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Local Officer Training

Committee on Nominations

United Women in Faith

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NW District CON

Revised 12/24

The Committee on Nominations: Easy as pie?

• No programs to prepare and present!
• No financial reports to work up or deposits to make!
• No minutes to take!
• Just a couple of weeks a year calling people up for them to immediately say yes to your nomination!
• Easy peasy!

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Right….? Wrong!

The CON is important work!

• It’s challenging to find women who are willing and able to serve.
• But the District CON Team is here to help!
• We have loads of tips and ideas to help you fill your open positions.
• Know that everything you struggle with as the Local Unit CON, we are struggling too on the District Level.

Your Role on the “CON”

CON Membership

The committee will be composed of no fewer than three (3) members, including the chairperson.

CON Meetings

The committee will meet at least semiannually and on call of the chairperson.

CON Functions

1. Gain an understanding of the mission emphases and organizational form of the unit and the responsibilities of each office.
2. Work throughout the year to identify women for leadership roles in the local unit.
3. Ensure that the elected leaders of the unit and members of the committee on nominations reflect the diversity of the membership within the unit. Elements of this diversity include but are not limited to age, race, marital status, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, sexual identity, gender expression, disabilities and employment in and outside the home. (Representation for racial and ethnic groups in proportion to their membership should be seen as a minimum requirement.)
4. Secure leaders for subgroups as requested by the leadership team.
5. Make nominations to fill vacancies that occur ad interim.

(Source: Handbook/Constitution and Bylaws/Article IV/Committee/page 10)

To be a successful CON, members need to:

• Understand the “rules” that govern our work (Constitution, Bylaws, and Standing Rules)
• Know who is eligible to be a member of and officer in UWF
• The duties of each individual officer position
• The rules regarding tenure (how long and how often someone can serve) and each officer’s tenure history (how long they have served)
• Be On the LookOut for potential leaders all year long!

The most Important thing to know?

• The job requirements for EACH position you hope to fill!
• This is not as daunting as it may seem.
• Utilize the resources available online, which we will cover later.
• Spend some time talking to the officer rolling off.
• What did they do?
• How much time did they spend each month on those responsibilities?
• What did they have difficulties with?
• Where did they go to help?
• Would they be agreeable to helping the incoming officer get started?
• Keep notes! Start a file with this information for the CON Team member who will be replacing you!

Some general tips for approaching candidates:

• Try to call instead of email or text. People will be more likely to discuss the opportunity and consider it over the phone. It’s easy to type out a quick no!
• Be specific for why you think she would be a good fit for the role. Did someone recommend her? Does she have specific skills?
• Don’t undersell the position! Don’t sugarcoat the time commitment or responsibilities. Be honest and realistic.
• A District CON officer recently said, “I love the idea of really making sure everyone truly knows what their jobs are supposed to be. Sometimes the person recruiting me for a job had no idea what the job consisted of. But I was able to muddle my way through after much trial and error.” – Don’t be this for your unit!
• Share your own story – what have you gained from serving as an officer?

Constitution, Bylaws, and Rules: Oh My!

Why we have these and why we should care

The Constitution and Bylaws

• A Constitution is a document that contains the basic law of an organized body.
• The Constitution for UWF is found in the 2025-2028 Handbook. It has four parts: the Constitution for the Local Unit, the District, the Conference, and the Jurisdiction.
• Each of these are different! You will find the Local Unit criteria on pgs. 1 -2.
• The Bylaws are a list of the organization’s rules.
• The Jurisdiction, Conference, District, and Local Unit all have their own rules.
• The Bylaws of the Local Unit are on pgs. 3-14.
• Our Constitution and Bylaws are written by the National Office. We can suggest amendments by sending a proposal to the National Office.

The Standing Rules

• The Standing Rules are written by the Conference, District, and some Local Units, not the National Office!
• They outline the procedures that are not included in the Bylaws and must not conflict with them!
• These deal with the administration of the organization, and can include things like mileage reimbursement, reimbursement for officer expenses, and perhaps some specific info on officer responsibilities.
• The only reference to Standing Rules for the Local Unit is found on page 13 of the Handbook.

Finding the Handbook

• A copy of the Handbook can be found here:
• https://uwfaithresources.org/prodDetail.cfm?productID=12087&catid=2199
• To download the file, go to this link, click the blue Download button next to the file name.

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Who can be a part of UWF?

