Create standard board committees: a proposal
Boards tend to have a set of standard committees, most of which we currently lack. We've been advised to set these up. They'd be a good way of ensuring that key tasks get done, and distributing the board's work.
If we adopt these committees, my suggestion would be for the board to meet quarterly rather than monthly. Each board meeting would include a report from each committee (provided by the committee's chair in writing, and circulated with the board meeting agenda).
Committee | Role | Membership | Minimum meeting frequency |
---|---|---|---|
Executive | Keeps abreast of operational issues, acts on the board's behalf at short notice, when required. | Minimum 3. Must include president, executive director, vice-president, chair. | Monthly |
Governance and recruitment | Ensures the board performs essential duties, assesses and develops board performance, recruits new board members. | Minimum 4, including vice-president and chair. | Monthly |
Finance | Develop the annual budget, monitor adherence to budget, maintain financial policies. | Minimum 3, including treasurer, ED, director of operations. | Monthly |
Compensation | Sets the salary of the ED. | Minimum 3, including president and treasurer. | Annual |
This proposal would ensure that each board committee shares one member with the executive committee, to help with coordination.
Note that in other boards, it's standard to have a separate nomination committee. This has been folded into the governance committee as the "recruitment" element.