JCI Admin General Information 1

JCI Admin
JCI Official Course
JCI Admin
The JCI Local Organization Management Course
Version 01 January, 2013

Participants Manual

JCI Admin General Information 2
JCI Admin
JCI Vision

To be the leading global network of young active
citizens.

JCI Mission

To provide development opportunities that
empower young people to create positive change.

About JCI

JCI is a membership-based nonprofit organization of
young active citizens ages 18 to 40 in more than 100
countries who are dedicated to creating positive change
in their communities. Each JCI member shares the belief
that in order to create lasting positive change, we must
improve ourselves and the world around us. JCI
members take ownership of their communities by
identifying problems and creating targeted solutions to
create impact.





JCI Official Courses are designed to facilitate the
learning process by combining the new theories with
practice using the previous experiences from
participants as a source of learning with the focus on
sharing knowledge and experiences.

Copyright by JCI: All rights reserved.

This publication is for the exclusive use of the trainers
conducting the JCI Official Course and can only be
reproduced for this purpose. All JCI Official Courses
must be organized online and all participants must
individually register online to qualify for the manual and
to be certified as graduated from the course.

This publication or parts of it may not be translated in
any other language without the express permission of
the JCI Secretary General.

Published by

Junior Chamber International (JCI), Inc.
15645 Olive Boulevard Chesterfield, MO 63017,
U.S.A.
Tel: +1 (636) 449 3100 Fax: +1 (636) 449 3107
Toll free (from USA only): 1 800 905 5499
E-Mail: training@jci.cc - Website: www.jci.cc.

Course Summary

JCI Admin is the JCI Local Organization Management
Course recommended for any member who wants to
become member of the local board and a leader at any
level in the Local Organization. The course covers the
structure of the local board, management of the Local
Organization affairs and the responsibility of the Local
Organization in providing development opportunities that
will empower JCI members to create positive change in
and outside JCI.

JCI Admin should be taken by all members who want to
fully understand the dynamics of the management, and
administration of a JCI Local Organization.

JCI Admin is a half day course divided in these
modules:

Module 1 Management
Module 2 Administration
Module 3 Opportunities
Module 4 Results

Criteria to attend this course

This course can only be attended by active JCI members
or past members still contributing to the Local
Organization and to graduate the participant must pass
the online knowledge test and fill the trainer evaluation.

The course must be organized online and have all
participants registered online.

Criteria to become Trainer of this course

Be an active JCI member or past members still
contributing to the Local Organization for at least
one year.
Have graduated from this course, JCI Achieve and
JCI Impact.



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The Local Board of Directors

It would be difficult for a Local Organization to meet
every time a decision needs to be made. A Board of
Directors is a smaller body elected by the members and
given the authority to decide on their behalf. The Board
of Directors also carries out the daily business of the
organization.

The scope of the decisions of the Board must be
restricted to those that are not at the level of the General
Assembly.

The authority, decision making and responsibilities must
always remain in the hands of the membership in the
form of a General Assembly. A Board of Directors does
not rule the Local Organization. Instead, it carries out the
decisions and mandates of the membership.

A Board member is given the permission to make some
decisions on behalf of the membership and can be held
legally responsible for abuse of power of
misrepresentation and misuse of the position.

For more information on the Local Board of Directors
download the JCI Local Action Guides from JCI website
www.jci.cc.

Managing a JCI Local Organization

Management can be defined as the attainment of
organizational goals in an effective and efficient manner
through planning, organizing, leading and controlling
organizational resources. The four (4) functions of
management of organizational resources.

a. Planning Defining goals for future organizational
performance; deciding on the tasks and resources
needed to attain them. The Board of Directors is the
ultimately responsible for providing clear and
attainable goals and planning the ways and steps to
achieve them. It is also the Board of Directors
responsibility to assign the resources and the
different objectives and responsibilities to officers or
members with clear instructions on what is expected
and what is the minimum standard of performance
required to consider the responsibility accomplished.

b. Organizing Assigning tasks, grouping tasks by
committees, allocating resources to committees.
This step goes down a level and the people who
received the responsibilities in the Board of Directors
need to assign the different action steps or tasks to
members and decide on the allocation of the
resources received.

c. Leading Using influence to motivate members to
achieve organizations goals. The Board of Directors
provides constant motivation and leadership to keep
activities and members going. This can be achieved
by being actively involved in all aspects and
activities and by showing interest in the performance
and actions and by keeping the information on the
progress and goals achieved always flowing through
all channels of communication.

d. Controlling Monitoring the activities of the Local
Organization, keeping track of goals, making
corrections as needed. A constant evaluation of the
progress of activities and periodical study of
changes or updates on goals or planning must be
done by the Board of Directors.

Participation on the board of your Local Organization is
an honor and duty not to be taken lightly. By fulfilling
your responsibilities as an officer of the organization, you
will rise to the leadership expectations of your members.

