Becoming an elected representative
It is time to elect the elected representatives of the association. It is the members at the association's annual general meeting who decide who will take up the positions of trust. But in order to do so, you first need to stand for those roles.
On this page, we have gathered information on the different responsibilities of elected positions.
Board of Directors
The President
The President convenes meetings, has a good overall view of what is happening in the association and has a leadership role in the Board. It is usually considered to have the main responsibility for the work of the board. It is often a signatory together with the treasurer. Signing a company name means the right to sign agreements and contracts. A common task is also to plan the annual meeting and to ensure that decisions taken by the annual meeting are implemented.
Vice-Chairman
The Vice-Chair can share responsibilities with the Chair and, in particular, is ready to step in if the Chair cannot attend. The vice-chair also becomes the 'acting chair' if the chair needs to end his or her mandate prematurely. This rarely happens, so the vice-chair should have their own area of responsibility with their own tasks.
Treasurer
The treasurer is responsible for the administration of the association's finances. This is a major responsibility with several ongoing tasks. It means preparing a budget for the annual meeting to decide on, ensuring that it is followed, arranging and reviewing payments, reimbursing those who make expenses, accounting for everything and summarizing it in a financial statement presented at the annual meeting.
Read more here →
Secretary
The secretary has administrative responsibilities. Keeps the minutes (notes) of board meetings, may be responsible for the structure and organization of digital archives. They are often responsible for writing the annual report, the summary of the association's activities during the year, which is presented at the annual meeting. They ensure that important documents and minutes are stored in a sustainable way.
Member of the Board of Directors
Member is a word for a person on a board. Everyone who is elected to a board is a member, but not everyone has to have a specific role, such as secretary, president or treasurer. In this case, the word member or director is used.
The statutes of the association may define more roles than those mentioned above. Often they are assigned to the other members. In the case of a student association, this could be, for example, event manager, communications officer, or similar.
Alternate member
Alternates are elected to replace full members. If a member is ill, the alternate takes their place. Alternates do not have voting rights on the board unless they are deputizing for an absent member, but they usually have the right to attend and speak at board meetings.
It can be useful for alternates to attend board meetings even if there is no need to do so, in order to be aware of what is going on. Often the role can be chosen for those who are curious about board work but do not yet feel fully ready.
Auditors
Auditor of operations
An auditor is a person elected by the annual general meeting to evaluate and review the work of the board. They are expected to give a short report at the next annual general meeting on how the board has carried out its duties.
Authorized Public Accountant
A chartered accountant is a protected professional title with qualified knowledge working in an audit firm. Those with a turnover of €3m are required by law to hire an approved or chartered accountant for annual audit. Student associations do not normally come close to those levels.
Election Committee
Member of the Board
The Nomination Committee is mandated by the Annual General Meeting to prepare proposals for next year's Board. They assess the needs of the association, interview candidates and submit a complete proposal to the annual meeting in due time. Members of the nomination committee participate in the work of the nomination committee.
Summoned
The person elected to the role of convenor is also a member of the nomination committee as above. In addition to the general work of the nomination committee, the person is responsible for calling meetings of the nomination committee and leading the work.
