Position descriptions that committees use

Ask a volunteer committee where its position descriptions are kept and the answer is often a shrug: “In a folder called ‘HR Stuff 2019’, I think. We don’t open them.” In that situation the President ends up doing the Treasurer’s job, the Treasurer chases invoices the Coordinator should own, the Coordinator writes grant acquittals at midnight, and when someone leaves the handover is a coffee and a USB stick.

Position descriptions get a poor reputation in the not-for-profit world because they are often written like corporate reports: three pages of key result areas and engagement matrices that nobody reads. You don’t need that. You need one clear page per role.

What a useful position description covers

Why does this role exist? One sentence.
What are you responsible for? A short list of outcomes, not every task you’ll ever touch.
Who do you report to and work with? So the org chart isn’t a mystery.
What does good look like? A handful of plain measures.

That’s enough for a volunteer committee role. Staff roles may add hours, award coverage and essential requirements, but keep them readable. If a position description can’t be skimmed in three minutes, it won’t be used in a crisis, which is when you need it.

Committees need them too

Office-bearer roles are more than titles. The President, Secretary, Treasurer and ordinary members each need a one-page description. Include how often the role meets, decision authority (what you can approve alone and what needs the board), and the unglamorous but important items: who holds bank access, who lodges returns and who keeps the membership list.

Without that, several people can believe they are “the public face” while nobody owns conflict-of-interest declarations. When you recruit, send the position description with the nomination form so people know what they’re signing up for before the AGM, not after.

Write for people, not for LinkedIn

Instead of: “Drive strategic alignment across cross-functional stakeholders to deliver organisational excellence.”
Try: “Make sure the board has a clear annual plan, and that we check progress every quarter.”

Instead of: “Oversee financial stewardship and fiscal sustainability.”
Try: “Keep the books accurate, report monthly, and flag cash problems early.”

Use verbs people recognise: prepare, approve, file, check, escalate, hand over. Avoid words you wouldn’t say out loud at a fundraiser barbecue.

Keep them current

A position description that hasn’t been reviewed since the last Coordinator left is out of date. Review it when someone starts, when someone leaves, and once a year as a board. Ask whether it still matches reality, whether three jobs are landing on one unpaid role, and whether a new program has been added without deciding who owns it. If the real work and the written role have drifted apart, either fix the writing or fix the workload.

Pair them with a simple structure

Position descriptions work best next to a rough org chart and a short “who to ask” list, so new volunteers don’t need a treasure hunt to find who looks after the membership spreadsheet.

A one-page template

Use this for committee and staff roles alike:

Role title
Purpose: one sentence
Key responsibilities: five to seven bullet points at most
Decision rights: what you can approve alone and what needs the board
Time expectation: hours a month for volunteers, or FTE for staff
Support and reporting: who helps you and who you report to
Must-haves: skills or checks that are genuinely required
Review date: when you’ll check it still matches reality

If you can’t fill in a section without padding, leave it blank until you can.

Next step

Start with the role that’s hardest to fill. Write one page using the template, and review it whenever someone starts or leaves. If you’re building or refreshing roles across staff and volunteers, our HR and role clarity service can help, as can the Strategic Workforce Architecture guide. You can also book a free 30-minute call.

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