Who can be a member of United Women of Faith?

• United Women in Faith has an “All Access Membership” which means members can engage on a local, global or virtual level.
• United Methodist Church membership is not required to be a member or leader in the organization. Members can be affiliated with another denomination (unless serving as the local unit President – see future slide)
• All people who identify as women are welcome to join as a member. There is no membership fee.
• Previous members of United Methodist Women are not required to become a new member of United Women in Faith. They remain a member.

Who is eligible for local leadership roles in United Women in Faith?

• While any woman can join United Women in Faith as a member, United Women in Faith elected leaders must be local unit laywomen who are willing to make sure that opportunities for spiritual growth, mission education, service and advocacy are available to members.

Who is eligible to serve as President?

• The President of the Unit must be a member of the local church.

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(Handbook/Constitution and Bylaws/Article I/Section 3, Structure page 3)

Officer Duties: Helpful Websites and Resources

National UWF Website: https://uwfaith.org

• This site will direct you to make a free member account with a log-in and password.
• The log-in and password can be saved.
• You can use the website without a member account, but you will not be able to access all of the pages.

After logging in…

you will be directed to this page!

Scroll down and click on “Resources” to see these areas to choose from:

• lead
• organize
• grow
• educate
• serve/advocate

Click on the Organize Tab

• There you can find the 2025-2028 Constitution and Bylaws, which has lots of valuable information on the duties of local unit officers, including the CON and its chair, on pages 1-13.
• I would recommend this link for sure 10 out of 10.

Arkansas Conference UWF Website

• https://arkansasunitedwomeninfaith.my.canva.site
• Lots of useful information
• Links documents and forms available.
• Officer information
• Event Calendar
• Officer information

NWA District UWF Website

• https://nwarumw.wordpress.com/links/ 
• This page has several website and Facebook links ready to click, as well as local officer resources and the report forms.
• It also has the contact information for all NW District officers, including the District CON members!

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Local Unit Term and Tenure

Local Unit Term

Term is the length of time a woman serves in a particular officer position.

• Terms are set by each Unit. There are no mandates in the Handbook/Constitution and Bylaws regarding the length of a term for a local unit. Generally, it is two years. Found on page 11 of the handbook.

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Local Unit Tenure

Tenure is the total amount of time a woman serves in any officer position. According to the Handbook page 11:

• No local officer will hold the same office for more than four consecutive years except the treasurer, who can hold the same office for six consecutive years.
• Service of six or more months in an officer year by an interim or acting officer will be counted as one year of tenure.
• (Paraphrased)…if a president of a local unit is no longer a member of The United Methodist Church, she must be replaced by a member of The United Methodist Church

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Tracking Tenure

• Tenure refers to the total of all years served. For example: if a Unit has determined a term is two years and you have served two terms as Secretary and one term as President, your tenure will equal six years.
• The chair of the CON should keep records of term/tenure for her unit officers. These records will be passed on to the incoming CON chair as data will need to be referred to for several years.
• That being said, according to Jamie Bird, Conference CON Chair: “There is no UWF Police Force!”

Final thoughts…

• Serving as vice president of a unit does not mean that person will automatically assume the presidency.
• Lack of previous experience as an elected leader in UWF will not be a barrier.

BOLO: Be on the lookout!

Being On the LookOut

• As members and leaders in the committee on nominations we are to be on the lookout for UWF leaders all the time, and everywhere. 

We’re not talking about the dog food!

Think about this:

• Am I welcoming to new women?
• Do I seek out the visitor at church and invite them to UWF functions?
• Do I offer to sit by them and introduce them around?
• Have I offered to give them a ride to these functions?
• Have you ever been the new woman, and felt all the eyes on you?
• Without new people sharing the responsibility, the organization dies.
• Who are you encouraging to step out in faith?
• Have you offered to help them along the way?
• Or is it a tag, you are it?
• Is your attitude that no one but you can do it right?
• Could there be more than one way to do it?
• Prepare to be amazed, because someone can and will do it better than you!
• Who was willing to give you a chance to lead?
• Can you be that mentor to someone else?

Being On the LookOut

• As you see women that are old or new, have talents, interest, strengths or great faith, keep a record of these inklings, and chalk it up to the Holy Spirit leading you.
• Then when September rolls around, you will have a ready made list of names to contact for nominations.
• Good luck and remember to keep your heart and mind open to possibilities.