Thanks for the discussion! There are some great questions posed.
With regard to some personal questions for me (Thanks, Ellen), I am not eligible for re-election to my church vestry because our canons/bylaws require at least one year off between successive terms on the vestry. I could conceivably be asked to serve again as clerk and/or delegate to convention, but this would be highly unlikely to conflict. Responsibilities as clerk require one weekday evening per month (usually Tuesday). As delegate, my attendance is required at one three-day event in November and requested at about 4-6 Saturday morning meetings during the year.
In addition to Assistant Secretary, I have been serving Kumoricon as Parliamentarian for the past eight months. Since the Altonimbus Entertainment bylaws do not bind us to any particular parliamentary authority, this role is less about ensuring we conform to specific rules of order in every little aspect, and more about promoting efficient and effective business meetings. My goal and purpose has been to ensure fair voice and equal opportunity to be heard in business discussion, while still being respectful of everyone’s time. I refer frequently to my experience with Diocesan Convention, the parish vestry, and IOJD, a young women’s organization that uses parliamentary procedure for its business at the local, state, and international levels.
Reading Morgan’s responses to some historical questions, I saw some great ideas that I also believe in implementing, particularly an up-to-date and detailed org chart. My personal investment in efficient operation puts me highly in favor of tools that allow speedy identification of the appropriate person for any particular task or question. In that vein, I’m also in favor of reviewing the current system of storing tax records and information to determine whether improvement would present a favorable return on time invested.
As the officer responsible for the organization’s correspondence, Secretary is naturally available as a point of contact for staff, volunteers, and other members who seek communication with the board as a body, in addition to handling correspondence from outside the organization. I am available primarily by email, which I check frequently, but I am also happy to make time for personal meetings about particular concerns if anyone should be interested in my advocacy before the board.
Tom’s questions, based on the official job description as they are, raise some pertinent points.
1. Keep a record of the minutes of each Director and Membership meeting
-- I type 55-60 wpm, but I would also like to point out that the minutes of a business meeting are not like the transcription of a court in session. Minutes are a record of what is done, not what is said. Reading minutes that I have submitted for past meetings obviously shows that I prefer to add some notes about points made in discussion for the reference of absent members and for posterity, but including a transcription level of detail would likely inhibit free and open discussion during session.
2. Handle all organization correspondence.
-- In the other organizations where I’ve participated, correspondence refers not to internal communications such as mailing lists and forums, but to receiving and handling mail and such addressed to the organization as a body. Currently, some topics (such as equipment swaps) come before the board and the assembly via department heads. I will promote the role of Secretary as the single point-of-contact for any issue or concern that will need to be addressed by the entire board or the entire staff.
3. Give notices for Membership and Board meetings.
-- I will continue the current method of posting notices for General Meetings on the Kumoricon website/calendar and in the forums. Barring reasonable objection, I will also distribute notices to the staff mailing list. Both these methods will be used in a timely manner in accordance with the bylaws.
4. Maintain records of member names and addresses.
-- As the current Assistant Secretary, I have the opportunity to learn, review, and plan adaptations to the records maintenance. In the interest of privacy, most personal staff information will not be made available to general members; however, in the interest of efficient operation, name and a primary method of contact for each staff member will be published – and provided, if an individual prefers to keep personal contact information private. Another important part of this is handling of staff registration. Organization and processing of these documents are critical for staff members, and therefore a top priority for me as secretary. I intend to handle staff registration as expeditiously as possible -- preferably within ten minutes of being handed the form.
5. Authenticate records of the corporation
-- I am prepared to sign certified copies of acts of the corporation when necessary. In this respect, Secretary is a functionary of the board.
With respect to the upcoming discussion of which body should be responsible for the election of this position, I believe that should be a reflection of to which body the day-to-day responsibilities of the position reports. The Secretary works far more closely with the Board than with the general staff (not being a department head). Since the Secretary is keeper of records and other information that are sometimes available to the Board in greater detail than to general staff, the position should remain Board-elected in order to avoid potential conflict of interest when the responsibilities to the organization limit the desires of the membership. Secretary is much more process-oriented (and bureaucratic) than the goal-driven positions elected by the staff such as Director of Programming or Chair, and so this Office does not deliver such concrete ends to the membership.