SAWH Guidelines (approved as of 2003)

THE PRESIDENT

The President assumes responsibilities for his/her term at the end of the annual SHA-SAWH joint meeting each October or November. The President, in consultation with the executive council, plans and executes policy, appoints chairs and committees (including ad hoc committees to undertake special projects), appoints delegates, and represents the interests of officers, elected council members and the general membership where appropriate.
The President shall appoint all chairs and members of standing committees to a one year term, including Nominating Committee, Taylor Prize Committee, Spruill Prize Committee, Rose Prize Committee, Membership Committee, Graduate Committee, Finance Committee, Audit Committee, and any other committees at the discretion of the President. Members of all committees must be members in good standing with the organization. The President is encouraged to foster continuity in committee work by reappointing some committee chairs or members to serve a second year.
Ideally, committee appointments should be made and reported to the Secretary by December 15, and published in the January newsletter of the organization. The President will prepare three Messages from the President, to be published in the January newsletter, the April/May newsletter, and the August/September newsletter.
The President shall attend or appoint delegates to attend the Coordinating Committee on the Status of Women Breakfasts at the annual AHA meeting and the OAH meeting on behalf or the organization.
The President will work with the Secretary to prepare the agenda, collect annual reports, and circulate the committee reports prior to the annual council meeting to be held during our annual meeting at the SHA. The President will preside at the annual executive council meeting, invite a speaker for the annual lecture, and run the business meeting for general membership before retiring from office. The President may be reimbursed for costs associated with the duties the office.

THE FIRST VICE PRESIDENT

· The First Vice-President is expected to attend all board meetings as a voting member and to attend the annual business meeting, assuming responsibility for duties at the end of one annual meeting and before assuming the Presidency following the close of the next annual meeting. The First Vice-President assumes responsibility for assisting the President in any capacity requested and is in charge of fundraising for, planning for, and coordinating the reception to honor the President at the annual meeting. In consultation with the President, the Vice-President solicits donations from the President and the annual speaker’s home institutions and presses, and from local institutions in the city where the conference is being held and where the SAWH has ties.

All sponsors of the annual reception should be secured by a May 15 deadline. The First Vice-President will prepare and for the SHA annual conference program, inviting conference attendees to attend the annual SAWH address, reception, and Book Sale. Preparing this ad should be coordinated with the SAWH Secretary, and the SHA Secretary and must meet deadlines set by the SHA. A poster based on the ad and promoting the SAWH events during the SHA conference may also be prepared for display during the SHA meeting. Sponsors of the reception and Book Sale should be thanked in all promotional materials.
During the summer, the First Vice-President is responsible for following up with letters requesting pledges be sent directly to the SAWH office by the annual meeting (preparing an invoice if necessary, to be enclosed with the letters). The First VP should forward a list of contact persons, sponsors and addresses to the President by the annual meeting. The First Vice-President may relinquish the task of thanking the sponsors to the President, or may assume this duty.
The First Vice-President must coordinate with a Local Arrangements Chair or the Book Sale chair so that signs, tables, cash box, and other material are available at the annual reception, as well as the books and salespeople.
The First Vice-President must prepare a report and forward it to the President and Secretary by October 1.

THE SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT

The Second Vice-President is invited to attend the annual meeting of the executive council in the year in which he/she is elected, and the business meeting, to prepare for his/her upcoming term. Once her term begins, the Second Vice-President is expected to attend all board meetings as a voting member and to attend the annual business meeting.
The Second Vice-President is available to assist the President in any capacity.
The Second Vice-President must compile a list of the service of members in a given year, including all officers and committee members, presentations at annual SAWH meetings or conferences, and provide the list to the Secretary.
In consultation with the President, the Second Vice-President will also put together a session (usually a workshop relating to interviewing, hiring, mentoring or other issue of interest to newer SAWH members) and submit it for consideration of the Program Committee of the SHA by that committee’s stipulated deadline. This session may be independently sponsored by the SAWH or cosponsored with the Committee on Women, whichever seems most appropriate.
The Second Vice President will review the SAWH web site quarterly to be sure it is up to date. If she identifies outdated information, she will contact the secretary who will consult with the H-SAWH coordinator to provide the updates. The Second Vice President will submit a report of activities to the President and the Secretary by October 1.

