At 19:23 -0400 1/10/08, Andrew Whitworth wrote:
On Wed, Oct 1, 2008 at 6:25 PM, Thomas Dalton thomas.dalton@gmail.com wrote:
#2 Assigning positions beyond those mandated by law (that is to say, secretary)
Chair is the only position mandated by law. The requirement to have a secretary was abolished in the Companies Act 2006, although I would strongly suggest having one anyway. You'll also need a treasurer as soon as the incorporation is done, so you may want to assign one now. I'd hold off on any other positions for now, if I were you.
Having positions is good, even if only good practice for how things will be when you're incorporated. A chair should be a person who is organized and who can can lead meetings and keep them on track. A vice chair can step in to oversee meetings if the chair is missing. A secretary will be responsible for ensuring things like meeting transcripts are posted publicly, and ensuring that the board is in good communication with the community. Treasurer isn't needed till you have money, but again, it's good practice and you are going to need somebody eventually.
Not being professional or focused at this stage will only hurt the chapter in the long run. I suggest everybody take this stuff very seriously.
--Andrew Whitworth
The Secretary of any incorporated body can a very different thing for different bodies. For example, the minutes of meetings are sometimes taken by the Secretary, sometimes an assistant. Each body can settle on what fits. For example, I am an Assitant Secretary and I sometimes take the minutes of meetings.
A Secretary can also act almost as a vice Chair. And the Secretary and Chair could be the same person (in some bodies).
Here's a suggestion - get some training? Free training might be available: it is for charities in my borough. Courses like:
"Management Committee - Roles and Responsibilities"
I cannot find the exact link, but there are similar courses that might be of interest to the Committee here:
http://www.impactfactory.com/p/management_training_skill_development/issues_...
Gordo