Project: Documenting SAMA as an Organization

Introduction:

One of the things that I have observed today, Filipinos love to form organizations for all sorts of purposes. Mapuans, specifically has formed Alumni Associations all over the world to create a home away from home environment in their respective countries of residency. It is never by recourse to a higher authority that one seeks success, but by appeal to individual powers working in concert.

Why keep History?

A historical document is any item which can convey information about past human activity. We tend to think of "documents" in terms of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, or even diplomas, licenses, deeds and certificates. "Documents" can, however, encompass a much wider assortment of papers or other items. Whatever the size or scope of an organization, there are documents which record its history such as:

• a charter or articles of incorporation indicating when and by whom it was founded,
• a constitution and bylaws telling its purpose and organizational structure,
• minutes of meetings recording details of activities accomplished and issues dealt with,
• financial records including not only details of income and expenses, but a sense of how the organization directs its efforts,
• bulletins, newsletters, programs, and other publications announcing the organization's activities and concerns,
• newspaper clippings, photographs sound or video recordings documenting organization history,
• and for some, payroll records, building plans or other information.

It should be the responsibility of someone in every organization to systematically save and preserve these documents in an orderly fashion for future reference. This job can be given to a historian, secretary, president, director, or manager, but it should be a clearly designated responsibility.

Written documents will be needed to supplement and clarify an organization's oral tradition. In organizations where the founding members are no longer active, the written documents are the sole source of information about the purposes, intentions and activities of the organization. Common inquiries about the organization can be answered in the historical documents:

• When was the organization (or chapter) established?
• Who were the founding members?
• Who have been the presidents (or the award winners, or the committee chairs)?
• What programs or activities have the organization sponsored? (and When? and Who were the speakers?)
• When was the organization directory first published?

Adequate historical records, well organized and readily accessible, can provide information for the organization's decision making. The documentation can:

• provide an impartial "organizational memory" to resolve legal or other disputes,
• facilitate accountability to members, parent organizations or regulatory bodies,
• help avoid re-inventing the wheel and duplication of effort, thereby saving time, effort and money,
• assist in planning for organizational anniversaries or special events,
• help to instill pride in past accomplishments and inspire future improvements,
• identify long term members, volunteers, contributors for recognition,
• and measure the organization's growth and development.

What Records to Keep

Whether the organization has an established historical documents (archives) collection or an unorganized pile of papers, knowing which records are likely to be of permanent value will help the person designated as historian to cope with current documents. Keeping the documents of an organization consists of:

• sorting and organizing,
• eliminating duplicates and non-essentials,
• and planning policies and procedures for storage and
• preservation of vital documents.

The historian will also add value by, whenever possible, making sure that items are dated and that photographs and audiovisual materials are identified with who, what, where, and when.

Community organizations that are affiliated with state, regional, national, or international organizations should seek guidance from their parent organizations in keeping important records. In general, a local organization should keep records of the local chapter's activities and membership and the national organization should keep records of national activities, publications, etc.

Many records that are updated frequently (such as membership lists, volunteer lists, or contributor lists) are kept on computer for easier manipulation and retrieval. The organization historian should request a printed copy for the permanent files on a regular basis.

There are two general categories of records created by organizations: permanent items of lasting value and temporary items. There are usually a greater number of items in the second category.

Permanent records of lasting value

General Files

• Operating documents such as the Charter, Constitution and Bylaws, including all amendments and revisions
• Minutes of membership business meetings
• Membership lists
• Procedures Manuals
• Organizational histories such as anniversary publications
• Awards, Memorials and Citations with accompanying documentation
• Photographs, audio or video cassettes, films, etc of organizational activities
• Publicity such as clippings or articles about the organization or its membership
• Obituaries of past or present officers, directors, etc.

Board Files

• Rosters of trustees, officers, committee chairs, etc.
• Minutes of board meetings
• Officer's files (arranged by year) including annual and special reports, important correspondence, budget and income/expense reports
• Committee files (arranged alphabetically by committee, and by year)

Special Files

• Projects such as workshops or conferences, jointly sponsored activities, community service projects, championships or honors
• Building or property records such as deeds, surveys, architectural drawings, etc.
• Publications such as bulletins, newsletters, membership directories, etc. (keep 2-5 copies of each)
• Reports or important correspondence of liaisons with other
• organizations
• Memorabilia such as awards, t-shirts, products used for fund raising, anniversary
• celebrations, etc.

Temporary Records

These may usually be discarded after a brief period unless they are the only records left.

• Accounting/Bank statements
• Acknowledgements
• Announcements of meetings
• Applications
• Ballots
• Bills
• Budget work papers
• Canceled checks
• Casual memoranda
• Invoices
• Manuscript versions of publications, articles or published speeches
• Maps unrelated to the organization or its property
• Payroll notices
• Receipts
• Reservations and confirmations
• Routine correspondence (Requests, Thank you notes, etc)
• Sales literature
• Schedules
• Shorthand notes
• Tickets
• Time books and records
• Vouchers

Making Choices

There are a number of choices an organization can make to insure that its historical documents are preserved for the future. It can:

• create and maintain its own archives,
• donate records to an existing archival or local history collection or to the headquarters or archives of a parent organization.

Before making the decision on where to keep the organization's documents, the group should consider the space, preservation, and staffing costs of keeping records and the need to have the records accessible for use and reference.

Historical documents should be kept in a secure and permanent place that is dry and reasonably climate controlled for protection from deterioration. Extremes of temperature (hot or cold) and humidity (dampness or dryness) should be avoided. Most attics are too hot and many basements and garages are too damp to store paper, photos and tapes.

If an organization has a building, is there a adequate space where records can be filed and used? Is there a plan of action in case of fire, flood or natural disaster? Is there someone who can organize and file the records, prepare indexes or inventories of what is there, and retrieve and copy items when they are needed?

If an organization has no building, is there space in another building? If records are stored at a place of business, is there space in or near the office of the person responsible for those records? If a member must store records at home, is there space in a first or second floor closet or spare room? If records are stored at a member's place of business or home, are new records filed and are the records available for use?

If an organization plans to donate its documents to an archival collection or to a parent organization, will the documents be readily available? Can copies of some documents be kept locally, while originals are stored in an archives? Are the location and hours convenient for access to the documents? Are there records that require access more than once or twice a year? These should be kept with current records until their use is less frequent.

If an organization plans to keep the documents on the web with passwords to keep non-members from accessing the files. Is there a web hosting service available to keep the said files? Can the organization sustain the web hosting services through sponsorships? membership fees and other source of funding?