Meeting Job Descriptions

Sacramento Friends Meeting
Job Descriptions – Abbreviated 3/2025
(Terms of service are one year except as noted.)

OFFICERS

Per Meeting bylaws, at least two of the four officers must be Meeting members.

Clerk

  • Presides at the monthly Meeting for Business, encouraging all present and online to participate in a spirit of worship.
  • Gathers the sense of the Meeting, and works with the Recording Clerk to prepare Minutes.
  • Ensures the work of the Monthly Meeting is done, and that matters arising out of Business Meeting are attended to.
  • Serves as ex-officio member of all committees.

Recording Clerk

  • Receives and assembles reports to Business Meeting.
  • Assists the Clerk in formulating Minutes to express the sense of the Business Meeting.
  • Conveys minutes and attachments to the newsletter editor, and to the Recorder/Historian team for filing in the Meeting archives.

Treasurer

  • Is responsible for the custody and disbursement of Meeting funds, and management of Meeting’s financial accounts, in keeping with Meeting’s financial policies.
  • Serves as Meeting’s point person for legal, insurance, tax and related matters, in collaboration with the Finance Committee.

Recorder/Historian 

  • Keeps paper and electronic Meeting records in good order at the Meetinghouse and in other locations.
  • Maintains Meeting’s permanent records of past and present Friends, including: Membership documents, end of life wishes, memorial minutes, and other documents of interest.
  • Prepares annual Pacific Yearly Meeting membership statistical report.
  • Archives Business minutes and attachments, Meeting newsletters, policy minutes and guidelines, and legal papers.

SUPPORTING POSITIONS

Alternate Clerk

  • Assists and supports the presiding clerk. Presides when the Clerk is unavailable.

Assistant Recorder/Historians

  • Work with the Recorder/Historian to maintain Meeting records in good order and to facilitate Friends’ access to archival records.

Assistant to the Treasurer

  • Assists the Treasurer as needed.

Newsletter Editor

  • Publishes the monthly Meeting newsletter.
  • Works with the Contact Information Clerk to distribute newsletter, keep mailing list current, and print mailing labels as needed.

Website Coordinator

  • Works with the Communications Committee to maintain a welcoming, informative and current website. Maintains website operation and hosting.

Building Reservations Clerk

  • Coordinates building use by renters and Friends.
  • Screens renters, arranges contracts, and communicates with renters as needed. 

Meetinghouse Uses On-Site Liaison

  • Orients prospective and new rental clients to the Meetinghouse, and to policies and procedures related to its use.
  • Responds to clients’ on-site needs.

Contact Information Clerk

  • Works with the newsletter editor to distribute newsletter, keep mailing list current, and print mailing labels as needed.
  • Distributes informational items by email to local Friends.
  • Publishes Meeting directory semi-annually and as needed. Collaborates with Pacific Yearly Meeting in facilitating Friends’ access to their directory.

Meeting Calendar Clerk

  • Keeps the calendar of events for the Meeting. Coordinates calendar information with the Building Reservations Clerk.

Technology Volunteers Coordinator

  • Schedules technology-related volunteers as needed for Meeting events, and manages use of the Meeting’s Zoom account.

COMMITTEES

Committee clerks are responsible for planning and convening committee meetings, and keeping records of committee activities. Meeting committees manage budgeted and earmarked funds associated with their committee, and with projects and interest groups under their care.

Building and Grounds

  • Maintains the Meeting’s building, landscape and parking in clean, usable and healthy condition.
  • Coordinates volunteer and contracted labor to fulfill necessary property-related tasks.
  • Purchases necessary equipment and supplies.
  • Is responsible for communication via the Meeting’s message phone.
  • Manages use of the parking area by Friends, renters and neighbors.
  • Manages access to building, including keys and security codes.

Care Committee (rotating two-year terms)

  • Helps Friends to find their right roles as nurturers of each other, and supports the welfare of Meeting Friends.
  • Coordinates requests for membership as well as transfer or withdrawal of membership.
  • Coordinates requests from persons who wish to be married under the care of the Meeting.
  • Facilitates clearness committees as needed.
  • Supports Friends at the time of a death in the family.
  • Arranges visits and support for ill, troubled or needy Friends. Manages the Meeting’s Sharing Fund to assist Friends in need.
  • Manages the Meeting’s Quaker Scholarship Fund to support Meeting representatives and other Friends in attending Quaker events.

Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Policy Committee

  • Addresses any concerns affecting the safety of the children and youth of the Meeting. 
  • Consists of ex officio members: Meeting presiding clerk, First Day School clerk, and Care Committee clerk.
  • Is guided by the Meeting’s Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Policy and procedures.

