Trustee Responsibilities

Although it is an honor to serve on the Laurelhurst Community Club board of trustees, there are no honorary positions! Each trustee shares in responsibilities to ensure that the community club is an effective, vital organization.

Qualifications to Serve on the Board of Trustees 

  1. LCC members, as defined by the geographical boundaries of Laurelhurst in the bylaws, are eligible to serve on the LCC Board of Trustees.    
  2. Candidates to serve on the Board must have a demonstrated interest in community issues and LCC.  
  3. Candidates must have a demonstrated ability to work cooperatively with the Board of Trustees.
  4. Trustees must contribute to the financial health of the organization.
  5. Candidates must agree to adhere to LCC’s conflict of interest policy and avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest.
View Conflict of Interest Policy

Responsibilities of a LCC Trustee 

Here is a listing of trustee expectations and responsibilities to help you decide whether you would like to take on the challenge of serving on the board of trustees.

Attend All Meetings

Trustees must arrive on time and stay until the end. All trustees take part in decision making–you are needed! Meetings take place the second Monday evening of each month.

Prepare for Trustee Meetings

As a trustee, you will participate in policy decisions and you will need to develop an understanding of neighborhood issues and projects. Prior to each meeting, you must read your agenda and the enclosures and any other reports forwarded to you during the interim between board meetings. This will allow for more efficient meetings and more intelligent, informed decision making.

Assist With Administrative Responsibilities

  1. Agenda Requests and Trustee Packet Distribution: Each month, trustees share in the responsibility of submitting agenda requests and in distributing trustee packets. The trustee packets insure that members of the board of trustees have the information necessary to make informed decisions about issues confronting our community and are kept abreast of all community club activities.
  2. Flyer Distribution: The community club sponsors several events and activities throughout the year and occasionally issues arise that require notification to neighbors. Flyers are prepared and trustees are expected to assist in flyer distribution.
  3. Administrative Committees: Issues such as bylaw review and revision, policy development and insurance are important to management of the organization and committees are regularly formed to address these issues. Trustees are needed to volunteer to work on or chair these activities.
  4. Other: Assistance is often needed with data base management or maintenance of the community club home page. These responsibilities are critical to insure we are able to contact our neighbors and get the word out about community club activities and events.

Carry Out Portfolio Assignments

  1. Represent the community club and the positions it has taken in other organizations (such as Northeast District Council, Seattle Community Council Federation, City-University Community Advisory Committee, the Sand Point Community Liaison Committee and the Laurelhurst Advisory Council). This means attending meetings of those organizations at least once a month in addition to trustee meetings and reporting back to the Laurelhurst board of trustees either verbally or through written reports.
  2. Chair or serve on a Laurelhurst committee: As chair, your role is to develop a committee including trustees and interested neighbors to nurture participation and leadership. You will be responsible for following issues of importance to the neighborhood, scheduling meetings as necessary, coordinating with your committee and reporting to the board on any positions adopted or plans developed by your committee and writing letters on behalf of the community club. As a committee member, your role is to follow the issues and provide necessary assistance.
  3. Follow an Issue: The community club is confronted with many issues that affect our neighborhood–libraries, school levies, park policies, traffic and transportation issues, and neighborhood street funds–just to name a few. Following an issue entails gathering the necessary information to learn about the issue, attending public meetings, coordinating with public officials, reporting to the board and writing letters of behalf of the community club.
  4. Chair or Co-Chair a Project: The annual Crime Prevention Meeting, Neighborhood Appreciation Day festivities, the Annual Meeting and other community-wide meetings and activities are just a few examples of projects and events you may volunteer to chair or co-chair. This responsibility generally involves organizing the event or project, recruiting volunteers; coordinating with speakers, public officials and others and letter-writing.
  5. Serve as an Officer: Officers (president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer) of the community club take on added responsibilities for management of the organization. These responsibilities vary, but include: preparing meeting agendas, minutes of the meetings, financial reports, following issues, writing letters, attending numerous public meetings and coordinating with public officials.
  6. Represent the Community Club at Public Events and Public Hearings: As a member of the board of trustees, you will receive many invitations to attend public events. Attending these events is important because they provide an opportunity to network with neighbors, representatives from other community organizations, public officials and city and county staff. You may also be called upon to testify at public hearings on issues of interest to the community.
  7. Safeguard the Community Club’s Reputation for Nonpartisanship: Because of the organization’s tax exempt status, the community club is prohibited from supporting or opposing candidates for public office.