COUNCIL MEMBERS

· Council members are elected to three year terms.
They are elected six months prior to taking office and are invited to attend the annual executive council meeting immediately following their election as a non-voting member.
They take office at the end of the annual meeting immediately following their election and are expected to attend annual council meetings as voting members for the next three years.
Council members may be called upon during the year to advise the President and to vote on pending matters.

PAST PRESIDENT

The Past President shall chair the Nominating Committee and serve on the Executive Council during the year following service as President.

SECRETARY

The secretary remains the mainstay of our SAWH organization, the person at institutional headquarters who oversees the day-to-day operation, including membership, and the person who coordinates with officers, committee chairs and executive council members.
This person is available to advise and assist members and officers of the organization.
In addition to attending all council meetings, taking notes and sending out minutes, the Secretary also assembles and designs three newsletters every year, and mails them to members.
The secretary undertakes the role of publicist as well, sending out calls for prize nominations to presses and journals and issuing press releases about the prize winners.
The secretary receives books and articles nominated for the publications prizes and sends them to members.
The secretary administers the details concerning membership, including mailing lists, the service book, and welcoming new members.
The Secretary reminds officers and chairs of deadlines, which must be strictly maintained for the smooth operation of the organization.
The Secretary assembles committee reports and other materials for the annual meeting and is the chief link between the organization and committees.
He or she also pays SAWH bills and makes deposits of all funds received by the SAWH, and handles all routine bookkeeping for the organization.
He or she works with the SAWH treasurer to maintain financial records.
The Secretary works closely with the Prize Committees as well. She sends out requests for nominations for the book and article prizes to the relevant academic presses and journals, receives all the nominated books and articles, and distributes them to the Prize Committee members. He or she also prepares the press releases on the prize winners.
The Secretary shall submit a report to the President and Secretary by October 1 each year.

TREASURER

This officer is in charge of overseeing the finances for the organization, monitoring the account books and bank accounts and investments. The Treasurer will work closely with the Secretary to oversee matters concerning membership dues and other important matters of financial administration.
The Treasurer will advise the President and other officers on all matters concerning long range financial planning; work with both the Finance Committee on the organization’s financial health; and be concerned with fiscal responsibility and financial growth. The treasurer works with the secretary to draft the proposed operating budget and makes recommendations on investments. She submits a financial report to the president by October 15.
H-SAWH (WEB SITE ELECTRONIC LISTSERVE) The SAWH offers a web site and an electronic discussion listserve through the H-Net network. These important assets ensures that our members have electronic access to information – including a directory, membership forms, the SAWH newsletter, conference updates and similar information – concerning the organization. The list is an important communication tool for the SAWH, and those who maintain this important role for us provide an invaluable service. The H-SAWH coordinator and listserve editors, appointed by H-Net, work with the organization to keep the discussion page and H-SAWH web page up-to-date. The H-SAWH coordinator and listserve editors serve multiyear terms.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE

This committee of four, chaired by the Past President, is responsible for submitted a slate of officers to present for election to the SAWH membership.
Members of the committee are appointed for a one-year term by the President.
A call for volunteers and nominations for officers and Council members will be published in the fall newsletter. From this pool of potential candidates, the committee will select one person each for the positions of Second Vice-President, Executive Council member, and graduate student representative to recommend to the President and the Executive Council.
The proposed slate and a ballot, which will permit members to vote for these candidates or others that may be written in, will appear in the spring newsletter. The deadline for submitting ballots will be June 15 each year.
The Nominating Committee chair must forward a report to the President and Secretary, by October 1, which includes information on the nominations, including nominees who might not have appeared on the slate, but might be appropriate for future years.

TAYLOR PRIZE COMMITTEE

· The Taylor Prize is offered annually for the best article published during the previous year on a topic in southern women’s history, in a journal or anthology.

The chair of the committee and two other members work closely with the Secretary to ensure that all pertinent published essays from journals as well as presses (individual pieces in anthologies are also eligible) and nominate pieces themselves as well as seeking out as wide a range of work in southern women’s history as is possible.

