Contrary to popular belief, the President-Elect is not second-in-command of the club - that rank is the responsibility of the club Vice-President.

The President-Elect ("PE") could more accurately be described as the "President-In-Training", or perhaps even the "President-In-Waiting" and, during his 12 month tenure, the PE has two distinct functions:

1) Preparing for Office: While closely observing the incumbent President and Board of Directors, the PE should be formulating his own plans for the club, which he can promote and initiate when he ultimately assumes office. This could entail focusing on one particular Avenue Of Service and/or concentrating on another issue which may be a personal priority (e.g. youth, the elderly etc.)

One of the key things he should be doing is identifying, as soon as the club elections have been completed, which of his Directors-Elect can best fill the various positions on his Board and to ensure that each Director-Elect is provided with the appropriate Rotary information to enable them to fulfill their various responsibilities. 

The PE is also required, by club bye-laws, to convene a meeting of his Directors-Elect within 1 week of the election in order to elect a Sergeant-At-Arms

Each club president has their own style, priorities and Board of Directors, so it is important for the PE to identify his aims and objectives for the club when it is under his leadership. It is also essential that the PE familiarise himself with as much Rotary Information as possible, so that he can be an effective leader.

The PE is required, by Rotary International bye-laws, to attend the District-organised "President Elect Training Seminar ("PETS"), but he should also encourage his Secretary-Elect and other less experienced Directors-Elect to join him at this event, for training purposes. However the PE should never forget that his best source of information are the Past Presidents of the club, who are invariably willing to offer their advice.

2) Fund Raising: During the 12 months before assuming the office of the President, the PE has overall responsibility for raising funds for disbursement during his year as club president. In other words, funds raised during the Rotary year 2000/2001 may not be touched until the Rotary year 2001/2002 and so on. In this way, the financial ability of the club to undertake Community Service and other projects during a given year will be the result of the fund-raising efforts of that year's President when he was still President-Elect !

Of course all proposed fund-raising events require the approval of the incumbent Board of Directors, as there are undoubtedly financial implications which will accrue during their tenure.

In the past, the club has undertaken a variety of fund raising events, including the manufacture and sale of Xmas cards, Gala Movie Premieres, Walk-A-Thons, Major Raffles, Fun Fairs and the Annual Ball.

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