SEVA GRREAT Officers

I spy some lovely people. SevA GrreAT Officers

You elected them, but what do they do?

The SEVA GRREAT Board of Directors has eleven voting positions, four of which are officers elected by the rescue’s membership. The Officers of SEVA GRREAT are President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. The positions are for an annual term (January 1 – December 31), and if you are a paid-in-full member at the time of the election, you have voting rights to elect these officers.

The President has the duty to preside over all meetings, both Board meetings and Membership meetings, and any special meetings that may occur. She is also the ‘supervisor of affairs’ of the organization. In other words, she has the responsibility to make sure that whatever decision the Board of Directors makes is carried out. She also is ‘officially’ the one to appoint members to whatever committees are required to get work done, although in most cases, members volunteer for the committees in which they have an interest. That’s not to say that a persuasive President is not an asset to the rescue because they are! She also often serves as a liaison to Presidents of other rescues, SEVA GRREAT members, and the public. Before any member can be elected President, they must have prior Board experience in one of the other positions. Our current President, Debbie Morris, served as Vice President for several years and has an interest in other areas of the rescue such as the partnerships with the Turkey dog rescues, events, and fundraising including being the Facebook rally captain for Give local 757 and calendar contest teams. Our Bylaws limit a person in the President’s position to a maximum of three consecutive one-year terms, and she has one vote on decisions that come before the Board.

The Vice President (VP) has the duty to assume and carry out the duties of President if for some reason the President cannot fulfill her term. Because, for the most part, Presidents do fulfill their duties, the VP position can be a great learning opportunity. The person in this position has the chance to see and understand how the rescue works, what pieces fit where, and who does what! Because the duties are less defined than that of the other officers, it also allows a VP to get involved in areas where she has a passion for our work. Our current VP, Whitney Baker, is particularly interested in the education and training areas of our rescue. Whitney is in her first term as VP. The VP is also limited by the Bylaws to a maximum of a three consecutive one-year terms in that position. In a perfect world, the VP will be willing and able to step into the President’s position when it becomes available and be eligible for another three years as President. The VP also has one vote on decisions that come before the Board.

The Treasurer has the responsibility for all monies that come into and go out of the rescue. She is the liaison with all our banking and investment partners. She deposits funds into the accounts as directed by the Board and pays all bills. In layman’s terms, she ‘keeps the books,’ which means she records donations, application fees, adoption fees, grants, sales of merchandise, etc. into their appropriate categories, and then she turns around and pays bills keeping track by type of expense (vet fees, transportation costs, business costs, etc.). In the case of vet fees and transportation costs (for the international dogs), she breaks it down by dog! She also does our tax filings, the government forms to maintain our nonprofit status, and any other quarterly and annual state documents that involve the finances of the rescue. Janie Carstens, our current Treasurer is also in her first term. In addition to all the duties noted above, Janie’s passion is saving us money. She is always looking for ways to streamline operations and find savings that nonprofits are entitled to that corporate business may not be. The Treasurer is also part of the voting board and is entitled to one vote on rescue decisions. The Treasurer may be re-elected indefinitely, which is advantageous to the rescue because it is a lot to learn and keep track of from year-to-year.

The Secretary’s predominant responsibility is to prepare the agendas and keep the minutes of the board meetings. Keeping a complete set of minutes of every meeting means having a record of all the matters which have been discussed and decided by the Board. It also involves keeping a summary of the operational areas’ (intake, foster, adoption, etc.) work from month to month. The Secretary may be re-elected indefinitely, and our current Secretary, Sharon leeman, is proof in point of that, as she has held the position since 2015. She has been the official vote counter for the calendar contest, is always the first to put her proofreading skills to the test and processes the microchip registrations. The Secretary also has one vote on Board decisions.

As in many small businesses, and that’s what the rescue really is, members of the Board of Directors wear multiple hats. There’s also that other cliché of business – other duties as assigned! In any given year, it is not unusual to have at least one board position available for a new volunteer. If you’re interested, let a board member know.

That’s a brief overview of what the officers you elected do for the rescue. In our next issue, we’ll introduce you to the directors (or coordinators as they are more commonly called) of the operational areas of the rescue. Coordinators are appointed by the existing members of the Board of Directors and (thankfully) can serve indefinitely. They are also expected to serve a minimum of one annual term, but we are fortunate as most of ours stay for more than one year. Doggie Daycare and Obedience Training / Behavior Modification- Since 1982! Group classes and Drop Off Training! (757) 436-3973 • 873 Clearfield Ave, Chesapeake, VA 23320

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