Duties of Chapter Officers & Chairpersons
The following excerpt is from the Handbook available under Resources on the ADK International Website.
VI. CHAPTERS
A. Officers: president, president-elect and/or vice president, immediate past president, recording secretary, corresponding secretary, treasurer, historian, sergeant-at-arms (optional) and chaplain.
B. Elections: Officers are elected no later than May 1 of even-numbered years, with installation following soon after, so that they may plan the coming year’s program.
C. Committees: Alpha Delta Kappa Month, altruistic, budget, bylaws, fraternity education, membership, nominating, world understanding (optional) and any other committees deemed necessary for conducting chapter business.
D. Executive Board: composed of the elected chapter officers and the immediate past chapter president.
E. Duties of Officers
1. President
a. Serves as chairman of the executive board and holds a minimum of three executive board meetings per year.
b. Plans agenda for and presides at chapter meetings.
c. Votes only to make or break a tie unless the vote is by ballot.
d. Presides at the initiation service ritual. See Manual
e. May preside at the installation of new chapters.
f. Serves on the state/provincial/national council of chapter presidents.
g. Is responsible for the chapter’s ritual booklets and materials and retains them in her possession except when actually in use.
h. Maintains a permanent file of all materials pertinent to the office and passes the file on to her successor.
i. Instructs the officers in the performance of their duties and provides them with the supplies necessary to carry out their duties.
j. Reminds officers to send in all reports promptly.
k. Appoints all committees except the nominating committee.
l. Monitors and guides the activities of officers and committee chairmen in the fulfillment of their duties.
m. Is familiar with the types of membership status.
n. Completes Report for Member Changes (Form H-119) as necessary and sends the form as shown in upper left hand corner.
o. Checks on the following with regard to supplies and required forms:
(1) Supplies: In August, Headquarters sends a packet of materials to the chapter president that includes materials for the corresponding secretary and membership chairman. The president provides the materials to the corresponding secretary and membership chairman. The president also checks that all materials listed on the contents sheets are enclosed.
(2) Annual Chapter Highlights Summary (Form H-114): The corresponding secretary completes and sends form to International Headquarters by August 1. In September, the corresponding secretary sends a copy of the chapter yearbook tothe S/P/N president. The president checks with the corresponding secretary to ascertain that the chapter yearbook is being sent to the S/P/N president annually and that the H-114 is being sent annually to Headquarters.
(3) Member Record Update: The chapter president completes the Member Record Update and returns it to Headquarters by May 1.
(4) Record of Payment (Form H-138): The president checks with the treasurer regarding payment of chapter, state/provincial/national, and International dues and publication fees. The president and the treasurer investigate reasons why any members are delinquent in the payment of their dues.
(5) Officers’ and Committee Chairmen’s Files: The president checks with all officers and committee chairmen at the conclusion of their term to make sure that their files are turned over to the new officers and committee chairmen.
2. President-Elect/Vice President
a. Assumes the duties of the president in her absence or if she is temporarily unable to perform her duties.
b. Performs any duties assigned to her by the president or by the executive board.
c. Participates in the pledge ceremony and the initiation service ritual.
d. Serves as chairman of the program committee and supervises the compilation of the yearbook.
e. Serves on the state/provincial/national council of chapter presidents.
3. Recording Secretary
a. Takes the minutes for all meetings (regular, special and executive board).
b. Presents the minutes at each meeting.
c. Sends a copy of the chapter minutes to the S/P/N president monthly.
4. Corresponding Secretary
a. Handles all chapter correspondence.
b. Reads correspondence at the president’s request.
c. Completes and sends the Annual Chapter Highlights Summary (Form H-114) to International Headquarters by August 1.
d. Maintains a current record of chapter members’ names and addresses.
e. Sends a copy of the chapter yearbook to the S/P/N president in September.
