The Visual Arts Network of South Africa (VANSA) has opened applications for the Secretary of the Board.

The VANSA Board’s current functions overlap across various fields and require support in Human Resources, Policy and Governance, and operations oversight.

The Secretary’s duties are outlined below, they serve as a guide and are non-exhaustive:

• The group Secretary in conjunction with the meeting scribe, records and archives the minutes, or record of discussion and votes, of each meeting of the Board of Directors. Additionally, the Secretary is responsible for keeping track of the organisation’s activities to make sure the actions of the organisation are in accordance with the organisation’s Code of Conduct. The Secretary is usually the officer who keeps board members’ contact information in order to inform them about upcoming meetings of the board.
• The group Secretary is responsible for taking and circulating minutes, preparing agendas for meetings in conjunction with the Chairperson, organising paperwork and correspondence, distributing information to members, and keeping members up-to-date about dates for other meetings and events.

The secretary should:

• Prepare an agenda in consultation with the Chairperson.
• Arrange and book a suitable venue for the meeting and guest speaker if necessary.
• Send notice of the meeting and agenda to all committee members so that they will receive them at least two weeks to a month before the meeting is arranged. These should always be sent out even if they are held at the same time and place each week or month.
• Keep a complete, approved and signed up to date set of minutes.
• Maintain minutes and records in an accurate filing system.
• Keep diary of forthcoming events.
• Keep record of everyone attending the meeting or collect their names in an attendance book.
• Record apologies of absence.
• Ensure a quorum is present before any business is done.
• At meeting – read minutes of previous meeting (unless already sent out) and obtain the chairperson’s signature for the official copy.
• At meeting – read out all correspondence received and report any action taken since last meeting.
• Ensure the chairperson is supplied with all necessary papers and information relevant to the meeting.