DO YOU HAVEEFFECTIVE

COMMITTEES?Best Practices & Developing Committees

ELEMENTS OF SUCCESSFUL & EFFECTIVE COMMITTEE

by Valerie Brown

A COMMITTEE IS A GROUP OF PEOPLE APPOINTEDFOR A SPECIFIC FUNCTION, TYPICALLY CONSISTINGOF MEMBERS OF A LARGER GROUP.

WHAT IS A COMMITTEE? AND WHAT IS THEIR ROLE?

Committees can be the lifeblood of an Association and are critical to your Boards Success.

Committees are created by the Board, to assist the Board in tackling and addressing specific

tasks. The committee can be used in a variety of ways, one is to tackle problems or handle

operations within the Community, the other can be in an advisory role for the betterment of the

entire association.

Committee member involvement helps build the Community bonds and fosters relationships

between the entire Community and the Association. Aside from fulfilling a specific role in the

functioning of the Association and addressing an identified need; the committee's contributions

help the Board of Directors to fulfill its role more efficiently. The Board is able to hear input and

different viewpoints, not just from the members of the committee itself but also as a voice for

their friends and other Community members, who may not be actively involved, or feel

comfortable voicing out their concerns.

WHAT IS A COMMITTEE? AND WHAT IS THEIR ROLE?

Standing Committees are permanent, meet, and take action regularly. Typically seen Standing

Committees are Architectural Review Committees, Compliance Committees, Social Committees,

Parks and Recreation Committees and some may even deal with issues like finance,

communications, & maintenance and operations.

Ad-Hoc Committees are committees formed with the purpose of addressing a specific issue,

and is disbanded once its function is achieved. Typical Ad-Hoc Committees examples are an

election committee, budget committee, a event committee or a specific issue committee ("insert

issue name here" committee).

Committees also allow the Board to remain focused on their role of governance, rather than

becoming overwhelmed or too consumed by various projects, details and tasks. Most committees

are assigned projects or operational functions, which can include gathering information,

assessing specific issues or concerns and making recommendations to the Board. Committee

members are volunteers who own a home within the Association, who donate their time to the

issues the specific committee is tasked with resolving. Association committees can vary quite a bit

and there are two types, standing & ad-hoc.

COMMITTEE ROLES& RESPONSIBILITIES

Establishing a well-defined committee charter and

committee code of conduct plays a critical role in the

committees success. This helps give a formal

description of what is expected from each committee to

guide the members. Equally important to this is

recognizing committee members duties and assuring

they understand their role thoroughly so they can be

effective.

Written Charters & Code of Conduct

Specific Committee Duties and Members Roles

Adequate introduction to committee responsibility

Ensure Chair understands role, process and can convey to

other members their role.

Communicate with members regularly regarding upcoming

projects.

If privacy laws allow, provide an agenda in advance to your

committee for review.

COMMITTEE ROLES & RESPONSIBIL IT IES

ADDITIONAL TOOLS FOR COMMITTEE SUCCESS

Prepare orientation for new committee members

Provide regular and appropriate recognition to

active committee members.

Involve committee members in developing an

annual committee plan of work and make sure that

the committee plans are in alignment with overall

association plans.

At every meeting have a committee meeting

feedback form.

Set an attendance requirement for the committee

Make evaluations a part of the charter or make

terms good for one year.

TOOLS TO BUILDCOMMITTEE SUCCESS

Is your committee flat lining?

Understanding that not all committees flourish right

away, the insight as to why, and what you can do about it,

becomes very important. Typical reasons include:

WHY A COMMITTEE FALLS APART

REASONS WHY ACOMMITTEE MAYNOT SUCCEED .

Unclear or Ineffective Committee Description

Unclear standards of Committee Conduct

Discussions consist of off task unrelated small talk.

Agenda not properly followed

Vague & undefined motions (improper Roberts rules)

Monotony

No recognition or appreciation

Lack of experience by the Chairman can lead to poorly run

meetings.

Active participation is declining

Member aggression or conflict

SURVEYINGYOUR

ENVIRONMENT.

A Sample Survey &Checklist for Committees

SURVEYS & CHECKLISTS

SAMPLE Committee Name Feedback Survey Rank 1-10

With 1 being the lowest score and 10 being the highest score, please rank each category accordingly.

The agenda is well prepared.Focus is on necessary concerns.

The Committee meets frequentlyenough to meet objectives.

Decisions are easily reached aftersufficient deliberation.

Members participate regularly.

We avoid getting intounnecessary details.

Actions from last meeting are reviewed and status noted.

The Chair guides discussions but stays on agenda.

Opinions are welcome Communication is open.

The meeting beginsand ends on time.

Next steps are identifiedand responsibilities assigned.

We enjoy beingtogether and have fun!

Meeting Minutes are madeand easy to understand.

SAMPLE Committee Name Feedback Survey Please complete this form before you leave

Excellent Good Fair PoorWere the issues discussed substantive?

Were the materials provided helpful in understanding/resolving the issues?

Was the discussion action oriented?

How can our next meeting be more productive?

Are there any ideas you have for the long termvision of the committee?

What was the most valuable contribution to the committee made today to the long-term welfare ofthe association, its members and the profession?

Please write any additional comments below:

4 3 2 1

4 3 2 1

4 3 2 1

Know the objective of the meetingPrepare and stick to the agendaControl interruptionsKeep audience engaged and attentiveAccomplish purpose presentation materialSummarize main pointsRestate conclusions and assignments Assure agreement End on Time

CHECKLIST FOR EFFECTIVE MEETINGS