Nonprofit
Boards and Governance Review
26 Steps to Improving Committee Functioning
By Terrie
Temkin
April 3, 2003
Most of the nonprofits with which I work
expect their board members to actively participate
on at least one committee. The expectation
is that it is through committees the work
of the organization will occur. However,
few see committees as an expedient means
of accomplishing their goals. Laurence Peter,
author of The Peter Principle, echoes the
true feelings of many when he facetiously
suggests, "to get something done, a
committee should consist of no more than
three people, two of them absent."
Despite their various drawbacks, you can
expect to spend a lot of time in committees,
especially with the traditional concern
in nonprofit organizations for people and
process. Minimize your frustration and
maximize your productivity by following
some simple steps.
- Be clear about the committee's purpose. What
does it exist to accomplish?
- Stay away from standing committees wherever possible. The
urgency and importance of the committee's
tasks tend to get diluted when the group
meets month after month. Instead,
rely on ad hoc (self-limiting) committees
to deal with specific issues.
- Give considerable thought to who should sit on the committee. Look
outside the board and, perhaps even,
the organization. You will not
only increase your chances of finding
people with the specific skills you need,
you will end up cultivating potential
board members for the future.
- Tell people why they were asked to sit on the committee
and what is expected of them. Include
likely commitments of time, energy, skills,
contacts and money.
- Spend some time allowing committee members to bond. People
are more willing to participate and take
on responsibility when they feel a commitment
to the group.
- As a group, state the problems or issues to be tackled. This
way everyone starts on the same page.
- Limit committee discussions to topics that fit the organization's
mission, vision, values and priorities.
- Send out agendas and preparatory materials ahead of meetings
so that people can come prepared to work.
- Meet only when there is something substantial with which
to deal. There is nothing sacred
about monthly meetings.
- Give people sufficient notice of meetings and try to avoid
making last minute changes to the schedule.
- Begin and end your meetings on time. People are far
more likely to come if they feel you
respect their calendar.
- Assign tasks as evenly as possible. While it may be
easier to ask the same handful of people
that do everything, it guarantees that
you limit participation, leadership development
and potential productivity.
- Solicit then listen to everyone's input. After all, the
value of committees is summed up in the
adage "two heads are better than
one."
- Don't just accept comments at face value. Feed back
the comments in your own language, applying
your interpretation. Ask questions. Probe. Be
sure you understand what is being said,
and why it is being said.
- Assume that even the most off-the-wall ideas make sense
to the people who express them. Instead
of rejecting such ideas out of hand,
ask for clarification.
- Don't fight over ownership of an idea. The important
thing is that the idea is out there to
potentially benefit the organization.
- Speak only for yourself. Let others provide their
own explanations or rationales.
- Play the devil's advocate. Always ask the group to
consider the downside of a pending decision. When
people feel they have thoroughly looked
at all the potential negatives, they
are more confident of any decisions to
proceed.
- Strive for consensus. While time consuming, it simplifies
implementation and ensures commitment.
- Bring conflict into the open.
- Don't assume that silence means agreement in situations
where decisions are being made.
- If you can't reach consensus, consider:
a) identifying shared interests and working to build on those;
b) thinking up ways to make the most promising option better or more palatable;
c) putting aside the solutions already on the table, restating the mission,
vision and goals, and generating a new list of possible solutions that might
also/better meet the organization's needs;
d) initiating a trial period in which the strongest option is put to the
test;
e) changing the scope of the problem:
f) agreeing to limit the decision to procedural items rather than substantive.
- Stay focused on the goals and tasks of the committee.
- Keep action-oriented minutes
a) record only resolutions and votes, not "he said,... she said";
b) include sections such as supplies to
order, ideas to implement, people to call;
c) Summarize with who will do what, by when.
- Follow-up after the meeting.
a) ask committee members if they are comfortable with their decisions;
b) set up a system to bring those who missed the meeting up to date;
d) do what you promised to do at the meeting.
- Prepare a report to the board. Include:
a) the committee's recommendations;
b) the pros and cons of each recommendation;
c) the rationale for the recommendations made.
Following these 26 steps will ensure that
your committees won't operate like those
cited by Milton Berle. The comedian used
to say that a committee is a group that
keeps minutes and wastes hours.
Editor's Note: Our thanks to Terrie Temkin for her contribution to Nonprofit
Boards & Governance Review. More information about Terrie can be
found at: http://charitychannel.com/resources/Detailed/600.html
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