· The Taylor Prize Chair is in charge of distributing copies of articles to other committee members. The chair can submit receipts to be reimbursed for any outstanding costs for photocopying and postage. Prior approval should be received for any expenses exceeding $50.

Prize committee chairs should issue firm guidelines to committee members in writing (preferably a point system or ranking system for evaluating nominations), distribute these guidelines in advance, provide a clear outlines of procedure, responsibilities, and deadlines.
It is recommended that submissions be closed by June 1 for articles published in the previous calendar year. The chair of the committee must forward the results of the committee’s deliberations to the President and Secretary by August 15.

· The chair must submit his or her report by October 1, including data on submissions and a press release concerning the winner of the prize. The chair is expected to attend the annual SAWH session during the SHA annual meeting and to present the prize to the winner.

The chair may contact the winner of the prize at the discretion of the President, but in any case a member of the organization will contact the winner no later September 15 to encourage the winner to attend our annual meeting and collect his or her prize. Deliberations for the prize must be held in the strictest confidence, and results are not released until our annual meeting. Any inquiries may be forwarded to the President.

JULIA CHERRY SPRUILL PRIZE

· The Spruill Prize is awarded annually to the best monograph on southern women’s history published during the previous year. Notices concerning the prize will be distributed by the organization. Committee members and the chair especially are encouraged to solicit nominations from individuals and presses. This committee of three will receive books directly from the organization in batches. Submissions will close on April 15, for books published in the previous calendar year.

Prize committee chairs should issue firm guidelines to committee members in writing (preferably a point system or ranking system for evaluating nominations), distribute these guidelines in advance, to provide a clear outline of procedure, responsibilities and deadlines.
The chair must submit results of the committee’s deliberations to the President and Secretary by August 15. The chair is expected to attend the annual SAWH session during the SHA annual meeting and to present the prize to the winner.
The chair may contact the winner of the prize at the discretion of the President, but in any case a member of the organization will contact the winner no later September 15 to encourage the winner to attend our annual meeting and collect his or her prize. Deliberations for the prize must be held in the strictest confidence, and results are not released until our annual meeting. Any inquiries may be forwarded to the President.
The chair must submit his or her report by October 1, including data on submissions and a press release concerning the winner of the prize.

WILLIE LEE ROSE PRIZE

· The Rose Prize is awarded annually for the best monograph in southern history authored by a woman. Notices concerning the prize will be distributed by the organization. Committee members and the chair especially are encouraged to solicit nominations from individuals and presses. This committee of three will receive books directly from the organization in batches. Submissions will close on April 15 for books published in the previous calendar year.

Prize committee chairs should issue firm guidelines to committee members in writing (preferably a point system or ranking system for evaluating nominations), distribute these guidelines in advance, to provide a clear outline of procedure, responsibilities and deadlines.
The chair must submit results of the committee’s deliberations to the President and Secretary by August 15. The chair is expected to attend the annual SAWH session during the SHA annual meeting and to present the prize to the winner.
The chair may contact the winner of the prize at the discretion of the President, but in any case a member of the organization will contact the winner no later than September 15 to encourage the winner to attend our annual meeting and to collect his or her prize. Deliberations for the prize must be held in the strictest confidence, and results are not released until our annual meeting. Any inquiries may be forward to the President.

· The chair must submit his or her report by October 1, including data on submissions and a press release concerning the winner of the prize.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

The chair and members of this committee must make every effort to seek renewals of membership (as dropouts continue to be an annual plague, offset every three years by the boost in membership at the annual conference). Vigilance is extremely important. New members must be sought out. Also, recommendations on ways to recruit new individual and institutional members are welcomed.
Ordinary renewal letters are handled by the executive secretary. This committee is expected to co-ordinate efforts to renew members whose memberships have lapsed two years or more. The committee should also seek out new members in other venues, perhaps at the SHA annual meeting, with reminders on various H-Net lists, and at other professional associations. It would be perhaps advisable for the chair to subdivide the labor—putting one person in charge of renewing lapsed members, another in charge of recruitment or regional sub-chairs. Receipts may be turned in to the Treasurer for reimbursement for expenses associated with membership drives. Any expenses exceeding $50 should be approved in advance by the Executive Council.
The chair of the committee must submit his or her annual report to the President and Secretary by October 1.