The Local Structure

The organizational structure of a Local Organization
must be suited to meet its own needs. But every Local
Organization needs the following components:

1. General Assembly. It is through this body that the
control of the Local Organization is exercised.

2. Board of Directors. The function of the Board of
Directors is to provide direction to the Local
Organization and facilitate its administration.

3. Project Committees. Project Committees are the
means through which the work of the Local
Organization is done. Each member should be
assigned to at least one project committee.

There is no ideal organizational structure that fits the
needs of every Local Organization, but there is one that
is right for yours. Here are a few guidelines that will
assist you in designing your Local Organizations
structure:


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1. No one person should be required to supervise
more than five people.

In JCI officers are volunteers and have another life
and a job to do and cannot be overloaded with too
many people to supervise.

Three to five people should be the maximum one
person should have to supervise.

2. The workload should be balanced among the
Board members.

Each member of the Board should have a fair share
of the work and nobody should be overloaded with
work while others may have little or nothing to do.
This will only generate stress that may lead to
animosities among the Board members.

3. The system must be flexible so that additional
people and projects can be added during the
year.

It must also be flexible enough to handle a reduction
in the number of people and projects.

If the number of members increases or reduces
dramatically, the structure must be flexible to adapt
to the new reality.

If Board members resign or move out of town and
the Local Organization experienced a reduction of
members, there may not be a need to replace the
missing Board members but temporarily shifting the
responsibilities to another member of the Board.

4. It must provide for easy and rapid two-way
communications.

Remember, as the number of middle-management
levels increases, the difficulties of communication
multiply.

An easy to understand and efficient communication
and reporting system must be developed to avoid
difficulties in getting information down to the
members or reports and complaints or suggestions
up to the leadership.

5. It must allow for delegation of responsibility and
authority.

Everything must be clear regarding who reports to
who and who makes decisions and to what extent.

6. All supervisors must know what is expected of
them.

The supervisors must know importance of their roles
in achieving overall objectives, and the standards by
which their performances will be judged.

Job descriptions and instructions when delegating or
passing responsibilities must be clear and well
known by everyone. The Board of Directors must
define the minimum standards that will define if a job
can be considered satisfactorily completed or not.

Changing Trends

In todays fast paced and constantly changing world,
young people are starting to re-write the formula for what
makes a successful organization. Most of the younger
members of our Local Organizations are technologically
savvy, they are extremely resourceful and most
importantly, they are impatient.

They want immediate opportunities to become involved,
but they may not stay long in the organization. The new
philosophy for young professionals seems to go like this:

1. They join a company or organization and learn as
much as they can;

2. They become immediately involved and look for an
opportunity to move on to new challenges;

3. They are extremely team oriented and not always
expect a leadership position while working in a team.

4. Keep eyes open for other opportunities in a different
organization;

5. Most will aspire to attain leadership positions within
a short period of membership.

Sometimes, this process can take as little as one year
and sometimes, it lasts for several years. However, the
research seems to indicate that it will be rare to find
young professionals staying with the same company or
organization for long periods of time.

This dramatically affects JCI Local Organizations and
alternative ideas need to be discussed for potential Local
Organization structure in the future. The local
membership is always moving and changing; Local
Organizations must adapt and change to face new
realities and trends.


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Structure for the Young Generation

In small or medium sized JCI Local Organizations, one
solution that may keep these younger members active
and involved is to have a small Board of Directors that
emphasizes the use of Project Directors for nearly every
task.

For example, the Board of Directors would consist of the
following: President, one or two Vice Presidents,
Secretary and Treasurer.

All these positions are supervisory roles and project
managers should be used to conduct projects, produce
newsletters or membership recruitment.

The Local Organization would have to set bylaws and
parameters, but a member could be the newsletter editor
for three months, train someone else to take over that
task and move on to be the project director.

By utilizing a small Board, the Local Organization forces
its Board members to constantly find and mentor new
Project Directors who will learn by doing. Unlike a board
position, directors positions last the duration of the
projects or tasks, not in yearly terms.

Advantages:

1. New members can get involved immediately;

2. Project Directors can learn to organize several
different types of projects, events and administrative
tasks before being on the local Board;

3. Young members could rise quickly if they are
talented.

For more information on the Local Structure download
the JCI Local Action Guides from JCI website
www.jci.cc.

The Local Constitution and
Policy Manual

The Local Constitution is the most fundamental
document of the organization. The contents of any
Constitution should be stated clearly and simply.

No Constitution can be effective if it attempts to legislate
for details. These are more suitably dealt with through
policies, which are the everyday working rules.

The test of a Constitutions worth is its effectiveness in
giving prospective members a proper understanding of
the nature, aims and purposes of the organization.

For more information on the Local Constitution download
the JCI Local Action Guides from JCI website
www.jci.cc.

