Contents

 

Introduction

President	Treasurer	Secretary
Overview Personal Skills Skills You Can Gain Key Responsibilities Key Times of Year Contact Point Key Contacts	Overview Personal Skills Skills You Can Gain Key Responsibilities Key Times of Year Key Contacts Finance Procedures	Overview Personal Skills Skills You Can Gain Key Responsibilities Key Times of Year Events Booking Procedure Key Contacts

 

Introduction

 

This handbook has been written to help provided a short overview to the three main committee roles: President, Treasurer and Secretary. It aims to provide some context and understanding to each role and help societies understand committees better, in order to enable you in providing an excellent experience for your society members.

Responsibilities are not exclusive and may vary amongst societies and roles.

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President

 

Overview

 

The President of a Society is the leader, who oversees all its activity and direction. Throughout the academic year this person will need to provide support, guidance, and direction to the other committee members and the wider membership of the Society. You will also be the main person of contact for the members and the Society.

It’s important that the President ensures that all committee members know they are equal and valued members of the committee. This role can be quite challenging but is incredibly rewarding.  The post holder will need a special set of skills in order to help the group thrive. A strong understanding of the Society is a must, or in the case of a new Society a clear direction of what the Society should be working towards will be needed.

 

Personal Skills

 

Communication: You will need to have a good regular communication with your committee members, your society members and the Students’ Union. 

Commitment:  No one expects you to know everything on day one however, you will need to be able to commit a reasonable amount of time over the year as the leader of your society. 

Motivating:  A good leader will be able to motivate others within the group to take part in activities and engage members regularly.

Fair: It will be important to be consistent, fair, approachable and friendly. 

Organisation: To keep a society going it will require being organised as there are deadlines to be met and timeframes for things including bookings, elections and funding.

Delegation: You are not alone in your group, no doubt you will have many fantastic and eager people around you to contribute to your group’s success, make sure you are getting the most from their support and helping them develop too. Do not be afraid to distribute task fairly and evenly amongst your committee.

 

Skills You Can Gain and Develop

 

Leadership

Decision Making

Organisation

Communication

People Management

 

Key Responsibilities

 

Below are some of your key responsibilities:

Calling Meetings – It is important to arrange meetings to keep your members up to date. The secretary would be expected to assist with the agenda and take minutes of the meeting.

Chairing Meetings – Ensure everything is covered and no-one dominates.

Delegating Tasks – you shouldn’t do everything yourself.

Understanding the Broader Picture – always keep the aims of the Society in mind.

Being a Spokesperson or Figurehead – represent your Society whenever you can and have the best interests of your society at heart. 

Maintaining Committee Enthusiasm – if you’re not passionate, no-one else will be. At times you will have motivate your society.

Administration - Ensuring all relevant paperwork is completed by the relevant committee members on time, to a good standard and submitted to the Union.

Future Proofing – You will be responsible for ensuring that end of your tenure there is someone to take over and complete handovers and any relevant documents to help your successor in the post.

 

Key Times of the Year

 

Contact Point

 

You will be the main contact point for the society from Student’s Union.

We recommend creating a main societal inbox so if there are any general enquiries your personal inbox is not inundated.

 

Key Contacts

 

Name	Responsibilities	Contact Details
Societies Team	The societies team will be your first point of call for most of your enquiries and they will support with your regular activities, society related questions, queries about the website, issues within your society, or if you want to meet to discuss your society. Support with planning an event or trip.	lbsu-societies@leedsbeckett.ac.uk
Welcome Team	Help with room and event bookings enquiries	lbsu-welcome@leedsbeckett.ac.uk
Finance Team	Help with accounts and payments	lbsu-finance@leedsbeckett.ac.uk

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Treasurer

 

Overview

 

Being a Treasurer isn’t just about handling money, it means knowing how your finances stand and planning accordingly. You will learn how to budget, how to write for funding applications, and present financial reports among other things all skills which can be highly desirable.

 

This Handbook as well as the Finance Handbook will help you understand what is required from the role and understand the systems, policies and processes in place at the Student Union.

 

Personal Skills

 

Well Organised - You will need to keep a regular update on the Society’s finances and maintain a track of the societies financial situation.

Numerical Competence - You will need to be able to read and understand your Society’s accounts, you will also need to be able to work within a budget and make sure projects are effective and realistic base on this. 

Communication - You will need to be able to communicate the current finances with your group, your budget planning with the Students’ Union and once a year present the accounts to your membership at your AGM.

Fair - It is important to keep in mind that any expenditure from the membership and budget accounts needs to benefit all members in the Society and not just a certain group of members.

Trustworthy - You will be handling the finances for your Society, including but not limited to membership money, donations, grants, and funding.

Eye for Detail - You will be looking after the finances and it is important to report figures accurately and honestly.

