FOXBORO JAYCEES NEW MEMBER GUIDE
Updated: November, 2005

ABOUT THIS GUIDE
On behalf of the Foxboro Jaycees, welcome! General Membership Meetings can be confusing to new Jaycees, and we hope to eliminate any confusion by providing this guide, which contains relevant and useful explanations of terms you will hear often.

HISTORY OF THE FOXBORO JAYCEES
The Foxboro Jaycees were incorporated in 1961 and consisted of all male members. Wives of the members had their own group called the Jaycee Wives. It wasn't until 1986 that women were allowed to become members of the Foxboro Jaycees.

NATIONAL AND STATE JAYCEES GOALS
The purpose of the National and State Jaycees is to provide leadership training to energetic young men and women between the ages of 18 and 40. For more information about the National Jaycees, you can visit their website at, http://www.usjaycees.org/. You can also visit the Massachusetts Jaycees website at www.massjaycees.org.

FOXBORO JAYCEES GOALS
The purpose of the Foxboro Jaycees is to provide civic service through the organized efforts of the people of the community and to promote the welfare of Foxboro and its citizens through active, constructive projects. The Foxboro Jaycees also provide its members with leadership training and civic consciousness, which betters their usefulness as citizens.

EXPLANATION OF TERMS

• General Membership Meeting: More commonly referred to as "GMs" these are held the second Wednesday of each month at 8:00pm at the South Foxboro Community Center on South Street. GMs are the business meeting of the organization where the entire membership discusses business. In addition, there is often a program and refreshments are available.
  
• Remarks for the Good of the Chapter: At the end of a General Membership Meeting, each member is given a last opportunity to speak, to remark on the evening's happenings. It should be noted that a member can “pass" on remarks and not speak.
  
• Call List: This is the list of all Foxboro Jaycees, their spouses name, address and telephone number contained in the Wise Fox. The Board of Directors will make reminder calls to all Jaycees prior to the General Membership Meeting utilizing the call list.
  
• President: The President resides over General Membership Meetings and Board Meetings and is in charge of the Chapter for the given election year.
  
• Chairman of the Board: The Chairman of the Board is the previous year's President and will guide the current President as needed.
  
• Presidential Director: This person is elected to the Board of Directors to assist the President. They have no dedicated area of responsibility but can act as an advisor, if experienced, or can learn, as a type of internship, if new to the Chapter and/or the Board.
  
• Vice Presidents and Directors: Vice Presidents of the Chapter head up the areas of Ways and Means, Community Development, Individual Development and Membership. Each area also has a director who assists the Vice Presidents.
  
• Ways and Means: This area has projects that are vital to the organization. Responsibilities include all fundraising for the organization and are responsible for achieving the financial goals of the chapter. Projects run by this area provide the majority of the funds that the Foxboro Jaycees are able to disperse back into the community.
  
• Community Development: This area entails projects for the good of the community. These may include, the summer Concerts on the Common, Fruit Baskets, Youth Scholarships, and Sand for Seniors. Holiday projects such as Caroling on the Common, Santa on the Common, Adopt a Kid for Christmas, and the Easter Egg Hunt are also popular projects that run on a yearly basis.
  
• Individual Development: The focal point of this area is to educate, train and entertain individual Jaycee members. Projects may include CPR and First Aid Training, How to Run a Project, Public Speaking, the Progressive Dinner, Pick-Up Volleyball, Book Club, Scrap booking, Camping/Hiking, Whitewater Rafting, and our end of the year Installation Banquet.
  
• Membership: The purpose of this area is to recruit, activate and retain members. The Foxboro Jaycees have a Membership Booth to attract people with information and pictures. We also have Call Nights to inform the public of opportunities they have to participate. We have a New Members Social. This get together gives an opportunity for new members to meet veteran members in a social atmosphere such as a barbecue. Finally, we have a fantastic website that will tell you anything you need to know about our chapter. You can find our website at www.foxborojaycees.org.
  
• Treasurer: The Treasurer's primary responsibility is to monitor and disburse funds in accordance to the budget that was approved by the general membership.
  
• Treasurer’s Report: The Treasurer's Report is broken down into seven major areas: Administration, Individual Development, Community Development, Ways & Means, Membership, Donations and Chapter Voted Donations. Within each of these major categories are line items. Reading across the report at any given line item, the Proposed Budget is broken down into Income, Expense and Net. The Actual Year to Date budget is likewise broken down and the difference between the Proposed and the Actual is given in a separate column.
  
• Secretary: The Secretary is responsible for such things as keeping notes at the General Membership Meeting and the Board Meeting, distributing the Jaycee mail, and ensuring that all reports are submitted to the Wise Fox Editor in a timely manner.
  
