Officer Roles

Neighborhood and Homeowners Associations should be well-organized, small, non-profit organizations run by an elected board of directors. Most neighborhood residents are willing to serve their association, but need more information on how to be an effective leader.

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The bylaws of a Neighborhood or Homeowners Association should state the officers needed to run the association. The association should then create job descriptions for each position and define the responsibilities and the association's expectations for each position. This job description should be provided to each candidate for a position prior to an election of officers so that the candidate is aware of what will be expected of them prior to being elected.  (See our section on writing by-laws for more information)

An association can provide for any number and type of officers it wishes in its bylaws. Typical officer positions include: President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. Other officers can include: President-Elect, multiple Vice Presidents, committee chairs and multiple board members. A general description of duties for these positions is outlined below:

President

  • The president is the leader and manager of the association.
  • The president is the spokesperson for the association and is looked at to establish the association's goals and priorities.
  • The president must be familiar with the governing documents of the association, and is considered an authority on issues and procedures that are pertinent to the association.
  • The president is expected to see that the bylaws and covenants of the association are enforced.
  • The president is expected to run association meetings, be courteous and keep meetings on track.

Vice President

  • The vice president is likely to be the person who will fill in for the president in his absence and as such, it is important that the vice president is familiar with the association's objectives, bylaws and other governing documents.
  • The vice president assists the president in performing the tasks necessary to run the association.
  • The vice president is often a liaison between the various committees and the association board.
  • If an association has multiple vice president positions, it is important that the bylaws specify who is in charge in the absence of the president.

President-Elect

If an association chooses to have a president-elect position, the position is often considered the president-in-training position.

  • The president-elect assists the president and moves into the president position at the end of the president's tenure.
  • An association can have both president-elect and vice president positions. It is important to define the positions and their duties so the people in those positions know what to expect and what is expected of them.

Treasurer

  • The treasurer is the chief financial officer of the association and as such must understand their fiduciary duty to the association.
  • The treasurer collects dues, writes checks and oversees the association accounts.
  • The treasurer is responsible for making financial reports at association meetings, reconciling the accounts and preparing the financial statements and association books for fiscal year auditing.
  • The incumbent treasurer needs to insure that the books are audited prior to turning the records over to a new treasurer.

Secretary

  • The secretary is the association record keeper.
  • The secretary is responsible for general correspondence, sending out meeting notices and preparing agendas for the president.
  • The secretary should have at every meeting a minute book, the association bylaws, rules, member list, agenda, ballots and any other supplies that may be needed to run the meeting.
  • The secretary is responsible for recording and distributing meeting minutes.
  • The secretary is responsible for notifying officers and committee members of their election or appointment.
  • The secretary furnishes the committees with the necessary information to perform their duties.

Committee Chairperson

  • The committee chairperson is responsible for the task assigned to them.
  • The committee chairperson is responsible for determining the budgetary and manpower needs to fulfill their assignment.
  • The committee chairperson reports to the board and membership at-large as directed in the bylaws.
  • The committee chairperson is responsible for insuring that the association secretary receives copies of the minutes of committee meetings for the association's minute book.

Board of Directors

  • The board of directors is the administrative body for the association.
  • The board of directors is responsible for establishing the policies of the association and overseeing the major projects.
  • The board of directors should have regular meetings, no less than once a year.
  • The directors can not act individually on behalf of the group; they can only act at a board of directors meeting.
  • There must be a quorum of directors present to conduct a meeting; the number of directors necessary to conduct a meeting should be stated in the association bylaws.
  • The board of directors is responsible for calling membership meetings, as directed by the association bylaws to keep the membership informed and involved.

It is the duty of all officers to deliver all files and records of the association to their successor when new officers are elected.