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You are the President

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As President, you have been chosen by the membership of your Chamber to act as their leader and spokesperson.

A happy and enthusiastic Chamber of Commerce is a successful one. Through your enthusiasm and initiative, the will to work and cooperate with each other can be instilled in every member.

You, the President, are not expected to do all the work yourself but rather to delegate the work and authority so that members may feel they are an important part of your Chamber.

Know your membership and talk over your problems and program of work not only with the older members but with the younger ones. Use the experience of those who have held the Chair before you. Through your combined efforts, your community can become a better place in which to live and work.

You, the President, will be the guiding light throughout your term of office. It is a great responsibility, but one from which you can derive a large measure of satisfaction.

The duties of a President are:

1. to act as chief executive officer of the Chamber;

2. to preside over all meetings, other than committee or task force meetings, or to delegate a Vice-President to do so;

3. to appoint the chair people of committees and task forces;

4. to maintain communications with all chair people;

5. to appoint a nominating committee to see that elections are held in accordance with the provisions of the Bylaws;

6. to ensure that the organization is operating in accordance with the Bylaws;

7. to provide leadership and encouragement to all directors and members;

8. to ensure that the efforts of the organization are adequately publicized; and,

9. to use the office of Vice-President to groom successors.

Relationship with your Vice-President

The President should find many opportunities for availing themselves of the leadership abilities of the Vice-President(s) in carrying out the administrative functions of his or her office. They may be used in an advisory capacity or in supervising committees.

In an active organization, there is so much work to be done in actual administration that the office of Vice-President should be one of real importance and not merely a honourary office.

Each Vice-President should have several definite committees or areas of concern for which he or she is responsible.

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Relationship with your Board of Directors

The President should:

1. see that the number of directors is as provided in the Bylaws;

2. require that regular meetings of the Board be held as provided for in the Bylaws;

3. chair all Board of Directors’ meetings;

4. ensure that an agenda is prepared before all Board of Directors’ meetings;

5. give leadership to the Board, particularly in respect to a program of work;

6. ensure that Board meetings are held in a business-like way, beginning and closing on time;

7. ensure that the budget and all expenditures are properly approved; and,

8. ensure that the directors refer new business to the appropriate committees or task forces.

Relationship with your Secretary/Treasurer

The President should:

1. be sure that the Secretary and the Treasurer keep him/her advised of all significant matters pertaining to administration and finances;

2. ensure, with the Secretary, before each meeting that an agenda, necessary reports, material and information are on hand;

3. ensure that the Secretary and Treasurer carry out the decisions made by the Board;

4. ensure that an audit is conducted at the end of the administrative year, or more frequently if the Board so desires;

5. check frequently with the Secretary and Treasurer to see that all of the organization’s obligations are promptly paid; and,

6. ensure that the Treasurer is maintaining proper records.

Committees and Task Forces

The effectiveness of a Chamber of Commerce depends upon the interest and activities of the various committees and task forces.

The President should:

1. be an ex-officio member of all committees and task forces;

2. when selecting committee and task force members, consider the committee structure in the light of the organization’s needs;

3. ensure that each member is engaged in work which interest him/her personally; and,

4. require that all committees prepare a report at regular intervals for presentation to the Board of Directors.

Program of Action

A program of action is a plan of operations for a Chamber of Commerce and has been described as “a schedule of today’s activities in the light of tomorrow’s needs”.

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A Good Program:

1. charts the future course of activity by establishing the guide posts and channeling the activities of a Chamber towards specific goals; by weighing these goals, one against the other, it promotes balanced activity;

2. provides continuity of progress from year to year and strives to improve upon previous goals;

3. serves as a challenge to the membership to meet its obligations to the community. It promotes interest and participation in Chamber activities and projects;

4. helps to coordinate the activities of the membership for effective concerted action; and,

5. when properly evolved and agreed upon, helps to sell the objectives of the organization to its members and the community at large.

The President Should:

1. see as far as possible that the program of action is based on factual analysis of the community’s needs and possibilities;

2. see that the program reflects sound judgment by giving emphasis to those projects of general interest for which the need is greatest and most urgent;

3. see that the program is flexible enough to accommodate change and revised periodically in the light of changes; and,

4. see that the program is carefully prepared and presented so as to challenge leadership and hold the support of the community’s citizens.

SAMPLE AGENDA

Type of Meeting (Executive/Board/General/Committee)

Date/Place/Time

1. Call meeting to order

2. Adoption of Agenda

3. Grace

4. Meal Service

5. Adoption of Previous Meetings Minutes

6. Business Arising

7. Announcements

8. Introduction of Head Table

9. Introduction of Speaker

10. Speaker’s Address

11. Thanks to the speaker

12. Committee reports

13. New Business

14. Adjournment

Date/Place/Time of next meeting

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