The logic for having two persons share what would normally be the duties of one executive director is that the job is felt to be larger than one person might manage (especially considering it is a volunteer position), and because the only viable candidates identified in 2007 were a couple, both of whom were long-time members who joined the Society in 1974. Their skills and competencies are largely complimentary, and while it would be inaccurate to describe their administration as being without conflict, these are in nearly all cases resolved between them without recourse to Board authority.
Consuls are were permitted by contract to style themselves differently as circumstances permit, especially when dealing with those outside the Society who may not be familiar with the term "Consul". "Executive Director" is was generally preferred for this, and may could be employed by either Consul (unless that office is created, in which case such use would be confusing and inappropriate).
==Contract==
Consuls work worked under the [[Consuls' Contract]], renewed (usually with revisions) for each calendar year. For a brief period of unrest, their contract was month-to-month, but that now is behind us.
The Contract includes included a payment in lieu of rent for the space the Society occupies in their home. This is meant to compensate them for the space used by the Society within their home, and for the additional expenses of operating Society equipment. It is not meant as compensation for their time—they serve as volunteers.
The logic for the exponential payments is that at the time the first contract was signed, $2 was a significant fraction of Society reserves. The predictable increases were intended to give the Society both the incentive and the time needed to obtain a [[Headquarters]] outside the Consuls' home; not to impoverish or take over the Society (though should the Board fail to obtain a Headquarters, that would soon be the effect).
Consuls have expressed a willingness to negotiate lower or no increases if the [[Board]] demonstrates concrete progress toward the goal of an independent Headquarters facility. To encourage this, starting with the 2016 contract, payment will be split in half; the first half due in January, and the second half due in July, giving Consuls the opportunity to waive half the fee if the Society — in their sole opinion — has made significant progress toward moving out in the first six months. In 2018, this was further subdivided into quarterly payments. Should the rent be thus reduced, the following year's rent would be twice the reduced amount. Thus continuous progress would result in freezing the rent.
Another proposal that has been offered would cap the rent at the annual revenue of the Investment Fund, provided that the Society deposit ten percent (10%) of gross revenues into the Investment Fund. This proposal won't be worthy of consideration until 2019, at which point it would offer measurable savings to the Society.
With the upcoming termination of the office of Consulat the end of 2017, contracts will still need to be executed annually for Headquarters space in the Metcalfs' home. They intend to continue the fee schedule described above, including reductions in the event of significant progress by the Board toward moving out.
==Official Duties==
* [[Eagle Assistant Chancellor]] (previously the Eagle Administrator) for the [[Order of the Augustan Eagle]] in cooperation with the [[Eagle Council]]
* [[Rose Assistant Chancellor]] (previously the Rose Administrator) for the [[Noble Company of the Rose]] in cooperation with the [[Rose Council]]
* [[SDLKJ AdministratorClerk]] for the [[Society of Descendants of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem]], in cooperation with the [[Dean of the SDLKJ]]* [[SDI AdministratorClerk]] for the [[Society of Descendants of Ireland]] in cooperation with the [[Dean of the SDI]]* [[SDS AdministratorClerk]] for the [[Society of Descendants of Scotland]] in cooperation with the [[Dean of the SDS]]* [[SDC AdministratorClerk]] for the [[Society of Descendants of the Conquest]] in cooperation with the [[Dean of the SDC]]
* [[Librarian]]
* [[Curator]] (until such time as the [[Museum]] collection is dispersed)
That said, it is desirable that all duties that do not benefit from being performed at Headquarters be transferred to other volunteers. It would also be desirable to transfer some of their duties once a public [[Headquarters]] has been obtained and local volunteers become known.
It has also become customary for one of the Consuls to deliver a "[[State of the Society]]" address at the [[Annual Meeting]]. Often the Board will direct that copies be distributed to either the Board or the Membership. Not all such have been suitable for general publication. The 2017 2016 address will be was the last of these.
==Unofficial Duties==
Consuls have had a second set of obligations, ones that are were but for this page unwritten, and as a result largely misunderstood.
Consuls, if only by virtue of their long tenure with the Society, including time spent with the [[Founder]], serve served as the Society's institutional memory, especially in those many areas where the history is unwritten. In the performance of this duty, they not only answer answered questions, but pro-actively advise advised officers and councils of that history. This isn't to say that they have had the authority to block change, only that they may require required that it be done knowingly, and with full awareness of relevant Society history.
They also serve served as that nasty little voice of conscience in the heads of officers, chairmen, and others. They will try tried to keep track of which tasks have had been assigned or assumed, and gently (and privately) remind reminded others of what yet needs needed to be done.
There is was also a negative duty — to conduct ourselves themselves in ways that prevent prevented this from becoming the "Metcalf Society", just as it was earlier the "Hartwell Society". Focusing too much of the attention on any individual is hazardous for such a group — look at the chaos that followed our Founder's decline and demise. The Society does not have the luxury of allowing anyone to become irreplaceable.
Consuls' duty in this regard is was thus to strengthen the [[Board]] so that it can could actually manage the affairs of the Society, to develop volunteer chairmen who can could carry out the work, to develop vice-chairmen who can step up at need, and to deemphasize the need for our their services until we can they could be replaced by a clerk or two.
These unofficial duties will not be performed after the end of 2017, and some are being discontinued or deemphasized already.
==Alternative==
There is a "Plan B" in reserve that provides for the [[Board]] to appoint a true [[Executive Director]] to assume all power and authority of the Board save his hiring, compensation, and amendment of the [[By-Laws]]. A draft of an implementing By-Law has been drafted, and would require member approval. The challenge here would be to find a suitable candidate, as such a role the Metcalfs would move Consuls in the direction opposite of their desires. Considering they take some of the blame for the Society's recent prefer to decline, they suggest that a different candidate would likely be preferable.
Consuls feel that this plan, especially if one of them is to be named Executive Director, is the worst possible answer short of dissolving the Society.
==Termination==
It has been determined that the The office of '''ConsulsConsul''' will be was eliminated effective 31 December 2017. This motivated by the failure of this mixed-authority form of Society management, and by the emotional exhaustion of the incumbents. Conversion of the Society to one without Consuls has begun, and will be completed by the end of 2017.
The Metcalfs intend intended to continue in the elected and appointed offices they now holdheld at the time of termination, generally shown above as Official Duties, but will surrender their obligation to serve as the motivating force for the Society and other activities shown above as Unofficial Duties. It will thus be up to the [[Board]], [[Sub-Groups|Sub-Group]] councils, and especially the [[President]] to see that things continue to happen. In particular, the Metcalfs will no longer serve as the "acting everything" when a post goes vacant.
The Metcalfs will continue have offered to offer continue their services as institutional memory on request, but will try to resist the temptation to speak up without invitation. The President and others who appoint officers will be expected to do their own follow-up.
The annual contracts will continue, but as a rental agreement only, and with the same pricing as described above.