TRACS Board Of Directors Job Descriptions

Read this if you’re considering running for a position on the TRACS Board Of Directors!
All officers and board members are required to make an effort to attend physical meetings of the Club to ensure the presence of a quorum for any Board decisions that may come up for a vote. Currently TRACS holds (2) physical meetings each year – May & December in conjunction with our AKC Agility Trials.

President

1) The President calls for and presides at all meetings of the Club and of the Board. This includes:
1a) Preparing the meeting agenda with help from the Secretary
1b) Leading meetings in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order
1c) Reviewing meeting minutes prior to publication
2) Facilitating online Board discussions and voting. The President only votes in the event that it is necessary to break a tie. The President must remain neutral while ensuring that all Board members put forth their opinions on discussion topics.
3) The President maintains regular contact with the Board and any Committee Chairs to ensure all activities are on track and to assist in resolving any issues that may come up.
4) The President presides over any conflicts which may arise among club members
5) The President must understand the Club’s goals & mission, have the ability to keep discussions moving forward, and be able to summarize discussion points and clarify actions needed.

Vice President

1) The Vice President stands ready to assume the duties of the President in the event that the President should become unable to serve during his/her term of service
2) The VP participates in Board email discussions and votes in a timely manner, putting forth honest and unique opinions
3) The VP attends physical meetings of the Club to ensure the presence of a quorum for any Board decisions that may come up for a vote
4) The VP serves as Membership Director, which includes:
4a) Receiving membership applications
4b) Circulating membership applications to the GM for consideration and approval vote
4c) Notifying the Secretary of the addition of new member(s) to the club (capture of the email address is critical for the Secretary)
4d) Provide new members with Welcome package (web site link & password, via email).
4e) Maintain updated club roster & provide same to web master for publication as new members are added or in the event that any member(s) need to be deleted (membership lapses, terminations)
4f) Coordinating with Treasurer to ensure timely capture of membership renewal dues

Secretary

1) The Secretary keeps a record of all meetings of the Club and of the Board. This includes:
1a) Notifying the General Membership and/or Board of upcoming meetings
1b) Assisting the President with the preparation of meeting agendas
1c) Taking attendance at meetings
1d) Scribing the discussions of meetings with accuracy
1e) Writing up the minutes of the meeting in a timely manner (within a week) and circulating to the Board for review/revision as needed.
1f) Releasing the finalized minutes document to the General Membership and to the Web Master for publication on the web site (within 2 weeks
1g) of the meeting)
2) Much of the activity of the TRACS Board occurs in cyberspace. Currently TRACS holds (2) physical meetings each year, at our May and December AKC Agility Trials. This means there is limited opportunity for the General Membership to attend Board meetings. For this reason, the Secretary communicates with the GM at monthly intervals to keep the GM apprised of the activities of the Board. These monthly communications should also be used to maintain awareness of programs/benefits available to TRACS members (Agil Memories, Vet Expense Hardship, Community Service Award, Trouper Award, Annual Awards, TRACS Store, etc.) Though the GM has an open invitation to submit suggestions/ideas to the Board for discussion at any time, input from the GM for topics for Board discussion should be solicited periodically.
3) The Secretary is responsible for handling all Club correspondence with the general public, including answering email inquiries regarding matters of dog training (mostly opportunities for, where can I, etc.), publicity opportunities, fundraiser events, business opportunities etc. These inquiries can be mundane, obnoxious, and persistent. It is imperative that the Secretary handle them in a timely, helpful and professional manner at all times. As Secretary you are the voice of TRACS.
4) The Secretary receives notification from the Nominating Committee of volunteers for the slate of candidates for the upcoming annual election. The Secretary constructs the election ballot, conducts the e-vote, and announces election results at the December General Membership meeting. If any of the newly elected Officers or Directors are not in attendance at that meeting, the Secretary notifies them directly of their election to office.
5) At the start of the new year the Secretary assists the Web Master with ensuring that all needed “housekeeping” updates occur on the club web site (updates to email links behind Contacts, lineup of Club Officers in the black banner at the bottom of web pages, identification of current Board members in club rosters, new dates for upcoming club events, etc.)
6) Much of the Club’s communication occurs through the General Membership yahoo web tool. However, not all TRACS members successfully receive correspondence sent via that tool. In the event that a particular communication is deemed critical to reach ALL Club members, it needs to be sent via direct email. For this reason, the Secretary must maintain a current email address list for all TRACS members.
7) The Secretary participates in Board discussions in a timely manner, offering honest and unique opinions and casting votes as needed.

