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Jargon buster

Do you know your AGM from your ANC? Ever wanted to speak 'WI'? Now you can with our special WI jargon buster. Impress all of your friends at your next WI meeting with your in-depth no-longer-secret knowledge of the WI.

ACWW -Associated Country Women of the World. A world-wide organisation of country-women's societies to which the NFWI belongs. Federations, WIs and WI members can belong in their own right.
ANC - Autumn National Council. See National Council.
AGM -Annual General Meeting. A meeting of the NFWI open to all members under the act.
Agenda -The agenda of a meeting is the programme of business which must be dealt with by that meeting, in the order in which it is to be considered.
Amendment -A proposal to alter the wording or details of a resolution without affecting the principle of the resolution. An amendment must be clearly worded to show exactly which part of the resolution it is proposed to alter. Amendments are voted on before the resolution and, if passed they at once become part of the resolution.
Committee -A smaller body elected from amoungst the members of a larger body for the purpose of carrying out the policy laid down by the larger body. The committee deals with the detailed business between meetings of a larger body and reports to it at stated times.
Delegate -A member of WI elected to attend a meeting to vote according to the instructions which the WI has given. It is the duty of a delegate to present her society with a clear report of the meeting which she has attended.
Ex-officio -The holder of a certain office is often entitled to be a member of some committee or other body by reason of her office or ex-officio. The officers of a committee are always ex-officio members of the sub-committees appointed by it. Anyone ceasing to hold office at once loses any ex-officio rights because these belong not to any person but to the office itself. An ex-officio members has the full privileges and voting rights of all other committee members.
Federation (County Office) -A group of states or societies - in the case of WIs - joined together in one body with one government. In the WI this applies to to the County or Island Federation groupings to which each WI belongs.
Hon -Short for Honorary, applied to unpaid officers
Link Delegate -A member appointed to represent more than one WI at Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings.
Mandate -A command or instruction given by the electors to the elected, for example, resolutions passed at an Annual General Meeting give the NFWI Board of Trustees mandates or instructions on how the WIs wish it to act.
Membership Fees -The fees which must be paid annually to the NFWI by all WIs and WI Associates.
MOODLE -Modular Object Orientated Dynamic Learning Environment
National Council -Meeting of Federation Chairmen and Treasurers, with the NFWI Board of Trustees, to discuss matters of policy and finance including the amount and division of subscriptions or membership fees.
NFWI (National Head Office) -National Federation of Women's Institutes.
Officers -Those who hold office - President, Vice-President, Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Secretary.
Pooling of Fares -An amount payable annually to the NFWI by each WI and federation. The resulting pool of money is used to pay the travelling expenses of each delegate to the NFWI AGM. Some federations operate a Pooling of Fares scheme for council meetings.
Representative -A member sent to a meeting on behalf of a body with full discretionary powers to vote on behalf of that body.
Resolution -A positive statement of opinion put forward for consideration at a meeting. A resolution calls for action, and should therefore deal with one subject only, and be clearly worded so that a straight vote can be taken on it.
Skills Co-ordinator - A member appointed by her federation to co-ordinate educational and craft activities within its area.
WI (Local group - not office) -Women's Institute
WI Adviser -A member appointed by the NFWI to promote its policy within her own federation. She is the only member able to form and suspend WIs and supervise their 'enlargement' (WI Rule 45)