Records and Annual Report

It is important for a local organization to have an Annual
Report with the most important aspects and facts of the
years activities. Besides being a public relations tool, it is
also a historical publication that can be used for future
reference. A typical Annual report should contain:

The Mission and major overall achievements in the
community

JCI Mission and Local Organization Mission
Major contributions and achievements by the Local
Organization in the community in history

Marketing information about JCI and the Local
Organization

Benefits of being a member
How members receive opportunities
A general marketing text the press can use

Current Membership roster and Officers

List of all members (all categories)
List of all Officers and responsibilities

Next years Officers

List of all Officers elected for next year and
responsibilities

Plan of Action and what was accomplished

Describe all the planned activity in the Local
Organization as well as the goals for the different
areas for the year.
Details of what was accomplished and suggestions
for the next year.
Next years Plan of Action.

Strategic plan

Longer term development plan

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Description of what was done and what is left to be
done in the future.

Budget and Financial Report

Proposed budget and current budget
Final financial report of the year.

The Local Budget and
Finances

The preparation of a Local Organization budget must
follow these steps:

1. List all administrative (not projects) expenses,
including advertising for marketing, travel,
communications, utilities, supplies, rent, taxes, etc.

2. List all secured sources of income, including
advertising on Local Organization website, secured
donations and grants, interest, product sales, etc.

3. List the projected number of paying members to give
you an estimate of income from membership dues.

Do not estimate for members who are not members
yet. A safe calculation is the average of members in
the last few years.

For more information on the Local Budget and Finances
download the JCI Local Action Guides from JCI website
www.jci.cc.

The Leadership Ladder

The local structure must always allow the flow of people
climbing the leadership ladder to avoid empty steps that
need to be filled by people going down the ladder or
others having to skip steps and reach a position for
which they still dont have the necessary experience.

Of course, there may be exceptions an emergency
situations when this may be necessary, but it should be
an exception because if repeated, it will start the chain
reaction that may dramatically affect the future of the
Local Organization.

When there are more candidates for the higher position,
the ones not getting elected must give up their step so
the people from the step below can go up.

Members who did not get elected for a higher position
may run again next year, but the natural candidate for
the position should be the member in the level
immediately below. It must be understood that Local
Organizations have only that many positions and not
everyone can be the President or Board member.

If officers stay at the same level or repeat positions, they
will start a chain reaction that will end up on the
members who dont see any opportunity in the
leadership and management level, and leave the Local
Organization.

Leadership Ladder, the wrong way

If the Board members who did not get elected for the
President position stay in their level and just switch
positions, they will block the way of the Directors who
want to become Board members.

And if the Directors dont have the chance to move up,
they will also stay in their positions and block the way of
the Project Committee members who will not see the
possibility for new opportunities and will probably leave
the Local Organization.

A President repeating the year may start a very
dangerous trend that will lead to a complete isolation of
the Board and soon they are the only members left in the
Local Organization. This situation is very common when
the natural flow of leadership was broken in the past and
there are no experienced members to become
President.

It is logical that the President at the end of his or her
term will have more experience than anyone else in the
Local Organization and if the rules and values are not
strong enough, the procedures can be broken allowing
the President to stay for another year.

This solution will apparently make the local organization
much better, probably winning most of the awards and
even become the best local organization in the Country
and the President receiving the Best Local President
Award, but because of the broken sequence, at the end
of the second year the lack of experienced members for
the presidency will be even greater because if it was bad
when the two-term President took office, now two more
years have passed without moving the leadership
ladder.

Instead of a leadership ladder going up, the Local
Organization is keeping everyone on the same level
forever. And remember, young members will not wait for
long to receive the benefits and opportunities the
organization should offer.


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Providing Opportunities

To fulfill JCIs Mission to provide opportunities for
young people, local organizations must constantly
renew leadership positions. It is the essence of the
organization to constantly provide opportunities for the
members who want to become better leaders and
citizens.

There are only a few leadership positions to be filled
every year and those who dont manage to get elected
and move up the ladder must give way for the ones
moving up to their positions.

Past officers and experienced members should not keep
the positions available to new members, but move to
new challenges and leave their places in the leadership
ladder for the ones moving up. The greater the number
of past Board members in the membership ranks, the
lower the retention rate. Here are some roles past
officers and experienced members can play:

Coach and mentor new members: On the other
hand, we cannot forget the great benefit the past
Board and experienced members bring in terms of
motivation to new members and by being live
examples of what JCI can do for the members, but
that does not mean they should continue doing
everything. They should be helping and coaching
new members to achieve the same level of
experience and knowledge.

