Board Position Descriptions

Executive Board (Elected Positions)

Chair-Elect

Six-year term (Two years as Chair-Elect, followed two years as Chair, and two years as Past Chair)

  1. Act for the Chair in his/her absence.
  2. Attend Area I Board meetings and report at these meetings for the Standing Committees listed in the Area I Bylaws, Article IV.  Following the board meetings, communicate any pertinent decisions or information from the meetings to the Standing Committee Chairs.
  3. Act as an ex-officio member of the Nominating Committee.
  4. Along with the Chair, proofread the minutes of Board meetings as prepared by the secretary.
  5. Coordinate with the Chair to attend state events as much as possible.
  6. Chair the Scholarship Committee.
  7. Perform other duties as assigned by the Chair.
  8. Upon completion of the two-year term of office accede to the office of Chair.

Chair

Two-year term (followed by two years term of Past Chair)

  1. Schedule, prepare an agenda for, and chair all Area I Board meetings.
  2. Prepare a report for all Area I Board meetings.
  3. Call meetings of the Executive Committee, composed of the Chair, Chair-Elect, Past Chair, Secretary andTreasurer as needed.
  4. Be a member ex-officio of all committees, except the Nominating Committee.
  5. Make appointments of appointed officers and Standing Committee Chairs as listed in the Area I Bylaws Article III, Sec. 2 and Article IV, Sec. 1.
  6. Appoint a Nominating Committee Chair and Nominating Committee according to the Nominating Committee Policies and Procedures.
  7. Along with the Chair-Elect, proofread the minutes of Board meetings as prepared by the secretary.
  8. Coordinate with the Chair-elect to attend state events as much as possible.
  9. Communicate with the Area I membership through the Fundamental Tone, the Area 1 Newsletter, according to its publication schedule.
  10. Approve all expenditures over $500 before payment by the Treasurer.
  11. Attend National Leadership meetings as much as possible, and suggest additional attendees from Area 1 leadership.
  12. Upon completion of the two-year term of office accede to the office of Past Chair.

Past-Chair

Two-year term.

  1. Assist Chair with meeting planning
  2. Be a member of the Nominating Committee, according to the Area 1 Bylaws, Article III, Section 1.1.
  3. Assist with orientation of new Board members and Standing Committees, as needed
  4. Assist with planning major Area 1 events, including, but not limited to Festival / Conference.
  5. Attend all Area 1 Board meetings as needed.

Secretary

The Secretary serves for two years. (Eligible to serve 2 consecutive 2 year terms)
1. Keep an accurate and proper record of all meetings of the Handbell Musicians of America AREA 1, Inc. membership, of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee.
2. Distribute, within four weeks, copies of the minutes of each meeting, to all members of the Executive Committee for review and clarification.
3. Distribute, within eight weeks, copies of the minutes to the full Board including Standing Committee Chairs.
4. Maintain a Motion Book for the Area 1 Board.
5. Maintain a master set of Policy Files for the Area 1 Board.
6. Serve as Corresponding Secretary when requested by the Chair.

Treasurer

The treasurer serves for two years. (Eligible to serve 2 consecutive 2 year terms)
1. Receive and disburse funds pertaining to AGEHR Area I, Inc. business. This includes maintaining ProPay account, transferring funds to Area 1’s checking account, and crediting the funds and fees to the appropriate accounts.
2. Work with the Festival/Conference Chair on all financial aspects of the Festival/Conference.
3. Keep a proper set of books and accounts, which are reviewed annually by a CPA – fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 and ending Sept. 30. The CPA will complete tax returns for IRS and State of MA.
4. File annual report with State of MA. (Corporation Annual Report (M.G.L. Ch. 180) to the Secretary of the Commonwealth).  The report is due Nov 1 of each year.
5. Issue 1099 Misc forms to clinicians and other vendors, and File forms with IRS – to be done in Jan of each year.
6. Develop an annual budget.

Appointed Officers

State Chair

State and Provincial Chairs are appointed by the Area 1 Chair for a term of two years.  Encouraging local handbell events, supporting local handbell choirs, and promoting membership within the state are the main tasks of the position.  These tasks fall into seven main areas:

  1. Communicate with current and prospective members regarding activities and benefits of membership.
  • Most communication can be done through email, using BCC’s for privacy.  Be sure to use regular mail for those without email contact.
  • Email lists of members are available on the Leadership section of the National webpage; with advance notice, printed mailing labels are available for a fee
  • Send out information perhaps a few times each year to everyone, letting them know events of interest (workshops, Spring Rings, handbells concerts, etc.)
  • Keep in touch with directors and let them ask/know what help is available.
  • Submit timely articles to Fundamental Tone and to Overtones if of national interest;  keep Area 1 Webmaster informed of events and articles of interest
  1. Recruit new members and retain existing members.
  • Attend local events as much as possible to represent and publicize the Guild
  • Publicize the various levels of membership with Handbell Musicians of America
  • Coordinate with Membership Chair to keep in touch with new members or lapsed members
  • Find out, if possible, why a member has chosen not to renew
  1. Provide mentors as needed for new or revitalizing groups.
  • Recruit experienced directors who would be willing to serve as mentors
  • Communicate with directors, especially those with a new membership, and offer mentoring if they would like
  • Coordinate with the Chime Loaner program and offer mentoring
  1. Initiate and facilitate statewide and local events; promote events organized by Area 1 and other groups.
  • Initiate events such as Spring Ring, directors’ discussions, workshops, etc., taking care to avoid conflict with other Area 1 events
  • Recruit leadership to plan and run such events
  • Information about endorsed and sponsored events can be found on the National webpage, along with all the forms needed and the instructions to use them
  • Promote all Area 1 events (Festival, workshops, etc.)
  1. Plan and implement the state’s budget.
  • Submit a State budget to the Area 1 Treasurer yearly
  • Follow and guidelines and rules set by Area 1 Board
  • Budget may include travel expenses for Chair to attend events, postage, printing, supplies needed for communication or events  (Spring Ring is usually run on a separate budget, submitted to National and administered through the Area 1 Treasurer)
  1. Attend Area 1 Board meetings
  • Submit quarterly reports to the Board.
  • Attend and support Area 1 events
  1. Seek out and encourage leadership within the state.
  • Cultivate relationships
  • Offer leadership roles in planning/running state-wide events

