Standard Operating Procedures

Banners
February 2013
This document summarizes the proposed process for conducting the responsibilities of the
Banner Committee. This committee reports to the Club Service/Meetings Director.

A. Purpose of Banner Committee

1. To maintain existing and create new Rotary banners.
2. To make and maintain an updated listing of flags in the Club’s possession.
3. To photo each flag and provide those files to be uploaded to the Club’s web
coordinator for posting.

B. Definitions
1. A banner is a cloth of material/felt @ 56” wide by @ 70” long on which club
flags are sewn in suitable arrangement.
2. Flags are Rotary Club representations about 8-12” wide and 8-12” long which
usually have an accompanying hanging string of gold.
3. A “banner” will generally denote the designated size of material on which
other Rotary Clubs’ flags have been sewn. Club flags are exchanged at the
time when Rotarians visit each other’s clubs.
4. A “Specialty” banner is a banner displaying flags of a certain genre such as an
Awards Banner, a District Conference banner, etc. Specialty banners may vary
in style from the banners display just other Clubs’ flags.

B. Housekeeping
1. Each meeting the Sergeant-At-Arms or Catering staff hang up and remove after
the meeting the Four-Way Test Banner, the RI Rotary Club banner and a
number of the created banners made from Visiting/Visited Clubs’ Flag.
2. Lists of the flags and which banner on which each flag is mounted will be kept
by the Banner Committee Chair who will provide a copy of the document(s) to
the Club Service/Meeting Director and the Club Secretary.
3. Location of Storage of the banners is in a locked cabinet off the designated
weekly meeting room. The Sergeant-At-Arms and the catering staff have keys
to that cabinet.

C. Previous work
1. Limited knowledge of Banner Committee History-Milt B. headed the
committee and the banners were created and all flags mounted prior to 2007.
2. 2007 hard copy listing compiled by Dana Metzke.
3. Three or four new banners were created in 2011-2012 by Lucie O. and others.
4. Around 2009, the banners became increasingly in a state of disarray as hot
glue adhesive aged unfavorably or threads wore out which caused numerous
flags to fall off of or hang crookedly on banners. Several Rotarians would
provide repair to a number of the banners.

D. Procedure (steps to perform responsibilities of the committee)

1. Retrieve the computer excel file containing the lists of flags based on Dana M.
hardcopy listing, the physical inventory of each banner and un-mounted flags.
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 Standard Operating Procedures
Banners
February 2013
2. Take possession of new flags when Club receives them.
3. Complete data entry to update the excel file in order that flags that are in the
Club’s possession have been logged.
4. Inspect all banners for any needed mending and mend that banner to
respectability.
5. Create/sew new banners as needed to display all acquired flags.
i. Buy felt/material for banner as needed. Submit receipt for
reimbursement.
ii. Buy 1” PVC white tubing, eyelet screws, and yellow/gold nylon rope.
The materials are used in hanging up the finished banner. The PVC rod
is cut to length to fit the rod pocket and the desired length of rope.
Submit receipt for reimbursement.
iii. Sew a rod pocket at the top of the banner material not less than two (2)
inches in depth.
iv. Arrange the un-mounted Clubs’ flags on the “right” side of the banner
in the desired arrangement. Most banners have been created in a grid-
like arrangement. However, novelty flags may require other patterns of
distribution.
v. Tack or pin each flag in place.
vi. Using a curved needle and 2-3 strands of embroidery thread, sew the
flag in place. Some flags have gold ropes with tassels and are usually
left to hang freely. If a flag is particularly thick, it will remain “curled
up” when the large banner is hung on the wall for display. Tack that
flag near the bottom in one or so places as un-noticeable as possible.
vii. After the banner has all flags sewn on, run the white PVC rod into the
pocket. Drill a hole for each eyelet screw; screw in the eyelet screw;
attach yellow/gold nylon rope for hanging up the banner. (The length
of the pole equals the length of the rope. The rope will be doubled
with about one-third parallel to the rod when the banner is hanging up.)
6. Take a photo of each new flag and provide photo to Club web manager.

E. Produce Reports
1. Compile initial report for the Club Service/Meetings Director to report at
September Board meeting. Report should state the number of banners and
flags in the Club’s possession.
2. Provide monthly report to the Club Service/Meetings Director as appropriate.
3. Provide an end-of-the year report to the Club Service/Meetings Director by
May Board meeting. The report should declare the number of banners and
flags in the Club’s possession. A copy of this report should be sent to the Club
Secretary.