GRADUATE COMMITTEE

The chair of the Graduate Committee will provide leadership on how the organization might better serve the needs of our graduate members. The Graduate Committee is expected to be an outreach group within the membership.
Also graduate student members of the committee are often asked to volunteer at our annual meeting, during the reception when fundraising for the SAWH is done through our annual Book Sale.
In a conference year, the Graduate Committee will plan and host a reception for graduate students during the conference and will select winners of the Jacquelyn Dowd Hall Prize (awarded every three years for the two best papers delivered by a graduate student at the conference).
The chair of the Graduate Committee is requested to submit a report to the President and Secretary by October 1.

FINANCE COMMITTEE

The chair of this committee must work in close contact with the Treasurer to provide advice on all matters pertaining to funds and financial operations. The three-member finance committee will provide support and advice to the SAWH treasurer on financial and investing policies.
The chair of the finance committee must confer with our financial institutions annually to make sure our accounts and financial reports match. This committee will assist the Treasurer in finding an auditor for our organization each time the institutional home moves.
A report summarizing the long-range financial picture for change and confirming our bank deposits and holdings must be submitted to the President and Secretary by October 1.

BOARD OF EDITORS

A board of six editors, appointed by the President from among senior SAWH members, shall work in an advisory capacity with the President and Executive Council to appoint editors and review proposals, budgets, and timetables for all SAWH-sponsored publications.
The board shall also work to ensure that the organization maintains an excellent working relationship with the University of Missouri Press, the SAWH publisher of record. In consultation with the director of the Press, a board member will be available to serve as an outside reader for each SAWH volume submitted to the Press.

· The board will work with the authors or editors in charge of the conference volumes and all other publications to ensure that deadlines are met and that the content and quality of the manuscript represents the organization well.

· The board should work with the author/editor of each SAWH publication to develop a schedule and a budget for each publication and should be kept apprised of the progress of SAWH publications.

· Board members will serve staggered four-year terms, with three members rotating off every two years.

CONFERENCE COORDINATOR

This key position must be a member who volunteers to organize the triennial Southern Conference on Women’s History in his/her town and at his/her home institution with wide local support and major institutional commitments. It is advisable that the location of the conference be secured within the same year that the conference is held—i.e. a location for the 2006 conference should be solicited in 2002-2003.
Once the coordinator is in place, local arrangements must be launched to work in conjunction with the Conference Coordinator.
The Conference Coordinator must work closely with the Presidents as well as the Secretary and the Treasurer of the organization for roughly two and one half years, to assure a successful conference. Fundraising and grant applications must be pursued as early as possible.

CONFERENCE LOCAL ARRANGEMENTS

This committee must be appointed as early as possible to secure a strong set of arrangements for the conference. The chair must work closely with the Conference Coordinator.

CONFERENCE PUBLICITY COMMITTEE

This committee must work to assure nationwide advertisement of the upcoming conference and include local appointment to insure regional publicity of upcoming events.

CONFERENCE FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE

This committee must be appointed as soon as possible and try to secure funding in advance from state and local agencies writing grant applications and other important activities to make the conference a success.

CONFERENCE PROGRAM COMMITTEE

The chair of the program committee should be chosen by the president in consultation with the executive council and conference chair.
A program committee of between five and ten members should be appointed and assembled two years before the conference so that the Chair and committee members can solicit proposals one full year in advance of the conference.
After submissions are collected and assigned the committee must meet at least once to determine a complete program, preferably at the SHA annual meeting, six months in advance of the Conference in order to meet program publication and other deadlines.

LOCAL ARRANGEMENTS AND BOOK SALE

Every year at the annual reception, the organization calls on members locally for support.
Members also draft help for the annual Book Sale, generally from the graduate committee. This role is coordinated closely with that of the first Vice-President on the annual reception arrangements. It is also advisable if someone locally plays a valuable role in helping with arrangements, that they be given credit for their service to the organization
Arrangements for the annual Book Sale include collecting donations, making arrangements for the sale, and handling the donated books that remain unsold.