The president carries responsibility for the association — and often for the admin backlog too. Here is what the presidency means, typical duties, and how to keep overview without asking treasurer or secretariat for every number.
The president leads the association externally and the board internally. The presidency stands for leadership, representation and making sure meetings, decisions and the annual general meeting run. Statutes may say Präsidium, chair or Vereinspräsident — it is usually the same role: someone who keeps overview and keeps the board workable. For anyone searching president or presidency in a Swiss association, one thing matters: leadership needs reliable member and fee data — not three spreadsheet versions.
Core work includes chairing board meetings, preparing and running the AGM, and representing the association. Add strategy and event decisions, plus coordination between treasurer and secretariat or Aktuar. Many presidents check fee status and member counts before the AGM — and only then notice the lists disagree. Association president duties rarely mean doing everything yourself; they mean making sure the board shares the same facts.
The classic frustration: you only want to know how many members you have — and get three files. Open fees? “Ask the treasurer.” Addresses? “Ask the secretariat.” Every request costs time and trust. With one shared platform you see member count, open fees and events live — no export, no chasing, no “I'll send it tomorrow.” That is overview without spreadsheet requests: the same truth for presidency, treasury and minute-taking.
New software rarely fails on technology — it fails on fear of “yet another tool.” As president you win the board when starting is free with no credit card, when everyone keeps their role, and when value shows up immediately: treasurer sees payment status, secretariat and Aktuar a central list, you the overview. Invite the whole board, import the member list once and start small — annual fees or new sign-ups. Less debate about spreadsheets, more time for association life.
Less admin, more association life: in Membear, members, fees and events live in one place — the board works in the same platform. You start free, invite treasurer and secretariat, and keep overview without requesting reports. Personally we estimate around 10 hours less coordination per year; for the whole board over 30 hours when treasury and secretariat use Membear — estimates for associations with about 80–150 members, not audited metrics. Start free and make the next association year calmer.
Short, practical answers for Swiss associations.
As president, lighten the load on your board — start free with Membear.