Information for Society Trustees (members of Council)
On election to the Council of the Mineralogical Society, an individual assumes a number of responsibilities. It is incumbent upon those new council members to familiarise themselves with their new responsibilities. This is achieved by reading the Society Bye-laws thoroughly as well as visiting the Charity Commission website and specifically those documents found in the pages for guidance of trustees at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/charity-commission-guidance.
Trustees are reminded that they are accountable in law for the good governance of the Society. Note also that as a general rule, trustees are individually responsible for decisions taken by the charity trustees as a whole (i.e. Council). Council members cannot normally derive any personal profit from their trust or allow themselves to be placed in a position where their duty conflicts with their personal interests. Under almost all circumstances, Council Members are expected to give of their services gratuitously, though out of pocket expenses may be claimed from the Executive Director. The legislation that governs the operations of charities is complex but as a general principle, Council Members should exercise the same degree of prudent care that they would be expected to exercise in conducting their personal or business affairs. The term of office for a Council Member is three years, meaning that there will be six Council Meetings during a term of office. Members are expected to attend all of these meetings. It is also taken that they have familiarised themselves with the paperwork circulated prior to these meetings and be prepared to contribute to the relevant discussions. Membership of any of the standing or impromptu subcommittees is encouraged and sometimes may be a more direct means of contributing to the development of the Society.
Complete list of all Society personnel
Each year vacancies arise on Council and on other Society committees. Members and Fellows are encouraged to contribute to the running of the Society by volunteering to serve in some capacity. Job descriptions for all positions on Council (Society trustees) are given here. Contact Kevin Murphy anytime for information about how best you can serve your Society.