A Committee (or Board) Charter outlines how your committee operates, therefore providing clarity and a shared understanding by all committee members, and an information source for other stakeholders.
It is also a good document to use when succession planning with prospective committee members and later when orientating your new committee members once they have commenced in their new roles.
Some of the key contents that your Committee Charter might cover include:
- The scope of your organisation – what you do, why you do it, where you operate
- The governance structure – your governing body, the incorporation context (or otherwise), your membership structure
- The role of the committee – setting the organisation’s strategic direction, establishing goals and objectives, and monitoring performance, ensuring this is consistent with the organisation’s Values, Vision and Mission
- Committee composition – executive roles, number of committee members, any portfolio responsibilities
- Subcommittees – when these are used and how they link back to the main committee
- Committee meetings – how often, quorum requirements, attendance expectations, agenda requirements, reports, minuting requirements, etc
- Election and appointment – how general members of the organisation become committee members
Tailor your Committee Charter to meet the needs of your organisation and include other items as appropriate. There are many examples of Committee/Board Charters to be found on the internet with a quick search, so use them for inspiration to create the right Committee Charter for your organisation.
And like any other organisational document, review the Committee Charter regularly i.e. 12-monthly, and make changes in between reviews to keep up with changes in your committee processes.
You can download this Blog Post as a tip sheet by clicking here:Tip Sheet_ Committee Charter Aug 23, 2017
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