Reports

CCW Organization Notebook provided by the Joliet Diocesan CCW

Reports – not something to be dreaded!  They’re simply a means of sharing the events – especially the successes – or your Council of Catholic Women.  

            The first report you should consider is one to your parish.  Whether you do a summary of the past year’s events in a column in the parish Bulletin, a page in the program of a fund-raiser (Spring Luncheon, Fashion Show…), or flyer distributed at a general meeting, it is one of the best advertisements you can make for your Council.  It will educate parishioners about the work you do, and may attract willing members and workers who are interested in some of your ministries.

Once you have put together such a report, you will want to share it. By completing the Annual Report from the Joliet Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, you will not only be sharing with other parishes and deaneries in the diocese, but with the National CCW.  That’s because the Diocesan CCW President and Commission Chairs use these reports of yours in their annual Reports to the National CCW.   Every effort is made to keep this report simple for you to complete, and is even available in electronic form from www.dioceseofjoliet.org/ccw if you prefer to complete it on your computer, rather than manually. These forms are usually sent out in May, and are due by mid-June.

           Another report you should seriously consider maintaining – if you do not do so already – is a Volunteer Hour report. Actually, maintaining this report will help in completing the above Annual JD CCW report, since that report asks for the number of hours volunteered by your members in activities in each of the six Commission areas. And you do not need to have designated Commissions or Commissions Chairs for your Council to report volunteer hours in a particular commission.  A couple of examples: you may not have had a Family Concerns Commission or Chair, but if you had a Baby Shower for a pregnancy support clinic, the hours planning, hosting and attending this event should be counted as Family Concerns volunteer hours;  you didn’t have an International Concerns Commission or Chair, but at every meeting you had a free-will basket for donations to ‘Water for Life’; without a Legislation Commission or Chair, you nevertheless organized a voter registration session for your parish or organized a signature collection for some pending legislation. To make it simple to collect the numbers of volunteer hours, I suggest distributing a sheet at every meeting on which members can record their volunteer hours (have someone collect them at the end of every meeting, and then distribute them at the next; then at the end of the year, you’ll have a complete record. I have sample sheets if you’d like:  call 630-834-2183 or contact me at mariannemck@sbcglobal.net).

Consider sharing your Volunteer Hour report with your Pastor, perhaps in a card similar to a Spiritual Bouquet.  Seeing first-hand the number of diverse hours of service performed by your members may increase his respect and appreciation for your Council

Finally – or perhaps firstly – you should be sure to send a complete roster of your board members to the JD CCW, and then periodically update this as you have additions or corrections in your board.  Again, this form is usually sent to Parish Presidents in May with a return date of mid-June.  Your Deanery and your Diocesan CCW board would like to be able to keep you informed and be more responsive to your Council and its members, but it is difficult if they don’t know who you are or to whom to send information.

“A Good Report contains accurate facts and figures; is sent on time…; and becomes a matter of permanent record for the (your Council’s) organization and the deanery, diocesan and national rings.”