Forming Your Committee

What is a committee?

A committee is a group of people who take responsibility for managing a community group, voluntary organisation, charity trust or social enterprise.

Voluntary sector organisations have different legal structures with different governing documents and the name given to the committee that manages these will vary, for example:

A Registered Charity  – Board of Trustees
A Company Ltd by Guarantee – Board of Directors
An Unincorporated Organisation – Committee or Management Committee

Why have a committee?

Organisations come to being as a result of a particular need or cause. It is important that the organisation sticks to its aims and objectives. Some organisations are too large for all the members of the group to make decisions therefore it is easier to create a smaller group which can represent the views of the whole group in the decision making process.

How do committees work?

Committees are normally made up between 3 and 12 people. They should arrange to meet regularly to make decisions about the direction of the organisation or group. The bigger the committee is, the more difficult it is to come to an agreement over any decisions that they need to make. To ensure the smooth running of your committee it is a good idea to introduce a Code of Conduct.

Committees have overall responsibility for managing the organisations affairs. In certain circumstances committee members can face personal liability if things go wrong. That is why it is important to meet regulations and make sure that the correct information comes to meetings so that committee members can make informed decisions.

For information on the particular office bearing roles within a committee, please see below:

Role of the Chair

Role of the Secretary

Role of the Treasurer

For details of TACTs Committee Skills Training, please click on link