• Board of Directors: The Board meets once per month, two weeks prior to the GM. The purpose of the Board Meeting is to finalize the agenda for the upcoming GM, bring up projects that should be announced to the GM so as to obtain a chairman and subsequent committee members, and to resolve any potential conflicts.
  
• Associates Vs. Regular Members: Associates are members aged 41 and over. Regulars are members aged 18 to 40. Associates, per the Foxboro Jaycee bylaws, have all the same privileges as Regulars with the exception of being unable to hold a position on the Board of Directors unless appointed by the President.
  
• By-Laws: The by-laws are how the Foxboro Jaycees govern themselves. Although they seem lengthy and intimidating, the by-laws have served their purpose by maintaining the integrity and principles of the Foxboro Jaycees. The by-laws are deemed necessary and proper in the furtherance of the operation of this chapter. The by-laws are reviewed yearly and are amended as needed. If you do not have a copy, ask the Secretary of the Chapter for a copy.
  
• Robert's Rules of Order: The Jaycees utilize Robert's Rules of Order to govern the proceedings of all meetings of the chapter. Robert's Rules of Order is derived from parliamentary procedure and is based upon common sense and courtesy. For a copy of Robert's Rules of Order, see the Chapter Secretary.
  
• Jaycee Election Year: The Foxboro Jaycee Election Year runs from May 1st to April 30th.
  
• Jaycee Fiscal Year: The Foxboro Jaycee Fiscal Year runs from June 1st to May 31st.
  
• Wise Fox: The Wise Fox is the Foxboro Jaycees' monthly publication that consists of reports from area vice presidents and/or directors. These reports detail upcoming events and other pertinent information for all members. The Wise Fox is mailed out within one week prior to the GM.
  
• Web Site: Your Foxboro Jaycees website is http://www.foxborojaycees.org/. Check it regularly for latest news, information, pictures, and much more!
  
• Chairman: A chairman is a person who has agreed to head a project or a committee and is responsible for seeing that the end goal of that particular project or committee is met.
  
• Chairman Planning Guide: More commonly known as the CPG, Chairman Planning Guide is written documentation of how a project is run and details as to what would make the project run better, what went wrong, etc. By passing on the CPG to the following year’s chairperson of a particular project, measures can be taken to prevent the same mistakes from occurring again.
  
• Donation vs. Project: Donations are usually dollar amounts or something specific that is needed by an individual(s) or organization in the community. Projects, on the other hand, require a chairperson and manpower to do something specific within the community.
• Degrees of Jaycees: This program is a way for a member to track his/her progress within the chapter.
  
• Mentor Program: This program is for new members. A member of the Chapter " mentors" a new Jaycee Member by inviting them to events, being on committees together, and overall helping the new Jaycee "get their feet wet."
  
• Frog: "For certain management skills the recipient would just as soon forget." In other words, the Frog is given to the person who has made the biggest snafu of the month.
  
• Key Man: This is the highest honor that can be bestowed on a Jaycee member. It is only given out once per year and only by previous Key Men. The Key Man is the person who has unselfishly given of their time and efforts over the course of the Jaycee year and has shown tremendous leadership skills. This person has been the "key" to Jaycee success over the year.
  
• Life Member: This is a prestigious award given to a regular or associate member for outstanding service.
  
• Installation Banquet: The Installation Banquet, usually held in late April of every year, is when the new board of directors is installed into the Chapter and recognition is given to the board of directors that served the year ending. Awards such as the Key Man, Project of the Year and Frog of the Year are also given out at this time.

When you become a new member of the Jaycees, you are sworn in as follows:

President: "You are about to become a member of the greatest young person’s organization in the world. The Junior Chamber offers members the opportunity to meet a group of aggressive young people, take part in worthwhile projects, fulfill a need for personal growth, and contribute to society. Raise your right hand and repeat after me:"

New Member: "I, (state your name) do solemnly pledge that I will uphold the principles and traditions of the Foxboro Junior Chamber, the Massachusetts Junior Chamber, and promote the objectives of The United States Junior Chamber, and Junior Chamber International. "

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When you join the board of directors, you are sworn in as follows:

President: "The office to which you have been elected is one of dignity and importance. In accepting this office, you undertake a responsibility which is not to be assumed lightly nor carelessly discharged. You are charged with the duties of seriously and resolutely furthering the objectives of the Junior Chamber movement. With the policy and bylaws as your guide, you must be ever ready to exercise the functions of the office with which you are entrusted. Further, you are charged with governing this organization according to the laws of democracy, under which every person who wishes to speak shall be heard, toward the end that in every matter considered, the best opinion shall prevail through the expressed will of the majority, and the best course of action followed. Do you accept this charge?"

New board member: (reply, "I do.")

President: "Raise your right hand and repeat after me."

New board member: "I, (state your name), do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of (state your office) of the Foxboro Junior Chamber and will to the best of my ability, serve as a living example of this organization’s philosophy and beliefs."