Purpose
Standing committees are groups comprised of board members and outsiders that ensure consistency and regularity in key board practices. They are groups that are always necessary in helping the full board carry out its work. Currently, the Go To Nations Board of Directors has three standing committees—the finance committee, the advancement committee and the governance committee.
Committees generally do the majority of the board’s work between meetings, allowing the full board to keep its attention on important decisions and on the big picture of the organization’s success in fulfilling its mission. They give individual board members an opportunity to contribute to the work of the board in ways they would not be able to in regular meetings. These committees enable the full board to benefit from the special skills and expertise of its members in a concrete manner
Size
When deciding on the optimal committee size, no specific rule exists. It depends on the purpose of the committee, scope of the task, and the size of the full board. Each committee should have a core of three to six board members who can ensure further that the work of the committee is grounded in the organization’s mission. But at the same time, a committee should always be small enough to keep all members involved.
Meeting Schedule
Determining a meeting schedule for committees should be done on an as-needed basis. There is no particular prescription for the timing, or minimum and maximum meetings per year. Each group knows what is expected and must be able to determine the necessary measures to accomplish the task.
Minutes and Reports
Each committee should have someone assigned to take notes for the purpose of reporting to the board the work of the committee, and to keep track of particular information. The notes should be compiled into a report and reviewed by the chairman of the committee. It is advisable to include a copy of the notes of each committee meeting in the board packet that is mailed to the board members before each board meeting. This allows the board to familiarize themselves with the contents before the meeting and helps to eliminate the tradition of spending meeting time listening to long committee reports. Major issues needing board debate should be placed on the main agenda of the board meeting.