last updated:
08/23/2007
--Please note: This information is currently being updated. A revised document will be posted soon.--
International
Association for Relationship Research
Administrative Handbook
I PURPOSE OF THE IARR HANDBOOK:
The Handbook is designed to keep a record of:
(a) guidelines, operating procedures, advice, sample materials, and other things that will help the organization work efficiently. Thus, new officers and committee chairs would not have to "reinvent the wheel" -- but rather would have a record of how activities were conducted in the past. For instance, the Handbook includes information about our election procedures, sample ballots, and so on.
(b) policies made by the Board that elaborate practical aspects of the by-laws. The Handbook will provide a way to keep track of decisions made by the Board of Directors, officers and committees. An example would concern dues: The by-laws empower the Board to set dues and the Handbook would record current dues policies.
UPDATING OF THE HANDBOOK:
In general, every committee chair and officer should provide updated materials for the Handbook. Once the first Handbook is compiled, it will be necessary to update it on a regular basis. Each section should be linked to a person -- for instance, the Newsletter Editor is responsible for the section on the newsletter, the Election Supervisor for the section on Elections, the Secretary-Treasurer for the section on Dues and so on. Ideally, each officer and committee chair should be provided with a copy of the handbook at the beginning of their term, they would update their section regularly (perhaps every 2 years). We recommend timing the updating process so that it does not coincide with our conferences. For some officers and committee chairs (e.g., local arrangements) the time of the conference is hectic, and working on a handbook section concurrently would be a burden.
FORMAT AND DISTRIBUTION:
Ideally, the Handbook would exist in both a hard copy and an electronic version made available through our web site. All members of the Board of Directors and Officers should receive a copy of the Handbook. Committee chairs and editors should receive the appropriate chapters.
II OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Secretary/Treasurer (including Membership)
Student/New Professional Representative
Overview
of the President's Duties
IARR's President, who works in conjunction with IARR's Board of
Directors, is the Association's chief executive officer.
The major specific duties of IARR's President are articulated in
Article 4.6 of the IARR Bylaws:
4.6
DUTIES OF PRESIDENT
The President
shall be the chief executive officer of the Association and shall, subject
to the control of the Board of Directors, supervise and control the affairs
of the Association and the activities of the officers. He or she shall
perform all duties incident to her or his office and such other duties
as may be required by law, by the Articles of Incorporation of this Association,
or by these Bylaws, or which may be prescribed from time to time by the
Board of Directors. The President shall preside at all meetings of the
Board of Directors. The President shall also preside at all meetings of
the members. Except as otherwise expressly provided by law, by the Articles
of Incorporation , or by these Bylaws, he or she shall, in the name of
the Association, negotiate and execute such deeds, mortgages, bonds, contracts,
checks, or other instruments which may from time to time be authorized
by the Board of Directors. The President shall be empowered to authorize
expenditures in amounts up to the monetary limits set by the Board. The
President may fill any vacancies that may occur among the Chairs of the
various committees authorized herein, or as may hereafter be adopted by
the Board.
Discussions of organizations say that leadership involves such
tasks as:
Initiating and directing action, moving the group toward its goals,
Planning,
Making decisions,
Handling administrative matters,
Supervising
personnel, and
Motivating
people.
Serving
as President of IARR undoubtedly involves all these types of activities.
Goals
and Priorities
IARR
consists of scholars concerned with the study of personal relationships.
IARR's members share a common core of values and are constantly
expanding our understanding of relationships.
IARR is a forum in which those scholars can interact and which
advances the collective needs of the field.
The leadership of IARR gives voice to the values of this constituency
and reflects and/or helps, organizationally, the field move forward (in
part by itself moving ahead as an organization).
Thus, each incoming President is likely to have organizational
and/or intellectual goals s/he wishes to pursue while in office.
For example, a consideration of short and long-term organizational
priorities may be part of the discussion between the incoming President
and prospective nominees to chair key committees.
In addition to the goals
the President may have personally formulate, officers and other members
will also make suggestions and needs may become apparent as events unfold.
Those objectives can be pursued via bringing motions to the Board,
setting up task forces, suggesting activities to Chairs of standing committees,
etc.
Administrative
Responsibilities
Coordination and communication.
As implied in the Bylaws, the President is the person most responsible
for the general supervision and coordination of the endeavors of the Association.
