ACB of Maine
Responsibilities and Duties of Officers and Directors
This document provides the general responsibilities and duties of both Officers and Directors of the ACB of Maine, followed by additional specific duties for each position in this order: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Director.
*** Document Table of Contents ***
Section 1: ACB of Maine Officers and Directors
Section 2: ACB of Maine President
Section 3: ACB of Maine Vice President
Section 4: ACB of Maine Secretary
Section 5: ACB of Maine Treasurer
Section 6: ACB of Maine Directors
*** Section 1: ACB of Maine Officers and Directors
General Responsibilities and criteria for All ACB OF MAINE Officers and Directors
Be a member in good standing of ACB;
Be willing and able to participate in regularly scheduled meetings and e-mail discussions;
Always act in a dignified manner and interact respectfully with fellow Directors and Officers;
Work as a team member to maintain and protect ACB and its mission;
Respect the authority of the ACB Constitution and work within its guidance and the requirements of the ACB Articles of Incorporation;
Be a collaborative participant in the democratic process respecting the outcome of votes of the board and of the membership;
Follow through and complete commitment-related tasks in a timely fashion;
Possess sufficient computer skills to participate in e-mail correspondence;
Be flexible for scheduling meeting times.
(the ACB of Maine Board meets by phone conference monthly for one or more hours, with committee meetings or other special meetings scheduled separately.)
Shall not be absent from three consecutive board meetings in any year.
*** Section 2: ACB of Maine President
Specific Additional Responsibilities and criteria for ACB OF MAINE President Position
The ACB OF MAINE President must be willing and able to accept the legal, fiduciary and ethical responsibilities of an organizational president, in accordance with standard non profit practices and procedures.
The President must be legally blind.
The President presides over meetings of the ACB OF MAINE Board and of the ACB OF MAINE membership at large. If unable to preside at a particular meeting, the President will inform the Vice President, in advance, and will appoint a Vice President to preside in his or her place.
The President’s role as an ex-officio member of ACB OF MAINE committees is to:
Negotiate reporting schedules;
Identify problems and assist the committee chairperson to resolve them;
To bring such matters, if necessary, to the attention of the Board of Directors.
The President presides over meetings of the Board of Directors.
In this capacity, the President:
Chairs meetings according to accepted rules of order;
Encourages all members to participate in discussion;
Facilitates the board’s work of arriving at decisions in an orderly, timely and democratic manner;
Votes as prescribed in the ACB OF MAINE Constitution.
The President is responsible for ensuring, on behalf of the membership, that the Board of Directors and officers of ACB OF MAINE:
Are aware of and fulfill their governance responsibilities;
Comply with applicable laws and bylaws;
Conduct board business effectively and efficiently in accordance with standard non profit policies and procedures;
Are accountable for their performance.
The President is accountable to the Board of Directors and ACB OF MAINE Members as specified in the ACB OF MAINE Constitution.
The President may delegate specific duties to Board members, committees, and the webmaster, as appropriate; however, the accountability remains with the President. For this reason, the president may take appropriate action to safeguard the interests of ACB OF MAINE.
The President’s involvement in the proceedings of the Nominating Committee is specifically limited by the ACB OF MAINE Constitution, and the President’s accountability, in the specific case of the recommendations or actions of the nominating committee, is accordingly limited.
The ACB OF MAINE President is the primary liaison between the Board and all ACB OF MAINE staff. In this capacity, the President:
Meets periodically with these individuals, at least quarterly;
Ensures that annual performance reviews of these staff members are conducted;
Participates in the hiring and evaluation of all staff members (presently: the webmaster).
The President ensures that ACB OF MAINE maintains positive and productive relationships with organizations related to the mission of ACB OF MAINE, media and donors.
In this capacity, the President serves as primary spokesperson for ACB OF MAINE, and duties include:
Representing ACB OF MAINE to the media;
Representing ACB OF MAINE on governmental or nongovernmental organizations and committees;
Timely and appropriate reporting of Board decisions and actions to members and donors.
The President may be designated by the Board of Directors or by the ACB OF MAINE constitution as one of the signing officers for certain documents.
