Hey guys. Today I want to quickly walk through the officer positions of a board, specifically so you can share this episode with your board members—especially if you’re just getting a board off the ground.

Through most of my content, I’m usually talking directly to founders who often end up serving as directors. But today, I want to focus specifically on the officer roles.

There are three officer positions you must have:
President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

President

Let’s start with the President. This is the person who conducts the board meetings.

You work closely with the executive director—the staff, operational leader—and with the secretary to understand what needs to be on the agenda. You’re the one presiding over the meeting, often referred to as the chair.

Your job is to keep order and move the meeting forward. You should know the agenda ahead of time, even if the secretary is the one technically putting it together. You need to think through timing, flow, and how the meeting is going to run.

You’re the one who starts the meeting—whether that’s formally using Robert’s Rules or just clearly saying, “Okay, we’re getting started. Minutes are being recorded. Let’s go.” You set the tone.

As the meeting moves along, you make sure you’re working through the agenda, that everyone has space to contribute, and that no one person dominates the conversation. That means sometimes stepping in—asking quieter members for input or redirecting someone who’s taking over the discussion.

Another really important responsibility that often gets overlooked is conducting votes.

This happens all the time: you discuss an agenda item, everyone shares thoughts, the conversation fades… and no vote ever happens. One of your jobs is to say, “Okay, we’ve discussed this. Does anyone have anything else to add? Can someone make a motion?” And then you make sure the vote is actually taken and recorded.

You’re also responsible for keeping operational issues out of the board meeting. If something drifts into day-to-day operations, you redirect it—either back to the executive director or to a committee.

And finally, you end the meeting on time.

Outside of meetings, the president helps ensure onboarding is happening for new board members and that everyone understands the yearly calendar—things like compliance deadlines, taxes, state filings, strategic planning, and bylaw reviews. You don’t have to do all of this yourself, but you should know when these things are happening and make sure they’re getting done.

You’ll usually collaborate with the executive director and secretary on agenda planning and communication. Just be careful to stay in your governance lane and not drift into operations unless you’re specifically asked.

One more important piece: the board—and especially the officers—are responsible for the executive director. That means making sure the role is clearly defined, compensated, evaluated, and supported. It’s the only staff position the board directly oversees, and that responsibility typically lives with the officers as a group.

Treasurer

The Treasurer oversees the financial side of the organization.

In most cases, there’s an operational staff member handling day-to-day finances, a bookkeeper, and often an outside accountant handling taxes. But the treasurer is responsible for oversight.

This usually means working closely with the executive director to plan the budget, reviewing financial statements, and understanding where money is being spent. The treasurer often leads the finance committee, which may meet between board meetings to review reports, tuition planning, raises, and financial sustainability.

The finance committee might review a proposed budget and then recommend it to the full board for approval.

At a minimum, the treasurer needs to be able to understand financial reports, ask good questions, and have some familiarity with nonprofit accounting. Ideally, they have a stronger financial background—but willingness to learn is also important.

The treasurer is also typically responsible for overseeing taxes and the Form 990. Even if it’s prepared by an accountant, the board—and often the treasurer—signs it.

Secretary

The Secretary is responsible for documentation and communication.

They take meeting minutes, including attendance, votes, major discussions, and action items. They send out agendas before meetings—ideally about a week ahead—and distribute minutes afterward.

The secretary should also maintain organizational records: articles of incorporation, IRS paperwork, bylaws, and contracts. These should never live in someone’s personal email or drive. Everything should be stored in a shared, organizational system so it can be passed on easily to future officers.

The secretary often coordinates agenda items submitted by the executive director, president, or other board members and puts them into a clear, simple agenda format.

They’re essentially the paperwork and process person—and that role is incredibly important.

Other Board Members

Other board members don’t hold officer positions, but they still have responsibilities. They vote, prepare ahead of meetings, declare conflicts of interest when needed, and participate actively.

Ideally, they also serve on committees. Committees allow governance work to happen between meetings so board meetings don’t get bogged down in deep dives that take too long with everyone present.

Those are the three officer roles and how they function together. I hope this helps you—and your board—understand what each position is responsible for and how they support a healthy governance structure.

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Until next time