The President sets the agenda of meetings, gives guidance to Committee
chairs, coordinates among various officers and members of the Association,
helps other officers accomplish their objectives, etc.
Overall, the President is a communication hub at the center of
the Association's activities.
Initiating activities
and setting completion dates.
Given the annual term of the President and her/his board, there
is a certain cycle or rhythm to many of the Association's activities.
For the pieces to fall into place smoothly, tasks need to be started
at a certain point in that cycle and completed by a particular date.
Many IARR officers share in the responsibility for insuring that
activities in their domain are done in a timely manner.
For instance, the newsletter editor will do two issues per year;
the Secretary-Treasurer will send membership renewal notices and publish
a membership directory, and the election supervisor will send out ballots.
The President should have a general sense of when such events normally
happen, and communicate this with the appropriate persons.
[Insert master calendar
about here???]
Turning to the more specific
tasks the President performs, the Bylaw (above) speaks of the President's
responsibilities to: preside at meetings, execute legal documents, oversee
the annual budget, and fill vacancies among the Chairs of the various
committees. Much of the business
of the Board can be conducted electronically and the board can essentially
“meet” whenever necessary. In
addition, the President customarily writes a column for each issue of
the IARR newsletter.
Annual report.
The President will complete an annual report, circulate this to
the Board for comment, and post the report on the Association’s web site. The Annual Report may also be published in the newsletter.
The Annual Report should include a summary of the year’s activities,
highlighting the accomplishments of the President, the Board and Committees,
as well as including suggestions for tasks to be completing in the following
year. The Annual Report
serves as a record of the Association’s accomplishments and likely future
goals.
Committee reports.
The President will prompt various officers and Committee Chairs
to submit reports annually. It
is good to indicate this responsibility at the time Committee Chairs are
selected and then to prompt them about this responsibility again approximately
2 months prior to the end of the year.
All reports should include:
§ a
summary of the year’s activities;
§ suggestions
for the next year’s activities; and
§ any
budget requests.
All Committee reports
should be circulated to IARR's officers electronically in advance of their
subsequent discussion.
The President may also
want to obtain interim reports.
This is a valuable way of seeing what is being accomplished and
helping to keep activities on track.
Handling
problems. Complaints, concerns, and problems are likely to wind up on
the President's desk. When
problems arise in IARR, other officers are likely to consult with the
President about them and s/he may have to initiate appropriate remedial
actions. The President may
become involved in such activities as protesting poor service or questionable
charges from vendors or exhorting publishers to display their books at
our conferences. The President
may need to speak for underrepresented interests in the Association to
help the Association best meet the needs of a wide range of personal relationship
scholars. Although it is
rare, from time to time, officers will, for various reasons, be unable
to fulfill their responsibilities or perform them poorly.
In the most extreme of these cases, Article 4.4 of the Bylaws states:
"Any officer may be removed, either with or without cause, by the
Board of Directors, at any time…."
Authorizing expenditures.
IARR's Secretary-Treasurer handles the Association's finances and
issues all checks. Major
expenses have to be approved by the Board but on more minor requests,
the President, in conjunction with advice from the Treasurer, is the person
to render a decision.
As the organization matures,
having a budget forecasting system in place appears advantageous.
Fiscal responsibility is generally considered one of the key aspects
of being an officer of a non-profit organization.
Motivating others
and expressing gratitude. Because
IARR relies heavily on volunteers, an important component of the President's
role is motivational. The
President must foster an organizational environment in which people are
prepared to commit their energies and time to IARR.
"Thank yous" for jobs well done are appreciated.
Organizational continuity.
Given that IARR doesn't have any permanent staff, it is of greater
importance that the President be part of the Association's organizational
memory and work to convey information to the next generations of officers. This is partially done through the Administrative Handbook.
Toward the end of each President's term, the President should review
the statement on the President's role in the Handbook to update
it as appropriate.
The President also contributes
to the continuity of IARR's activities by helping the Vice-President prepare
for his or her term. IARR
has developed a worthwhile tradition of the President routinely sending
copies of most correspondence to the Vice-President.
The President will need to send copies of important documents (especially
copies of contracts and similar items) to his/her successor.
IARR logo.
