Secretary

Job Description
(approved by the Board on 4/25/24)

Rationale: The Secretary takes minutes at all Board meetings, updates records and handles correspondence as needed. The Secretary makes changes annually or as needed to keep record documents of UURMaPA current. These records include: current lists of leaders for general reference and in records of the Massachusetts Secretary of State; a file of up-to-date functional job descriptions submitted for Board and off-Board positions; Bylaws as amended and changes in Operating Procedures as needed. The Secretary sends updated public documents to the webmaster to be posted on the website.

Expectations:

  • Minutes of Board Meetings: The Board holds a virtual meeting most months via Zoom. The Secretary may send an early draft of minutes to Board members for possible edits prior to the next meeting. The revised minutes are sent to the Board a few days before the meeting at which members will be asked to approve them. The Secretary then sends minutes and attached reports as approved to be posted on the website under Governance.Recent practice has been that the Secretary marks text of decisions in bold and action items in red italics, and inserts line numbers on the left document margin.
  • In-Person Board Meetings and Conferences: At any in-person meeting of the Board, currently held in conjunction with a conference, the Secretary should plan to attend and record minutes. They are also expected to attend and take minutes at general member information sessions at conferences.
  • UURMaPA-Announce: The UURMaPA-Announce List, set up through uua.org, is currently administered by the Membership Coordinator (an off-Board appointee), and allows the Board to send out messages to the membership. The Secretary serves as the Board member back-up person who may post notices to members as needed.
  • UURMaPA Leadership List and History of Service: Each June before a new Board takes office and other times as needed, the Secretary updates two documents. The UURMaPA Leadership List, including off-Board appointees who agree to serve in the next year, is sent to the webmaster to be inserted as the initial pages of the online Membership Directory. The Secretary also assures that annual updates are made to the UURMaPA Leadership Service History spreadsheet (an essential reference for the Nominating Committee and the Board) that tracks both elected officers and Board-appointed leaders by service years. The spreadsheet update is sent to the webmaster to be posted on the website under Governance.
  • Updates of Bylaws: The Secretary enters into the Bylaws any amendments proposed and approved by the Board and the membership, and sends the document to be updated on the website under Governance. Some Bylaw updates may also need to be filed with the Secretary of State (see below).
  • Corporate Filing with Massachusetts Secretary of State: Each spring, as a new set of Board members is elected, the Secretary (as official Clerk of the Organization) files officers’ names, contact info and terms of office [on UURMaPA’s site] with the Massachusetts Secretary of State. Other changes may only occasionally be needed (including changes in Resident Agent and the Agent’s Massachusetts address, or updates of the Articles of Organization, such as UURMaPA’s purpose or specific item in Bylaws.). The Secretary can file online to UURMaPA’s site at 

https://corp.sec.state.ma.us/corp/loginsystem/login_form.asp?
FilingMethod, CID# is: bx3k28 and the PIN is:8958. Fees for some entries are charged, and can be reimbursed by the Treasurer.

  • File of Job Descriptions: The Secretary maintains UURMaPA’s reference file of current job descriptions and key functions for all elected and appointed leadership and sends updates to the webmaster as needed. The updated file is kept online and serves as a reference resource for Board, members in leadership and Nominating Committee. Revision dates and names should be recorded on each document, and should be checked at least annually and revised as needed by relevant Board or off-Board leadership.
  • Updates of Operating Procedures – policies: The Operating Procedures document contains the policies and detailed procedures that guide the organization. It evolves as needed based on decisions of the Board that are recorded in the minutes. The Secretary edits the Operating Procedures document as needed to keep it current, and sends the updated document for posting on the website under Governance.
  • Board Liaisons: Board members are assigned as liaisons to all Off-Board leadership volunteers. The Secretary is assigned as Board liaison to the appointee as Membership Coordinator.

Updated by Judy Gibson, former UURMaPA Board Secretary & current Nominating Committee member; in consultation with Barbara Child, Secretary—June 2020.