Quarterly Reports

[aebrown]

Was it a case where it wasn't filed at all? For budgeting purposes, as long as the sacrament meeting attendance is reported, there's something to base funding on.

The case I speak of was indeed one where the Quarterly Report was not filed at all.

Budget numbers are principally taken from sacrament meeting attendance, with additional numbers comming from Primary, YM, and YW attendance. So I don't think is is right to hold a budget over the RS, EQ, and HP leader's heads when budget is not tied to HT/VT visits reported.

You're both right on the facts, and I also agree that it would not be right to submit all zeroes in a Quarterly Report just because some of the organizations did not report their numbers. I was simply responding to a hypothetical post. I did not mean to endorse such a drastic tactic, and apologize if it looked like I did.

[kmalone-p40]

On the first Sunday following "sweeps" months (i.e. March, June, September, December), I go to the newly updated quarterly report, follow the links within the report for the various organizations (e.g. Primary, YM, YW, Melchizedek Priesthood Holders, Prospective Elders, Total Women), and print out the resulting sub-reports. I then hand them to the corresponding organization secretaries before the meeting block begins with instructions like:

"Please mark on this report those that attended your meetings at least once during the previous month, and then return it to me by the end of the meeting block. Remember to mark adults serving in Primary, YM, YW, full-time missionaries and other out-of-unit callings as having attended RS or Priesthood. Please write in anyone that does not show up on this report but should, so I can investigate it."

For HT/VT reporting, I enter zeros, and then gently remind the RS, EQ, HP that their respective VT/HT percentage remains zero until they update the computer and let me know they are done updating it. I then update the VT/HT visits on the quarterly report as the RS, EG, and HP let me know they have recorded all their visits in the computer. The quarterly report automatically updates and re-transmitts to CHQ whenever changes are made to it until the next quarterly report is generated.

Budget numbers are principally taken from sacrament meeting attendance, with additional numbers comming from Primary, YM, and YW attendance. So I don't think is is right to hold a budget over the RS, EQ, and HP leader's heads when budget is not tied to HT/VT visits reported.

I like the first two paragraphs. It gets them involved in the process.

[greggo]

And the Church policy of withholding budget funds if the quarterly report is not submitted is not an idle threat; I know of at least one case where it actually happened.

Soon after I was called as a Stake Clerk in my previous location, we had suggestions from "on high" that we make such threats to wards that did not turn in their numbers on a timely basis. In my opinion, this was really unfair. We were a new stake with many wards under new leadership (including clerks), and as a whole wards were very transitory and often inexperienced.

It's not our duty to make threats, but to provide thorough training and leadership.

[Geo-Cacher-p40]

Hi first time on this forum and I think its fantastic, I'm currently on my second tour of duty as clerk and I have a situation where our stake for the last 6 years years at least that I know of! want MONTHLY reports!! not just quarterly, they have to be in by the 10th of the month. I used to do as lots of others have done and hound them and call them, and end up putting in the numbers myself anyway as instructed by my Bishop, ;)then I realised that I am taking away thier free agency to do it if I do it for them and they dont learn. So I enter a N/R "Not Reported" in the box and let the stake deal with it, I've done that for the last two months and we shall see what happens. I warn them two weeks before its due and then on the last Sunday before its due, after that its for them to do.

[jeffclark1070-p40]

When I was first called as Ward Clerk people would give me the numbers in a timely manner. After the honeymoon month it has gone down hill from there. These are some of the things that I do to help people get numbers into me.

1. Use email. Give your email address out and tell the secretaries email the information by the 10th or call on the phone.
2. Training. Train secretaries on their duties and the importance of gathering this information. I believe the manual or somewhere it is mentioned that more training be provided if these chalkenges occur. I sit in this training meeting and tell everyone what happens if the report does not get in. I even have a flow chart showing what happens.
3. Spreadsheets. In training I go over how to report attendance and HT/VT. I give a speadsheet of attendance for each organization. These spreadsheets add up how many people attended correctly and for EQ and HP it tells how many perspective elders attended. Very easy to use and the numbers should always be accurate.
4. Announce in Priesthood meeting that numbers are due by the 10th of the month.
5. Collect numbers on a monthly basis. I know the church only wants them every quarter but if you get people to report every month then it is not a suprise on the months that CHQ needs info.
6. Create event on ward website for each month about reporting numbers.

These tactics have worked for me and I have never been late in reporting numbers. Since I am in the largest stake in California there are bound to be wards that don't report on time. I have heard some of those money stories for our own stake. I do not want our ward to be the offender so I try to stay on top of it. One other thing. If secretaries are not giving you the info, call the president of the organization and tell them that they need to get their numbers in. It is the presidents ultimate responsibility to get the information and with their help things will run smoother. People need to feel the sense of urgency. The work must go forward.

[russellhltn]

All good suggestions, but I have a little bit of a problem with this one:

Collect numbers on a monthly basis. I know the church only wants them every quarter but if you get people to report every month then it is not a suprise on the months that CHQ needs info.

There was a time that the church requested the numbers on a monthly basis. They backed off to quarterly. I'm sure there must be a reason. I've never heard one, but I suspect that taking stats every 4 Sundays didn't produce statistically meaningful reports. It may also have been causing an excessive amount of time being spent on reports rather then doing the work.

If the local leaders want monthly reports, that's fine. That's their prerogative. But I don't think clerks should be requesting monthly numbers just to keep people in practice.

[jeffclark1070-p40]

All good suggestions, but I have a little bit of a problem with this one:



There was a time that the church requested the numbers on a monthly basis. They backed off to quarterly. I'm sure there must be a reason. I've never heard one, but I suspect that taking stats every 4 Sundays didn't produce statistically meaningful reports. It may also have been causing an excessive amount of time being spent on reports rather then doing the work.

If the local leaders want monthly reports, that's fine. That's their prerogative. But I don't think clerks should be requesting monthly numbers just to keep people in practice.

I don't ask for numbers just to keep them in practice. People have to do attendance every month anyway and they should be updating the visits in MLS on a monthly basis. So to ask someone to give me a number for attendance and visits should not be so daunting. I do not produce reports each month. I can't! It is now October 8th and I have not received a phone call from any organization. So it really doesn't matter how often you ask for numbers they are always hard to collect. What makes this month really hard is the fact that General Conference was last week and our stake conference is this coming week and I moved yesterday to a new ward and can't move my records until I get these numbers. Do you have hope that I wll get them within 2 days? I doubt it.

[ffrsqpilot]

Well, here it is the 13th, and I'm still waiting for several wards to send their quarterly report in. I wonder if sometimes it might be a case of the clerk forgetting that the report is due. Is there anyway an "Urgent Task" notice could be placed in MLS on the 1st of the month when the reports are due? We already do that for notification to print out the Activation report each month so it shouldn't be too hard to add a automatic notice every fourth month to remind the clerks that the report is due.

Just a thought!

[russellhltn]

I believe you can send a message to the units in your stake from the Stake MLS. Does that help?

[ffrsqpilot]

Ahhh, good point. I forgot about that option. I will give it a go. I've already hounded everyone this month so I'll try it in January.