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Nonprofit Leader
It has been said that there are two jobs for which we receive no training in life — parenting, and serving on a nonprofit board. Sometimes folks accept a position as a nonprofit leader, filled with good intentions, and then are frustrated by the lack of training they receive.
If you would like to participate in or run better meetings, Jurassic Parliament offers a wealth of information.
Our materials help leaders of all types of nonprofit organizations understand their role and carry it out more effectively.
President
As the president, chair of the board, or elected leader of a voluntary association, the leader has three main duties:
- to manage or administer the association
- to lead the association
- to preside at the association's meetings.
Each of these duties requires different skills.
There are many excellent sources of information on the first duty, managing nonprofit organizations. We recommend BoardSource and idealist.org for nonprofit charities, and ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership for professional associations.
Jurassic Parliament offers insights and training about the second duty, to lead the association. See Our Philosophy.
Jurassic Parliament offers both broad oversight into and detailed information about the third duty, to preside at the association's meetings.
Secretary
The job of secretary is critical to any voluntary organization. According to parliamentary law the president and the secretary are the two essential officers who must be present for a meeting to take place.
It is also not allowed for the same person to hold both roles.
We have found that few people are given adequate training for the job of secretary. Robert's Rules of Order give one basic guideline for secretaries: minutes should record what is done, not what is said.
Somehow there is an inevitable tendency for secretaries to record, and members to request, details of the conversation at meetings in the minutes. This is almost always a big mistake.
We recommend that all secretaries read our popular article on action minutes.
We recommend our Mastery Lesson on meeting minutes, which goes into useful detail and includes sample minutes and an action items list.
Post your questions about your nonprofit board and your role on our blog, Robert’s Rules in Real Life.
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What Are the Duties of the Person Running the Meeting
Learn the 11 things the presider is responsible for, according to Robert's Rules of Order.
Action Minutes Serve the City Best
Examine the differences between detailed minutes and action minutes and learn why action minutes may serve your city best.
Introduction to Minutes
Become familiar with different types of minutes and how to prepare, process and preserve them.