for any required advanced payments
- Provide copies of all contracts to Treasurer upon execution
- Select and book workshop locations
- Establish workshop fees with approval of the Board
Year 2:
- Distribute program information to Guild Members
- Manage workshop sign-up and fees collection from participants
- Arrange speaker’s transportation, housing and meals with Guild members, if needed
- Determine speaker requirements, (e.g., screen, slide projector, display tables, quilt racks) and communicate these needs to the facility staff prior to the meeting
- Inform Treasurer prior to the meeting of amount of check required
- Write newsletter articles about upcoming programs
- Welcome and introduce speakers at meetings
Rack Rental
The Rack Rental Committee shall
- Advertise the availability of RNQG quilt racks
- Set fees for rentals
- Contract for rentals
- Contract for rack storage, repair and replacement
- Arrange with renters for delivery and return of racks
- Maintain record of all transactions, rentals and payments
- Provide copies of all contracts to Treasurer
- Deliver all income and expense information and rental proceeds to Treasurer in a timely fashion
Photographic History
The Photographic Historian shall:
- Take photographs at all Guild activities, including monthy meetings, workshops, Sew-a-Thons, RNQG Quilt Shows, etc. and any others required for publicity
- Arrange for another individual to take photographs at any Guild activity that the Photographic Historian is personally unable to attend
- Make photographs available to the Webmaster in a timely fashion so they can be added to the Guild website, preferably prior to the next scheduled Guild Meeting
Webmaster
The Webmaster is responsible for maintaining the guild website, which is the public image of the guild. They determine the page style and menu format, but are not expected to author webpage content. Page content is supplied by other committee chairs.
Each year, the webmaster shall:
- Ipdate the guild calendar pages based on dates provided by the President, Program Chair, Comfort Quilt Chair, and Retreat Chair
- Link guild meeting information pages provided by the Program Chair to the calendar page
- Accept and post photos provided by the Photographic Historian
- Make available on-line membership forms created by the Membership Chair
- Upload the current newsletter and maintain the newsletter archive
As needed, the webmaster shall also:
- Create new pages for guild events which do not occur annually (e.g. Quilt Show, Raffle Quilt, Quilting Retreat)
- Post announcements as requested
- Maintain registration of the website domain (rnqg.org) and subscription to website host by submitting bills to the Treasurer in a timely fashion
Publicity
The Publicity Committee shall prepare and distribute Guild promotional materials, both to increase attendance at Guild activities and to increase public awareness of Guild members and activities.
Monthly Raffle
The Monthly Raffle Committee shall:
- Solicit materials for raffles to be held in conjunction with Guild programs
- Supervise the conduct of the raffles
- Submit all raffle proceeds and expense / reimbursement documentation to the Treasurer.
New England Quilt Museum (NEQM) Liaison
The NEQMA Liaison shall:
- Represent the Guild at meetings called by NEQM or arrange for a substitute to attend
- Report to the Guild on representative meetings and New England Quilt Museum (NEQM) activities in the Guild newsletter
- Offer passes to NEQM to Guild members on a first-come, first-served basis
- Write and submit RNQG activity reports for inclusion in “The Compass”
- Inform Guild Publicity Chair of deadlines for longer articles on specific events well in advance of due date
- Obtain mailing lists from NEQM for Publicity Chair
- Inform Treasurer of amount and due date for Guild NEQM dues and ensure check is submitted
- Encourage member participation in NEQM events
- Arrange for volunteers and fund-raising events when desired
Raffle Quilt Chair
The Raffle Quilt Chair shall oversee the development of the Raffle Quilt and sale of raffle tickets.
Phase 1: Construction
The Raffle Quilt Chair shall:
- Choose (with assistance from committee members) the Raffle Quilt pattern / design
- Purchase / obtain materials (fabric, backing, batting, etc.)
- Prepare ‘kits’ for blocks to be distributed to and assembled by volunteers
- Track and collect completed blocks
- Assemble quilt top
- Make arrangements for the completed top to be quilted, bound and labelled.
Phase 2: Ticket Sales
The Raffle Quilt Chair shall:
- Have the Raffle Quilt photographed
- Order Raffle Tickets and marketing materials
- Distribute – and track – Raffle Tickets to Guild Members
- Identify opportunities to exhibit / display Raffle Quilt and sell tickets
- Coordinate Raffle Quilt display and ticket sales at RNQG Quilt Show
- Oversee raffle and delivery of Raffle Quilt to winner
- Provide all proceeds and documentation to Treasurer as received and in a timely fashion
Connecting Threads
The Connecting Threads Chair shall
- Send cards to current and former Guild members for any significant life event (e.g., birth, death, illness, good luck, new job)
- Purchase appropriate cards and postage
- Request timely reimbursement from Treasurer for purchases
- Maintain a list of people who have been sent notes over the course of the year
- Post a newsletter article so Guild members know who to contact when they become aware of a situation that merits recognition by the Guild
Comfort Quilts
The Comfort Quilt Chair shall:
- Coordinate and document requests for and distribution of comfort quilts to those in need
- Solicit and / or purchase fabric, batting and backing fabric and provide the same to guild members to make quilts for the guild to donate
- Organize additional activities such as Monthly Block challenges, Quilt Kit building, and Sew-a-Thons as needed
- Itemize all expenses and submit reimbursement requests to the Treasurer
Facebook / Social Media
The Facebook / Social Media Chair manages the Guild’s presence on social media and specifically the Guild’s Facebook page (facebook.com/www.rnqg.org) to:
- Publicize the Guild, Guild programs and activities;
- Solicit new members;
- Provide an additional means for communicating with Members
- Inform the community of Quilt-related activities and events in the area
The position may involve writing, posting content, choosing or creating graphics, as well as responding to inquiries and comments.