Q&A

Adding a 5th Board Memebr

We are considering adding a fifth board member next year. I say it should be titled member at large. Other board members had never heard of such a title and dismissed the idea. Instead, they would like to turn the secretary into co-secretaries. Being the current secretary, I do not feel it is necessary to share the actual duties of taking and typing the minutes each month. What is the best title to add?
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I think it would help to first clarify why the board wants a fifth member. Adding a member is not a bad idea per se, but there should be a clear purpose for the additional person. For instance, the board may determine they want to sharpen its focus on parent involvement and add a board member in charge of that. Some schools have a fundraising chair on the board. Your idea of a member at large is a good one and one that some groups use. It is also pretty common for groups to have secretary co-chairs, or communications co-chairs. One person would be the recording secretary (handling meeting minutes) while the other would be a correspondence secretary (handling all notes, memos, etc. that go out to the group). When groups go with co-secretaries (or co-anything, really), it makes a big difference to have each role and set of responsibilities clearly defined.
- Rose H
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