CICO – Club Internet Communication Officer
CICO/Webmaster is an official club function by Rotary International. The CICO is either president of a committee or member of the board. This depends on the charter of the club.
It is important to fill this function in every club, otherwise the club will not be informed about important Polaris trainings and news. If a club does not have a CICO, the secretary should take over that role. If there is nobody in the club having this role, the club will suffer to communicate and organize the club life efficiently.
The CICO function is increasingly important in modern clubs using IT tools like Polaris. Having a knowledgeable and active CICO is the only way to user satisfaction and good communication in the club.
The CICO does not need to be an IT professional, but should have a good understanding of IT or at least an affinity for it.
CICO tasks and duties
The CICO ...
is a member of the extended board and participates on all board meetings with committees.
has full administration rights for his club in Polaris.
should have good knowledge of all Polaris functions in order to be able to suggest solutions.
creates a proposal how and which Polaris functions should be used by the club and shared among the various members in charge of members data, club program, reports and newsletters, communication, archiving, etc… He submits this concept to the club board. This concept must show who and how will create and maintain the web-content.
decides, together with the club Board, about the implementation of the proposal and configures the Polaris according to the club needs.
assigns and maintains access rights to Polaris within the club members.
introduces the board and committees' members in the usage of Polaris with the goal to learn them to create and manage the web content correctly and independently. This must occur with respect to the general rules of data protection (GDPR) and to the web-access rules for the public, District, club and Board.
should know the consequences of the violation of such rules.
verifies periodically the web-access rules for the web content and the copyright of the uploaded images in force in his/her country.
creates the document folder structure for the club and performs regular cleanup.
supports all club members regarding the Polaris usage. This includes the support for the members (appreciated by older members) but also for the Board and Committee members performing club administration tasks.
is the first point of contact for the club members for all problems with Polaris. In case the CICO is not able to solve the problem, he/she escalates it to the DICO.
is informed by the DICO about workshops and training sessions for Polaris. On the periodical CICOs meetings, he/she can share experience with other clubs and propose changes which should be implemented in the future.
actively participates in the Polaris training events.
NOTE
The latest Polaris changes and features (updates) are available to both the CICO and all Polaris users in the Release Notes.
FAQ
What is the role of the Club Internet Communication Officer (CICO)?
The CICO is an official club function by Rotary International, responsible for managing communication and IT tools within the club.
Is the CICO required in every club?
Yes, it is important to have a CICO in every club to efficiently organize events of the club and information distribution to the members.
Can the club secretary take on the CICO role?
Yes, if a club does not have a CICO, the secretary should take over that role.
Do you need to be an IT professional to be a CICO?
No, the CICO does not need to be an IT professional but should have a good understanding or affinity for IT.
What are some of the key tasks of a CICO?
Key tasks include participating in board meetings, managing Polaris functions, training members on web content management, and supporting club members with web-related issues.
How does the CICO support club members?
The CICO supports all club members regarding Polaris, helping them with administration tasks and web-related problems. E.g. explaining the members how to use Polaris on smartphones.
What should the CICO do if they cannot solve a problem?
If the CICO cannot solve a problem, they should escalate it to the DICO.
Is the CICO involved in training events?
Yes, the CICO actively participates in Polaris training events and workshops organized by the District or by the Polaris Team.