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CLT Magazine | SUMMER 2022
Officer Roles, Responsibilities, and Transitions Dave Kelly
America's Student Leadership Trainer davekelly@gonzospeaks.com Clubs and organizations are important to student life on campus. They are a place for students to make connections, establish lifelong friendships, and engage in projects, events, and activities that are fun, make a difference, and allow them to explore their passions. Clubs and organizations need leaders and those are students! Do your campus leaders know what is expected of them in their roles? Leadership in clubs and organizations can be a challenge for many students. Many student leaders don’t know what they are supposed to do and have never been told! The roles can vary from club to club, but here are some of the basics: President: The president is the chair of the group. They typically set the agenda, call the meeting to order, use parliamentary procedure to stay on track, and, in short, get things done. The president is not a dictator. Another important role is getting members involved and engaged. The president does this by setting a positive tone for the group, delegating, and by being a motivator and cheerleader. The president also follows up on the work and activities of the other officers and committee chairs. Vice-President: The vice-president is next in line of the organization’s leadership. The VP runs meetings when the president is not able to attend, helps with motivating members, and may assist in overseeing committees and projects. When I was the Georgia CKI District Administrator, we tasked the club vice-presidents to oversee membership recruitment and education. That gave them a very defined role and ultimately helped with membership retention and engagement.
Secretary: The secretary is the record keeper of the organization. This includes writing and distributing the minutes of the meetings, maintaining the membership roster including contact information, and reporting to campus, state, and national officials as necessary. I have a template for meeting minutes that makes it super easy to record information and produce the formal document. Here is the link to the template: https://bit.ly/2XQZ068. Treasurer: The treasurer is the chief financial officer and is responsible for collecting dues and fees as applicable, maintaining the financial records of the organization, and overseeing fundraising efforts. If your school provides funding for clubs and organizations, then the treasurer would prepare budgets and submit any requests for money. This role is vital in that the financial well-being of the group may determine the types of activities and projects that they can undertake. Advisor: The key role is in the name: advice. It is not the advisor’s job to run the meetings of the club/organization. The students should take charge, although the advisor is there to help and support them. Advisors offer suggestions and project ideas and can be a resource for campus policies and procedures. The hardest part is allowing students
