The Society Secretary Role

These notes have been produced to provide further background to the role of Society Secretary in a Community Benefit Society. You will be aware that our business is already up and running, so we have in place processes and procedures to carry out the role. This means that the necessary documentation is in place, and we are adhering to the requirements of the various bodies, such as the Financial Conduct Authority, who oversee the financial aspects of running a Community Benefit Society such as ours.

So the person coming into the role would not need to start with a clean slate, and would be able to pick up from a solid basis already in place. They will have the ability to amend these as they see fit, but our current Society Secretary has agreed to provide a handover.

It’s important to recognise that, as with all Management Committee roles, this is a voluntary role. It is by no means a full-time role, and can be fitted in whenever you are able. Also remember that the role is not about doing everything, it’s about making sure things are being done.

Job description

Below you will find a number of documents that should help to understand the role. This is the official guidance provided by the Financial Conduct Authority:

https://thefsa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/SD-Society-Secretary-Guidance-2017.pdf

Along with this we are providing links to other documents provided by The Plunkett Foundation. We are members of the Plunkett Foundation, who are the experts in the set up, organisation and running of Community Shops and Pubs (www.plunkett.co.uk).

The first document provides an overview of how the Society Secretary fits into the overall management structure of the business.

https://plunkett.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Committee_Roles_and_Responsibilities-1.pdf

The second is a more detailed document providing guidance on how the roles work together to provide effective overall management of the business.

https://plunkett.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Committee-Roles-and-TOP-Tips.doc

If you are interested in finding out more about the role, contact Neil Brown, our Chairman – email: chair@normandyshop.co.uk.