DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
OF THE AMERICAN PRIMROSE SOCIETY
All officers and directors should familiarize themselves with the Mission Statement and the Constitution and Bylaws of the American Primrose Society.
MISSION STATEMENT
Uphold the general aims of the society: “…to bring the people interested in Primula together in an organization to increase the general knowledge of, and interest in, the collecting, growing, breeding, showing and using in the landscape and garden of the genus Primula in all its forms and to serve as a clearinghouse for collecting and disseminating information about Primula.”
The following lists of duties are given as basic guidelines. They were compiled by the Secretary from the input of board members between 2008 and 2009. Updates to this explanation of duties were added by the Secretary from input of the board members in 2023.
Duties of the President
A. MISSION STATEMENT
Uphold the general aims of the society: “…to bring the people interested in Primula together in an organization to increase the general knowledge of, and interest in, the collecting, growing, breeding, showing and using in the landscape and garden of the genus Primula in all its forms and to serve as a clearinghouse for collecting and disseminating information about Primula.”
B. CONSTITUTION
Read and become familiar with all sections of the APS constitution and bylaws.
C. MEETINGS
1. Chair all board meetings as far as possible (See Vice-President, point D2). This applies especially to the AGM.
2. Become conversant with Roberts Rules of Order in order to conduct meetings efficiently.
3. Vote only to break a tied vote, when a simple majority is required to pass a motion.
4. Draw up a draft agenda for each meeting after consulting all board members and committees (Note: This is not the job of the secretary.).
5. Send the draft agenda to the secretary for final formatting and distribution. Note that the agenda must go out at least ten days before a meeting according to our constitution.
6. “The president shall at the annual meeting establish the calendar of meetings from the current annual meeting to the next annual meeting and have these dates posted on the society’s website no later than thirty days from the end of each annual meeting.” (Bylaws Article II, Section I)
D. COMMITTEES
1. Appoint such committees and committee chairpersons as are needed to successfully carry on the work of the society.
2. Oversee the functioning of committees, for example, Editorial, Website, Seed Exchange, Judging, Nominating, Membership, Constitution.
a. Attend committee meetings as an observer or participant or
b. appoint the vice president to oversee some committees as a participant or chair.
c. If necessary, appoint an audit committee of at least two persons to conduct an audit of the treasurer’s accounts, or any committee chairperson’s accounts (Bylaws Article I, Section IV).
E. ELECTIONS
Ensure that the posts of officers and directors remain filled by:
a. keeping a watch on when posts come up for election
b. appointing a Nominating Committee to solicit nominations in good time for the results of an election to be announced at the AGM and published in the Primroses quarterly following the AGM.
F. CHAPTERS
1. Keep in close contact with the presidents of APS chapters and groups in order to encourage and assist them.
2. Remind chapters to send regular reports (preferably each quarter) on activities and finances. (Note that the financial reports are important in order to maintain tax-exempt status in the USA.).
3. Notify the board if a chapter’s membership falls below ten members, so that the board may determine what action to take to assist the local club to remain a chapter (Chapters must have a minimum of ten members. If nothing can be done to increase a chapter’s membership, the chapter reverts to group status and thereby its representative loses the right to vote at regular board meetings).
G. REPRESENT THE APS TO THE PUBLIC
Act as the contact person between other societies and the APS. In order to do this, the President should become familiar with the contact people in other plant societies with similar interests, such as alpine plant societies.
Duties of the Vice-President
The APS constitution states, “The vice-president shall assist the president in every way possible and assume the office of acting president in case of absence or incapacity of the president.”
A. MISSION STATEMENT:
Uphold the general aims of the society: “…to bring the people interested in Primula together in an organization to increase the general knowledge of, and interest in, the collecting, growing, breeding, showing and using in the landscape and garden of the genus Primula in all its forms and to serve as a clearinghouse for collecting and disseminating information about Primula.”
B. CONSTITUTION
Read and become familiar with all sections of the APS constitution and bylaws.
C. STAND IN FOR THE PRESIDENT
Assume the duties of the president, including chairing board meetings, when the president is unable to fulfil those duties or requests help. Be familiar with the president’s duties in order to do this if/when needed.
D. MEETINGS
1. Attend all board meetings as far as possible. This applies especially to the AGM.
2. When the President is unable to chair a meeting, act as chair. In such cases, vote only to break a tied vote, when a simple majority is required to pass a motion.
3. Become conversant with Roberts Rules of Order in case the president is unable to chair a meeting and you are called on to act as chairperson.
4. Assist the president in consulting all board members and committees when drawing up a provisional agenda.
E. COMMITTEES
Assist the president in overseeing the functioning of committees, for example, Editorial, Website, Seed Exchange, Judging, Nominating, Membership. This may involve attending committee meetings as an observer, participant or chair, as directed by the president.
Duties of the Secretary
A. MISSION STATEMENT
Uphold the general aims of the society: “…to bring the people interested in Primula together in an organization to increase the general knowledge of, and interest in, the collecting, growing, breeding, showing and using in the landscape and garden of the genus Primula in all its forms and to serve as a clearinghouse for collecting and disseminating information about Primula.”
