This document is meant to be a guide and may be tweaked to fit the needs of your particular alumni community.

As a member of the board’s executive leadership team, it is expected that the secretary/communications chairperson would understand and be familiar with the IUAA strategic plan, the mission, priorities, values, and policies of the organization. In some cases, the secretary also serves as the communications chairperson; however, these may be separate positions as well. If separate, the communications chairperson may not be a member of the executive leadership team.

Specific tasks and responsibilities—secretary

• Responsible for ensuring that accurate minutes of meetings are recorded and approved. The content of the minutes may vary by community; however, the minimum requirements are as follows:
  • Date, time, location of meeting
  • List of those present (both in-person and remotely) and absent
  • List of items discussed
  • List of reports presented
  • Text of motions presented, and a description of how the motions were handled
• Distributes minutes to the board members approximately two weeks after the meeting and again prior to the next meeting

Specific tasks and responsibilities—communications chairperson

• Responsible for sending regular e-communications via Constant Contact to respective membership informing them of upcoming events and activities, news and information about your alumni community
• Collects, formats, and edits news and articles from board members and other sources
• Ensures that communication via the alumni community’s social media platforms is updated regularly and remains current

Time commitment

A secretary/communications chairperson requires approximately four to five hours of work monthly. The time may vary depending on the number of meetings or conference calls scheduled, the frequency of events and programs that require email announcements, the frequency of e-newsletter distribution, and the alumni community’s social media presence.

Some characteristics of a successful secretary

This is not a comprehensive list:

• Responsible
• Adaptable
• Observant
• Detail-oriented
• Decisive
• Goal-oriented
• Team-oriented
• Self-disciplined
• Trustworthy
• Reliable
• Fair

Some characteristics of a successful communications chairperson

This is not a comprehensive list:

• Responsive
• Adaptable
• Observant
• Detail-oriented
• Decisive
• Reliable
• Team-oriented
• Trustworthy
• Fair
• Self-disciplined
• Creative