Committees are ubiquitous -- they pop up everywhere for anything. And most people grimace when they are asked to serve on one. Why? Because rarely is any time spent on defining both the work of the committee at that point in time and on the responsibilities of all the members. We jump right into the work at hand. I recommend spending a bit of time at the start of a committee's life, or annually for standing committees, to discuss and answer the following questions.
First, for THE COMMITTEE AS A WHOLE:
- What is the purpose/mission of this committee?
- What, specifically will the committee do this year?
- What has it done in the past that will be continued or be dropped? Why?
- What is the ideal size and make-up of the committee?
- How often will it need to meet? Are there peak busy times?
- Can any of the work be done online?
- What resources are available to the committee?
- How does the committee fit into the organization's overall structure?
Then, for ANY COMMITTEE MEMBER:
- Every member must understand and be committed to the decisions above.
- What is the minimum attendance standard for meetings? Are substitute representatives acceptable? Will there be e-mail discussions in which to participate?
- What is the minimum expectation for work to be done in between meetings?
- What are reporting expectations -- and are reports due even if the member is not in attendance?
- What skills and resources will members be expected to share with the committee?
- What's the term of office and under what circumstances may a member be asked to resign?
Only then, for THE CHAIRPERSON:
- The chair must understand and be committed to the decisions above.
- What special responsibilities accrue to the chair, above and beyond regular committee membership?
- What is the chair's role prior to each meeting?
- At each meeting?
- In-between meetings?
- As a representative of the committee to the rest of the organization?
and for OTHER LEADERSHIP POSITIONS, follow the same sequence as above.
Finally, it is critical to also define the role of THE LIAISON PAID STAFF MEMBER, in terms of this specific committee (it will change for each committee and each employee, depending on the situation):
- What is the interrelationship of the committee's work to the work of the employee?
- How will the chair and employee work together?
- Who sets the agenda for meetings?
- What is the reporting procedure...two-way?
- What is the employee's role during meetings? Is the paid staff person a voting member of the committee?
- Who will do the clerical support work?
- What organizational resources will be made available to the committee, through the employee?
Successful committees practice good volunteer management, since most often the people on such a team are there voluntarily -- whether paid or volunteer in other roles.