An effective Secretary is critical to the success of any community group.
The Secretary is largely responsible for managing correspondence in and out for the group – ensuring that information is forwarded to the appropriate members of the committee or the broader membership for their attention, and keeping records of all correspondence.
In consultation with the President, the Secretary will coordinate all meetings – developing agendas and preparing meeting papers, taking clear and accurate minutes of meeting discussions and decisions, and circulating minutes as soon as possible after meetings.
So good communication and good organisational skills are essential to being a successful Secretary.
For incorporated associations in Victoria, the Secretary has certain legal responsibilities arising from the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2014(AIR Act).
Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) is the Victorian state government agency which monitors compliance with the AIR Act and it interacts with Victorian incorporated associations via their Secretaries.
The CAV website (www.consumer.vic.gov.au) has lots of useful information to assist not-for-profit groups (including their Secretaries) to understand and meet their responsibilities under the AIR Act.
And Justice Connect’s Not-for-profit Law website is a great resource for community groups – their Secretary’s Satchel (http://www.pilch.org.au/legal_info/secsguide/) is an excellent and comprehensive guide to the AIR Act for any Secretary of a Victorian incorporated association (and worth a read by other committee members as well!)
You can download this Blog Post as a tip sheet by clicking here: Tip Sheet_ Successful Secretaries 08 Sept 14
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