To foster the Association's recognition and identity, it is helpful
for IARR documents and publicity to contain the IARR logo.
A computer file containing this item should be kept and distributed
by the President. Word
processing programs allow users to resize and incorporate this file into
documents or to print it separately.
Those most likely to need it include the President, the editor
of the IARR Newsletter, the Secretary-Treasurer, the Conference chairpersons,
the Chair of the Awards Committee, the Chair of the Membership Committee,
and the coordinator of IARR Administrative Handbook.
It can be sent to anyone who distributes IARR materials.
This should be done when new officers assume their responsibilities.
Copies of our logo are also available from our Blackwell representative,
where the logo was developed.
Newsletter columns.
The President traditionally writes a column for each edition of
the IARR newsletter. These
have usually taken about 1 page of newsletter space; 500-700 words are
a reasonable target length. In
these columns, the President may identify goals and new developments,
highlight recent achievements, alerted members to (or reminded them of)
upcoming events (e.g., IARR sponsored books, upcoming IARR Conferences),
publicly thanked various IARR officers and members for their contributions,
and the like.
Organizing Board
Meetings
One
of the substantial administrative tasks for the President is organizing
meetings of the board. In
our first year, the board met in person at our first conference in Halifax
(July, 2002) and we frequently met virtually via email throughout the
year to conduct the Association’s business.
Virtual meetings include two domains of business: (1) those items
on which the President must or wishes to formally obtain the approval
of the Board, and (2) other items on which the President would like to
inform and/or assess the sentiment of IARR's broader leadership. For instance, in signing contracts (e.g. with publishers or
conference service providers), appointing editors, and obtaining authorization
for large expenditures, the President will need or want the formal approval
of the Board. On other items,
the President may wish to consult and get feedback, but will not need
formal approval. Email has certainly increased our efficiency, but it
also introduces a challenge in archiving policy decisions so they are
available to future boards. It
is recommended that the president oversee the recording of important decisions
and policies in the appropriate chapter in this Administrative Handbook.
During
those years in which the Board meets at conferences, the President will
set the agenda and, with help from the Conference's Local Arrangements
Chair, makes arrangements for meeting rooms and food for the meetings.
IARR usually bears the costs of meals and coffee breaks at the
Board's meetings, with the charges being budgeted as an expense of running
the Association (rather than a conference cost).
Arrangements for the Board to have its own private room are usually
possible.
Copying of reports
and other materials. The
President will take primary responsibility for distributing annual reports
from committees and editors to Board members.
Scheduling
of the Board meetings at conferences.
Board meetings may be synchronized with the opening of the IARR
Conferences. IARR conferences
have commonly started with registration in the early afternoon followed
by the first official function beginning in the late afternoon (around
5:00 PM). Board meetings
may involve the following:
(a)
meeting from early morning until approximately an hour before the
opening reception on the first day of the Conference, and
(b)
meetings as needed during the Conference.
Who attends Board
meetings. All elected
officers (e.g., President, Past-President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer,
and the Board Members) are expected to attend.
Besides these officers, Committee chairs and others submitting
reports are normally invited to be present at the time their report is
considered.
Rules of order.
The President is the Association's presiding officer. The President can conduct virtually all aspects of IARR business
in an informal manner. Mostly
what the President will need is good sense and fairness. Should more formal practices occasionally be needed, Keesey's
Modern Parliamentary Procedure (available from the American Psychological
Association) is recommended as a parliamentary guide. It uses simplified procedures that are relatively direct and
easy to grasp. If there is
an IARR member besides the President who is a skilled Parliamentarian,
the President might ask him or her to serve in that capacity at Board
and business meetings.
Minutes.
The Secretary is responsible for taking minutes at the Board and
Association's meetings. The
tradition has been to take general minutes.
This involves recording the wording of any motions and the results
of any votes. The Secretary
should briefly highlight important discussions but a detailed recapitulation
of points is not expected. The
Secretary should send the minutes of Board meetings to the President and
other Board members for their information and review.
Following any changes or corrections, the Secretary will then put
these minutes in the Association's archives.
Similarly, the Secretary should send the minutes of business meetings
to the President, make any corrections as needed, archive these minutes
and prepare an abbreviated version of the minutes for publication in the
IARR Newsletter. The full
version of the minutes of business meetings should be made available to
any member on request. See
the Secretary-Treasurer's section for more detail on the handling of minutes.