Treasurer

1) Annually or as Required:
1a) Code and enter all expenses into Quicken accounting software; Maintain accurate financial statements.
1b) Send 1099s to previous year’s judges by Jan 31.
1c) Receive annual dues and maintain the club membership roster (with the secretary).
1d) Manage, reconcile, properly code in accounting software and pay monthly club credit cards (currently four card holders: Susan, Kathie, Jim, Jennifer).
1e) Prepare annual budget and present to the Board. This is more of a financial analysis of how we did at each event through the year. The equipment budget has been set at 50% of whatever the prior year profits were.
1f) Pay annual AKC and USDAA Club Licensing Fees. USDAA automatically withdraws it from our USDAA account.
1g) Pay Trailer Registrations. I think Becky’s address is on file at the DMV for each trailer.
1h) Pay Insurance. The bill will include an amount to cover the normal number of certificates that we need each year. If we exceed this quantity they will charge $50.00 for additional one we request.
1i) Bi-Annually file California State SI-100 Statement of Information for nonprofits.(Next due in 2017)
2) Prepare annual income tax returns and filings – due May 15. No fee for Federal, $10.00 fee for Calif.
3) Send Sunshine Donations along with cover letter to appropriate recipient.
4) Maintain the equipment depreciation list.
5) Prepare and present Financial Statements and Summaries for GM Meetings (usually at May and Dec AKC trials)
6) Pay Expense Report Reimbursements as submitted.
7) Participate in Board discussions and votes in a timely manner, putting forth honest and unique opinions.
8) Before Trial:
8a) Obtain Insurance Certificate from Insurer and provide to Trial Chair, or to site. I prefer working through the trial chair to avoid errors.
8b) Pay site rental fees (for tracking)
8c) Get entry checks from trial secretary and deposit before the trial.
8d) Prepare prize money for Steeplechase or ISC events. I usually get the Steeplechase payout data from Karey Krauter before the trial and prepare a pile of envelopes with cash. Karey has a label program that enables you to print labels for the envelopes. Much easier than writing a bunch of checks at the trial.
8e) Check if we have Judges W9s on file, or have forms ready.
9) At Trial:
9a) Pay balance of site rental fees – typically on setup day for agility trials.
9b) Pay hospitality, raffle, trial secretary, and other worker expenses if possible.
9c) Distribute prize money.
9d) Pay Judges. They usually have their expenses worked out on the last day. Make sure ONLY the judging fees are included on the 1099, NOT expenses. VERY IMPORTANT!! Get W-9 forms from judges if their fees (not expenses) are greater than $600.
9e) Pay food vendors for lunch vouchers and any other vendors that have been paid with vouchers.
9f) Pay USDAA or AKC Recording fees. The trial secretary will know the amount, and they need this to send in with their report within 5 days.
10) After Trial:
10a) Write refund checks.
10b) Deposit late entry receipts.
10c) Deposit un-used prize money. (Typically not all classes pay out all levels)
10d) Pay fairgrounds for RV parking and other charges. Dixon will send a refund of our deposit, less their cleanup charges, and will say how many RV campers they knew of. Other sites often rely on our records for RV numbers.
10e) Generate a P&L statement for the trial and send to the Board. Club Expense Form: This form is required for anyone submitting a request for reimbursement. It should be signed by either the club president or the appropriate trial chair. It should identify the event and the expense category. There are some common sense exceptions such as paying judges and vendors at events – we don’t ask them to fill out a form. The judges usually have their own expense forms in any case. Also if the Board approves an expenditure in advance such as purchasing equipment using the club credit card then I’ve been accepting the credit card statement as sufficient documentation.
11) Time Commitment:
11a) Overall, the time commitment for this job varies pretty widely. There can be a week where it’s only an hour or two, but when there is an event (we have 6-7 per year between agility and tracking), it can be 20 hours for an agility trial (10 hours the week before and 10 more the week after) — not counting the work during the trials themselves. There is a lot of running around to the bank as well, doing the deposits from trials (can’t do mobile deposit for 100 checks), and the USDAA payouts are all small denomination bills that you have to split up into individual envelopes, so you have to get the cash.
11b) The 1099s can take up to 10 hours as well, and the tax return easily takes at least 10 hours.
11c) So, maybe on AVERAGE, this position consumes 20 hours per month, depending on whether there is an event that month. It may take longer on some things while you are in your learning curve.

