Job Descriptions: CFA Board of Directors

PRESIDENT

The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer and managing head of this Association and the Chairman of its Executive Board. He or she shall preside at all meetings of Members and of the Executive Board. In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall preside. In the absence of both the President and the Vice President, the meeting shall elect a presiding officer. The presiding officer at any time may request a delegate or proxy to take the chair to permit the presiding officer to take part in the meeting.

General: Ensures the effective action of the board in governing and supporting the organization, and oversees board affairs. Acts as the representative of the board as a whole, rather than as an individual supervisor to staff.

Community: Speaks to the media and the community on behalf of CFA (as does the Executive Director); represents CFA in the community.

Meetings: Develops agendas for meetings in concert with the Executive Director. Presides at board meetings.

Committees: Recommends to the board which committees are to be established. Seeks volunteers for committees and coordinates individual board member assignments. Makes sure each committee has a chairperson, and stays in touch with chairpersons to be sure that their work is carried out; identifies committee recommendations that should be presented to the full board. Determines whether executive committee meetings are necessary and convenes the committee accordingly. Serves ex officio as a member of all committees and attends their meetings when invited.

Executive Director: Establishes search and selection committee (usually acts as chair) for hiring an Executive Director. Convenes board discussions on evaluating the Executive Director and negotiating compensation and benefits package; conveys information to the Executive Director.

Board Affairs: Ensures that board matters are handled properly, including preparation of pre-meeting materials, committee functioning, and recruitment and orientation of new board members.

VICE PRESIDENT

General: Acts as the President in his or her absence; assists the President on the above or other specified duties.

Special Responsibilities: Frequently assigned to a special area of responsibility to oversee (for example, media, annual awards dinner, facility, or Central Office personnel)

SECRETARY

General: Is a member of the Board.

Records: Maintains records of the board and ensures effective management of organization’s records. Manages minutes of board meetings. Is sufficiently familiar with legal documents (articles, by-laws, etc.) to note applicability during meetings. Ensures minutes are distributed to members shortly after each meeting.

Special Responsibilities: Represent various committees as correspondent to its members.

TREASURER

General: The Treasurer should be bonded and is the Chief Financial Officer and chairperson of the audit and budget committees of the Association. In this capacity, he or she will have the responsibility to oversee all financial management activities relating to the programs and operations of the Association, and to develop and maintain an integrated accounting and financial management system. This system will include financial reporting and internal controls which comply with applicable accounting principles, standards, and requirements of the FASB (Financial Accounting Standards Board) and other internal control standards.

Reports: Ensures that appropriate financial reports are made available to the Board, Club Delegates and Secretaries. Regularly reports to the Board on key financial events, trends, concerns and assessment of fiscal health.

Audit: Within ninety days after the close of the fiscal year of the Association, the Treasurer will ensure that an independent audit is obtained from a CPA firm with no conflicting interests in the finances of the Association.

Cash Management and Investments: Ensures, through the Finance Committee, sound management and maximization of cash and investments.

Executive Committee

I. Organization and Purpose

The Executive Committee shall be composed of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and the Chair of any committee that will be affected by the decision of this committee as well as any other member deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors.

II. Committee Duties and Responsibilities

The Executive Committee shall represent the Board of Directors in all matters of business affecting CFA when and as directed by the Board of Directors, and shall act for the Board of Directors between board meetings when it is in the best interest of CFA to do so. The Executive Committee shall work as a unit to solve time-sensitive problems when it is impossible or impractical to contact all Board Members of CFA.

The Chairperson of the Committee (President or Chairperson as elected by the Board) shall be responsible for establishing the agendas for meetings of the Committee. An agenda, together with materials relating to the subject matter of each meeting, shall be prepared to document the Committee’s discharge of its responsibilities. The Committee shall make regular reports to the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors must ratify such actions at its next regular meeting and be pre-noticed of these actions by email or other electronic media at the soonest date following the action of the Committee.

III. Committee Communications

To facilitate timely response, the Executive Committee should take full advantage of electronic communications as is available.

BOARD MEMBER

Purpose: To advise, govern, oversee policy and direction, and assist with the leadership and general promotion of CFA so as to support the organization’s mission and needs.

