Source: The Canadian Association newsletter - May 2002 issue - published by Association Xpertise Inc. -  www.axi.ca/tca

  TIPS, TOOLS & RESOURCES

Better Practices

© 2002, Association Xpertise Inc. www.axi.ca 

The practices described in this area are described as Better Practices for a very good reason. We have a great deal of difficulty with the term best practices used in any other context than to refer to the results of benchmarking exercises involving real and relevant organizations with tangible results.  We offer Better Practices related to areas where we feel that change is needed in associations. The Better Practices are intended to provoke thought, and to encourage organizations to think about what they are doing and how they are doing it.

Committee Essentials

We have all experienced committees that took on lives of their own, usually to the detriment of the organization that gave them life and often to the committees themselves. Committees are a great way to delegate different kinds of work but they work poorly if they are not well defined before they begin.

There are a few simple parts to every committee that should be considered:

• The name – yes, it will be called all different names, this is the formal name
• The description of the purpose of the committee
• The tasks of the committee which can be written as goals, with measurable outcomes
• The beginning and ending of the work of the committee
• The people involved in the committee and how they relate to each other
• Any requirement for CEO or other staff time
• Any financial requirements
• Regular and final reporting obligations.

When the discussion is complete and all the assumptions have been aired about the committee, it is good to decide by motion or at least by writing these committee details down.

When everyone knows what every committee does there is no chance that any of the committees will turn into the tail that wags the dog!