MAY 5, 2014 -- During the last six (or more) months, we have been working with Granges to make sure Executive Committee Reports, Steward’s Inventories and By-Laws have been properly filed with the State Grange. Through this process we have learned there are a couple of things Granges (Masters in particular) should do to ensure they are operating within the rules/guidelines of the Order.
It is recommended that all Masters have copies of the National Digest, the Connecticut State Grange By-Laws and the by-laws of their own Community or Pomona Grange available to them at each meeting of the Grange along with any Manuals or other materials needed for the meeting. One great way to do this is to have a special bag or briefcase that is dedicated to carrying Grange meeting materials. By doing so, all of these items are at your fingertips when needed.
More than a few Granges have indicated they have not been able to locate copies of their By-Laws. Unfortunately some of these Granges did not file copies of their by-laws with the State Secretary the last time they were requested. They must now go through the process of re-creating their by-laws and properly adopting them.
Please let me know if you are having difficulty with finding your by-laws or if you need assistance in re-creating them. We are happy to review drafts of by-laws to see if there are any conflicts that can be corrected prior to being adopted by the Grange. We are also able to provide examples of by-laws that can be used to give you a “starting off point”.
When completed, copies should be forwarded to the State Secretary for filing at the Central Office. |