 

Skills You Can Gain and Develop

 

Budget Management

Organisational

Fund/Bid Writing

Communication

Presenting

 

Key Responsibilities

 

• Learning and understanding the Students’ Union finance system.
• Apply for any funding from the Union as necessary and keep an eye out for any funding opportunities from the University or external funders.
• Ensure membership fees are paid help reimburse members where needed.
• Keep track of all income/expenditure in a timely manner.
• Keep the committee and members informed of the Society’s financial situation.
• Organise fundraising or sponsorship for your group.

 

Key Times of the Year

 

• Handover from the previous committee
• Arrange a meeting to speak to the previous treasurer
• Financial planning for the year ahead
• Know how much is in your Society’s Account
• Reading and signing the constitution
• Learn financial processes
• Support your society to make any purchases needed for the start of the year
   

• Complete Society Leader’s Core Training
• Attend full committee meeting
   

• Full committee meeting
• Start planning Handover
   

• Committee elections
• Prepare Financial Report for the AGM - You will need to show the financial situation handed over from the previous committee, how much income you have had and where it came from, and a breakdown of your expenditure. This is to show that your members have had value for money or that you have.
• Attend Society Annual General Meeting (AGM) and present Financial Report
   

• Society awards
• Handover to the next committee

 

Finance Procedures

 

To fully understand the role, we recommend reading the Finance Handbook. This will help provide additional guidance and support.

 

Key Contacts

 

Name	Responsibilities	Contact Details
Societies Team	The societies team will be your first point of call for most of your enquiries and they will support with your regular activities, society related questions, queries about the website, issues within your society, or if you want to meet to discuss your society. Support with planning an event or trip.	lbsu-societies@leedsbeckett.ac.uk
Welcome Team	Help with room and event bookings enquiries	lbsu-welcome@leedsbeckett.ac.uk
Finance Team	Help with accounts and payments	lbsu-finance@leedsbeckett.ac.uk

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Secretary

 

Overview

 

This role is essential in facilitating the smooth running of your Society. Emails need to be written, rooms and venues need to be booked and above all you need to communicate what’s going on to our members, so they stay interested and stay involved. This role provides a great opportunity to test your project management and administration skills.

 

Personal Skills

 

Communication - Your membership needs informing of activities and events; as secretary you will be responsible for making those communications.

Organisation - Successful Societies have excellent record keeping of shared files, applications, and email chains.  Make sure you have a good system which works for your committee.

Time Management -  Over the year there will be deadlines to be met for organising activities, trips and events. There will also be deadlines for funding opportunities.

Writing and Typing -  Committee meetings and AGM’s will need to be, have written minutes, it will also help to have good writing skills to keep your groups page on the Students’ Union website and your social media channels updated.

 

Skills You Can Gain and Develop

 

Project Management

Event Planning

Organisation

Communication

Adminstration

 

Key Responsibilities

 

• Keep the Student Union team updated on any committee changes.
• Arrange meetings and book suitable rooms or venues.
• Maintain up to date membership records, ensuring your members register for the group online through your website page.
• Be aware of key dates for your group throughout the year.
• Help keep on top of all social media outlets, answering enquires which come through the website, and answering emails.
• Keep minutes of meetings as necessary.
• Communicate regularly with your members: let them know what’s going on.
• Assist the President organise your groups AGM
• Know everything the President does and support them every step of the way.

 

Key Times of the Year

 

• Handover from the previous committee
• Arrange a meeting with the previous secretary
• Complete Society Leaders’ Core Training
• Familiarise yourself with society paperwork and SU processes and procedures
• Plan an Activities/Event Calendar for the year
• Plan for the year ahead - think about what paperwork will need to be completed for certain events you are planning to run

 

• Run a Welcome Event
• Recruit new members
• Attend full committee meeting

 

• Plan a Welcome Event for new members
• Full committee meet with society coordinator
• Plan committee handover

 

• Attend Committee elections
• Attend Society Annual General Meeting (AGM)

 

• Society awards
• Assist with Handover document to the the next committee - meet with the incoming Secretary and give them tips for what to do in their role

 

Event and Space Booking

 

To book rooms and spaces for events please use the Space Booking Form.

For more information surrounding events please refer to the Event Handbook.

 

Key Contacts

Name	Responsibilities	Contact Details
Societies Team	The societies team will be your first point of call for most of your enquiries and they will support with your regular activities, society related questions, queries about the website, issues within your society, or if you want to meet to discuss your society. Support with planning an event or trip.	lbsu-societies@leedsbeckett.ac.uk
Welcome Team	Help with room and event bookings enquiries	lbsu-welcome@leedsbeckett.ac.uk
Finance Team	Help with accounts and payments	lbsu-finance@leedsbeckett.ac.uk

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