Board Member or Member At Large

1) Participate in Board email discussions and votes in a timely manner, putting forth honest and unique opinions
2) Attend physical meetings of the Club to ensure the presence of a quorum for any Board decisions that may come up for a vote.
3) Serve as a link between the General Membership and the Board. The GM is encouraged to contact the Board whenever needed; sometimes this contact occurs with only an individual Board member. Sometimes this contact occurs unintentionally; if you’re in the right place at the right time to hear something the Board should know about, it’s your job to bring it to the Board’s attention.
4) Act in the best interests of TRACS

Agility Coordinator

The TRACS Agility Coordinator (AC) is responsible for oversight the TRACS Agility program, both AKC and USDAA. To that end, the Agility Coordinator will:
1) Ensure Trial Chairs and Trial Secretaries are identified at least one year (two is preferred) in advance of an event.
2) Ensure that Agility Judges are hired in a timely manner. This responsibility is normally delegated to the various Trial Chairs and/or Trial Secretaries. However, the AC should ensure the judges have been identified at least one year in advance of an event.
3) Be the primary avenue of communication between the various Trial Chairs and the TRACS Board of Directors. The AC will submit his/her AC report to the President or Secretary at least 48 hours prior to any Club Meeting or when requested by a Board Member.
4) Be the issuing official for all TRACS agility related certificates: full time workers, gift certificates, exchange certificates with other clubs. The AC is accountable for ensuring all certificates issued can be accounted for just like cash. How he/she chooses to do that is up to the AC.
5) Perform any other agility related duties as required by the TRACS Board of Directors
6) Participate in Board discussions and votes in a timely manner, putting forth honest and unique opinions

Tracking Coordinator

The TRACS Tracking Coordinator (TC) is responsible for oversight of the TRACS Tracking program. To that end, the Tracking Coordinator will:
1. Query tracking members as to which judges they would like to have invited to judge the upcoming year’s tests
2. Secure test secretaries
3. Call or email judges with dates and tests
4. Send contracts to judges confirming date
5. Arrange for use of test sites
6. Submit online event applications to AKC using the Online Event Management System at least six (6) months in advance
7. Submit judges panel to AKC using the Online Event Management System at least 18 weeks prior to closing date
8. Reorganize briefcases, including last year’s test folder and a new folder. Assemble judges’ books and put in briefcases.
9. Deliver briefcases to test secretaries
10. Check articles and buy additional articles if necessary
11. Check flags and repair and make new ones if necessary
12. Check supply of ribbons and order additional ribbons as needed
13. Charge walkie-talkies or buy batteries for them
14. Deliver flags, articles, ribbons and walkie-talkies to test site on plotting day (or arrange for delivery if unable to be there)
15. Collect articles, flags, ribbons, walkie-talkies and briefcases from test secretary at conclusion of each test
16. Be available to answer questions from test secretaries
17. Be the primary avenue of communication between the various Tracking Test Secretaries and the TRACS Board of Directors. The TC will submit his/her TC report to the President or Secretary at least 48 hours prior to any Club Meeting or when requested by a Board Member.
18. Participate in Board discussions and votes in a timely manner, putting forth honest and unique opinions