COUCH President Job Description
The COUCH Bylaws say the following:
4.1 The president shall be the chief executive officer of the corporation; shall preside at all meetings of the membership and meetings of the Board of Directors; shall execute all documents and reports required by law and as directed by the Board; shall have custody of money together with the Treasurer and Executive Director; and shall report at each Annual Meeting of the corporation. The President shall obtain any necessary and appropriate training in meeting facilitation, with the assistance of the educational resources of COUCH.
In practice, the COUCH President has two main jobs: acting as the legal and public face of the corporation, and managing the COUCH Board.
The legal and public face job consists of both official and unofficial duties. In the official category, the President signs official papers, writes annual reports, and so forth. In the unofficial category, the President talks to the press and other outside organizations and otherwise represents the organization when representation is necessary.
The other important facet of the President job is managing the COUCH Board, Staff, and volunteers. In terms of Board development, the President writes agendas and presides over meetings, coordinates the Board Manual and its updates, organizes periodic Board retreats, and performs other tasks designed to improve the functionality of the Board. Also, the President makes sure that everyone with responsibilities (officers, volunteers, staff) is doing their job, and acts as a “manager” to make sure that things run smoothly. The President also chairs the Executive Committee of the Board.
An ideal COUCH President has at least a year of experience on the COUCH board, experience and skills in meeting facilitation and personnel management, and interest in building and maintaining systems for the organization. A pleasant personality is also important.
Resources
NASCO – http://www.nasco.coop/
NASCO Properties – 1-877-465-4041
Former COUCH Presidents
Online resources, eg. -- http://www.managementhelp.org/
COUCH Treasurer Job Description
The COUCH Bylaws say the following:
4.4 The Treasurer shall be the business and finance officer of the corporation and shall report regularly to the Board on the financial condition of COUCH; shall execute all documents and reports required by law; and shall contract for an annual independent financial audit and report to the Board. The Treasurer shall also be responsible for monitoring and evaluating the financial management of COUCH by staff. The Treasurer shall chair the Finance Committee. The Treasurer may also fill the position of Recording Secretary, with the approval of the Board.
The COUCH Treasurer shares responsibility for the financial well-being of the organization with the bookkeeper, a staff member hired by the Board. This document describes both positions.
The Treasurer's responsibilities include developing budgets, writing the annual and quarterly financial reports, chairing the Finance committee, dealing with member debts, serving on the Executive committee, and attending Board meetings. If the bookkeeper is a separate person, then the Treasurer is also responsible for supervising the bookkeeper.
The bookkeeper's responsibilities include receiving, recording, and depositing checks from members, paying bills, creating reports to keep the Treasurer up-to-date, and maintaining the corporation's files.
The ideal candidate for the Treasurer position will have experience as the treasurer of another organization and knowledge of accounting basics.
The ideal candidate for the bookkeeper staff position will have knowledge of accounting basics, impeccable honesty, and a commitment to detail and timeliness.
Resources:
NASCO Properties
Former COUCH Treasurers
The COUCH Treasurer's manual
Books, e.g. Not-For-Profit Accouting Made Easy
Online resources
COUCH Secretary Job Description
The COUCH Bylaws say the following:
4.5 The Recording Secretary shall attend all Annual and Special meetings of the membership, and all meetings of the Board; shall record the minutes of all such proceedings in books kept for that purpose; shall serve all notices and sign all reports and documents as directed by the Board; shall have custody of the corporate seal; and shall affix such seal to all documents as directed by the President or Board. The position of Recording Secretary may be filled by the Treasurer, with the approval of the Board.
More specifically, the COUCH Secretary:
takes impartial and complete notes at all COUCH board meetings and all COUCH Annual Meetings and Special Meetings;
ensures that minutes are posted to the members@couch.coop mailing list promptly after each meeting;
ensures that an electronic copy of each set of minutes is stored in COUCH's electronic office;
ensures that a paper copy of each set of minutes is made and placed in the COUCH Minutes binder;
brings paper minutes of previous meetings to all meetings;
makes minutes and other COUCH documents available to all interested parties;
ensures that other COUCH documents (By-laws, Standing Rules, Operating Procedures) are current and are available on-line and/or in the electronic office; and
serves on the COUCH Executive committee.
