DATE: May 31, 2025
FROM: Dorothy Johansen, National Secretary-Treasurer
TO: Provincial Presidents and Secretaries
CC: National Officers, National Life Member Liaison
Please forward this message to secretaries and treasurers
according to your provincial communications protocol.
The question of what reports to approve always seems to come up, especially around annual meeting times, but it can also come up at executive meetings.
When an officer submits a written report, the executive should not vote to accept, adopt, approve or receive it. Voting on the report means the entire board agrees with the report, and if there are recommendations for actions or opinions, the board is in complete agreement.
The financial statements given at meetings throughout the year are not audited, and it is impossible for individual board members to know whether the information is correct. Therefore, they are not voted on.
These reports are simply noted as received for information. As an example, the minutes state:
The report from the faith standing committee chairperson was received for information.
Last month’s financial statements were received for information.
The reports can then be filed with the minutes, not as part of the minutes.
If a report has a recommendation the executive would like to act on, then a motion can be made at the meeting and recorded in the minutes to take that action.
At the end of the fiscal year, the treasurer will prepare an end-of-year report, which should be audited. The League has its chosen auditor (a certified public accountant (CPA)) review its financial statements to give an opinion on their accuracy and reliability. Councils should note that only a CPA registered and in good standing in Canada is allowed to conduct an audit. Other persons can be assigned to review the books but cannot attest that they have done an audit. If no problems are found, the letter the auditor signs will state that the financials were audited and found correct. The executive will then vote to adopt the auditor’s report as you are stating that you trust the auditor’s assessment of the fairness and accuracy of the financial statements. You are not voting to accept the specific financial data in the report.
Do vote to approve the auditor’s report at an executive meeting after the fiscal yearend, as the statements and the auditor’s report need to be available to the members attending the annual meeting from a maximum of 60 days before the meeting to no less than 21 days before the meeting.
At the annual meeting of members, they are presented to the members for information, any questions can be asked, and clarifications made. We generally request the approval of the membership on the selection of the accounting firm for the next audit after the report has been received for information.
Insurance
As an organization, the League carries liability insurance for members, and the national treasury pays directors’ and officers’ insurance for the national executive (including provincial presidents acting on behalf of the national executive).
Several years ago, provincial presidents studied the matter of directors and officers’ insurance for provincial and diocesan executive members, and they agreed to obtain an insurance policy for the group. This policy is administered by provincial presidents and paid directly to the broker; it is not administered at national office. The councils agreed to split the cost equally, so regardless of the size of the membership, each provincial and diocesan executive pays the same amount. The insurance does not take effect for any council until the premium is fully paid, which means all councils must remit their documentation and payment by the deadlines set by the broker.
Advertising
The national executive approved the 2025 budget with funds for advertising the League in various mediums. The League had advertisements in The Catholic Register and also advertised by posting ‘Why be a Member’ videos on Facebook and YouTube. The results show that the League reached more than 140,000 people in a few short weeks, and many women visited the national website seeking more information. Provincial presidents have been given names of women who want to learn more information, and they might just join. How exciting!
We did notice that women who reached the website tended to leave as soon as they were directed to the Join Us page, so we are looking at what we can do to make the next advertising campaign landing spot more engaging.
The next advertising campaign will run in the fall, this time in The Catholic Register and on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, to attract interested women to join a council during the usual membership drive timeframe.