5. Treasurer
a. Administers the operating account(s) of the chapter, keeping itemized records of all receipts and expenditures in a permanent file.
b. Collects chapter, state/provincial/national and International dues, fees and assessments.
c. Disburses funds as directed by the president or by the executive board.
d. Makes regular reports to chapter members.
e. Sends International dues, publication fees, and ITE payment (Form H-138) to Headquarters, postmarked by January 31.
f. Distributes membership cards.
g. Sends state/provincial/national dues to state/provincial/national treasurer.
h. Submits required annual financial reports to the state treasurer.
i. Files Internal Revenue Service (IRS) forms, or other tax forms, if required.
j. Is familiar with the membership status of all members.
k. Makes the records available for the annual or biennial audit.
6. Historian
a. Collects information pertinent to the history/activities of the chapter.
b. Prepares the chapter archives book.
c. Displays the book at chapter meetings and other meetings (district, state/provincial/national) as requested.
d. Sends to the state/provincial/national historian materials appropriate for consideration for inclusion in the state/provincial/national and regional archives.
e. Participates in the initiation service ritual.
f. Writes the chapter history for the biennium.
7. Sergeant-at-Arms
a. Serves as the official doorkeeper at chapter meetings.
b. Performs duties assigned to her at regular meetings.
c. Presents the pledges to the membership chairman at the pledge service.
d. Participates in the initiation service ritual.
8. Chaplain
a. Has charge of devotions at all chapter meetings, installations, and other fraternal functions.
b. Participates in the initiation service ritual.
9. Immediate Past President
a. Serves in an advisory capacity to the chapter.
b. Serves on the state/provincial/national council of chapter presidents.
c. Completes the unexpired term of the president if the office of president becomes vacant.
F. Duties of Standing Committees
1. Alpha Delta Kappa Month
a. Makes recommendations for appropriate activities and events in observation of Alpha Delta Kappa Month.
b. Carries out appropriate activities and events as requested.
2. Altruistic
a. Makes recommendations for altruistic projects.
b. Carries out altruistic projects as requested.
c. Completes and forwards the chapter altruistic report each year to the state/provincial/national altruistic chairman by the requested date.
3. Budget
a. Prepares an annual budget and presents it to the members for consideration.
b. Includes in the proposed budget all income and expense categories for the year/biennium.
4. Bylaws
a. Follows the Guidelines for Developing State/Provincial/National/Chapter Bylaws.
b. Updates chapter bylaws as necessary after the International convention and state/provincial/national convention to conform to International and state/provincial/national bylaws.
c. Sends updated chapter bylaws to state/provincial/national bylaws chairman for certification.
d. Presents proposed amendments to the chapter for consideration.
e. Forwards any proposed amendments to state/provincial/national bylaws to the state/provincial/national bylaws chairman for consideration.
f. Forwards any proposed amendments to the International Bylaws to the International Bylaws Committee Chairman for consideration.
g. Distributes chapter bylaws to chapter members and new initiates.
5. Fraternity Education
a. Plans and presents a fraternity education activity for each meeting.
b. Prepares and presents one meeting program a year in observance of Founders’ Day.
6. Membership
Utilize the Membership Development Manual to:
a. Assess membership needs of the chapter.
b. With the executive board, set membership goals, formulate and submit Membership Action Plan to the state/provincial/national membership consultant.
c. Provide overall coordination of the new member process, including the following:
(1) Supply members with the Prospective Member Recommendation (Form H-151) and review membership requirements.
(2) Meet with the applicant(s) to explain purposes of the sorority, and responsibilities and obligations of members and to answer questions.
(3) Handle the voting process for new members, including preparing the ballot, supervising the balloting, and announcing results.
(4) Handle administrative procedures related to the prospective new member(s), including obtaining completed Membership application, H-103/131, and fees.
d. Send forms and fees to International Headquarters.
e. Assist the president with the pledge (optional) and initiation ceremonies.
f. Complete the Report of Initiation of Chapter Pledges (Form H-133) following the initiation and send it to the specified locations.
7. Nominating
a. Develops a slate of chapter officers for consideration by chapter members.
b. Presents the slate of officers to the members.
8. World Understanding (optional)
a. Coordinates world understanding efforts within the chapter.
b. Completes and forwards the chapter world understanding report each year to the state/provincial/national world understanding chairman by the requested date.