Communications Committee

  • Coordinates Meeting’s communications, including publication of information, and management of Zoom and hybrid technology.
  • Supports Meeting’s newsletter, website, calendars, directory, and email.
  • Supports Zoom and hybrid capabilities for Meeting events, including recruiting, training and documentation for technology volunteers.
  • Is made up of ex officio members including: Newsletter Editor, Website Coordinator, Meeting Calendar Clerk, Contact Information Clerk, Archive Team, Volunteer Coordinator, and Zoom Hosts and Hybrid/Laptop Techs. Chooses co-clerks each May.

Eco-Spirituality Committee

  • Presents educational and inspirational activities to the Sacramento Friends Meeting to celebrate our interconnectedness with the natural world and the preservation of a healthy planet for us and future generations.

Fellowship and Hospitality

  • Helps to ensure all who visit and attend SFM are welcomed, and coordinates the social life of the Meeting.
  • On First Day: Greets Friends, provides information and literature as needed, manages refreshments, name tags and volunteers.
  • Sponsors Meeting social events.
  • Coordinates transportation and hospitality needs.

Finance

  • Oversees the financial life of the Meeting.
  • With the Treasurer, prepares annual budgets with input from Committee Clerks.
  • Keeps Business Meeting informed about ongoing financial status and needs.
  • Monitors and makes recommendations regarding legal, insurance, tax and related matters. Conducts periodic audits.
  • Oversees Meeting fund-raising.

First Day School

  • Develops, oversees and conducts the First Day School program and other Youth activities.
  • Prepares for the participation of children of all ages. Communicates with children’s families.
  • Prepares, recommends and acquires teaching materials.
  • Coordinates, schedules and trains First Day School teachers and assistants.

Library

  • Manages information resources to support the life of the Meeting. 
  • Arranges Meetinghouse literature. 
  • Organizes the Meetinghouse library and its use. 

Meetinghouse Use Committee

  • Coordinates use of Meetinghouse by groups and individuals.
  • Prepares informational flyers, guidelines and agreements for building use.
  • Supports maintenance of Reservations Calendar, renter screening and communications, and rent-related records.

Nominating (rotating three-year terms)

  • Matches Friends’ gifts with Meeting needs.
  • With the Archive Team, annually maintains and publishes Meeting Job Descriptions.
  • Proposes candidates to serve in Meeting roles and committees, annually and as needed.

Peace and Social Concerns

  • Keeps Friends informed, and facilitates the Meeting’s activities on peace and justice issues, and ways to promote non-violence.
  • Coordinates with like-minded groups.

Worship and Ministry Committee (rotating two-year terms)

  • Nurtures the spiritual health of the Meeting. Provides spiritual and logistical support for Meeting for Worship and Meeting for Business.
  • Facilitates discernment of appropriate worship formats (in-person, Zoom and hybrid).
  • Encourages participation in worship after the manner of Friends. Guides appropriate participation, and assures Friends’ safety in worship. Tends to emergencies or unusual situations that arise within Meeting.
  • Supports Meeting’s presiding and Alternate Clerks.
  • Coordinates adult education, retreats, worship sharing and other small group activities to foster the spiritual life of the Meeting. 
  • Guides newcomers in becoming familiar with Quaker practices and beliefs, and manages outreach to other faiths and the larger community.
  • Prepares annual State of the Meeting report. 

AD HOC COMMITTEES

Ad hoc committees are appointed by Presiding Clerk or Business Meeting. They convene only as needed.

Naming Committee

  • Proposes candidates to fill vacancies on Nominating Committee.

INTEREST GROUPS

Interest Groups answer a particular need or leading, either short-term or long-term.

  • Are associated with a standing committee, and thereby receives support in seasoning proposed actions, and in planning for funding needs.
  • Participants serve as led (and are not nominated).

ORGANIZATION REPRESENTATIVES

Representatives maintain communication between various Friends’ organizations and the Meeting. Representatives generally attend organizations’ events on behalf of the Meeting and bring news of each event back to the Meeting at least annually. Cost of attending Quaker events may be paid by Meeting’s Quaker Scholarship Fund, managed by Care committee.

Pacific Yearly Meeting

  • Attends, and keeps Friends informed about, Representative Committee each spring, and Yearly Meeting’s annual session each summer.

Pacific Yearly Meeting Alternate

  • Fulfills PYM representative duties if primary representative is unavailable.

College Park Quarterly Meeting

  • Attends Quarterly Representative and Quarterly Meeting events, encourages Friends’ participation, and shares issues, inspiration and input with SFM and the Quarter. Promotes Meeting participation in Quarterly cluster gatherings, campouts and traveling ministries.

Friends Committee on Legislation of California

  • Keeps Friends informed of state legislative matters.
  • Meetings of 40 or more members may name up to three persons to the FCLCA General Committee, which meets annually in December to set up legislative priorities and select FCLCA Board members.

CONTACT PERSONS

Contact persons serve as the Meeting’s point of contact with other organizations. They present information to Business Meeting at least annually on each organization’s work. If Meeting has no Contact Person for one of the organizations to which the Meeting contributes, Finance Committee informs the Meeting annually about that organization.