Secretary, keeper of the record.
Keeps the Congress's official record and makes sure every meeting and decision is properly noticed, minuted and filed.
Key responsibilities, with references.
Meetings and notice
- Issues meeting notices and maintains the official distribution lists.
- Sends written notice of every Board meeting to all Directors and Patrons, with the date, time, format or link, and agenda. A meeting not properly noticed cannot take votes.
- Special meetings need at least 7 days' notice and emergency meetings at least 48 hours; minutes go out within 10 days.
- On receiving a valid petition for a Special Board meeting, issues notice within 5 days.
- After two failed quorum attempts, sends a written attendance request to every Region.
- Records proceedings. The Secretary (or the Assistant Secretary) must be present for a Board meeting to be called to order.
Records
- Records minutes, maintains the official archives and circulates decisions.
- Maintains the governance documents and makes sure decisions are properly documented.
- Is custodian of the governance records: Constitution, Bylaws, minutes and policies.
- Receives Region recognition applications, circulates them to Directors at least 14 days before the vote, and updates the roster.
- Receives written complaints and acknowledges them within 5 days; receives Patron renewal notices and challenges.
- Keeps a shared document folder organized, with a clear naming scheme, so the next Secretary can find everything.
- Keeps a running list of action items from each meeting and circulates it with the next agenda.
Elections
- Coordinates credentialing and election documentation with the Electoral Officers.
- Through the Secretariat, issues the Election Notice and opens candidate applications at least 6 months before the Convention.
- Verifies each Region's good standing and publishes the preliminary credential list at least 30 days before the Convention.
- Records the Term-End Resolution and, after the election, records that handover is complete.
Who you work with.
Time and skills.
About 5 to 8 hours a week
Expect more in the weeks around Board meetings and throughout an election year. On top of that, every officer attends the quarterly Board meetings (virtual attendance counts) and the Convention weekend.
This is an estimate to help you plan, not a rule in the Constitution.
- Clear, accurate writing and minute-taking
- Keeping deadlines: notice periods are rules, not suggestions
- Organized record-keeping, paper and digital
- Comfort with shared drives, email lists and video meetings
- Discretion with confidential matters
The only requirements to stand are the eligibility rules below.
- Served in a position in your Region. You have served in a position in your Region (an officer role or a recognised committee leadership role) for at least one year in the past five years. This is required. Only a supermajority of the Directors (two-thirds of all Directors then in office) can waive it.Art. XII §12.2
- Member in good standing of a recognized Region. You belong to a recognized INC-USA Region and are in good standing with it. Members of the National-At-Large Affiliate program cannot hold national office unless they are members of a recognized Region.Art. XII §12.2; Art. III §3.5
- Written endorsement from your Region. Your Region endorses your candidacy in writing. Your Regional President or Region Secretary is the usual person to ask.Art. XII §12.2; Appendix C §C3
- Signed Candidate Eligibility and Conflict-of-Interest Declaration. You sign the declaration (Appendix N). It confirms your eligibility and discloses any interest that could conflict with the office.Art. XII §12.2; Appendix N
If you are a Regional President. A Regional President sits on the Board as a voting Director and cannot hold an Executive Committee office at the same time. If elected, you must resign as Regional President before taking the Oath of Office. Art. IX §9.3
Term. 2 years. At most 2 consecutive terms in the same office, then a one-term break before serving in that office again. Art. X §10.3
A good first year looks like this.
Suggested
- An up-to-date official distribution list, checked with every Region
- Every Board meeting noticed on time with an agenda, and minutes circulated
- One organized archive of the Constitution, Bylaws, minutes and policies that the next Secretary can inherit
- In an election year: the Election Notice issued on time and the credential list published
Suggested outcomes to aim for, not requirements.
What every officer signs up to.
- Swear or affirm the Oath of Office: uphold the Constitution and Bylaws, protect the Organization's funds, records and reputation, disclose and avoid conflicts, and respect confidentiality.
- Act within the approved budget, delegated spending limits and adopted policies.
- Attend the quarterly Board meetings (virtual attendance counts) and the two Board meetings of Convention weekend. Officers take part without a vote; the Directors vote.
- Complete a conflict-of-interest disclosure every year and update it when something changes.
- Follow the Code of Conduct: keep personal opinions separate from official statements, and leave official statements to approved spokespersons.
- At the end of the term, hand over records, bank access, passwords and project documents to the incoming officer.
- Serve as a volunteer. Officers may be removed for cause by a two-thirds roll-call vote of all Directors then in office.
- Airfare support for an approved in-person pre-Convention planning meeting is limited to two officers: the President and the Secretary.
Stand for Secretary? Start here.
The Candidate Information Form takes about 15 to 20 minutes, with this office already selected. You will need the name and email of your Regional President or Region Secretary for the endorsement. The application window opens by Wednesday, March 3, 2027.
Source. These descriptions follow the Constitution and Bylaws, adopted Saturday, September 5, 2026, at Convention 2026 in San Francisco.