Difference between revisions of "Committee Chairmen"

Latest revision as of 11:20, 27 May 2024

Each Committee, Study Group, and Sub-Group within The Augustan Society, Inc., needs a leader. These are variously titled Chairman, Dean, Coordinator, or Moderator, and some have specific titles that apply only to that group. Most Chairmen are appointed by the President, but some are appointed by other officers or elected. All are referred to as Chairman and their superiors President on this page for simplicity.

These Chairmen all have similar duties. This page is an effort to make a list of them all in one convenient place. Chairmen are encouraged to make contributions, whether they are typos or complete rewrites.

1. Chairmen are appointed by the President, and they serve at his pleasure. Appointments become official when the news of the appointment and the acceptance are received by Headquarters Staff in writing (email is preferred). Those chairing sub-committees will be appointed by the Chairman of the next superior Committee. Some Sub-Groups have other ways of selecting their leaders, which see.
2. Serving "at the pleasure of the President" does not mean that you need to submit your resignation after each election. Most Presidents will make few changes in appointments, and you should carry on with the work until and unless you are asked to step down.
3. There are four ways to leave office:
   1. The President asks you to step down (sometimes by announcing a new Chairman, though that's very poor form);
   2. You tender your resignation, which should go to the President (so he can appoint someone else) and to Headquarters (so they can take your name off the web site);
   3. If you fail to submit an Annual Report in July, or fail to report your time and expenses for twelve consecutive months, you will be automatically removed — Headquarters Staff will send reminders so this last is unlikely to happen by surprise.); or
   4. If you fail to maintain your membership in the Augustan Society. Note that while there is normally a 30-day grace period, the Board has at times eliminated grace periods or extended them. But best to assume that if dues aren't paid by 31 December (or such other deadline as may be), you'll be out of office on the following day. You may of course be reappointed after restoring your membership to Good Standing.
4. If yours is a standing committee or Study Group, it will continue from year to year. If yours is an ad hoc committee (one formed for a specific short-term task), then it will end when the Board receives your final report or at the Board meeting following the next Annual Meeting, unless extended.
5. You are required to give an Annual Report of your Committee's activities and plans to the Board of Directors for the August Board meeting, and at such other times as the Board or President may request it. Annual reports are normally sent to Headquarters during the month of July, but sub-committees may be asked to submit such reports to their supervising officer during June that he may consolidate such reports. If you are the head of such a sub-committee and have submitted such a report to your supervising officer in the past year, you may silence further calls for reports from Headquarters Staff by sending them a copy.
6. You are asked to report your volunteer hours to the Dean of Fellows on a regular basis. Monthly is best, but so long as reports from one calendar year are submitted by 31 January of the next, no harm is done.
7. Reports of mileage and expenses must be submitted to the Treasurer on a regular basis. Please indicate if you want the amount reimbursed, held as a credit, or considered a donation. Note that reimbursement is subject to budget limitations, and occasionally to cash-flow challenges. Under those conditions, volunteers who make prompt, monthly reports will be paid first. Credits not reimbursed at year-end will be deducted from your dues, but it is wise to advise the Secretary that you have such credits. Note also that amounts under $4 may only be used as a credit (on dues or any other purchase or payment).
8. Chairmen of Standing Committees and Study Groups are authorized to appoint any Augustan Society member in Good Standing to their committee. To check if a member is in good standing, please contact Headquarters. It is far preferable to check before extending the invitation! Such appointments do not take effect until you notify Headquarters of your appointment and we receive word of their acceptance. Email is acceptable for this.
9. The President and Headquarters Staff are ex officio members of all committees. They are not to be counted in the calculation of quorums or other voting issues. They must be copied on all communications sent to your whole committee. This is done automatically if you use the Society email system.
10. Chairmen are authorized to name a Vice-Chairman, and you are expected to do so within your first year in office (save for positions necessarily located at Headquarters where such appointments would depend on finding a local volunteer). You are also expected to keep this Vice-Chairman fully informed so that he will be able to step in at need. This is important for ensuring the continuity of the Committee's work. One way to do so is to ask that others use your Society email address, which will (or should) copy your Vice-Chairman automatically. If not, it is your responsibility to send them a copy, just as it is that you copy (or more often BCC) them on all email sent in the performance of your work.
11. Study Group Coordinators may name a Vice-Coordinator according to standards set by the Dean of Studies.
12. Vice-Chairmen will be asked to step in whenever you are unavailable or unresponsive. This is not to be used to avoid contacting a Chairman, but only to ensure that business continues despite all the interruptions that volunteer service is prone to.
13. When a Chairman leaves office, the Vice-Chairman will be automatically promoted to Chairman if he has served in the former capacity for at least one year. At other times, the President must appoint a new Chairman, which might be the Vice-Chairman, despite a short tenure.
14. If you have trouble finding appropriate members for your Committee, contact Headquarters, as they keep a file of Member interests that may suggest worthy candidates, the Webmaster maintains the "Help Wanted" list on the website, and the Augustæum Editor can place a want ad in Augustæum.
15. While incidental expenses like postage and long distance will normally be covered by the Budget, should your Committee need additional funding for any reason, you should work with Headquarters Staff and the Finance Committee (if active) to put your requests into the Budget. Do not delay "until the next budget cycle", as we have a permanent budget that can be amended at any time—the Budget is primarily a planning tool, and only secondarily a control mechanism.
16. Email forwarding for your Committee is available through the main web site. Contact the Postmaster for assistance.
17. We urge you and your committee members to use the Society email system. It helps avoid errors and omissions, makes sure all are copied, and when email changes are recorded on your web login, delivery is automatically redirected.
18. Not all members receive and read email. Some are offline and some people just don't bother to read their email. You may wish to take the level of responsiveness into consideration when appointing and retaining members.
19. If members of your Committee are offline, you must take personal responsibility to mail them copies of all online communications. Your expenses, and theirs in replying, may be reimbursed under your budget.
20. Unless you are also a Director, you will not be expected to attend either Board meetings or the Annual Convention, though we of course hope you attend the latter (at your expense, when held in person). You may occasionally be asked to join a Board meeting; these are normally held via videoconference, so the commitment is small (and any associated fees will be reimbursed).
21. If your Committee wishes to meet at the Annual Convention when such ae held, please so inform Headquarters Staff as early as possible. Meeting space needs to be scheduled carefully to minimize expenses.
22. If your Committee wishes to meet via teleconference, Headquarters Staff will set this up. If they wish to meet via videoconference, the President or Secretary can set that up. A week's notice is suggested, as that will permit adequate notice to your members (including the ex-officio members). There is no charge for teleconferencing or videoconferencing other than individual's phone calls, and these can be reimbursed.

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