Role of Secretary
The focus of the Secretary is to record the business transacted at meetings and maintain minutes for permanent record. In addition to fulfilling this administrative role, the Secretary is also part of and participates in the function of governing and managing of the Chapter business. A volunteer in this role has multi-faceted and interconnecting responsibilities. The volunteer is a Chapter Director and acknowledges that he/she is bound by all the conditions and responsibilities set out in generic chapter governance documents titled “Role of the Chapter
Director” and “Generic Terms of Reference for the Chapter Board” in addition to this governance document.
Where the volunteer holds the position of an officer, or chair of a committee or task force, or as a committee or task force member, he/she is also bound by all the conditions and responsibilities set out in the prescribed respective generic chapter position descriptions, and committee and task force terms of reference.
All generic governance documents for chapters, as may be amended from time to time, are reviewed beforehand by the National Governance and Bylaws Committee (“NGBC”) and receive final review and approval by the
National Board.
Election and Term of Office
Immediately following the Annual General Meeting (“AGM”), the Board elects a Secretary from its ranks as an officer of the Chapter. The Secretary should be prepared to serve two consecutive one-year terms to ensure continuity.
Vacancy
In the event the Secretary is not able to continue his/her role in this position, the Board shall elect a replacement from its ranks for the balance of the term of office until the incumbent can resume the responsibilities in this position, or until the next AGM, whichever comes first.
Accountability
From an administrative perspective, the Secretary shall be responsible to the President. From a functional perspective, , the Secretary shall be responsible to the Board.
Resources
Since the Chapter is a “not-for-profit” entity, it conducts its affairs with a Board of volunteers without any remuneration. The Board is both a policy-making body and working entity.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience (in random order)
Further to the qualifications listed in the document entitled “Role of a Chapter Director,” the Secretary:
1. Demonstrates a commitment to the vision and work of the Chapter and CIC.
2. Has a sound working knowledge of CIC and the Chapter, and is familiar with the following: a. Articles of Incorporation (founding document) of CIC. b. By-laws of CIC. c. By-laws of the Chapter. d. Code of Ethics.
3. Demonstrates an aptitude to effectively compliment the leadership of the President, or in his/her absence the Vice President, by respectively assisting each of them administratively and functionally in governing astutely and managing prudently the Chapter business.
4. Have good writing and communications skills.
5. Demonstrates an ability to listen to the spoken word and records the salient business transacted at meetings.
6. Demonstrates an ability to work co-operatively and is a team builder.
7. Recognizes that the need for computer literacy is a necessary asset.
8. Has a reasonably good understanding of parliamentary procedures.
Time Commitment (in random order)
In addition to the time commitments listed in the document titled “Role of a Chapter Director,” the Secretary should be prepared to dedicate the additional time required to fulfill his/her responsibilities (all quoted times are approximate):

2
1. Prepares for the monthly Board meetings (a minimum of 8 meetings per year), any Executive
Committee meetings and the AGM in April. Takes and distributes minutes for each - 1 to 2 hours per meeting.
2. Attends any Executive Committee meetings convened by the President – 2 to 5 hours per year.
3. Receives, copies and distributes all Chapter correspondence. Maintains a permanent file for all minutes, documents and correspondence – ½ to 1 hour per month.
4. Makes and returns telephone calls, and emails on behalf of the Board – 1/2 to 1 hours per month*.
5. Attends to various tasks that may arise during the normal course of business for the Chapter – 1/2 to
1 hours per month.
*Please note, depending on the needs of the Board, time spent may vary widely from a great deal of time to very little.
Responsibilities (in random order including but not limited to the following)
1. In consultation with the Executive Committee, assists in setting, preparing and circulating notice of and an agenda for all Board and AGMs.
2. Attends and takes minutes of meetings and keeps a permanent record of them in accordance with any and all federal and provincial legislative requirements.
3. Ensures minutes for meetings are reviewed for corrections, documents the motion accepting the minutes as presented or amended and then circulates the final version to the Board within 7 days.
4. Maintains and distributes a calendar of upcoming meetings, events, seminars and other important functions. Assists the Board and Committee Chairs in planning and setting dates for various functions to avoid conflicts.
5. Maintains a permanent record of all correspondence and documents of importance to the Chapter including, but not limited to: National and Chapter Bylaws, Position Descriptions, Terms of Reference, any standing contracts or agreements. Ensures files are updated and distributes copies to the Board and/or Committee Chairs when necessary.
6. Receives and distributes all correspondence to the appropriate committee or board member for response as requir ed. Records “returned” mail and informs both the sender and the Membership
Chair of the incorrect address.
7. Prepares a report of all Chapter correspondence activity for the monthly Board meetings.
8. At the conclusion of his/her term as Secretary, forwards all the Chapter records, documents and minutes to the incoming Secretary.
9. Carries out activities as delegated by the President or in his/her absence by the Vice President.
10. Promotes responsible stewardship of actions and decisions made by the Board.
11. Works co-operatively and fosters team building with the Board, Committees, and the Institute.
12. Listens to the spoken word, undertakes to understand the issues, and records the relevant transactions of business.
13. Assists to ensure that prudent management practices and policies are established and implemented by the Executive Committee.
14. Assists in facilitating communication between the Board and Chapter members.
15. Participates in an annual review with the Board on the achievements of the previous year, collaborates on identifying the shortcomings and collectively engages refinement for improvements.
16. Carries out such other relevant tasks as requested by the Board.
17. Gathers together all the annual committee reports and submits them to the National office in April.
Note to Chapters: This generic form has been developed by the National Board of Directors to provide a standardized format for use by all Chapters for their governance. Revisions to this form are permissible to suit individual chapter needs so long as responsible governance, prudent management, sound financial stewardship and internal controls are not compromised in any way, shape or form. While Chapters are in possession of various assets, both financial and otherwise, ownership of those assets rest with CIC. Since Chapters are not incorporated separately, CIC at the national level is ultimately responsible to ensure it apprises Chapters of the necessary requirement of providing and engaging only the best practises for responsible governance.
This form was approved by the National Board of Directors on February 13, 2012 and it supersedes all previously approved forms.
Revised November 3, 2011