  • Organizational leadership and advisement
  • Organization of the board of directors, officers, and committees
  • Formulation and oversight of policies and procedures
  • Financial management, including adoption and oversight of the annual budget
  • Oversight of program planning and evaluation
  • Attend all board meetings and read all reports and other materials in order to make informed decisions.
  • Promotion of the organization
  • Fundraising and outreach
  • And all other duties that become necessary during the term of office.

Members of the board share these responsibilities while acting in the interest of CFA. Each member is expected to make recommendations based on his or her experience and vantage point in the cat fancy.

Length of term: As determined by the By-Laws. Currently 2 years.

Expectations of board members:

  • Attend and participate in meetings as required, and special events as able.
  • Make a serious commitment to participate on a standing committee of the board, and serve on ad-hoc committees as necessary.
  • Be alert to community concerns that can be addressed by CFA’s mission, objectives, and programs.
  • Help communicate and promote CFA’s mission and programs to the community.
  • Become familiar with CFA’s finances, budget, and financial/resource needs.
  • Understand the policies and procedures of CFA.
  • Volunteer for and willingly accept assignments and complete them thoroughly and on time.
  • Stay informed about committee matters, prepare well for the meeting, and review and comment on minutes and reports.

DIRECTOR AT LARGE

Be a responsible board member.

  • Attend all board meetings and read all reports and other materials in order to make informed decisions.
  • Be available to Chair committees in areas of personal expertise.
  • Share this knowledge with all members of CFA as requested and respect fellow board members’ areas of expertise.
  • Encourage and participate in strategic thinking and planning.
  • Carry out duties and vote on matters in a reasonable and responsible manner.
  • Listen to the opinions of other board members and engage in respectful debate on issues.
  • Cooperate with other committees when activities overlap areas of interest and strive to understand and support the work of all CFA committees.
  • Help with public relations and other projects for CFA
  • Avoid conflicts of interest and do not vote on an issue that may be perceived as a potential conflict.
  • Ask questions, read reports and obtain information to provide sufficient oversight of the various separate organizations affiliated with CFA, such as the EveryCat Health Foundation, Disaster Relief and Breed Rescue.
  • Communicate with cat fanciers to be aware of their interests and vision for CFA.
  • Listen to fanciers’ and exhibitors’ dissatisfaction or ideas for improvement of CFA services, policies or objectives.
  • When voting, consider CFA’s best interests while being aware of constituents’ views.
  • Try to enhance CFA’s public image whenever possible and act as an advocate for CFA.
  • And all other duties that become necessary during the term of office.

REGIONAL DIRECTOR

In addition to the Director at Large description, a Regional Director shall:

  • Listen to the clubs and breeders/exhibitors of your region.
  • Communicate with your region.
  • Hold regular regional meetings.
  • Be the Regional Ambassador for CFA.
  • Promote the Region, its clubs, its people and cats.
  • Mediate disputes.
  • Plan regional functions, fundraisers, and Awards Show/Banquet to include notification of all regional award winners electronically or in writing if electronic information is inaccurate or isn’t available.
  • Oversee Regional treasurer/treasury.
  • Invest monies wisely for necessary regional expenditures (i.e., regional awards, annuals, etc.).
  • Select people to chair region committees.
  • Follow up to make sure all aspects are being completed in a timely manner.
  • Advise new clubs on the requirements on getting started.
  • Manage the regional website content.
  • Provide a regional email list.
  • And all other duties that become necessary during the term of office.

COMMITTEE CHAIR

  • Set tone for the committee work.
  • Act as the committee facilitator.
  • Ensure that members have the information needed to do their jobs.
  • Oversee the logistics of committee’s operations.
  • Report to the full Board on committee’s decisions/recommendations.
  • Report to the Board via a Liaison if not a Board member.
  • Work closely with the President and other staff as agreed to by the President.
  • Assign work to the committee members, set the agenda and run the meetings, and ensure distribution of meeting minutes.
  • Initiate and lead the committee’s annual evaluation.
  • And all other duties that become necessary during the term of office.
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