Officer Descriptions
To assure that all officers are upholding the Interact Club to the best of their abilities, Rotary International and District 7980 have established expectations for the roles of each officer. We have also further explained such duties as to our leadership model as follows:
Prior to becoming an officer as of the 2016-2017 Executive Board year, all leaders must attend two out of the available leadership training programs or conferences from the following:
- Next Generations
- RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) Conference
- Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE)
- The Student Leadership Training Program (1 LTC or START session)
- RYLA Cape Cod
- Rotary District Conference*
- Rotary District Assembly*
President (Pres.) - The President shall serve as ex-officio on each committee and shall oversee each meeting. As part of a student-led club, he or she will lead the club, making sure it functions effectively. Responsibilities before taking office include:
- Study the Interact constitutional documents.
- Attend a RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) Conference prior and;
- Attend Next Generations, Rotary Youth Conference, during or prior to presidency
- Suggested but not required that either a short or long term Rotary Youth Exchange session be completed prior
- Act as liaison to Rotary District Youth Services and Interact District Representative(s).
- Work collaboratively with the Rotary, Community and/or School Advisor(s).
- Meet and converse with the Executive Board to plan club activities and establish goals.
- Appoint all standing and special committees with board approval.
- Appoint committee chairs based on their experience, and talk with them about their choices for committee members.
- Additional responsibilities for established Interact clubs:
- Meet with the outgoing president and board of directors to review the club’s records and discuss its current activities.
- Decide which of the existing committees should be kept for the upcoming year, and consider ideas for new committees.
- Conduct effective meetings by preparing a detailed agenda that outlines what will be covered and for how long, allowing enough time for reports from officers and committee members.
- Plan creative programs for club meetings well in advance, and arrange for speakers, panel discussions, trips, and entertainment that appeal to a wide range of interests.
- Delegate responsibility to help other members develop their leadership skills and to avoid getting overwhelmed with details.
- Identify members’ skills and interests, and harness them in club projects.
- Work to ensure that the club’s activities and service projects are successfully promoted and carried out.
- Pay attention to membership growth and development, and maintain a balance among age and gender groups.
- He or she may remove a member who has not met the expectation of 60% of events and meetings
- He or she may appoint new officers as needed, reasonably
- He or she may have priority in attending leadership development available to youth in North Branford High School Interact Club
- He or she may meet with more than three officers to plan or talk about a subject related to Interact without quorum regulations
Senior Vice President (Senior VP) - The role of the Vice President is to directly work with the President and mentor the Associate Vice President and Assistant Vice President. He or she takes attendance at each meeting and maintains the records of the Associate VP’s and Assist. VP’s activities including the Committee chair and other director’s responsibilities ‘checklist’. He or she will also step in for the President if unavailable for events or in case any changes must be made. The Senior VP has the power to alter the leaders’ roles so long as the President has authorized it or is not available due to an accident or sudden, inclement situation. Both the Associate VP and Asst. VP act as secretaries for the Senior VP, except the Associate VP is the primary planner and master scheduler. The Asst. VP thus acts as a secretary of the Treasurer and Other Directors.
Associate Vice President (Associate VP) - The duty as Associate Vice President is to oversee the Committee chairs as they plan, converse, and act upon their events or hopeful outcomes. Committees are not always designed to form events thus they are also monitored by the Associate VP for progress on whatever the purpose is. The Associate VP will step in for the Senior VP in case of any absences. He or she is responsible for directing all comments from members to the President without going through the Senior VP; however, all ‘upper levels’ of the Executive board should be in-the-know. He or she will also work with the Director of Communications to assure that all channels of networking are being utilized properly. The President shall also appoint this leader’s position upon entering his or her role. This position shall be filled with a Freshmen, Sophomore, or Junior student so to give them leadership training prior to their prospective presidency in coming years.
Assistant Vice President (Asst. VP) - As Assistant Vice President, he or she will work directly over the other directors of the club. Other directors are established as specific needs are required. For example, in 2012, the Greenhouse director position was created to assure that the fields and greenhouse were being maintained properly by the Interact club members. Other responsibilities of the Asst. VP include documenting and publishing the monthly or biweekly newsletter as well as writing up ‘announcements’ for the daily announcements. All announcements will be requested to by written per the President or Director or Communications. Both written and visual announcements as well as newsletters should be posted to the NB Interact website within a week of being published. The Asst. VP will function as checks and balances do in the government where he or she monitors the Senior VP as he or she reflects the Interact club. This position is designed to assure that all officers are following these assignments listed in these leadership role descriptions. If there is not a director specifically for membership, it is suggested that the Asst. VP maintain records of development and changes throughout the Rotary year. All goals pertaining to membership development should be established for each month by the President and Senior Vice President.
Secretary (Sec.) - As Secretary, he or she will take notes during meetings and events in addition to maintaining attendance records. The Secretary will serve as the official planner of the President and Director of Communications. He or she will keep records of past and future events as they pertain to the Rotary year they serve. The ultimate responsibility of the Secretary is to submit the files created during presentations, meetings, and events to the President as well as the officer that would require the materials. The Director of Communications should be included if the materials are electronic or audio formats.
Treasurer (Treas.) - The Treasurer's responsibility is to maintain the yearly budget and assure that all funds are accounted for. He or she will submit bi-monthly reports to the club and monthly reports to the Executive board. The Treasurer also works with the Secretary and Associate VP to reconcile funds and produce an end-of-year report. Although the Advisors may act as treasurers, this position is meant to provide the mathematical opportunity for application of skills in this field as well as utilize the business knowhow from other subjects such as Consumer Economics, Business Math, etc.
Director of Communications (DoC) - As the Director of Communications, this leader will serve as the direct assistant to the President with means of communication all club information including but not limited to events, fundraisers, opportunities, school functions, etc. All information directed at the school must be submitted through the DoC in order to be correctly communicated. Additionally, he or she shall maintain the Interact:
- Website
- Facebook Group
- Email
- Any other networking tool
Other Directors - The purpose of the Executive Board is to make Interact the most successful, efficient club it can be. Other Directors are assigned to specialties such as marketing, coordination of event attendance, etc. They work with their tasks until they are completed or terminated by administration. At times, there may not be need for that position. The Other Directors hold their specific title such as “Greenhouse Director” or “Director of Recruitment”. They are supervised by the Asst. VP and thus submit all their records accordingly. They may also serve as liaisons to other clubs, organizations, or event committees such as Matt’s Mission Fund or leadership programs.
References:
Student-led refers to the way in which the Interact club is facilitated. Leaders are students and will carry out the actions of the club with guidance from advisors.
The ‘upper level’ consists of the President, Senior VP, Associate VP, and Assistant VP. The Secretary shall only be brought on to this level or board if one of its members is either removed from the club or is the subject of a situation such as a special event surrounding that leader’s family or best friend.
“Quorum regulations” refers to the necessity of having at least 4 officers in order to hold an official meeting as per bylaws. Therefore, if not all officers are present, at least ¼ of the membership must be in attendance to continue.