A member at-large attends all board meetings. There is variety of responsibilities of a member
at-large, therefore it is important for him to attend all board meetings that are held. He will need
to be present for him to have a broad understanding of all the issues that are there. His attendance
will help him have an understanding on how things are done. There are things that are happening
to the community and if he does not attend these board meeting he will not be able to do his duty
properly for lack of knowledge. In the board meetings they talk a lot about everything that is
happening in the society and also the issues that they are facing. They also talk about the
community’s current needs and the problems that they are facing and how to come up with a
solution. A council at-large has to fulfill various assignments and therefore by him attending
these board meetings, he clearly understands the needs of the board and the community and this
will in turn help him to effectively fulfill these assignments. He is also able to contribute in the
decision-making process.
Secondly, a council at-large helps in special projects. The at-large members are elected due to
their experience and expertise in some areas. It is for that reason that they are elected in order to
help serve the community in projects that need his knowledge and expertise. If the board are
discussing new ways that involves your area of expertise, you will be of great help to them
because you have more skills and knowledge about the same and so you will help them
implement this project. If for example they are discussing on expanding the community, the
board will rely on an at-large member who has expertise in architecture and design. He will help
in guiding the board members in designing the best infrastructures and also educating them on
the same.
Another role of a council at-large member is that they act as mentors to new members of the
board. When there are new members of the board, they will need someone to help them fit in and
get to know everything there is to know. They should know about the current implementation
and the pending projects and even the previous and ongoing projects. They will need someone
who will update them on everything that they need to know. Members at-large will be the perfect
guide to them on areas that they might be having a problem in. The members at-large have
experience since they operate in various capacities within the board they will be able to mentor
the new members. The new members will be oriented by the member at-large for a better
transition.
Lastly, a member at-large acts as a spokesperson between the committees. A member at-large
will be assigned to work closely with committee chairs within the community. He will be the one
who will be informing the board about what is happening in the community and what is being planned by the committee. They are the ones who bring into the board’s knowledge on the needs of the community and sometimes they fill in as the head of the committee.