Congratulations! You have just been elected a 4-H club officer.

What does being an elected 4-H officer mean?

Being a 4-H officer means that your club members have confidence in you and like you. It means that you make a commitment to the 4-H’ers who elected you to do your job as well as you can. It means that you will be dependable, on time for meetings, and prepared to conduct the business of the meeting fairly and honestly.

Being a 4-H officer also means being a leader. Other 4-H’ers will look up to you. As a 4-H officer, you will have to make decisions about club activities, events, programs, projects, and finances. Remember, as you make decisions, you represent the ideas and opinions of those who elected you.

Most 4-H clubs have as many as six officers. These are the president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, recreation leader, and reporter. Each officer has specific duties that must be carried out for the 4-H club to be successful. Each officer must see that the duties of that office are carried out at each meeting. In small clubs, the offices of secretary and treasurer may be combined, and small clubs may rotate the office of recreation leader among 4-H members from meeting to meeting.

How to Use This Handbook

Only one handbook may be needed for each club. The primary purpose of this guide is to help you, as officers of your 4-H club, accurately record the activities and work of your club for the year. This handbook contains the following:

• Elected 4-H Club Officers – Page 2
• How to Use This Handbook – Page 3
• Record Keeping Guide & Samples – Pages 4–6
• Duties of Officers – Pages 6–7
• 4-H Facts – Page 8
• Procedure for Meetings – Pages 9–10
• News Items –     Page 11
• Club Roll & Data –  Pages 12–15
• Secretary’s Records – Pages 16–21
• Record of Committees – Page 22
• Financial Record – Page 23

Each officer should be familiar with the duties of that office, as well as the duties of the other offices. (See pages 6 and 7.)

Minutes of meetings, treasurer’s reports, and news articles should be recorded as soon after each meeting as possible. Each elected officer is responsible for ensuring that the club’s records are maintained accurately and continuously. As changes occur in your club and its membership, such as getting a new member, record these changes in the handbook.

Duties of 4-H Club Officers

Duties of the President

1. Make sure that the place where the meeting will be held is clean and neat.
2. Discuss club problems and plans with the other officers and the club leader.
3. Contact the other officers before each meeting and remind them of their responsibilities.
4. Use the simple rules of parliamentary procedure to conduct each meeting. If you have questions about the rules of parliamentary procedure, ask your club leader to help you.
5. Call 4-H meetings to order and preside at the meetings.
6. Act as a connection between the club members and the club leader and county agent.
7. Appoint committees.

Duties of the Vice-President

1. Preside at meetings if the club president is absent.
2. Become familiar with the duties of the president.
3. Chair or lead the program committee.
4. Lead the Pledge of Allegiance and the 4-H Pledge at each meeting.

Duties of the Secretary

1. Keep an accurate record of 4-H club members. This record includes keeping an up-to-date list of members’ names, addresses, attendance, and projects.
2. Call the roll at the request of the president, and check the attendance record sheet. This is usually done while seated.
3. Keep accurate minutes of each meeting. (See section on Writing the Minutes of a Club Meeting.)
4. Read the minutes of the last meeting when the president calls for them, ask for any corrections, and make corrections given by members. The minutes are usually read while standing.
5. Assist the club reporter in writing articles for the newspaper and social media posts.
6. Preside at the meeting in the absence of both the president and the vice-president.

Duties of the Treasurer

1. Keep accurate records of any club money.
2. Work with the county Extension office.
3. Prepare a treasurer’s report to hand out and report orally when the president calls for the report. (See section on Filling Out a Treasurer’s Report.) Ask for any corrections, and make any corrections given by members. The treasurer’s report is usually read while standing.

Duties of the Recreation Leader

1. Check with the president to determine how much time is allowed on the program for ice-breakers or activities.
2. Select ice-breakers or activities before the meeting starts that can be completed in the length of time allowed on the program.

Duties of the Club Reporter

1. Take notes during club meetings, activities, and events for use in publicizing information about the club.
2. Compare your notes with the club secretary’s notes to ensure that the details are accurate.
3. Report information about the club’s activities and events and the accomplishments of club members and leaders to appropriate news sources. Appropriate news sources include local radio stations, daily and weekly newspapers, television stations, and regional club social media sites.
4. Take pictures, if possible, of the club’s activities and events. Include club members and leaders in the pictures. Send these along with the information reported to your 4-H regional Extension agent or county Extension office for submission.

Committee(s)

There may be several committees or as few as one or two. The number of committees needed to carry out the work of your 4-H club will be determined by the size of the club, the type of club, and the projects adopted by the club.

Program Committee. Plans and arranges for a program at each meeting.

Download Complete Handbook

The information listed above is an excerpt from Handbook for 4-H Club Officers, YEX-0049. Download a PDF of the complete handbook below.

Nancy Alexander, Extension 4-H Specialist, Auburn University; and Joy Scott, Extension 4-H Specialist, Auburn University

Revised May 2023, Handbook for 4-H Club Officers, YEX-0049

4-H Pledge