Conclusion
In
sum, the President offers leadership to the Association.
Although there will be lulls in the activities, this is a substantial
job, with a fairly steady flow of communication and tasks intermittently
requiring 3-4 hours per week or even whole day blocks of time.
There are occasionally challenges.
Nonetheless, being selected as IARR's President is a statement
of the members' respect and trust and an opportunity for advancing the
field.
Overview
of the Vice-President's Duties
Upon taking office as IARR's Vice-President (President-elect),
this person becomes a member of the IARR Board of Directors.
As a member of the Board, the Vice-President has the same general
responsibilities as other Board members (see the Administrative Handbook
statement on the role of Board members).
The major specific duties of IARR's Vice-President are articulated
in the IARR Bylaw:
4.7
DUTIES OF VICE PRESIDENT
In
the absence of the President, or in the event of her or his inability
or refusal to act, the Vice-President shall perform all the duties of
the President, and when so acting shall have all the powers of, and be
subject to all the restrictions on, the President. The Vice-President
shall have other powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed
by law, by the Articles of Incorporation , or by these Bylaws, or as may
be prescribed by the Board of Directors.
Three key duties of the IARR's Vice-President are (1) to perform
all the duties of the President in the event of his/her absence or inability
or refusal to act, and (2) to nominate Committee Chairs.
The Handbook's section on the President's role covers what
the Vice-President is likely to have to do in the event that s/he is prematurely
required to perform all the duties of the President.
Therefore, the focus in describing the Vice-President's role will
be on the task of nominating Committee chairs.
At a less formal level, the President and VP often work closely
and consult. The President often shares correspondence with the VP to
help the VP learn about the President's job and to participate in the
organization. This practice
facilities the incoming President's handling tasks that span two Presidential
terms.
A way the VP contributes to the continuity of the Association is
that toward the end of his/her term, the Vice-President should review
the statement on the Vice-President's role in the IARR Administrative
Handbook to update it as appropriate.
The Vice-President's
Role in the Nomination of Committee Chairs
It is IARR practice for the Vice-President to put forth for the
Board of Directors' approval nominees for the following standing positions:
Chair, Awards Committee
Chair, Future Conferences
Committee
Chair, Membership
Committee
Chair, Conference
Local Arrangements
Chair, Mentoring Committee
The Vice-President would also nominate chairs for Ad hoc Committees
such as the Administrative Handbook Committee, the Web Site Committee,
a Long-term Financial Planning Committee, and perhaps a History of IARR
Committee. (Chairs of the
Publications Committee, and the Conference Program Committee are elected
by the membership. The
Past-president chairs the Elections Committee.)
It is normal, but not absolutely necessary, for Committee chairs
to change annually or biennially.
The main exception to this pattern has occurred when the incumbent
Committee chairs have served only a partial term and then might be asked
to serve a full term. Another
possible situation for having a person stay in a position longer would
be if s/he was uniquely qualified for a task requiring special skills
(e.g., web coordinator) and interested in continuing.
Some advantages of changing committee chairs (and the occupants
of other leadership positions) are to permit an openness within the Association
and to foster continual evolution of the Association's activities.
Furthermore, serving a formal role within the Association probably
enhances members' identification with and commitment to IARR.
Beyond the question of changing the occupants of specific positions,
there is the question of change among the pool of individuals playing
leadership roles in the organization.
There is certainly no absolute requirement that incoming Committee
chairs have previously served on their committees or that elected officers
have volunteered for non-elected roles.
Nonetheless, experience of this sort may help the ongoing smooth
functioning of the Association and prepares individuals for their tasks.
Counterbalanced against this, all organizations must realize that
times change and every year many established members withdraw while many
new members join. So, it
is important to capture the vitality of younger, new cohorts.
One might ask what criteria the Vice-President should consider
in seeking nominees for Committee Chair positions.
Such qualities as the skills and perhaps the resources they might
have to perform the role, the esteem they command from other members and
their interest in participating all seem relevant.
Given IARR's commitment to geographical and disciplinary diversity,
it is also important to consider how individual Committee chairs and/or
elected officers will fit into the overall IARR leadership picture.
