A ward Relief Society president leads the women of a Latter-day Saint congregation. She is called by the bishop, chooses two counsellors and a secretary, and sits on the ward council beside the bishopric and the priesthood quorum leaders, where she is often the person with the most detailed knowledge of what is actually happening in the households of the ward.
Her responsibility is independent rather than delegated errand-running. She directs the ministering assignments among the women, visits members in difficulty, assesses what a household needs and recommends it to the bishop, who administers the fast offering fund, and organises the ward's response to illness, childbirth, bereavement and disaster. In a serious crisis the mechanism that produces meals, childcare and transport within hours is hers. She also directs the teaching and the meetings of the Relief Society, which is where Latter-day Saint women instruct one another.
Above the ward there are stake Relief Society presidencies and a general presidency of three women appointed by the First Presidency. The general president leads the largest women's organisation in the movement, speaks at general conference, and sits on the church's general councils, which are the bodies where policy is discussed before it is announced.