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Chairman

Chairman Duties

As a partner to the chief executive officer (CEO) and other board members, the Board Chair will provide leadership to Hope For The World Ministries Nonprofit as it transitions from a newly formed 501(c)(3) organization into a sustainable national entity. The Board Chair will support and sustain the work of Hope For The World Ministries, and provide governance leadership and strategic fundraising support. Specific responsibilities include:
Leadership, governance, and oversight Being a trusted advisor to the CEO as s/he develops and implements Hope For The World Ministries strategic plan Developing and managing relationships and communicating with: funders, partners, and other stakeholders
As a board member, approving Hope For The World Ministries annual budget, audit reports, and material business decisions; being informed of, and meeting all, legal and fiduciary responsibilities Reviewing outcomes and metrics created by Hope For The World Ministries for evaluating its impact, and regularly measuring its performance and effectiveness using those metrics
Coordinating an annual performance evaluation of the CEO
Assisting the CEO and Nominating Committee in recruiting board members Periodically consulting with board members on their roles and helping them assess their performance
Planning, presiding over, and facilitating board and committee meetings; partnering with the CEO to ensure that board resolutions are carried out Acting as an ambassador for the organization
Ensuring Hope For The World Ministries commitment to a diverse board and staff that reflects the communities Hope For The World Ministries serves
Fundraising In collaboration with the CEO, generating substantial annual revenue and fostering Hope For The World Ministries overall financial health
Personally treating Hope For The World Ministries as a top philanthropic priority reflected in an annual financial gift
Ensuring that 100 percent of Hope For The World Ministries board members make an annual contribution that is commensurate with their capacity
Identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major individual donors, corporate, and/or foundation gifts

Chairmans Qualities

Extensive professional experience with significant executive leadership accomplishments in business, government, philanthropy, or the nonprofit sector Demonstrated success as a nonprofit board member or board chair Track record of building credibility in the funding community that has resulted in major gifts to a nonprofit A commitment to and understanding of Hope For The World Ministries beneficiaries and mission preferably based on experience Savvy diplomatic skills and a natural affinity for cultivating relationships and persuading, convening, facilitating, and building consensus among diverse individuals Excellent written and oral communication skills coupled with natural affinity for public speaking Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a passion for improving the lives of Hope For The World Ministriess beneficiaries