Overview of the Past President’s
Duties
At the end of
a term as President of IARR, this person begins a 1-year term as Past
President. The Past President is a voting member of the IARR Board and
consequently receives all materials sent to the Board and has the duties
and powers of a Board member as assigned in the Bylaws.
The
Past President and other former Presidents are available for consultation
with the President and with others in IARR as deemed useful.
At the most basic level, this can mean recalling how things have
been done in the past. At
other times, the Past President may be able to provide advice or offer
suggestions about sensitive, important issues facing the Association.
As a courtesy, the President may send copies of correspondence
or other documents to the Past President in order to share information
about progress on activities initiated during the Past President's term.
The Past Presidents are typically invited by the conference Program
Committee to give an invited talk at the conference following his/her
presidency. This might be
called the "Past President's Address" or given a similar title.
The Past-President's
Role as Chair of the Elections Committee
The Past President also serves as the Chair of the Elections Committee. The first task of the Elections Chair is to form a committee. The committee should represent diverse disciplines and geographic regions. Typically, the committee consists of 4 or 5 members, plus the chair. For purposes of continuity, it is suggested that the past elections chair serve as a member of the current elections committee. The role of the committee is to discuss procedures pertaining to election issues and to conduct the annual election of officers to the board. Procedural matters, such as proposed changes to bylaws, are recommended to the Board of Directors. The election of officers to the board entails the following:
1. Determine how many vacancies on the Board must be filled that year.
2. Solicit the service of an online elections company. Various companies have been used for this purpose (e.g., campusvotes.com). The most recent company, which provided excellent service and the most reasonable prices, was webstracts.com.
3. Distribute a Call for Nominations. Note, this announcement is sent to the Secretary Treasurer who then distributes it to all IARR members. A sample call for nominations appears below:
Sample Call for Nominations
The IARR Elections Committee is soliciting nominations for the following positions on the Board of Directors:
(1) Vice-President (3-year term; serves as Vice-President the year elected, as President the following year, and as Past President the year after that). In the interests of clarity, this is usually spelled out in the call for nominations. For example, in the 2007 election, the call stated that the candidate would serve as Vice-President in 2007-2008, as President in 2008-2009, and as Past President in 2009-2010.
(2) Member-at-Large (2-year term)
(3) New Professional Representative (2-year term)
The duties of each position are detailed in the IARR By-Laws,
which can be viewed on the website (www.iarr.org).
Nominees should currently be a member of IARR, and should consent to being
nominated. Nomination should include a copy of the nominee’s curriculum
vitae. Self-nominations are encouraged. Nominations must be received no
later than April 5, 200X.
Send nomination materials to the Chair of the Elections Committee, _____________.
3. Send a reminder call, 3-4 weeks after the initial call for nominations.
4. Committee reviews nominations. In the past, the number of responses to the call for nominations has not been sufficient to fill the slate. The committee then generates additional candidates with the goal of producing a slate characterized by disciplinary and geographic diversity. The committee then rank orders the nominees and the chair proceeds to contact them, beginning with the first-ranked nominee. Given the high rate of refusal (many candidates who are approached, decline due to other commitments), it is recommended that the committee select a set of 6-8 possible candidates for each position. (This includes those who have already been nominated by self or other IARR members in response to the call for nominations). There is no set number of candidates that must appear on the ballot, but generally a minimum of two candidates runs for each position, up to a maximum of four.
Candidates who have agreed to run for office are asked to submit a brief statement to be posted at the time the ballots are cast. A description of what is required in this statement appears below:
Sample Statement Description
Please submit a brief statement (no more than 150 words) to be posted with the ballot. The statement should include:
a) your name, position, department, university/place of employment
b) brief statement of your research interests
c) any past contributions to the association
d) what you feel you can contribute to the association and/or what your goals are during your term in office.
5. Conduct the election. Generally, the election is held in early June and members are given at least 3 weeks to cast their ballots (keeping in mind that the term for new officers begins on July 1.) Ensure that the online election company sends reminder e-mails to those who have not voted and/or have not cast ballots for each of the eligible positions. When e-mails bounce back, the chair of the committee follows up (usually by telephone) to obtain members’ most recent e-mail addresses. These are passed on to the Secretary Treasurer so that the database can be updated. Sometimes e-mails bounce back because the election notice ends up in spam or junk mail folders. In this case, the chair follows up to ensure that the affected members actually receive the ballot in regular e-mail account.
