Role of Individual Committee Members

Role of Individual Committee Members

The Management Committee, made up of individual members, must make decisions as a collective group.

This means that each Management Committee member must clearly understand their duties and responsibilities and be able to commit to:

• upholding the values and objectives of the organisation
• giving adequate time and energy to the duties of being a trustee
• acting with integrity and avoiding or declaring personal conflicts of interest.

(Adapted from Good Governance: A Code for the Voluntary and Community Sector).

In order to ensure that decisions are taken in the best interests of the organisation and that their role is carried out effectively, individual members should act in line with the Nolan Principles, demonstrating selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

Use our checklist to see how well you understand your committee role.

Supporting Committee Members

Management Committee members are volunteers. As with all volunteers, Management Committee members will invariably need support. The organisation should have an appropriate support system in place, which may involve the Chairperson or another committee member acting as a point of contact for specific areas.

It is good practice to have written role descriptions for Management Committee members and honorary officers, and to provide induction training. Support may also include reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses (check your governing document or policy of the organisation).

Remember, good support helps all Management Committee members work better as a team!

The Management Committee and The Organisation

The community and voluntary sector is made up of groups and organisations that have either:

• no paid staff (and everyone’s a volunteer), or
• paid staff (ranging from one or two, to several hundred).

The diagram below illustrates how a Management Committee fits within an organisation employing staff and how communication channels work. Click here for summary details on each role.

The Management Committee, then, is ultimately responsible for the organisation. However, they often:

• delegate tasks to a sub-committee
• seek external advice
• delegate to staff
• delegate to volunteers

Committee members need to ensure that there is clarity in realtion to the task being delegated. Management Committees cannot delegate decision making authority. It is therefore essential that sub-committees refer back to the full committee meeting where decisions are taken.

In addition, if a membership organisation, the Management Committee will have an important communication role with its members. And, of course, there is communication with a range of external organisations such as funding bodies, statutory agencies, other voluntary organisations, etc.