The Role of Chapter Vice President

Chapter Vice President

The role of the vice president is critical to the success of the board.  Vice presidents are effectively

presidents in waiting.  A well fit vice president is a balance of moderator, cheerleader, administrator, delegator and visionary.  A vice president spends their term preparing for the presidency by learning and

assisting with governance, leadership and strategic direction. A potential candidate should have demonstrated community leadership, feel comfortable delegating, have good group dynamic skills and have the ability to communicate well, listen and seek input from others.

This document is a template or a starting point, to communicate the role of a general board member to effectively recruit and welcome new leaders to help your board thrive.  Customizing this position description to meet your board’s goals and objectives will help ensure that everyone is aware of policies, responsibilities and expectations which bolsters recruitment efforts, maximizes the new leader experience and increases the team’s success.

Position Specific Recruitment

Position success is directly related to finding the right person for the opportunity. The recruitment process is an integral part of that success. Forethought and on-going leadership succession are important facets of a successful recruitment strategy.

Recruiting the right talent at the right place and at the right time, takes time and effort but more importantly, it takes planning.  Ideally your board has a leadership succession plan and is building potential leaders as an on-going practice. Recruitment efforts can be facilitated through a committee or an identified individual.  Regardless of structure, it is important to be aware of potential leaders to identify planned involvement opportunities.

In order to generate a pool of qualified people, one must know what they are ideally seeking in a candidate.  Reviewing the TU Leadership Manual (Chapter 4) is a great place to start to better understand the facets that make a good candidate.

When looking to fill this position, you might consider the following characteristics:

• Commitment and interest
• Ability to attend meetings
• Clear, friendly and professional written and verbal communication skills
• Organized with an eye for detail to be prompt, manage timelines, etc.
• Interest and ability to work as a team
• Previous experience with knowledge of board procedures and/or willing to learn
• Support of the TU conservation mission

Welcoming New Leaders

Welcoming a new leader is another critical piece that will increase the success rate of your new board member.  Introducing the new leader, showing appreciation for their service and communicating position expectations goes a long way in setting the person up for success. Some tactics to consider:

• Welcome Packet: Put together a packet of important resources to show organization, effectiveness and that you are vested in their success. Consider including: position description, TU Leadership Manual, board contact information, strategic plan, annual report and other items that might be of interest to them
• Check-In: Schedule meetings with the new leader to allow you both to ask questions and/or better understand any concerns. These meetings can be on the phone or in person
• Mentorship: Connect new leaders with experienced board members to ask questions and share feedback

Chapter Vice President

The vice president is second in command, assisting with a variety of tasks aimed at coldwater

conservation mission advancement, maintaining board health and managing administrative

functions of the team.

Key Responsibilities

The chapter vice president must be a current Trout Unlimited member who will ensure that the following responsibilities are completed (directly or by delegation):

• Act as chief executive officer of the chapter when the president is unable
• Provide support and assistance to the president in order to achieve the core functions of the chapter:
  • Review, understand and example the organization’s bylaws, policies and procedures, conduct ethics, finances and strategic plan
  • Ensure that the chapter is meeting all legal and fiduciary responsibilities
    • With the chapter treasurer, ensure the Annual Financial Report and required IRS Forms are filed annually and on time. For more information on TU’s online resources for financial management and reporting, visit the Tacklebox
    • Read and become familiar with the 2015 Policy on Financial and Property Controls and TU’s risk management and insurance limitations and ensure the chapter is in compliance
    • Ensure donations to your chapter are properly acknowledged
    • With the Executive Committee, develop, approve and track a budget of chapter expenses and revenues each fiscal year
  • Act as the chapter spokesperson at council meetings as well as in the community
  • Facilitate appreciation for volunteer leaders
  • Be a two-way conduit of communication between the council and the chapter
  • Organize leadership recruitment to bring potential leaders into committees and positions
  • Facilitate leadership development by bringing information and training opportunities to leaders (e.g. TU regional meetings, council meetings, planning retreats, etc.)
  • Model appropriate behavior for board conduct and intervene if conflict arises
• Perform other duties as assigned by the president or the Board of Directors

Elected By/ Reports To
Board of Directors/Board Chairperson

Term Length
Per by-laws

Time Commitment
Monthly meetings; additional time required for committee work and other board commitments

Budget Support
Limited

Task Calendar
January

• Assist with the accuracy of the online leadership roster in the Leaders Only Tools section of tu.org
• Assist with the drafting of board meeting agenda
• Plan, preside over, and facilitate board and executive committee meetings in president’s absence
• Review strategic plan and metrics created by the chapter for evaluating its effectiveness
• Review important documents to assist with chapter compliancy (bylaws, financials, TU’s risk management and insurance limitations)

February

• Assist with the drafting of board meeting agenda
• Plan, preside over, and facilitate board and executive committee meetings in president’s absence
• Assist with appreciation plan for volunteer leaders

March-September

• Assist with the drafting of board meeting agenda
• Plan, preside over, and facilitate board and executive committee meetings in president’s absence

October

• Assist with the drafting of board meeting agenda
• Plan, preside over, and facilitate board and executive committee meetings in president’s absence
• Presidency training

November

• Assist with the drafting of board meeting agenda
• Plan, preside over, and facilitate board and executive committee meetings in president’s absence

December

• Assist with the drafting of board meeting agenda
• Plan, preside over, and facilitate board and executive committee meetings in president’s absence