6. Announce the outcome of the election. The practice of the elections committee has been to announce the name of the candidate who received the highest number of votes for each position. The number of votes received by each candidate is typically not made public.
Overview of the Secretary/Treasurer’s
Duties
1.
Maintain all financial records, membership records, and Board minutes
of the organization. Distribute
minutes after each Board meeting.
2.
Prepare and distribute to the board annual financial reports.
3.
Prepare a annual budget and conduct financial planning..
4.
Keep budget information including the track of bills, bank statements,
money in an out and processing credit card accounts, following up on checks
that bounce and credit card numbers that don’t work, etc.
5.
Maintain a bank account and credit card account for processing
credit cards for the organization.
Pay all bills
6.
Maintain database of complete membership information for the directory
and membership numbers.
7.
Create and have mailed a directory each year.
8.
Send labels for the Newsletter and PR as needed.
9.
Follow up inquiries to join the organization….on average process
over 100 yearly, each processing takes the reading the inquiry on e-mail,
or talking to a person or reading a note, then sending a form, then processing
their application for bank and label and membership files, then they are
maintained as they renew.
10.
Renew members each year using a membership form that is improved,
produced and mailed by the Secretary each year.
11.
Be responsive to President’s and other Board member’s needs.
12. Conduct
mailings for membership recruitment when necessary.
13. Conduct
mailings for all conference information when necessary.
14. Conduct
election preparations and mailings when necessary.
15. Conduct
promotional mailings and label preparations when necessary.
Membership
Each
membership period is a full calendar year.
Dues statements are mailed each Fall for the following membership
year. There are two categories of members: Members in Good Standing,
who are paid in full through the current membership period, or beyond.
They get all of the benefits of membership (the Journal, the Newsletter,
the Directory, Voting rights). Members not in Good Standing, who
are kept on the rolls for two membership periods, but are not paid up
for the current one. They receive the Newsletter, the Directory and other
mailings, but are not allowed to vote. Members who pay in mid-year (before
September) receive back issues of the journal.
Renewing
members, new members and persons wanting membership information are processed
by the Secretary/Treasurer. The data is now kept in an Access database
for the production of labels, the directory and lists. The fields for
each member include name, address, phone number, e‑mail address,
fax number, discipline, research interests, year paid through, and other
membership status information
When
Someone Wants Information About the Association
1.
They receive a letter thanking them for their interest
2.
They receive a membership form
3.
They receive a recent copy of the Newsletter
4.
If they follow through and join, then their information is added to the
database.
When
a Member Renews
1.
Their information is updated in the database
2.
They receive any other publications they have missed depending on the
timing of the renewal
3.
Their check is endorsed and deposited, or their credit card information
is processed.
4.
The hard copy of their membership information is filed.
When
a Person Joins for the First Time
1.
Their information is added to the database
2.
They receive publications they have missed for that year depending on
the timing of the receipt of their membership application.
3.
Their check is endorsed and deposited, or their credit card information
is processed.
4.
The hard copy of their membership information is filed
Couple
Members
1.
Couple members only receive one set of the journals. They both receive
the newsletter, the Directory and other IARR mailings.
2.
Each time labels are printed for the journals, the label for one member
of the couple must be removed by hand.
Files
The
Secretary/Treasurer keeps files of the activities of the organization
and then passes those files onto the next Secretary/Treasurer at the end
of the term.
Membership
Directory
A
directory is created and mailed each Fall. See a copy of the directory
for the type of information which is typically included.
Voting
Only
Members in Good Standing can vote in elections or at meetings. Both members
of a couple can vote.
Banking
and Finances
Each
year the Secretary/Treasurer will prepare a financial report to the Board.
The
Secretary/Treasurer sets up an IARR bank account and credit card account
with the S-T as the signatory at the beginning of his or her term. Only
U.S. dollar checks will be accepted or Master Card or Visa credit cards.
Financial
Planning and Administrative Support
Solicit
a plan from each committee chair for the establishment of a budget.
The Secretary/Treasurer
needs an assistant to help with processing of membership information.