B. CONSTITUTION
Read and become familiar with all sections of the APS constitution and bylaws, especially those concerning meetings.
C. MEETINGS
1. Become conversant with Roberts Rules of Order.
2. Consult with the president, vice president, treasurer and other board members in drawing up a draft agenda for each meeting. The draft agenda is ultimately the president’s responsibility.
3. Prepare the layout of the agenda “…with the treasurer’s report, previous minutes, editor’s report, webmaster’s report and any optional reports or documents such as chapter and interim committee reports.” (Bylaws Article II, Section I). Note: The individual board members generating the reports mentioned above have taken on the responsibility for sending out those reports to the board. If the board continues to operate in that way, it should consider asking the members to amend the constitution by voting.
4. Send out the agenda ten days before a meeting: “The secretary shall distribute to the board of directors an agenda…at least ten days prior to any meeting.” (Bylaws Article II, Section I)
5. Record the minutes and send them out electronically as soon as possible
a. to all other board members and
b. to the editor of the Primroses quarterly in good time for publishing in the upcoming issue.
D. CORRESPONDENCE
“The secretary shall conduct the official correspondence of the society.” (Bylaws, Article I, Section V).
E. SOCIETY RECORDS
“The secretary shall record the minutes and maintain the files and records of the society.” (Bylaws, Article I, Section V) Keep the following on (electronic) file, ready to pass on to the next secretary:
a. all minutes
b. all treasurer’s reports
c. the latest version of the constitution and bylaws
d. a copy of the APS judging rules
e. any important correspondence
F. ELECTIONS
1. Establish the timeframe of the election and draw up the election instructions and procedures. This should be forwarded to the webmaster for posting to the website and to the editor for inclusion in the quarterly. New officers and directors take up their posts immediately after the AGM, which is usually held at the end of April or early May. All election arrangements are timed to this end.
2. Prepare the ballot based on the recommendations of the Nominating Committee and solicit a brief biography to accompany the name of each candidate. Forward the ballot and biographies to the webmaster for posting on the website prior to the election start date. Also, forward a copy of the biographies to the editor.
3. Voting is conducted on the website with results sent to the Secretary’s email address.
4. Count the votes.
5. Tell the board the results of the election two weeks before the AGM.
6. Ensure the election results are announced at the AGM and published in the Primroses quarterly.
7. Send new officers and directors their list of duties as given in this website.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Duties of the Treasurer
A. MISSION STATEMENT
Uphold the general aims of the society: “…to bring the people interested in Primula together in an organization to increase the general knowledge of, and interest in, the collecting, growing, breeding, showing and using in the landscape and garden of the genus Primula in all its forms and to serve as a clearinghouse for collecting and disseminating information about Primula.”
B. CONSTITUTION
Read and become familiar with all sections of the APS constitution and bylaws, especially those concerning the treasurer’s duties.
C. BUDGET
Prepare a budget proposal for the board’s approval at least six months before the beginning of the next fiscal year (January 1 to December 31). Use historical records and input from committee chairpersons.
D. INTERNAL REPORTS (Computer skills and knowledge of a good accounting program are necessary for this work.)
1. Submit a ‘year to date’ report at each board meeting (a quarterly report) and an annual report at the AGM of all receipts and expenditures, and relate them to the appropriate line of the budget.
2. Detail the current worth of the society in each report.
3. Solicit reports from all committee chairpersons concerning their respective accounts prior to each meeting, so they can be included in the treasurer’s reports.
E. EXTERNAL REPORTS
Prepare Internal Revenue Service tax returns, State of Oregon Corporation and non-profit organization reports, state sales tax exemption documents if applicable, etc., within the time limits established by such agencies. Robin Hansen is the contact person and takes care of filing Corporate Filing Annual Report. Ann pays the fee for which she will need reimbursing.
F. INCOME AND SAFEGUARDING OF MONIES
1. Keep a record of all payments to the society by budget line item category.
2. Deposit receipts promptly in an interest-bearing (if possible) checking account.
3. Deposit funds in excess of current need in secure, interest-bearing accounts.
4. Debit and credit card payments are done via Paypal. Paypal balances are transferred to the APS checking account in a timely manner.
5. Keep donations and gifts confidential (these are usually given to help print the quarterly and to pay for the seed exchange postage).
6. Membership chairperson is responsible for back issues (usually for the past few years). Back issues payments are received by the Treasurer and the membership chairperson mails out the back issues. The membership chairperson is reimbursed for the cost of postage, envelopes, etc.
7. Keep all receipts.
G. DISBURSEMENTS
1. Pay the society’s obligations promptly and in accordance with good business practice.
2. Verify the validity of the billing with the committee chairperson concerned with the obligation.
3. Make no disbursements for items which are not part of the budget or otherwise approved by the board.
4. The website chairperson will have charges to pay during the year for use of the website and the domain name.
5. Keep all receipts.
H. MEMBERSHIP [Duties performed by the Treasurer]
1. Maintain a list of members’ names, addresses, telephone numbers email addresses, and membership expiration dates which is kept on the APS website. (Computer skills are necessary).