Give advice, not running projects: There is no
point on having the same people running the
projects every year. In JCI one may be Director one
time and committee member next time. Experienced
members can serve in committees and act as
advisors to new members running the projects. Of
course, a local organization can reach great success
if all activities are conducted by past presidents and
other past top officers, but that is not what JCIs
Mission stands for: to provide opportunities for
young people to develop they leadership skills,
social responsibility, entrepreneurship and
fellowship.

Run high level projects: Past presidents, past
officers and experienced members can take charge
of high level projects, such as organizing a national
convention, a top level community project that
requires great skills and knowledge.

Represent the organization in community
committees: Past officers can play a very important
role in community committees or leading
communality organizations. But, most importantly, if
Local Organizations only provide opportunities for
the development of abilities and experience and
never applies it, there is not much result achieved
when it comes to creating positive changes.

Of course, while acting as leaders in the community,
past members can still continue their affiliation to the
Local Organization, but JCIs Mission can only be
accomplished if new members have opportunities.

Applying the Skills

All skills, experience and knowledge JCI members
acquire while running projects, taking leadership roles at
all levels must be used for the benefit of the community.
If our most experienced members dont act in the
community JCI will not be able to create positive
change. JCI produces leaders to act outside JCI to
accomplish the Mission to create positive change.

Succession Plan

At start of the year the local organization board must
already begin to plan the succession ensuring there are
always more candidates than positions and each
possible or potential candidate receives the opportunities
to develop the skills and acquire the experience for the
position in the future.

Of course, only a few will get elected but the skills and
experience accumulated on the way will help those who
did not get elected in other endeavors in the Local
Organization, community, business or private life. Each
board member must mentor and involve the potential
successors in the planning so the next year is an easy
transition. This will ensure consistency and a more
secure future for the local organization because there is
no abrupt change in leadership, planning and
management.

The Role of the Board in the
Succession

A Board of Directors cannot only think on their own year.
They must constantly think, discuss and plan the next
year too. JCI does not work on a January-December or
yearly basis. The organization must be conducted on a
long term perspective and each year is just a little part of
the whole purpose and mission.


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Board members must closely follow up with members,
directors and fellow board members and ensure they are
acquiring the skills and abilities to fulfill next years
vacancies in all levels of the leadership ladder.

After all, this years Board of Directors is responsible
for the success of next years Board.

If anything goes wrong next year, it will be because of
lack of planning of this years Board. By adopting a
succession plan the Local Organization ensures that
JCIs Mission is also accomplished by providing the
opportunity for all members to develop their leadership
skills and where can they find a better place than
occupying a leadership position in the Local
Organization?

The JCI Local Golden Rules

1. If a decision affects all, everyone must be
asked to vote.
2. Some minor or urgent decisions can be
delegated.
3. The members must always remain in control
and have the ultimate authority.
4. No more than 20% of members should be on
the Board.
5. It requires 2/3 of the votes to change the
Constitution
6. Officers cannot hold the same position twice
7. JCI members must be Active Citizens

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Standard Local Organizational Structure

There is no ideal organizational structure that fits the needs of every Local Organization of JCI, but there is one that is
right for yours. Here are a few guidelines that will assist you in designing your Local Organizations structure:

1. No one person should be required to supervise more than five people. The workload should be balanced among the
Board Members.

2. The system must be flexible so that additional people and projects can be added during the year. It must also be
flexible enough to handle a reduction in the number of people and projects.

3. It must provide for easy and rapid two-way communication. Remember, as the number of middle-management
levels increases, the difficulty of communication multiplies.

4. It must allow for delegation of responsibility and authority. All supervisors must know what is expected of them, the
importance of their roles in achieving overall objectives, and the standards by which their performance will be
judged.

Following are samples organizational structures that may be helpful to you as you examine your present structure. As the
membership and consequently the projects increase, the number of Vice Presidents should increase and when the Local
Organization reaches four or five Vice Presidents, the position of Executive Vice President can be created to supervise
the Vice Presidents.




















Structure for Local Organizations with
LESS THAN 25 Members
Local President
Secretary and Treasurer Past President and Legal Counsel Vice President
Project or Task Director Project or Task Director Project or Task Director Project or Task Director
Structure for Local Organizations with
MORE THAN 25 and LESS THAN 40 Members
Local President
Secretary Vice President Past President and Legal Counsel Vice President Treasurer
Project or
Task
Director
Project or
Task
Director
Project or
Task
Director
Project or
Task
Director
Project or
Task
Director
Project or
Task
Director
Project or
Task
Director
Project or
Task
Director

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JCI Vision
.
To be the leading global network of young active citizens.

JCI Mission

To provide development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change.

About JCI

JCI is a membership-based nonprofit organization of young active citizens ages 18 to 40 in more than 100
countries who are dedicated to creating positive change in their communities. Each JCI member shares the
belief that in order to create lasting positive change, we must improve ourselves and the world around us. JCI
members take ownership of their communities by identifying problems and creating targeted solutions to create
impact.