At our convention, we will hold elections for Chair, Vice Chair, Outreach & Inclusion Officer, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Term of Office: The term of office is two years, with terms beginning at the adjournment of the 2023 convention and lasting through the adjournment of the 2025 convention
JOB DESCRIPTIONS
Chair
The Chair leads the Organizing Unit and must have the ability to organize, provide direction, and work well with others. The Chair assigns and monitors progress on tasks as needed. The Chair should consult with other officers about all decisions, particularly involving expenditures and other matters that may require a vote of the Organizing Unit Central Committee.
General Responsibilities
Vice Chair
The Vice Chair must be of a different gender identity than the Chair.
The Vice Chair works with the Chair, giving advice and sharing information to make both roles easier and more successful.
General Responsibilities
Outreach and Inclusion Officer
The Outreach and Inclusion Officer ensures all constituents are treated equally, based on the Minnesota DFL principles of inclusion. The Outreach and Inclusion Officer efforts toward inclusive political participation, and strives to achieve diversity in perspective and representation. The Outreach and Inclusion Officer is responsible for developing and implementing the unit’s outreach and inclusion plan to establish relationships with underrepresented communities and new potential leaders within the unit’s boundaries.
General Responsibilities
Secretary
The Secretary is the party unit’s recorder and record-keeper.
General Responsibilities
Treasurer
The Treasurer is, according to state law, the legal representative of the local party unit. The Treasurer is responsible to keep strict financial records of contributions and expenditures, and to submit those records in the required format to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board (CFB). The best listing of the Treasurer’s duties is found in the Political Party Unit Handbook, compiled by the CFB. This document is the Treasurer’s ‘bible’ and should be read by all DFL party officers.
General Responsibilities
Term of Office: The term of office is two years, with terms beginning at the adjournment of the 2023 convention and lasting through the adjournment of the 2025 convention
JOB DESCRIPTIONS
Chair
The Chair leads the Organizing Unit and must have the ability to organize, provide direction, and work well with others. The Chair assigns and monitors progress on tasks as needed. The Chair should consult with other officers about all decisions, particularly involving expenditures and other matters that may require a vote of the Organizing Unit Central Committee.
General Responsibilities
- Call and lead Central and Executive Committee meetings.
- Attend state and congressional district Central Committee meetings and other committees on which they serve.
- Represent the party unit on higher-level Central and Executive Committees.
- Call, organize, and convene Organizing Unit Conventions.
- Outside the unit, represent and speak on the party unit’s behalf, without inserting personal remarks or biases.
- Manage the activities of other unit officers.
- Delegate tasks as needed to other members of the party unit.
- Support and guide volunteers.
- Recruit, welcome, educate and involve new members.
- Recruit conveners for each Precinct Caucus.
- Lead development of a strategic plan for unit activities.
- Send password requests to Voter File Manager for anyone in the Organizing Unit needing Voter File access.
Vice Chair
The Vice Chair must be of a different gender identity than the Chair.
The Vice Chair works with the Chair, giving advice and sharing information to make both roles easier and more successful.
General Responsibilities
- Keep up-to-date on the various local party unit’s activities.
- Serve as Outreach and Inclusion Officer if unit does not provide for a separate one.
- Assist the Chair as desired by the Chair.
- Represent the unit at state and congressional district Central Committees as authorized.
- Take extra initiative for specific projects as needed.
- Be prepared to assume the duties of the Chair if needed.
- Succeed the Chair in case of vacancy.
- Fill in for other officers as needed; for example, take minutes in absence of Secretary.
Outreach and Inclusion Officer
The Outreach and Inclusion Officer ensures all constituents are treated equally, based on the Minnesota DFL principles of inclusion. The Outreach and Inclusion Officer efforts toward inclusive political participation, and strives to achieve diversity in perspective and representation. The Outreach and Inclusion Officer is responsible for developing and implementing the unit’s outreach and inclusion plan to establish relationships with underrepresented communities and new potential leaders within the unit’s boundaries.
General Responsibilities
- Draft, implement, report on, and recommend any necessary amendments to the outreach and inclusion plan.
- Monitor compliance with Party outreach and inclusion policies, and recommend a remedy for any noncompliance.
- Represent the unit on its Congressional District’s Outreach and Inclusion committee.
- Ensure the Affirmative Action, Inclusion, and Outreach statement or reminder, as appropriate, is read before any election; unit meeting or event dates do not conflict with religious or community observances; and food served at events does not conflict with religious or cultural preferences and restrictions.
- Ensure that all meetings and events are held in accessible locations with adequate handicap parking spaces.
- Arrange for interpreters as needed.
- Ensure documents are available in all relevant languages.
- Connect with people at community meetings and events to learn what issues and interests bring them together.
- Listen to understand the issues that are important to them.
- Establish relationships and provide information on how the unit can help them achieve their goals.
- Recruit individuals who may want to get involved and inform them about voter registration, Caucuses, Conventions, campaigns, and other unit meetings, events and activities.
Secretary
The Secretary is the party unit’s recorder and record-keeper.
General Responsibilities
- Maintain rosters of unit Central Committee, Executive Committee and State/Congressional District Central Committee members/Alternates.
- Distribute meeting notices, agendas, and minutes of the previous meeting.
- Record minutes of each unit Central and Executive Committee meeting, including reports presented at those meetings.
- Record attendance and excused absences of every meeting
- Notify the DFL Party Affairs Director of any changes to the unit’s officers or State Central Committee membership.
- Send the state DFL office a copy of a revised Constitution and Bylaws as they occur.
- Assist in updating contact information, activist codes, and other pertinent information in the Voter File (VAN).
- Maintain and provide a permanent record of unit activities.
- Maintain event/meeting dates on website and submit to the state DFL calendar (depending on skills)..
- Assist with maintaining unit website and social media (depending on skills).
- Conduct unit correspondence.
- Contact media and post public notices of Precinct Caucuses and other party unit activities.
Treasurer
The Treasurer is, according to state law, the legal representative of the local party unit. The Treasurer is responsible to keep strict financial records of contributions and expenditures, and to submit those records in the required format to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board (CFB). The best listing of the Treasurer’s duties is found in the Political Party Unit Handbook, compiled by the CFB. This document is the Treasurer’s ‘bible’ and should be read by all DFL party officers.
General Responsibilities
- Deposit prudently and safeguard the local party unit’s funds and otherwise manage its finances.
- Disburse unit funds only with authority or ratification by the unit Central or Executive Committee or Chair, according to its Constitution and Bylaws.
- Reconcile cash on hand with receipts and spending records.
- Prepare and submit timely reports to the CFB according to its rules.
- Report to each unit Central and Executive Committee meeting on the state of its treasury.
- Work with unit committees that oversee budget and finances.
- Become familiar with the CFB handbook and training materials.