In this capacity,
the President may be authorized or required to sign or countersign checks, correspondence, applications, reports, contracts or other documents on behalf of ACB OF MAINE.
*** Section 3: ACB of Maine Vice President
Additional Specific Responsibilities and criteria for ACB OF MAINE Vice President position
The Vice President must be willing and able to accept the legal, fiduciary and ethical responsibilities of an organizational vice president, and of President, in accordance with standard non-profit practices and procedures.
The Vice President shall be willing and qualified to take over as President if necessary, in accordance with the ACB OF MAINE Constitution.
(Please refer to “Responsibilities And Criteria For ACB OF MAINE President Position” for specific details.)
The Vice President must be legally blind.
The Vice President is expected to attend all board meetings, and to preside over any board meeting for the president, if necessary.
The Vice President shall inform the President, in advance, if unable to attend a particular board meeting.
*** Section 4: ACB of Maine Secretary
Additional Specific Responsibilities and criteria for ACB OF MAINE Secretary Position
The ACB OF MAINE Secretary must be willing and able to accept the legal, fiduciary and ethical responsibilities of an organizational secretary, in accordance with standard non-profit practices and procedures.
The Secretary shall:
Record meeting minutes(in document-form) for business meetings of the ACB OF MAINE Board of Directors,
Arrange for the audio-recording of meetings, if needed;
Have reliable and quick note taking skills;
Have the ability to render accurate meeting minutes;
Summarize, or write in detail, as appropriate, in the production of meeting minutes;
Submit minutes drafts in a timely manner for board members’ review prior to the subsequent board meeting;
Provide minutes for approval at each successive board meeting or as appropriate;
Send approved minutes and related attachments to the Web Master for posting on the ACB OF MAINE Web Site;
Assist in researching and providing previous minutes in response to any reasonable request.
The Secretary is expected to attend all board meetings.
If unable to attend a particular board meeting, the Secretary will inform the President, in advance, and will arrange for appropriate meeting notes to be taken for the Secretary’s use.
*** Section 5: ACB of Maine Treasurer
Additional Specific Responsibilities and criteria for ACB OF MAINE Treasurer Position
The ACB OF MAINE Treasurer must be willing and able to accept the legal, fiduciary and ethical responsibilities of an organizational treasurer, in accordance with standard non-profit practices and procedures.
The Treasurer shall:
Adhere to financial policies set by the Board and the finance committee;
Oversee all financial transactions while ensuring all fiduciary responsibilities are met and inure to the benefit of ACB OF MAINE;
Maintain all bank accounts in a fiscally prudent manner in keeping with standard accounting practices;
Provide a Treasurer’s report to the board of directors, in a timely manner, before all regularly-scheduled board meetings and make these reports public to the membership;
Monitor the budget as needed, at least on a monthly basis;
Assist in the preparation of all budgets including ACB OF MAINE’s annual budget;
Prepare, in a timely manner, any required financial reporting forms to be submitted to the general membership, accountants, auditors or any such other entity as required for standard accounting procedures and policies;
Serve as a member of the finance committee.
The ACB OF MAINE Treasurer’s signature should appear on all checks of the organization with the second signature from any of the board’s other directors or staff with signing authority for amounts exceeding $1500.
The Treasurer is expected to attend all board meetings.
If unable to attend a particular board meeting, the Treasurer will inform the President, in advance, and will submit a Treasurer’s Report to be shared at that meeting.
*** Section 6: ACB of Maine Directors
Additional Specific Responsibilities and criteria for ACB of Maine Board of Director position
Each member of the ACB of Maine Board of Directors must be willing and able to accept the legal, fiduciary and ethical responsibilities of an organizational director, in accordance with standard non profit practices and procedures.
Board members are expected to attend all board meetings.
Members of the ACB Board of Directors shall inform the President, in advance, if unable to attend a particular board meeting.
A majority of ACB Board members will be legally blind.
***
ACB of Maine continues to encourage all those interested in joining our organization, and helping us reach out and make a difference in the blind community of Maine .
Your interest is the only qualifier, so we welcome you to take advantage of this opportunity and make that most important first step today.
Always remember that ACB of Maine starts with you!
ACB of Maine 