Education Liaison

  1. Submit a report at and attend all Area I Board meetings and meetings of the Area I membership.
  2. Maintain and store the sets of handchimes owned by Area I.
  3. Publicize the Chime Loan Program for schools to the Area I membership and to educators.
  4. Handle all aspects of processing applications for the Chime Loan Program.
  5. Appoint and oversee State Education liaisons.
  6. Act as a liaison between Area I and professional educational organizations.
  7. Act as a resource for Area I members by teaching at Area I events, writing articles for Area publications, and being available to communicate with individual members regarding incorporating ringers with special needs and developing healthy ringing techniques for all ringers.

Membership Chair + Workshop Coordinator

  1. Submit a report at and attend all Area I Board meetings and meetings of the Area I membership.
  2. Maintain and distribute to Area I Board members a list of all Area I members.
  3. Work with State Chairs in recruiting new members and retaining existing members.
  4. Publicize the benefits of Guild membership.
  5. Communicate with new members and dropped members regarding activities and benefits of Guild membership.
  6. Maintain a list of all Area events and local concerts and events.

Standing Committee Chairs + Ex-officio Positions

Asterisk (*) indicates that this position is not a voting member of the board of directors. Per by-laws, these positions report to the chair elect, and must be members of the Handbell Musicians of America.

Chime Loaner Program*

  1. Maintain and store the sets of handchimes owned by Area 1.
  2. Coordinate with the webmaster to keep chime application and information updated.
  3. Review applications and determine eligibility of applicants, giving priority to schools, then churches or community programs.
  4. Determine delivery method of chimes and other materials: shipping, personal delivery, or second party hand-off.
  5. Work with the Education Liaison to publicize the program.
  6. Provide Treasurer with a list of recipients, school/church, email, and phone numbers in order to procure a one year membership in Handbell Musicians of America.
  7. Provide Treasurer with reimbursement forms and receipts for shipping, repairs and publicity.

Communications Director

  1. Attend Area 1 Board meetings.
  2. Integrate the Guild’s brand standards across Area 1 communication platforms (e.g. print, web, email, social media).
  3. Publicize member resources, educational and networking opportunities to existing and prospective Area 1 members, primarily via electronic and social media.

Newsletter Editor*

  1. Attend Area 1 Board meetings when requested to do so by the Area 1 Chair.
  2. Prepare, edit, and email links to the Area I Newsletter, “The Fundamental Tone”, six times a year.
  3. Submit a report to all Area 1 Board meetings and meetings of the Area 1 membership through the Area 1 Chair-Elect.

Historian/Archivist*

  1. Submit a report to all Area I Board meetings and meetings of the Area I membership through the Area I Chair-Elect.
  2. Attend Area I Board meetings when requested to do so by the Area I Chair.
  3. Preserve, Maintain, and display (at appropriate events) the historical records of AGEHR Area I, and NEGEHR.
  4. Form and maintain a group of regional assistants who will collect and submit documents (programs, news stories) pertaining to current Area I events, concerts or other members’ activities.
  5. Establish and maintain a database of local and regional newspapers and other publications which might carry news releases of Area I events.
  6. Author and submit articles on topics of historical interest for Area and national publications.
  7. Work with the Membership Services and Events Coordinators to publicize Area events to the greater musical and educational communities.

Registrar*

  • Attend board meetings as needed.
  • Create online registration forms for all Area 1 sponsored events
  • Manage all sponsored event registration processes:
    • Provide support for registrants
    • Publish announcements, instructions, reminders and general communication updates for each event
    • Troubleshoot and resolve interface issues with service providers as necessary
    • Provide check-in materials and/or services at events
    • Assist in orphan/host assignments for massed ringing events
    • Summarize and report all registration data, including registrant lists, payment information, class registrations, and orphan/host assignments and group space requirements for massed ringing events.
  • Maintain updated contact information from event attendance and membership lists
  • Coordinate with webmaster to publish all event registration information
  • Research and stay current with registration service providers to stay up-to-date on the most cost effective and functional options for the Guild’s registration needs

Webmaster*

  1. Maintain the calendar on the Area 1 website.
  2. Maintain the website content (WordPress), including updating form documents, adding articles, updating pages.
  3. Attend board meetings as needed. (Useful for gathering information that needs to get posted.)