FLA OPERATING & STANDING COMMITTEES

The bulk of the board’s work should be done through its standing committees. Some boards have board development plans where members rotate through the different committees to gain a broad understanding of the association. Others allow members to stay with the same committee each year to develop a deeper knowledge of the subject area to provide greater service to the association. A balance of the two strategies allows board members to gain experience with different committees and to develop some expertise with the work of one or two committees.

COMMITTEES STRUCTURE

  • Limit to 2 committees per director to avoid burnout.

  • Limit committee size to no less than 3 and no more than 4

  • Recruit volunteers from outside the board

 

COMMITTEE PEER REVIEWS

Committees should perform regular self-assessments to determine if they are working effectively, achieving their established goals, and providing value to the association. This can be done at the end of each committee meeting or on an annual or more frequent basis.

 

ROLE OF COMMITTEE LEADERS

  • Committee chairs should provide actual leadership to the committee. These are not empty titles but require real work in terms of translating the board’s goals for the committee into meeting agendas and work plans. Committee chairs should work with management staff as appropriate to prepare background materials for committee meetings, schedule committee meetings, prepare minutes and reports, and otherwise keep the committee functioning.

 

  • Committee chairs have the difficult task of following up with absent committee members or addressing behaviors that are disruptive to the committee’s work. Committee chairs also report on the work of their committee to the Executive Committee and the full board. For this reason, committee chairs are often board members.

 

STANDING COMMITTEES & THEIR STRUCTURE

1.     Executive Committee: The Executive Committee is authorized to meet and take action between board meetings when it is impractical to get the full board together for a special board meeting. The Executive Committee can also serve as an advisor to the Executive Director and a liaison between the ED and the full board.  The Executive Committee is usually charged with oversight of the association’s Executive Director. The Executive Committee will often hire the ED and work with the ED in establishing goals for the year, evaluating performance, and setting compensation. The Executive Committee reports on these activities to the full board.

The Executive Committee is comprised of:

  • President

  • First Vice President

  • Second Vice President

  • Secretary

  • Treasurer

 

2.     The Finance/Audit/Budget Committee:

  • Selects the outside auditor, meets with the auditor to receive the audit report and management letter, and discusses the management letter with the full board and the senior staff.

  • This committee oversees staff’s preparation of the annual budget and the performance of the association in meeting its budgeted revenues and expenses.

  • Finance Committee receives regular reports on the association’s performance in meeting its budget and presents that information to the full board.

  • Reviews monthly financials as prepared by the staff.

  • Manages the association’s investments.

  • Oversees capital campaigns and fundraising.

 

3.     Governance Committee:  The Governance Committee is charged with the care and feeding of the board itself. The Governance Committee is responsible for board recruitment, orientation, board and director self-assessment, bylaws and board management.

  • Recruitment involves identifying current and projected vacancies on the board, assessing the composition of the current board and identifying gaps in competencies or demographics, and finding and recruiting potential board members.

  • The Governance Committee is charged with developing a position description for board membership to inform prospective candidates of qualifications in terms of their experience and background and what will be expected of them if they join the board.

  • Orienting its new board members is one of the most important tasks a board does. New board members not only need to know about the association and its programs, finances, and plans for the future. They also need to know how the board itself operates, how the staff and board interact, and what their role is in the association. Orientation sometimes includes training to provide new board members with the basic skills they need to be effective members of the board, such as how to read nonprofit financial statements or basic parliamentary procedure.

  • Conducts regular self-assessments, preferably every year. The self-assessment should be of the board’s performance as a whole and of each individual member’s performance. Regular evaluation of how the board is functioning is a good way to realign the board’s focus and activities if it has strayed off target. Individual self-assessments are helpful for board members to gauge their own performance. It can aid them in identifying skills that may need additional development or to evaluate whether they have the time and commitment to give to the association at this point in their life.

  • Spearheads continuing board education. Nonprofit laws and best practices for nonprofit boards have been changing at a fast pace in recent years, and even the most experienced board member can learn something new. Continuing education also allows the experienced board members to share what they have learned through practical experience with less experienced members.

  • The Governance Committee can recruit mentors, provide mentor training, and oversee a mentoring program.

