National Council Secretary Position Description
From AFSWiki
Contents |
Appointed by and accountable to
The appointment will be made by the National Council based on the recommendation by the Nominations and Governance Committee. The Secretary will be accountable to the National Council body.
Term
The National Council Secretary will serve a one-year term, and concurrently identify a Secretary-select. With the exception of the first year of implementing the Secretary-select position, it is the intention of the National Council to have the Secretary serve one year as Secretary-select before starting his or her term, and would therefore require a two-year commitment from the volunteer. There will be an opportunity for re-appointment for up to 3 terms, each appointment will follow the same Secretary and Secretary-select process, meaning that a Secretary seeking reappointment will serve as Secretary-select for one year, before serving as Secretary, again.
Time Required
- Monthly conference calls = 2 hours
- Preparing minutes and summary = 2-4 hours depending upon need for clarification of items
- Quarterly face-to-face meetings = weekends, typically between Friday evening to Sunday afternoon (This typically applies to the Secretary position, but the Secretary-select may be asked to fill in when the Secretary is not available.)
Purpose
The Secretary and Secretary-select provide administrative support to the National Council.
Secretary Responsibilities
- Assists the National Council chair with distributing the agenda for all scheduled meetings, including in-person meetings.
- Designs and implements a communication system that will inform all NC members of meetings, responsibilities and expectations as well distributes background papers, minutes and other information as needed.
- Records clear and concise minutes of National Council meetings.
- Responsible for posting and/or distribution of meeting summaries, minutes and other National Council communications to volunteer force.
- Ensures that all members receive copies of minutes and other meeting materials in a timely manner.
- Follows all AFS-USA National Council policies, standards, and procedures.
- Promotes and supports National Council activities.
- Coordinates logistics for in-person meetings with assigned staff.
Secretary-select Responsibilities
- Supports the NC Executive Committee in it's administrative needs, such as taking minutes and sending out updates to the rest of the Council.
- Posts updates to the afswiki, such as agendas, minutes, changes to NC membership or by-laws
- Authors articles for the AFS volunteer newsletter.
- Supports the Secretary, ensuring the successful completion of the above responsibilities.
- Acts as a back-up to the Secretary when he or she is not available.
- Is the alternate if the Secretary is not able to fulfill his or her term.
Qualifications
- Be a currently registered AFS-USA Volunteer.
- Be at least 18 years old and complete our volunteer application process.
- Demonstrate excellent group and interpersonal communication skills.
- Ability to organize materials and accurately maintain records.
- Possess good written communication skills.
- Proficient in MS Word and Excel, other computer application skills desired.
- Willing to spend the time necessary to carry out primary responsibilities.
- Willing to travel to weekend in-person meetings a minimum of 3 times a year.
Benefits
- Opportunity to develop lifelong relationships with volunteers and AFS staff.
- Opportunity to convey and amplify the power of the AFS mission to communities, individuals, families and fellow volunteers across the nation.
- Opportunity to gain overall perspective of AFS-USA.
- Opportunity to assist National Council members in their role as volunteer leaders.
- A chance to develop personal and management skills for career development purposes.
- Increase written and verbal communication skills.
