Mission
To foster mother-daughter relationships in a philanthropic organization committed to community service, leadership development, and cultural experiences.
Vision
National Charity League, Inc. Chapters will be the premier mother-daughter organization in every state involved in valuable philanthropic, leadership, educational and cultural experiences so that all community volunteer needs are met.
What is National Charity League?
National Charity League members are mothers and daughters in grades seven through twelve who indicate an interest in and commitment to community service, leadership development and cultural experiences. The organization strengthens the mother-daughter relationship through the same involvement. National Charity League mother-daughter teams are responsible, dedicated, skilled volunteers actively engaged in local community work.
National Charity League was founded in 1947 in Los Angeles, California. The mothers are referred to as Patronesses and the daughters are called Ticktockers. The mothers and daughters work together, either together or within their age group, in philanthropic and educational activities.
National Charity League, Inc. is comprised of 140 Chapters in 15 states nationwide. Our organization is the only mother-daughter volunteer force of its kind serving local communities together.
When mothers and daughters who reside in close proximity decide to join NCL, a new chapter is formed. A Board of Directors elected by that chapter’s membership leads the chapter. Each chapter of National Charity League has an elected Board of Directors. These women are responsible for determining all aspects of participation for the chapter members: calendar of meetings, events, activities for the year; dues, attendance, and participation requirements for the members; bylaws, standing rules (operational procedures), philanthropy choices for the chapter, etc. The Chapter Board of Directors meets separately once a month to conduct the business of the chapter. The chapter will eventually incorporate as a non-profit corporation in their state. Each NCL chapter is incorporated as a non-profit in their state.
The mothers, known as Patronesses, meet once a month in chapter-wide meetings. These Regular meetings are devoted to understanding the business of the chapter and determining the future direction of the chapter in addition to philanthropy work, special programs or activities. The mothers determine what philanthropic opportunities the chapter will become involved with after receiving input from their daughters. Philanthropic participation is a requirement and each chapter sets its own requirements which average about 20 hours per year. These hours are most often performed outside of meetings. In addition, each mother has some type of role or position within the chapter that is assumed as part of their membership requirement which average about 20 hours per year. These positions can be as a Board member, committee chairman or committee member. In NCL, everyone has a role every year.
The daughters, known as Ticktockers, meet separately from the mothers. They are organized by grade level, and they, too, have their own set of elected officers, and their own adult grade level advisors. Their meetings are designed around the chapter’s Six-Year Plan which assigns various age-related educational, leadership and cultural objectives for them to meet through programs, presentations, and field trips. They also have a philanthropic hours’ requirement (approximately 20 hours per year), and they, too are required to fulfill some leadership role within their group each year. The overall objective for Ticktockers is to provide opportunities for them to learn the beauty of giving of themselves to others; to practice leadership and social skills within their peer groups; and to have an awareness and appreciation of the various forms of cultural education in the community.