13. What are the specific roles on the committee?

What are the common specific roles on a committee?

Specific roles include the main jobs on the committee such as Chair, Treasurer and secretary (often referred to as the ‘officers’). If your organisations is a registered company (as many charities are now) you will have had a company secretary – a role with specific duties in relation to reporting to Companies House. Note that from 1st October 2008 a company no longer requires a company secretary unless your constitution specifies one, however, the duties will still need to be performed by either a committee member or a member of staff. Other typical roles are; member or chair of a subcommittee, such as finance, fundraising, project. Other roles typically involve taking on either specific/one-off work (such as designing a new logo) or ongoing work such as coordinating the monthly newsletter. The number of specific roles are potentially unlimited and it is a good way of involving all the committee members if those who want to are able to take on some specific role that plays to their individual strengths and can greatly increase their level of satisfaction on the committee.

Should I have a job description?

It can be useful to have a brief outline of duties and expectations for each committee member with common elements for all and additional points for those with particular responsibilities. The common additional job descriptions are for the Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, but anyone who takes on a particular role could have a job description. The statement should include the duties they are expected to undertake and the limits of their authority (i.e. what they can do on their own before referring back to the full committee). Note that as committee members are unpaid some favour the term ‘role description’ or ‘remit’ rather than job description.

What should be in a job description?

Common template

Management Committee Member

Chair

Secretary

Treasurer

Others. There are endless possibilities to cater for committee members who take on a specific area such as fundraising, producing the newsletter, liaison with another body,

Next FAQ: User Involvement and Participation on Committees
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A Word About Words

This site is aimed at those who govern (control) small organisations - whether they are charities, companies, both or neither. Those who govern them may be called a variety of names. We have chosen to use mainly 'management committee' and occasionally 'committee member' or 'trustee'. more...
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