  • Management of the board includes the adoption and enforcement of a conflict-of-interest policy and a code of conduct among the board members.

4.     Membership Committee:  Tasked with developing criteria for membership, credentialing members, overseeing elections, or developing and delivering programs for members. There may be some overlap with the Program Committee and the Governance Committee.

  • Developing the criteria for membership and credentialing can be a huge task depending on the association’s structure. While the daily issues and activities involving memberships are usually handled by staff, criteria for membership, granting membership, and the revocation of membership are usually reserved to the board.

  • Determines the benefits available to members and establish dues for each category of membership.

  • The Membership Committee also serves as the Nominating Committee for new board members and officers. This committee would then identify expected vacancies on the board, advertise the openings to the membership, and oversee the elections.

  • Membership Committees usually keep closely connected to the association’s membership and work with the staff to identify and develop programs that meet the changing needs of the membership. The evaluation of program delivery can also be assigned to the Membership Committee.

  • Annual meetings or conferences for its members may be overseen by the Membership Committee along with a Task Force.

5.     Program Committee:  While staff often carries out the day-to-day activities that result in the development and implementation of the association’s programs, the Program Committee is charged with long-range planning and general oversight of programs.

Program Subcommittees that work under the Program Committees are:

·       Trade Shows

·       Marketing/Public Relations

·       Technology – website, e-news

·       Education – conference content (including live and virtual), FLA Academy (including video and static content)

 

AD HOC COMMITTEES

By their nature, ad hoc committees are formed when they are needed and dissolved when their work is done. Below are some examples of ad hoc committees.

Bylaws Committee - The Bylaws Committee is charged with reviewing the association’s bylaws and current practices to ensure that they are synchronized.  This group can also be used to review current best practices and governance trends and make recommendations on those the association should consider adopting. A Bylaws Committee may work with the Governance Committee or Membership Committee. Since a review of the association’s bylaws and practices is usually only done every few years, this does not need to be a standing committee. A Bylaws Committee might also be tasked with periodically reviewing the association’s policies and procedures if these have been set forth in written form. It is not unusual for bylaws, policies and procedures to become unaligned over time and a periodic review can help to confirm that there are no inconsistencies among the various governance documents.

 

Capital Campaign Committee:  A capital campaign is a coordinated effort to raise significant funds for an identified purpose, such as the establishment of a scholarship program, or some other “big ticket” item outside of the association’s normal day-to-day fundraising activities.  A capital campaign will usually last for several years. An association may embark on a capital campaign only once a decade. Therefore, a capital campaign committee is an ideal ad hoc committee.  Donors who are not on the board can serve on the Capital Campaign Committee. Their commitment is not open-ended, and they may be more willing to serve in this capacity. The Capital Campaign Committee may work with the Finance Committee, the Membership Committee, or the Program Committee.

 

Strategic Planning Committee: Responsible for developing or updating an existing strategic plan for the full board’s approval. They may also monitor the implementation of the plan and report on its progress to the full board. This ad hoc committee may work closely with the Finance Committee, the Membership Committee, and the Program Committee.

 

TASK FORCES

Task forces by their nature are designed to bring people together to solve a problem. A task force can be formed if there is an objective that can be achieved in a relatively short period of time. Examples include:

  • Social Media Influencer Program

  • Joint Activities Task Force: Coalition of travel/hospitality groups in CA; We Move CA Initiative

  • Special Events Fundraising Task Force (i.e. poker, golf tournament, etc.)

 

ADVISORY COUNCILS

Advisory councils assist boards in carrying out their work by providing expertise and advice in selected areas. Advisory councils do not have any governance responsibilities and are a good way to include former board members, potential board members, subject matter experts, and others in the work of the board without placing them on the board.

  • Executive Committee

  • Legal

  • Governance

  • Political Action

  • Past Presidents Council

  • Major Donor Council

  • Ethics Committee

 

Each board must determine which committee structure works best for it. The committee structure should be flexible and meet the changing needs of the association. There are a variety of options to choose from, and boards should be willing to experiment, keeping in mind that committees are simply tools that the boards use to get their work done. The right tool for today may not be the right tool for tomorrow.