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Honorary Secretary Voluntary Role

Categories: Policies

The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Trustees introduced the role of Honorary Secretary for a specific geographical region in 2016.  It enables the creation of a closer working relationship between staff, Trustees and a single point of contact for any particular geographic location across the globe where there are Fellows of the Society.  Honorary Secretaries are Fellows who wish to help  deliver the Strategic goals of the Society and encourage both activity and recruitment of new Fellows.  They are titled, Honorary Secretary for [insert geographical area] Affairs.

The posts are honorary (not remunerated), limited to three years, with proposals from Fellows considered and agreed by Council Trustees of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

The creation of the post will be advertised to Fellows and require the support of at least ten Fellows from the same geographical area. The area is not to be specified but will be considered on an individual basis by the Council Trustees. There can be multiple Honorary Secretary’s for some larger areas for example; in these cases Honorary Secretary’s will be referred to as An Honorary Secretary for [insert geographical area] Affairs. Council Trustees will request the President or other Council member or staff member meet or call the nominee directly in advance of any consideration by Council.

Fellows will require to:
1) nominate an individual for the honorary post, with all relevant details including full name, contact information, and reasons for nomination
2) garner ten supporting Fellows for the nomination
3) argue the creation of a geographical area if none already agreed or if a similar or overlapping area is already agreed

The post will be required to:
1) report annually to the Council of the Society
2) the same or other reports promoted on the website and/or in the Newsletter as required
3) raise the profile of the Society locally
4) act as a first point of contact for Fellows and non-Fellows in the geographical area should Fellows wish to do so; they will always be able to contact the staff or Council Trustees if they so wish; also the first point of contact for Council Trustees or staff who wish to work in the area (either through a Society event or other means)
5) ensure that use of the title Honorary Secretary for (insert geographical area) Affairs will not be used to further personal gain (other than legitimate inclusion on a C.V. for example)
6) declare any conflicts of interest
7) not bring the Society into disrepute
8) it is considered preferable that the President or other Council member or staff member would meet or call the person suggested in advance of any appointment

The post will receive:
1) the honour of being called (An) Honorary Secretary for [insert geographical area] Affairs, listed on the website and in other publications, including the PSAS
2) a virtual support network of staff, Council members and other Honorary Secretaries; i.e. currently this is simply the ability to raise issues with Council and staff via email, but will hopefully develop into an online knowledge hub when resources allow
3) full briefing from staff and/or Council on a) the Society, b) topics of particular interest to the local Fellowship
4) Staff and Council support in developing Fellowship-led events or other aspirations where these are agreed by Council or staff to be in the interests of the Society; this is limited to “soft” resources such as expertise, contacts and so on.

Council Trustees will consider applications for Honorary Secretarial positions at Council meetings, and have the power to refuse, add conditions, and remove such positions as required. For clarity the post is not a Trustee of the Society.

This framework was agreed by Trustees at the 19 December 2016 Council Meeting.


Honorary Secretary Framework Document ▼

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