2. Collect all dues and deposit them in the APS checking account.
a) The APS website records the date of subscription and the expiry date.
b) International members pay by credit card or debit card via Paypal.
c) Dues (US and Canadian) are collected via credit card / debit card via Paypal; and / or by checks and money orders.
b) Dues paid by check and money order are input manually to the membership list on the APS website.
I. THE SEED EXCHANGE
The seed exchange coordinator takes care of all transactions and provides the initial funding from their own pocket. The coordinator sends invoices and receipts to the Treasurer. The Treasurer promptly pays the coordinator via PayPal or by check. All revenues are paid by PayPal, cash, or checks / money orders. The seed exchange coordinator receives the checks, cash, or money orders and then sends them to the Treasurer. The Treasurer maintains an income statement to determine seed exchange’s profit or loss. Liaise with the Seed Exchange coordinator, and provide financial instructions and advice concerning the Exchange.
J. PROCEDURES ON TAKING UP THE POST OF TREASURER
1. Set up a new checking account at a local bank.
a) Get a free Small Business checking account
b) Get a debit / credit card
c) Try to get at least one other board member on the account. [Presently, the membership chairperson is on the banking accounts.]
d) The past treasurer will close out the old checking account and send the balance to the new treasurer.
2. Credit cards and debit cards: APS uses PayPal.
Contact PayPal to add new treasurer’s name (user name) and password.
3. Things needed to set up accounts
a) Tax ID number (supplied by previous treasurer) – Keep in your records
b) Business registry Business Name (supplied by previous treasurer) – Keep in your records.
4. Records
Use “Quicken 2000”, supplied by previous treasurer (may want to use a newer version of Quicken software.
5. Statements
Use Excel, and previous treasurer’s financial statements as a template; (Statements since 2006 possibly earlier are in Excel.) Secretary has a record of the statements to the present.
6. Notify other societies of your appointment – For example, provide your name, address, and email to the NAPS (all three sections) and NARGS.
7. Ensure your contact information is on the APS website and in the quarterly.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Duties of the Membership Chairperson
A. MEMBERSHIP
1. Maintain an Excel Spreadsheet of members’ names, addresses, telephone numbers email addresses, and membership expiration dates for informational purposes. The membership chairperson makes specific lists available to the Seed Exchange coordinator and to the chapter and groups as requested. (Computer skills are necessary). [A second membership list is maintained on the APS website.] The APS website performs the function of mailing the Quarterly.
a) The APS database is responsible for the mailing the Quarterly.
b) Keep a file of Expired Membership for a historical record.
2. Submit a membership report to accompany the financial report for each board meeting.
3. Membership reminders are set up and sent by the APS website.
4. Membership is set up on a 365 day basis.
5. A “Welcome Email” is sent by the Membership chairperson to new members with information about the APS website and the begin date of their subscription.
6. Respond promptly to inquiries concerning membership dues and / or questions.
7. The Membership Secretary is responsible for maintaining back issues of the quarterly and mailing replacement copies to members and providing copies to members who request them. The Membership Secretary sends postage receipts to the Treasurer for reimbursement.
B. BACK ISSUES OF THE QUARTERLY PUBLICATION PRIMROSES
The printer mails a small quality of the Quarterly to the Membership Chairperson. Membership chairperson is currently responsible for back issues (usually from the past few years). The membership chairperson mails out the back issues. Membership chairperson sends Invoices / receipts to the Treasurer. The membership chairperson is reimbursed for the cost of postage, envelopes, etc.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Duties of the Editor
Overview: Using MS Publisher, update the last file, and layout new articles and photos. Export to PDF as a whole (for the website), and in parts (for the printer). Generate and validate mailing list. Send files to printer, webmaster, and social media.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Duties of Directors
A. MISSION STATEMENT
Uphold the general aims of the society: “…to bring the people interested in Primula together in an organization to increase the general knowledge of, and interest in, the collecting, growing, breeding, showing and using in the landscape and garden of the genus Primula in all its forms and to serve as a clearinghouse for collecting and disseminating information about Primula.”
B. CONSTITUTION
Become familiar with the Constitution and Bylaws of the American Primrose Society.
C. BOARD MEETINGS
Attend the four quarterly board meetings held each year, beginning with the Annual General Meeting which is usually held during the National Show, (in late April or early May). One important duty is to read the Treasurer’s reports before these meetings and be ready to make comments if necessary.
D. COMMITTEES
Take part in at least one APS committee. Committees may change from time to time, but long-standing committees are the Editorial Committee, Website Committee, Membership Committee, Seed Exchange Committee, and Advertising Committee.
E. WEBSITE
All directors should attempt to contribute to the APS Facebook page several times a year. This contribution could be as simple as a short comment on a previous entry. The webmaster will also request specific types of articles from time to time, and contributions from directors will be most welcome.
F. QUARTERLY (PRIMROSES)
Make every effort to contribute at least one article, whether long or short, during your term of office. Contact the Editor for suggestions for suitable articles.
Revised February 22, 2023