In order to become the COUCH Secretary, one must be able to write clearly and quickly. No other particular skills or experience are necessary.
Resources:
Former COUCH Secretaries
Online resources, e.g. -- http://www.weown.net/MeetingMinutes.htm
COUCH Vice-President of Outreach Job Description
The COUCH Bylaws say the following about Vice-Presidents:
4.3 The Board may create or dissolve Vice-President positions. The Vice-Presidents shall perform all duties of the President in the absence or disability of the President. In addition, the Vice-Presidents shall chair such committees as are assigned to them by act of the Board and shall be responsible for the efficient functioning of these committees as well as any other ad-hoc committees which the Board assigns to them. They shall arrange for their designated committees to report to the Board at least every two months, except where the Board may designate a different period of reporting. The Vice-Presidents shall obtain any necessary and appropriate training in meeting facilitation, with the assistance of the educational resources of COUCH.
The COUCH Operating Procedures say the following about the VP-Outreach:
7.3.1 The Vice-President of Outreach chairs the Outreach Committee, and is responsible for coordinating the advertising, community development, and related outreach activities of COUCH.
The VP-Outreach also serves on the Executive committee of the Board.
Resources:
Former COUCH VP-Outreachs
NASCO – http://www.nasco.coop/
COUCH Vice-President of Technology Job Description
The COUCH Bylaws say the following about Vice-Presidents:
4.3 The Board may create or dissolve Vice-President positions. The Vice-Presidents shall perform all duties of the President in the absence or disability of the President. In addition, the Vice-Presidents shall chair such committees as are assigned to them by act of the Board and shall be responsible for the efficient functioning of these committees as well as any other ad-hoc committees which the Board assigns to them. They shall arrange for their designated committees to report to the Board at least every two months, except where the Board may designate a different period of reporting. The Vice-Presidents shall obtain any necessary and appropriate training in meeting facilitation, with the assistance of the educational resources of COUCH.
The COUCH Operating Procedures say the following about the VP-Technology:
7.3.2 The Vice-President of Technology is responsible for the maintenance and development of the internal and external technology used by COUCH, such as computers, mailing lists, websites, etc.
The VP-Technology also serves on the Executive committee of the Board.
Resources:
Former VP-Techs
COUCH Virtual Office administration guide
Online resources
COUCH Vice-President for NASCO Properties Job Description
The COUCH Bylaws say the following about Vice-Presidents:
4.3 The Board may create or dissolve Vice-President positions. The Vice-Presidents shall perform all duties of the President in the absence or disability of the President. In addition, the Vice-Presidents shall chair such committees as are assigned to them by act of the Board and shall be responsible for the efficient functioning of these committees as well as any other ad-hoc committees which the Board assigns to them. They shall arrange for their designated committees to report to the Board at least every two months, except where the Board may designate a different period of reporting. The Vice-Presidents shall obtain any necessary and appropriate training in meeting facilitation, with the assistance of the educational resources of COUCH.
The COUCH Operating Procedures say the following about the VP-NP:
7.3.3 The Vice-President for NASCO Properties shall represent COUCH on the NASCO Properties board. The Vice-President for NASCO Properties sits on the Finance and Maintenance committees. The Vice-President of NASCO Properties must reside in a house owned by NASCO Properties.
As a NASCO Properties Board member, the VP-NP participates in NP's activities, including:
attending thrice-annual NP Board meetings
participating in occasional conference calls
acting as the general contact person for the NP staff
participating in committees of the NP Board, as necessary
The VP-NP also serves on the Maintenance and Finance committees of the COUCH Board.
The COUCH Board, recognizing the skills and experience needed for this position, recommends that the VP-NP typically also be the COUCH President.
Resources:
Previous COUCH NP-VPs
NASCO Properties – 1-877-465-4041