Let’s get PTO nerdy and talk about the difference between the different kinds of secretaries that PTOs (Parent Teacher Organizations) can have.
Some groups will just have one type of Secretary as an executive board position, and some will have two.
So if you have a bigger group or if you have more defined responsibilities within the Secretary position, then you will have job duties divided between a Recording Secretary and a Corresponding Secretary.
We’re going to cover just what those secretarial job responsibilities are and how they’re divided in this post, leaving no questions!
Experience Needed for Secretary Candidates
The Secretary role is a fantastic position for brand new PTO volunteers who don’t have any prior experience.
The job role is very specific and generally easy to follow.
New leaders can step in to the Secretary role, get the lay of the land, and really learn how the group works to prepare them for a larger role within the parent group.
It’s a great training ground because Secretaries get to see how everything works without being responsible for more involved tasks.
The Secretary role is vitally important even though the job duties and responsibilities are very straightforward.
PTO Secretary Responsibilities
The PTO Secretary is primarily responsible for record keeping, communications, and executive board participation. Let’s break down each of those functions.
Executive Board Participation
Executive board participation, means attending the executive board meetings, attending the general membership meetings, and actively participating in the planning and organization decision-making process of the board.
Healthy PTOs are organized and plan programs events and fundraisers in advance and Secretaries can and should take part in the process.
Holding a PTO Executive Board position means being a leader in the group, both in thought and willingness to take action.
Record Keeping
The Secretary’s chief job is to document the meetings and provide a clean record of all of the decisions made during the meetings.
In particular, the minutes should note all motions made during the meeting, as well as any action items the group decided to take.
Another major responsibility of the Secretary is to safeguard and preserve the meeting minutes.
Maintaining the records of the PTO is a crucial role within every parent group.
This can be done by organizing and storing physical copies in a 3 ring binder.
There’s no need to digitize the paper copies of meeting minutes from long ago, just keep them in a safe place free from moisture.
Establish an online PTO repository, using Google Drive, DropBox or another similar service, for the records that future leaders can easily access.
Organize digital versions of the minutes in the repository to create an online archive.
Most groups use a hybrid of both storage and preservation options.
Especially, if the PTO is an IRS recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, copies of all meeting minutes need to be retained indefinitely.
Even if the group isn’t a 501(c)(3) organization, it’s a good idea to keep all of this information to be transparent to members now and future.
Communications
The communications aspect of the Secretary role includes writing thank-you notes to volunteers, community sponsors, teachers, administrators and school staff.
Beyond a regular thank you, cards of support for life milestones or events like a baby, marriage, family death or illness, job promotion, and retirement are other reasons to provide support via a greeting card.
It’s a low-cost way to demonstrate your support, and help the teachers and staff feel seen.
This small gesture can really bolster the relationship between the PTO and the staff and help reinforce a connection.
The Principal and Teacher Liaison can let the Secretary know which staff members are celebrating or need a supportive note.
Social media posting is another potential aspect of the Secretary’s role, especially if the PTO doesn’t have a separate Social Media Manager.
Using social media to reach parents is an essential communication tool that shouldn’t be dismissed.
Having more than one person posting on the PTO’s social media platforms is a good way to spread the workload.
Compiling and editing information to include in the PTO newsletter also falls under the umbrella of the PTO Secretary.
The newsletter can be in whatever format is easiest to produce on a regular basis, whether that be using a themed newsletter template or a less formal email style newsletter.
Additional job responsibilities
Each PTO may have different needs to be supported by the Secretary.
Be sure to consult your group’s Bylaws and Standing Rules to see if there are additional job duties not outlined here.
PTO Recording Secretary Duties
For larger PTOs with enough volunteers for both a Corresponding and Recording Secretary, the job duties are split between two volunteers.
The Recording Secretary takes on the task of taking notes during executive board and general membership meetings and organizing the notes into the official meeting minutes.
The minutes should be distributed to members as soon as possible so that people not in attendance can see what happened.
In my PTO, the Secretary sends the minutes to the President and one or two other designated members to proofread the minutes.
This enables the minutes to be sent out to all before being formally accepted and approved at the next PTO meeting.
Quickly getting the minutes to members not able to attend can boost involvement and help people stay in the loop.
All of the decisions that the PTO is making should be happening at the PTO meeting, and should be happening on the record.
Keeping the group’s decisions transparent is an important element for healthy PTOs.
Maintaining and safeguarding the archive of minutes falls to the Recording Secretary.
PTO Corresponding Secretary Job Duties
The Corresponding Secretary, is in charge of all of the other secretarial job duties as outlined above. This includes:
- Sending thank you and congratulations notes, as well as cards of support.
- Coordinating the PTO newsletter
- Social media posts
- Communications with members, including meeting reminders
This role is particularly good for familiarizing a new volunteer with the school, teachers and staff.
The practice of sending cards speeds the process since the Recording Secretary gets exposure to the teachers and staff in a different way.
Resources for PTO Secretaries
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Don’t waste another minute juggling paperwork.
This complete bundle provides the exact resources you need to build a powerful officer binder, simplifying meeting preparation, execution, and post-meeting tasks.
Designed for both Recording and Corresponding Secretaries, this kit is your key to efficient record-keeping and streamlined communication.
Take control of your PTO role now!
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Our two page classic newsletter template will also save you a ton of time and effort with the predesigned elements. Change up the color scheme with a click of the button to customize with your PTO’s colors.
Over to You
The bottom line is that the Secretary role is an indispensable member of the PTO team.
Whether your PTO has one Secretary or both a Recording Secretary and a Corresponding Secretary, knowing the distinctions between the job duties is helpful and assures the most green Secretary volunteers that they’re on the right track.
