2008 Board Member, Officer, and Committee Chair Responsibilities

As a part of the Letter of Commitment signed as a board candidate:

If elected to the USGBC – CHICAGO CHAPTER Board of Directors, I will commit to the following basic responsibilities of a Director as requested:

• help determine the organization’s mission and purposes;
• hire staff (if applicable);
• ensure effective organizational planning;
• ensure adequate resources;
• manage resources effectively;
• determine, monitor, and strengthen the organization’s programs and services;
• enhance the organization’s public standing;
• ensure legal and ethical integrity and maintain accountability; and
• recruit and orient new board members and assess board performance
• actively participate in at least one committee of my choosing.

If elected to the Board, I will also commit to the following specific responsibilities reflected in the election materials:

• Remain a Chapter member in good standing;
• Contribute knowledge and experience to help assure success of priority programs and needs of the Chapter;
• Help influence key players and sectors in the industry including high priority sectors of real estate, corporate, energy/utility, finance, residential and product manufacturers;
• Help recruit new members for the Chapter;
• Serve on committees as needed including leadership positions;
• Help secure funding for the Chapter’s programs through sponsorships, corporate and charitable sources, and other significant sources of funding;
• Abide by the USGBC’s conflict of interest policy;
• Attend at least three of the four Board meetings each year.

1. Is a member of the Board and the Chapter
2. Serves as the Chief Volunteer of the organization.
3. Is a partner with the Executive Director in achieving the organization's mission
4. Provides leadership to the Board of Directors, who sets policy and to whom the Executive Director is accountable.
5. Chairs meetings of the Board after developing the agenda with the Executive Director.   Agenda and Packet Contents are collected by the Secretary and distributed to the board.
6. Encourages Board's role in strategic planning and plans a strategic planning session with the board and committee chairs every other year on years ending in odd numbers.
7. Serves a one year term as past chair, a non-voting ex officio member of the Board of Directors.
8. Discusses issues confronting the organization with the Executive Director, Secretary, Vice Chair and Treasurer on a bi weekly basis as needed in person or via conference call.
9. Helps guide and mediate Board actions with respect to organizational priorities and governance concerns.
10. Reviews with the Executive Director any issues of concern to the Board.
11. Monitors financial planning and financial reports.
12. Plays a role in fundraising activities.
13. Formally evaluates the performance of the Executive Director with the Secretary, Vice Chair and Treasurer and informally evaluates the effectiveness of the Board members.
14. Evaluates annually the performance of the organization in achieving its mission.
15. Performs other responsibilities assigned by the Board.
16. Plan and facilitate regular board meetings
17. Serve as Chapter contact to National and Region
18. Serve as a public representative for the Chapter to the Region

1. Is a member of the Board and the Chapter
2. Check & balance for liaison follow-up with their committees:
   1. Verifies that board meeting minutes with committee specific directives are being communicated via the board liaison
   2. Verifies that committee meeting minutes are being generated and forwarded to the VC.
3. Strategic Planning - information gathering and bi-annual follow-up with the committee alongside the ED.
4. Takes PR / Media training - as the next chair and face of the chapter so as to work alongside the executive director doing presentations or other major
5. Running Board meetings in the absence of the Chair
6. Ad-hoc member of governance only in the advisory capacity of board member development and board policy development
7. Go / No Go clearing house - assist committees in generating GNG - distribute to EC for initial review - then board.....follow-up with committee liaison to make sure GNG directives communicated.
8. Apprentice to Chair first year, Successor to Chair second year.

1. Is a member of the Board and the Chapter
2. Serve as Chair of Finance Committee
3. Keep and handle all financial business of the Chapter
4. Budget Planning with the ED and committees
5. Provides monthly budget/treasurer’s report to Board Secretary for inclusion into the board packet.

1. Is a member of the Board and the Chapter
2. Maintains records of the board and ensures effective management of organization's records
3. Manages minutes of board meetings.  Submits them to the webmaster for posting after board approval.
4. Ensures minutes are distributed to board members shortly 1 week prior to the next board meeting.
5. Is sufficiently familiar with legal documents (articles, by-laws, IRS letters, etc.) to note applicability during meetings
6. Helps plan and run the Strategic Planning Session with the Chair, Vice Chair and Executive Director on alternating years ending in odd numbers.  When a Strategic Planning session is in order for that year, it will be held during the first quarter of the year.
7. Create Monthly Board meeting schedule for the year by the end of January
   1. 4 Face to face meetings required - the balance can be conference calls.
   2. Issue reminders one week prior to meeting and keep track of those attending.
8. Gather the following reports for distribution in the Monthly Board Packet:  the Exec Dir (report), Treasurer (report/budget), and Chair (agenda)
9. Incorporation paper and bank signature card update in January or as needed with board officers positions changing.
10. Manage / appoint scribe for meeting minutes.

The duties are:

1. Attend each committee meeting or designate an alternate in case of a scheduling conflict.
2. Prepare a short paragraph as to the activities of the committee for the meeting minutes record.
3. Convey any board directives or Go/No Go results to the committee.
4. Convey committee resource needs or recommendations to the board.

The duties are:

1. See Committee Chair responsibilities below.
2. Attend each special event committee meeting or designate an alternate in case of a scheduling conflict.
3. Prepare a short paragraph as to the activities of the committee for the meeting minutes record.
4. Convey any board directives or Go/No Go results to the committee.
5. Convey committee resource needs or recommendations to the board.
6. Assist with fundraising for the event.

The duties are:

1. Is a member of the Chapter.
2. Sets tone for the committee work.
3. Ensures that members have the information needed to do their jobs.
4. Oversees the logistics of committee's operations and sets monthly meeting dates and location which are posted on the Chapter's web site.
5. Reports to their Board's assigned Liaison who in turn reports to the Board at the monthly meetings.
6. Reports to the Board Liaison on committee's decisions/recommendations.
7. Works closely with the Executive Director and other staff and committees as agreed to by the Board Chairperson.
8. Assigns work to the committee members, sets the agenda and runs the meetings, and ensures distribution and posting of meeting minutes on a monthly basis.  Also sends a copy of the meeting minutes to the Vice-Chair as a part of the VC committee responsibility as well as GO / No Go's.
9. Initiates and leads the committee's annual evaluation in November.
10. Submits Postings of upcoming events 3 months in advance (or more) on the chapters web site.
11. Signs a copy of the Conflict of Interest Policy yearly and submits it to the Board Secretary.
12. Has a copy of the Conflict of Interest Policy on the table (available) at each committee meeting for committee members to review.
13. Submits a budget for the following year to the Finance Committee by October of the current year.  Also the chair is responsible for notifying the ED of all committee-related expenses and to assist the ED in managing committee-related expenses.
14. Holds elections for Chair position concurrent with the Board Member elections which are usually in November.  The newly elected chair would assume their responsibilities the following January through the balance of the year.
15. The chair or chairs participate in a strategic planning session each year (board / chair retreat) sometime in March or April as well as provide strategic planning info during the month of February. (It is highly recommended that the committee begin its planning process in January.) Additionally, meet with the ED and Vice-Chair at the 6 month point to see where the committee is on their strategic plan.