The entire Secretary/Treasurer job takes approximately 800 hours a year
or 16 hours a week. For example:
It takes about 1 hour of time to fully process a member from the time the person makes an inquiry to the time he or she returns the form, has name entered into the label list, has all information entered into the membership file, has check processed or credit card information entered, has the information monitored through bank accounts and changes that may occur in address or status (between 100).
It takes 1 hour to
fully process and monitor each renewing member from mailing out the renewal,
to the rest after it is returned to responding to any questions (about
400 per year).
It
takes another 20 hours a month to respond to label requests, pay bills
and do creation of new systems, forms, mailings, and other requests that
come up = 240 hours a year
In addition it takes
about 100 hours to for prepare for and attend the conference every other
year, and another 10 hours to prepare reports (this is a conservative
estimate).
Responsibilities
of the Board
The major duties of IARR Board members-at-large are articulated
in Article 3 of the IARR Bylaw:
3.4
POWERS
Subject
to the provisions of the California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation
law and any limitations in the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws relating
to action required or permitted to be taken or approved by the members,
if any, of this corporation, the activities and affairs of this corporation
shall be conducted and all corporate powers shall be exercised by or under
the direction of the Board of Directors.
3.5
DUTIES
It
shall be the duty of the directors to:
(a) Perform any
and all duties imposed on them collectively or individually by law, by
the Articles of Incorporation of this corporation, or by these Bylaws;
(b) Except
as otherwise provided in these Bylaws, prescribe the duties and fix the
compensation, if any, of all officers, agents and employees of the corporation;
(c) Appoint,
employ, remove and discharge, as applicable, all employees and agents
of the corporation;
(d) Supervise all
officers, agents and employees of the corporation to assure that their
duties are performed properly;
(e) Appoint Committee
Chairs and editors;
(f) Establish
membership criteria and continuing eligibility;
(g) Establish dues
for membership;
(h) Authorize conferences;
(i) Meet
at such times and places as required by these Bylaws;
(j) Register
their addresses (both regular mail and e-mail) with the Secretary of the
corporation and notices of meetings mailed, faxed or electronically sent
to them at such addresses shall be valid notices thereof.
Although
IARR's President is the chief executive officer of the Association and
shall supervise and control the affairs of the Association and the activities
of the officers, his or her decisions and actions are subject to the control
of the Board of Directors. Thus,
the Board is the ultimate authority of the Association.
Given their oversight role in the IARR budget, Board members are
expected, and probably legally bound, to exercise "fiduciary responsibility"
(i.e., prudent use of the organization's funds).
At
a less formal level, Board members are generally expected to work in the
best interests of the Association.
For instance, they are encouraged to help recruit members, promote
the Association's conference and publication activities, nominate members
for governance positions, and work in other ways that may be available
to them to foster the goals of the organization.
Board members are encouraged to bring issues to the attention of
the President and/or Board and may, if they wish, propose agenda items
for board meetings.
The
Members of the Board-at-Large are each elected for two-year terms.
The
primary responsibilities of the Board Members-at-Large are to attend,
as voting members, Board meetings, and to participate as voting members in virtual
meetings during their official two-year term.
Board Members-at-Large may be asked to chair committees.
Student/New
Professional Representative for IARR
Overview of the Student/New Professional
The New Professional Board member generally has the same duties and powers as Members at Large and serves a two-year term.
The
IARR New Professional Representative serves as a liaison between the Board
of Directors and the Student/New Professional (S/NP) membership. The Representative
is expected to express S/NP members needs and goals to the Board. As such,
the Representative should utilize existing venues for communication with
members. The IARR New Professional
Representative should also participate in the planning of future conferences
to promote professional development activities, which encourage interaction
between S/NP members and more established professionals in the field.
Winter-Spring, even-numbered years:
§
Work with conference planning team to organize IARR conference
activities.
§
Special Symposia sessions on professional skills (e.g. publishing
relationship research).
§ Allocate a graduate student lounge for informal gatherings during the conference.
Summer, even-numbered years:
§
Attend the IARR conference & the board meetings which take
place a few days before the conference and during the conference.
§
Possibly build a section for NP resources on the IARR Web Page
(e.g.; references for writing resumes, finding jobs, reviewing journal
articles, etc.).
Fall/Spring:
§
Write a NP Column for the Newsletter(you may invite other NPs to
contribute in addition). Previous topics have included: how to
review journal articles, seeking an academic position, etc.