Chairman Skills & Qualifications

1. Integrity The person leading the Board of the organisation must be seen to have the highest personal standards with regard to honesty, reliability, and commitment to the role. They must lead by example. There should be no doubt that they can be trusted at all times. They must always do the right thing, and have the right conversations, even if this is difficult. What the Chair says must be in line with what they do, and also what they think and feel. When the Chair acts with integrity both the Board and staff are more likely to respect the Chair, leading to smoother working relationships.
2. Ability to influence others, without dominating The Chair is responsible for ensuring all Board members are using their own unique skills for the good of the organisation. A good Chair recognises that each and every Board member is there for a reason, and has knowledge, expertise and experience to give. They must ensure all Board members contribute to discussions and the decision making process. The Chair must present the options available to the Board, and clearly state the rationale for any recommendations. However, they must also allow each Board member to express their views, even if they conflict with the view of the Chair. Developing effective communication with Board members as individuals can really help here – knowing their strengths and weaknesses, understanding their perspective and using the most effective influencing style for them. Confidence and sensitivity are important attributes when leading a professional Board.
3. Personal strength Being a Chair can be a tough job. As the one person with ultimate responsibility for Board and organisational performance, it is easy to worry, take things personally and become burned out. A good Chair gives strength and support to others while being resilient themselves. This requires a strong personality, which must be tempered with the need to get the most out of other Board members, as discussed above. Even the most experienced, effective Board teams face crises from time to time, and the ability of the Chair both to deal with the ‘bad times’, and to bounce back after them is key to the organisation recovering and moving on.
4. Clear vision and passion for the work The Chair needs to be clear about their vision for the Board, and also to ensure that the Board and senior staff share a clear vision for the organisation. The best Chairs lead the Board in setting the vision and values for the organisation, and ensure this is communicated to staff and other key stakeholders. Even the most seasoned professional will be tested at times, and a passion for the work will help in maintaining commitment when things get tough.
5. Emotional intelligence This is arguably the most important attribute of any leader – the ability to read people and build effective relationships with them. Relationships among Board members can sometimes become strained. Let’s face it, conflict happens in all teams from time to time, and can in fact be healthy if dealt with properly. An emotionally intelligent Board leader can identify when an element of conflict leads to more effective challenge and more robust decision making, and when it might be detrimental to the Board. A great Chair is an excellent facilitator, who can make everyone feel confident and safe enough to share their views, challenge the views of others, and then reach a joint decision. The emotionally intelligent Chair hears not just what is said, but can also read the other directors to discover what is not being said.
6. Intellect and experience A certain level of intelligence and experience is required to lead Board work, and effectively undertake the key tasks of the Chair role. Research has shown that Boards benefit from having Chairs who have previously served as both a Chief Executive and a Chair. This mixture of experiences allows the Chair to speak the languages of both Board and staff. It also means that the Chair:
• Understands the need for having the right people around the table,
• Focusing on the right issues,
• Doing the right thinking,
• Having the right conversations,
• Challenging and supporting the Chief Executive in the right way, and • Making the right decisions based on the best information.
7. Decisiveness Great Chairs know what to prioritise, when to take action, and what judgement to make in difficult circumstances. They use the best information to make decisions which balance the needs of all stakeholder groups, and are in the best interests of the company.
8. Ability to chair meetings It may seem obvious, but great Chairs must be able to chair meetings! Most of the work of the Board is done in meetings, and the ability to manage those meetings effectively is key. This includes planning the agenda, ensuring balanced input from all members, ensuring clarity about decisions and actions agreed, and following up to make sure agreed actions are carried out in line with Board decisions.
9. Coaching skills As a leader of the Board, the Chair’s role is to get the best from every Board member and from the Chief Executive. The role of the Chair is to ‘conduct the orchestra’ rather than play the loudest tune. Coaching is a useful way of supporting on-going learning and development of each Board Member, thus creating synergy and ensuring they are contributing as much as they can as an individual.
10. Courage Given the importance of Board work, the nature of decisions needed, and the inevitable tensions between the Board and senior staff, there are times when the Chair needs to make courageous decisions in the best interests of the company, which are not always popular.

Treasurer

Treasurer Duties

Accountability The board treasurer is an executive and voting member of the board of directors of the Association and appointed in a manner consistent with the bylaws. He/she is accountable to the Board for the fulfillment of the duties and responsibilities outlined below
Authority The treasurer, as other board members, has no authority to direct staff or take independent action on matters outside of the duties outlined unless given such authority by the Board
Roles and Responsibilities The treasurer will offer guidance to the Executive Director and financial officer1 in ensuring good fiscal planning, decision-making and oversight at a governance level. His/her principle duties are to:
• Oversee the development of high level financial policies and their review by the board
• Assist in the preparation of the annual budget and its presentation to the board for review
• Ensure that the appropriate monthly or quarterly financial statements are reviewed by the board
• Ensure that the board regularly monitors the organization’s financial performance and alerts it to any important discrepancies between planned and actual figures
• Ensure that the organization maintains the appropriate financial books and records and that these are accurate and up-to-date
• Ensure that government tax filings and remittances are submitted on a timely basis
• Ensure that payroll and other liabilities are settled in a timely manner
• Serve as a co-signer of cheques with at least one another signing officer
• Ensure that excess funds and reserves are properly held and invested
• Verify that donations are handled appropriately and that grants and service delivery contracts are accounted for in accordance with the requirements of funders
• Meet with the external auditor annually3, or more often if needed, to identify any financial control and record keeping problems or deficiencies and oversee action by the Executive Director and financial officer to address them
• Recommend to the board the need for a review or renewal of the auditing services provided
• Assists the Executive Director and board chair with the development and presentation of the annual report
• Present or co-present the organization’s financial report and recommend appointment or reappointment of auditor at the Annual General Meeting
• Helps, along with the Executive Director, keep the board informed of important financial events, trends, and issues relevant to the organization
Committee Membership The treasurer is automatically a member of the Executive Committee if one exists, and will normally chair the following committees when and where such are necessary:
• Audit Committee
• Budget Development Committee
• Financial Policy Development Task Group

