Secretary to board of trustees

The Secretary is part of a small friendly team keeping the Hertfordshire Gardens Trust running smoothly and is primarily responsible for supporting the Chair of Trustees in making arrangements for committee meetings, which may be held in person or via electronic means.  Working closely with the Chair to prepare the agenda and collect supporting papers, the Secretary should circulate them in good time to all the attendees. The Secretary will attend committee meetings and the AGM, between 6 and 8 times a year, to check quorum is reached, to take the minutes and to ensure the Chair signs the minutes once they have been approved. Following the meetings, the draft minutes will be circulated to all committee members and make any changes as required An up-to-date record of committee membership must be kept and all documents kept in good order.

Annually, the Secretary will assist the Chairman in the calling of the Annual Geneal Meeting and the prior distribution of all documents to Members entitled to attend and vote, ensuring compliance with statutory notice. The Secretary will ensure the Charity complies with the requirements of the Charity Commission in terms of registration, reporting changes to governing documents and /or details of trustees etc.  It is expected that the work will take approximately 2-3 hours per week, but this may vary dependent on workload at the time. 

We would like to receive applications from people with good communication and organisational skills and an eye for detail. Good inter-personal skills are essential, as are working as part of a team and the ability to respect confidences. Experience of minute taking, a knowledge of committees and procedure are also desirable, but a willingness to learn and an enthusiasm for our Charity are more important. A job-share would be possible in this role.