The first Soroptimist Club was chartered in Oakland, California, in 1921.  It was followed by the forming of other clubs in North America and, in 1923, by the first club in Europe, the Greater London club.  By 1928, the number of clubs in these areas had grown to such an extent that it was decided to form a coordinating body, known as a Federation, in each area – the Federations of America and Europe.  In the same year, the two federations were linked together by the formation of a Soroptimist International Association.

In 1934 a third Federation – Great Britain and Ireland – was formed.  In 1978, with clubs in three countries, came the fourth Federation – South-West Pacific.

The formal structure for Soroptimist International was established in 1952, when the need for coordination between the federations and for official contacts with other organisations and with the United Nations was apparent.  Indeed, without such a recognised unifying body, some official links would not be possible.

One of the main functions of the International President is to act as the point of contact with, for example, other International non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) and United Nations Agencies such as UNESCO and UNICEF.  In reality, of course, we have experts for these different aspects of our work, and the President is in regular correspondence with them in order to maintain these links.

Every two years, a new International President is installed.  The President-Elect is nominated by a different Federation each biennium and, with the approval of the board members, duly elected.  The other elected officer is the International Treasurer.  The Immediate Past President is fourth officer of SI.  There is no secretary, these duties being performed by a salaried “Executive Officer” at the International Headquarters in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

An International Convention is held every four years and the International Board meets annually.

The four Officers do not have a vote at Board Meetings.  At the moment there are twelve voting members, three from each Federation: the Federation President and two others selected in accordance with the rules of each Federation.

To find out more about Soroptimist International, visit our Federation's website; Soroptimist International of the South West Pacific (SISWP) or the Soroptimist International website.