Treasurer Qualities

Critical Thinking - You should have the ability to appraise your organization's financial standing, policies, and procedures in order to make recommendations regarding the financial decisions that will be made.
Aptitude for Organization - All good treasurers possess excellent organizational abilities. They work with accuracy and keep impeccable records.
Strategic Planning - The ability to synthesize cause and effect scenarios (with regard to potential financial decisions the organization will make) is necessary for a treasurer to accelerate their organization's growth and future success.
Creativity - When it comes to generating funds and cutting expenses, new ideas and creativity are key in an ever-changing and developing organization.
Clear Communication - In one sense of the position, treasurers act as financial ambassadors on behalf of the rest of the board. It is essential that an organization's treasurer be able to communicate complex financial concepts in easy-to-understand, jargon-free, layman's terms.
Basic Accounting Skills - If fortunate enough to do so, non-profit organizations would only select individuals with accounting skills on the level of a CFO or controller. Most often, however, nonprofit boards only expect their treasurers to have basic accounting skills and an aptitude to learn more.
Knowledge of Your Nonprofit Organization's Bylaws - A firm understanding of the organization's bylaws will ensure you maintain the finances to the standard of the organization's rules and those of your local, state and federal government.

Secretary

Secretary Duties

The role of a board secretary is critical for the smooth operations of the board. Most commonly, this individual ensures that board members are given appropriate notice of meetings and proactively records these meetings. However, their duties extend beyond this and vary from organization to organization.
Some of the day-to-day responsibilities of board secretaries are as follows:
Assures that an agenda has been prepared by the board president and/or CEO and that the agenda is distributed in advance of the meeting
Oversees the distribution of background information for agenda items to be discussed Prepares the official minutes of the meeting and records motions, discussions, votes, and decisions
Prepares and provides the previous meeting’s written minutes to board members before the next meeting and records any changes or corrections
Assures that documents (bylaws, Form-990, roster of board members) are accessible to members (Pro Tip: Boardable’s Document Center feature is a big help here!)
Schedules and notifies board members of upcoming meetings
Holds members accountable for their tasks
A board secretary has to be on top of every task, which also means that this individual needs a fluid set of skills. Some desirable qualities for this position include strong communication skills and the ability to organize and prioritize tasks. This extremely driven and detail-oriented individual should also be well-versed in administrative work.

Secretary Qualities

1. Organizational Skills The company secretary must be aware of your business goals and overall working procedures to ensure your business requirements are fulfilled. It is also the responsibility of the company secretary to make sure your business is complying with the company law in Singapore. By implementing suitable policies and frameworks at your company, the company secretary will be ensuring a smooth and efficient operation.
2. Comprehensive Understanding It is extremely important that the company secretary of your choice has comprehensive knowledge about various departments of your company. This way they will be able to properly plan and implement the necessary policies and procedures needed for the success of your company.
3. Ensure Compliance The company secretary should be an expert in planning because it is a crucial part of ensuring internal and external compliance and scheduling of various board meetings. A reliable company secretary is the one who will keep a close eye on every important affair of the business and carefully plan the business functions.
4. Multitasking Skills A company secretary has a lot of different responsibilities towards an organization. Along with preparing for meetings, he or she also has to ensure governance compliance and maintain smooth communication between the directors, management, and shareholders. The company secretary also bridges the gap between businesses and their outsourcing partners like accounting firms in Singapore.
5. Effective Communication Skills Since company secretaries have to deal with different people like company directors, shareholders, and outsourcing partners like a chartered accounting firm in Singapore, it’s important that your company secretary has effective communication and negotiation skills.
6. Judgment Skills Other than the experience and business skills, a company secretary should possess good judgment skills so that he can make good decisions during a crisis or situation of conflict. Moreover, he should be able to identify the right opportunity for the business and communicate effectively with the seniors of the company.
7. Planning Skills A good and reliable company secretary is the one that is able to efficiently plan in advance. This skill is essential because it is the responsibility of the company secretary to plan board and committee meetings and ensure both internal and external compliance with the rules and regulations. Moreover, they have to prepare the agenda of business meetings and distribute them to all the participants in a timely manner.
8. Legal Knowledge Possessing legal knowledge does not mean that a company secretary should be a full-fledged lawyer or legal scholar, but instead, he or she must understand the basic legal responsibilities and make sure the company is in compliance with all legal obligations.