President/Co-President (2 members)

The President/Co-President run all meetings of the club, including Board meetings, signs any contracts, is an ex-officio member of all committees, and is a core member of the Program Committee.

Advisor (1 member)

The past President assumes the position of Advisor to current and future Presidents.

Vice President (1 member that would move into the President position along with another member, so they may run the position together)

The Vice President performs the duties of the President in the event of the President not being available and is also a core member of the Program Committee. The Vice President will manage the Garden Club Federation of MA responsibilities.

Secretary (1 member and 1 support person to shadow to replace the current Secretary the following year)

The Secretary keeps a record of all meetings of the Club and the Board and conducts the correspondence for the Club. The Secretary, along with the Membership Chairperson, publishes program announcements, committee activity reports, and other Club news through email or the Club’s website.

Treasurer (1 member and 1 support person to shadow to replace the current Treasurer the following year)

The Treasurer is in charge of all funds belonging to the club, pays all bills, and keeps an account of all receipts and disbursements in the checkbook and on a spreadsheet.

• July 1st , all the dues must be paid and deposited at the beginning of the club year. No deposits of dues should be made prior to July 1st .

• By October 1st, the Garden Club Federation of MA (GCFM) will need the club’s updates and financial reports, which is found online on their website. You must file a Form 990N e-postcard, which is required by the GCFM and found online. This takes about a half hour of time to fill out the forms by hand and online for the Form 990N.

• By November 15th, the Form PC from the Office of the Attorney General of MA must be filled out online (4 ½ months after our calendar year begins). The IRS Form 1023 does not need to be sent to the IRS, it is something the Attorney General’s Office needs to verify our profit and loss. It will take about 30 minutes to fill out both forms

• In December sign up for Massachusetts Horticultural Society membership.

• In April pay the GCFM dues; the notice will be received by email. Discuss the budget for next year at the next Board Meeting.

• In May pay GCFM insurance; this notice will be received by email. Finalize budget discussions from Board/Committee heads. Present the new budget to the Board for vote/approval.

• In June receive dues payments, but these payments are not to be deposited till July 1.

Membership Committee (2 Co-Chairs)

The Membership Committee is responsible for collecting and processing new membership applications, ensuring the prospective member understands the process, answers any questions they may have, and welcome letter is sent out to all new members. Committee members review the applications, forward dues to the Treasurer, and inform the Board of the applicant’s details. Once the Board has voted the member into PGC, a name tag is created, and the applicant’s contact information is added to the website’s Membership Directory and gmail account. The Committee members keep track of the number of current members to ensure the Group does not exceed the number allowed by our by-laws. Time commitment: about 20 minutes per new member.

Soldiers’ Memorial (2 Co-Chairs and 5 Support members)

Maintains the memorial throughout the change in the seasons. The duties are: clean up, planting, mulching, setting up a members’ watering schedule for the summer months, and displaying American flags for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Veterans Day. Creativity, fresh ideas welcome, very flexible, choose your own schedule, and work at your own pace.

Festival of Trees Committee (2 Co-Chairs and 5 Support members)

This committee determines a theme for our Club’s Christmas tree for donation to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s fundraiser, The Festival of Trees, which runs from the end of November to mid-December annually. The committee works with the club to source a tree, shop for and create decorations, complete and submit the application to Mass Hort, install the tree, and decorate it during the setup week usually the second week of November. The committee is responsible for staying on budget. It’s a fun and creative project that doesn’t take a ton of time.

Chickering Elementary School 3rd Grade Historic Garden (2 Co-Chairs and 5 Support members)

This is a replica of the Kitchen Garden at the Caryl House and ties into the 3rd grade curriculum. It was created in 2015 and partially funded by a Dover Cultural Council Grant. This team manages the garden with fall cleanup and winterization; spring cleanup and replacement of plants if needed; spring/summer watering; and running the in-school program in the fall and the spring. The fall program talks about what is planted, its uses, fall harvest, and what people would do in the winter with the items (make soap, dry herbs for medicine, etc.) In the spring, the exercise is fully outside at the garden and the kids try to find the plants and re-visit their uses.

Hospitality (2 Co-Chairs)

Hospitality duties include providing a sign-up sheet for 3-4 members to host at each PGC monthly meeting, maintaining the containers of basic supplies: single serve coffee maker and electric H2O kettle, coffee, tea, sugar, sweeteners, stir sticks, bottled water, cups, napkins, etc. Encourage those hosting to provide: creamer, some type of juice or fruit, a protein dish, and a bread dish, but make it simple and not over the top. Respond to any questions the hosts may have and they should let the committee know if supplies are getting low.

Program Committee (4 Co-Chairs)

Programming plans the club’s events for each meeting. Typically, there is a mix of lectures and workshops. Mass Hort has a speakers/resource guide to local lecturers, as does the Garden Club Federation of MA. The committee has done online garden tours, book clubs, field trips/tours, and workshops from local vendors or member-led. The committee is responsible for staying on budget determined by the club. The team approach works well, so no one is responsible for the whole year and assigning (among the group) 2 people to be in charge of each meeting works well.

Monthly Evite invitations are emailed about 3 weeks prior to the next Club meeting. It includes a description of the program and is used for RSVP purposes. If a member does not have email, a copy of the invitation is mailed to them.

Website (1 member and 1 support person who would replace the current Webmaster)

The website is maintained by a webmaster who should have knowledge of SquareSpace in order to keep the website updated and must know how to edit, insert, move, and delete pages as well as upload photos and documents. Also keeps up to date with the club’s Gmail account.

PGC Beautification Committee (2 Co-Chair and 5 Support members)

This is a project initiated and coordinated to create gardens in public spaces in the Town of Dover. This program will involve planting flowers, shrubs and/or trees to beautify areas for the enjoyment of the residents, visitors, and general benefit of our town. Periodically, these gardens will need to be pruned, weeded, and plant materials may need to be replenished by the PGC. These gardens will be created by funds raised by PGC.

Legal Counsel

Legal Counsel advises on any legal matters that might arise.