This process may be specified in your governing document or selected for convenience.  Committee members are asked to put forward names of individuals who they would like considered for membership, having confirmed their interest in committee membership. Confirmation of membership may be by ‘seconding’ a nomination, a vote by the Committee or voting by the membership.

Example documents

Download:  Example Nomination Form

Benefits?

• Ensures that new Committee members, their skills and expertise are already known to someone in the group
• Most appropriate where selection is from a narrow pool of potential members

Drawbacks?

• May present limited opportunity to review relevant skills and experience or check whether they meet essential criteria for the role, as it usually depends on just one person’s recommendation
• Relies a lot on an individual committee member’s familiarity with the applicant(s)
• It may create or reinforce cliques on the committee
• May give rise to conflict of interest situations within the Committee
• It may restrict the ability to identify people with different skills, experience and backgrounds
• It makes it less likely that diversity issues on the committee will be effectively addressed
• In community organisations, it may disadvantage those who are new to the area
• It may also be difficult to be completely fair and consistent if choosing between applicants