Taking a seat on the Board of Directors TTF Ltd

A community organisation depends on ordinary people to carry out most of its work. There are many opportunities to help in a wide range of roles, from organising events to helping with the washing up at coffee mornings. One very important role is that of the Management Committee, which is made up of volunteers. In a Limited Company, the Committee goes by the grand title of Board of Directors. As this title can be rather daunting, here is a quick explanation of the Directors duties. If required, Directors can be given the opportunity to participate in training to ensure they understand the full extent of their responsibilities. Board responsibilities The Directors role is to take decisions on policy and generally control and supervise the activities of the company. Some responsibilities are shared by the whole Board as Directors of a Limited Company and as Charity Trustees. They can be summarised as: Duty to act in good faith Duty to exercise proper care and skill The office bearers have additional responsibilities, including those detailed below Chair Runs meetings competently and democratically Safeguards rules of the organisation Speaks on behalf of the organisation Agrees agendas and draft minutes with secretary Prepares and delivers report to AGM Secretary Deals with correspondence (including keeping records and filing) Keeps membership and mailing lists Keeps and circulates minutes Prepares and circulates agendas & briefings Prepares for AGM (including coordinating preparation and distribution of Annual Reports & Accounts) The Company Secretary also advises on legal requirements & ensures compliance with relevant legislation and the Memorandum & Articles of Association Treasurer Ensures assets are safe Records, monitors & reports financial transactions Ensures expenditure is consistent with charitable aims Provides Board with accurate and understandable financial information The Company Treasurer also ensures Annual Accounts are prepared in compliance with relevant legislation Some of these roles can be divided between two or more people; for example there could be a Minute Secretary, a Correspondence Secretary, a Membership Secretary and a Company Secretary, each one concentrating on one aspect of the Secretarys role. Some of these duties can also be carried out by people that are not Directors or even members! The time commitments for a Director are limited to attending Board meetings (which will be held at whatever frequency the Board decides is appropriate) and reading minutes, reports and other briefings circulated before the meetings; all this doesnt usually take much longer than between four and six hours a month! So ... join the Board and make a difference!

Last modified on 22 September 2010