Committee Role Descriptions

Management Committee Role Descriptions 2015-2016

Chair

The chair’s basic responsibilities include leading the committee meetings (half termly so, 6) and the AGM in the September following your term (to hopefully elect your replacement!). You will need to be available to sign cheques, sign-off on monthly payroll (treasurer can also do this) as well as give the okay to expenditures. The pre-school’s finance officer is often around in the mornings at drop-off so if you have a few minutes after dropping off your child, these things can get done then. It is nice, too, to be able to see you child in the pre-school setting, especially if they don’t know you’re there!

One of the most important parts of the role, however, is being supportive and available to the pre-school manager for quick catch-ups at drop-off and occasional meetings over coffee. The manager is great at helping the chair along in what needs to happen when (though we are handing over a calendar of dates this year so you have an overview of what’s to come) and letting the chair know when support is needed.

At the end of the year in June/July, it is the chair’s responsibility to put together a sub-committee to do the staff annual pay review. To a certain point, the finance officer can help with the process based on both the current financial picture and what has been done in previous years. Also at this time are the appraisals for the manager and other non-play worker staff. Other responsibilities include looking out and applying for grants to support the school (Knutsford Town Council, for one). The current chair will provide you with a proper hand-off of all notes, dates, letters, and current status.

Beyond that, it is really up to you as to what and how much you do to help the pre-school. Availability and a flexible schedule are somewhat key for this role. Chairs have come from all sorts of different backgrounds and experiences – you most likely have a skill set that could be totally beneficial to the pre-school. So please don’t rule yourself out!!

It is not a required position but if you are considering the role of chair but would like to share some of the responsibilities, a vice chair can also be elected.

Secretary

The main role of the secretary is to take minutes of the Committee meetings (half termly) and annual AGM and circulate to the committee, attending staff and to the pre-school’s holding trustees. As the pre-school is a charity and follows a constitution, meeting minutes are required.

The secretary can also authorize expenditures as and when required and can also be a signatory to sign cheques. Again, further responsibilities can be taken on, as in helping out with fundraisers as well as coordinating the school trip in July. Time commitment is minimal, mainly committee meetings (always in the evening) and helping the fundraisers.

Treasurer

The treasurer can authorize expenditures and payroll as and when required and also be a signatory for cheque signing. Monthly meetings with the finance officer take place to review monthly accounts and actual v. forecast. These usually last 1 hour or so, usually over a coffee after drop-off though evening meetings are possible.

At the committee meetings (and AGM), the treasurer reports to the committee the bank balances, monthly income and expenditure totals, actual v forecast and any other items to note. Need to be available for committee meetings, monthly meetings with the finance officer, and around at drop-off times if possible for signing cheques, etc.

Chief Fundraiser

As the chief fundraiser, it is your responsibility to manage the fundraising team and oversee all fundraising events. You can delegate responsibilities to the team but make sure things happen on time as there are lots of elements involved in each event.

You would report to the committee at the half-termly meetings where the events are at, what is happening, and profits made. The fundraising team as a whole looks for new and fresh ways to raise funds for the school. It’s important to liaise with the primary school PTA to make sure event dates don’t overlap.

Another element would be to look into potential corporate sponsors for cash donations. It could also benefit the school to consider holding a larger charity fundraising event, open to the community, possibly partnering with another children’s charity to do so.

Fundraiser

There are usually 3 to 4 fundraisers who work together on all fundraising activities for the year. Responsibilities include running cake stalls, raffles, selling tickets for events, asking local businesses for donated prizes (for raffles) all while keeping costs down to maximise profits.

The fundraisers are welcome to the committee meetings, which often turn into a good forum to discuss new fundraising activities and event dates. They can also all meet as a sub-committee, which proves helpful in co-ordinating upcoming events.

Below is a list of fundraising activities that have been run in the past:

The above is to give you an idea of the types of events that have worked previously but new ideas are always welcome. It is a good idea to have a fundraiser meeting early in the term to start things off with a bang.

General Volunteer

In the past, general members have been elected and gone through the DBS checks to be official committee members. Moving forward, we suggest having a group of volunteers who aren’t committee members but have the time and availability to be called upon to support and help with fundraising activities.

All new official committee members will need to complete a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service – to prove there is no criminal record) form as well as an EY2 (Declaration and Consent Form), which gives Ofsted consent to conduct suitability checks. More info provided at AGM.

If you would like to express interest in or find out more about these roles, please contact us. Thank you!