An association secretary is not to be confused with the office secretarial work. An office secretary is someone who is employed to assist with correspondence, keep records, make appointments and carry out confidential or similar tasks. The word itself was derived from the Latin word “secretaries” which means “confidential officer”. When talking about a association secretary we are referring to the duties like a company secretary which in essence is making sure records are correct for the company.
Responsibilities of a secretary on an incorporated association in Queensland
In an incorporated association in Queensland, a secretary’s duties include, but are not limited to, the following:
- keeping the register of members
- sending and receiving letters, emails or other documents
- advising the president or treasurer about urgent matters that arise from letters or other documents
- taking nominations for the committee
- telling members about meetings by giving plenty of advance notices
- calling and convening meetings
- arranging the meeting venues
- preparing meeting agendas
- gathering and presenting relevant documents
- taking and keeping minutes of meetings
- making the minutes available to members and other related tasks
Secretaries can either do this manually using hard copy paper works or virtually via computer software designed to automate general and specialized tasks.
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