What is the Role of the Secretary

What is the Role of the Secretary

Where there is no paid staff, the Secretary will have an important and more time-consuming role. Some Management Committees have more than one person with formal responsibility for secretarial tasks such as a Minutes Secretary, Correspondence Secretary and Membership Secretary).

Each Management Committee will have its own way of doing things, and the way in which work is shared out can depend on the skills, interests or amount of time that a person has to offer.

Use the links below to access resources in this section which will help you understand the role of the Secretary and prepare your own role description or person specification:

• the main duties of the Secretary
• the Secretary's role at meetings
• characteristics of a good Secretary
• role description

If your organisation is incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee, you must appoint a Company Secretary which is different from the role of an honorary secretary. This post carries even greater responsibility than an ordinary secretary to ensure that the requirements of Company Law are met.
More on Company Secretary.