Standard Committee Terms of Reference

The board (or its delegated body) gives authority to a person or group to carry out specific tasks on behalf of the board through Terms of Reference (ToR). Without such authority, there is no sanction- individuals are working without the legal protection of the incorporated body.

 

Terms of Reference are also important in that they clarify what the board expects to be done, and how and when it expects this to be accomplished. The role of committees is to assist the organization with the work of the board- thus, committees and Terms of Reference should be developed by the board (or the Executive or Personnel Committee) with some fine tuning once the committee is in place. The mandate or purpose of the committee comes from the board. Terms of Reference for all standing committees should become part of the role clarity statements in the board policy manual.

 

The following information is normally covered by Terms of Reference for a committee:

 

Committee Name: gives the committee an identity and thereby identifies its general objectives.

 

 

Type: could be standing (ongoing), ad hoc (associated with a specified project) or advisory (to provide advice on a given matter).

 

 

Chairperson: someone skilled in chairing meetings or an expert in the subject matter

 

 

Responsible To: the appointing authority and the individual or group who will receive the committee’s reports.

 

 

Purpose: a short, general description of the area in which the committee works, what it does, and why it was formed.

 

 

Authority: clearly sets out any decision-making or approval authority (limited / active advisor or agent)

 

 

Timeframes, Reporting and Deadlines: specifies duration of the committee, when it meets, project milestones, reporting dates (e.g. monthly, quarterly) completion and final report dates.

 

 

Composition: describes the type or titles of the individuals who will serve on the committee and any qualifications they are expected to have; includes the total number as well as representation (e.g. number of board members, community reps, client reps, staff, outside experts, parents, etc), by whom they are appointed, when and length of term. (Generally coincides with the time period of the terms of reference.)

 

 

Staff Support: position represented, actual type(s) of support provided (e.g. services, information, research) and estimated time required.

 

 

Other Resources: describes the resources available which may include experts, files from previous committees, office space, money allocated from budget.

 

 

Communication with Board Through: the person who keeps the board up-to-date on the work of the committee; usually the Chairman of the committee.

 

 

Specific Areas of Responsibility: specific objectives or tasks the committee is expected to achieve during the term or time-period given in the Terms of Reference. These statements should be as complete as possible, clearly indicating the board’s expectations. Policy guidelines that the committee is expected to follow, review, or draft should be specified. Any legal requirements that the committee must observe should identified. Assignments to conduct research and prepare reports need to be included. Reports should be specified in terms of: by when, to whom, and by whom the committee reports are made. Reporting is almost always part of the committee’s assignments and involves recommendations for solutions and strategies for implementation.

 

 

Approval/ Review Date: the date on which the terms of reference are approved by the board/ the date by which the committee reviews and evaluates its terms of reference and forwards recommended adjustments to the appointing authority.