LLLI Board Committees General Guidelines
All LLLI Standing and Special committees, Task Forces, and teams
- are on-going unless dissolved by the LLLI Board, at the Board’s discretion
- have a clear commission and duties that have been approved by the Board and are included in the LLL Policies and Standing Rules (PSR)
- have a minimum of three members
- have a staff liaison assigned by the Executive Director in consultation with the committee Chair(s)
- meet as needed throughout the year
- may be chaired by a Board member or a non-Board member. If the chair is not a Board member, the committee has a Board Liaison appointed by the Board Chair(s)
- may have ex officio members, such as liaisons and chairs from other committees. Ex officio committee members serve on the committee because they hold an office that is pertinent to the committee’s work.
- have new chairs and committee members assigned immediately after the LLLI Board Annual Session unless otherwise stated in the committee commission and duties
- seek a diverse body of committee members in line with the LLLI Inclusivity policy and the Code of Conduct
- accept as members LLL Leaders who are in good standing with their Areas and DCEs and non-Leader members who bring necessary skills and positive contributions to the committee’s work. It is the responsibility of the Board Chair(s) to contact the prospective committee members’ Areas or DCEs to ensure that they are in good standing with all of the entities they are connected to
- abide by the Accessibility and Cultural Sensitivity policy
- make recommendations to the LLLI Board and seek approval from the LLLI Board for any new or revised programs or projects, or report directly to the ED, who can assist in bringing any recommendations for new or revised programs/projects to the LLLI Board for approval
- use consensus when making a recommendation to the Board or, if needed, an affirmative vote—electronic or in-person–of the majority of committee members attending the meeting or participating in the electronic vote by the deadline given.
- when presenting the recommendation to the LLLI Board, committee chairs report any dissenting opinions from the committee.
- report regularly to the Board or to the ED, as requested by the LLLI Board Chair(s). At minimum they provide a report at the time of the Annual Session.
Members of any LLLI Standing or Special Committee, Task Force, or team are subject to removal from their position in the committee, within the parameters of the Complaint Resolution Process. See particularly Complaint Resolution Process, bullet point 6.
A majority of any committee constitutes the quorum necessary for making a formal recommendation.
No LLLI Board member serves as chair or co-chair of more than two Standing or Special Committees, Task Forces or teams at the same time.
LLLI Board Chairs are ex officio members of all committees, but do not vote.
Non-Board members serve on no more than two standing or special committees, task forces or teams. Serving on a task force or other teams associated with an assigned committee does not count towards the limit of two.
Leaders do not serve on both LLLI Committees and the Global Leaders Committee (GLC) when doing so could lead to a conflict of interest as defined by the Conflict of Interest policy or as determined by the members of the GLC.
Chairs of committees, ex officio participants and Board members recognize the special status and perception of power imbalance of their role on any committee. They take care to hear and acknowledge all voices on the committee, especially the voices of newer committee members.
SPECIAL COMMITTEES and TASK FORCES
- are established for a specific and limited purpose
- are created by Board resolution as the need arises and are limited in their duration
- continue their work until the committee chair and the Board agree that their purpose is accomplished. They are generally not expected to continue past the next Annual Session.
If a special committee or Task Force has not completed its commission before the Annual Session, in consultation with the committee chair, the Board may choose to extend the term for a defined period of no more than one year.
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE LLLI BOARD CHAIR(S)
The LLLI Board Chair(s)
- appoint(s) Chairs of Committees with the approval of the full Board
- appoint(s) Board liaisons as necessary
- approve (s) committee members in consultation with the committee chair(s) according to the commission of the committee and this policy
- provide(s) oversight and consistency among committees as ex officio member(s) of all LLLI Board Committees but is (are) not counted as part of the minimum number of members or maximum number of Board members required
- set(s) reporting requirements for committees.
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE LLLI ED AND STAFF
The LLLI ED
- Appoints a staff liaison to each committee, in consultation with the LLLI Board Chair(s) and the committee chair for each committee
- Orients staff as to their role as committee liaisons
- Communicates with committee and task force chairs regarding any issues relating to staff work for the committees.
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE COMMITTEE CHAIR(s)
The committee chairs
- select committee members in consultation with the Board Chair(s). Members are selected based upon knowledge, skills and experience relevant to the commission and duties of the committee
- work closely and communicate consistently with their staff liaisons, seeking information from the staff liaison in setting goals consistent with LLLI’s Strategic Plan, and keeping the staff liaison fully informed about the committee’s activities and progress
- seek to have a committee membership that is as diverse and as representative of all the DCEs as possible
- abide by the Accessibility and Cultural Sensitivity policy
- conduct and organize committee meetings, using appropriate committee protocol and procedures
- direct their committees in making recommendations and decisions
- create and supervise relevant subcommittees with the approval of the Chair(s) of the Board
- are ex officio members of their committee’s subcommittees
- write their committee reports, with the input of the committee members and staff liaison
- recognize any perceptions of power imbalance that may exist on the committee
- take care to hear and acknowledge all voices on the committee, especially the voices of newer committee members
RESPONSIBILITY OF BOARD LIAISON
When the chair of a Board Committee is not a current LLLI Board member, the LLLI Board Chair(s) and Vice Chair, with the approval of the Board, appoint a current Board member who has agreed to serve on the committee to act as Board Liaison to the committee.
In addition to their usual responsibilities as a committee member, the Board liaison is responsible for maintaining clear and frequent lines of communication between the committee and the Board by
- bringing Board questions to the committee and vice versa
- clarifying points of confusion between the Board and the committee
- presenting required reports to the Board
- bringing motions from the committee to Board meetings
- monitoring the committee’s progress in completing its Strategic Plan tasks..
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STAFF LIAISON
The staff liaison
- communicates directly with the committee chair unless the committee chair requests that the staff liaison communicate directly with committee members or others
- takes questions or frustrations first to the committee chair rather than the ED, making every effort to address concerns together
- informs the committee chair as soon as possible when unable to provide assistance, information, or otherwise respond to committee chair requests
- acts as a resource to the committee
- provides necessary, timely information to the committee chair when asked. Examples: reference materials, related historical perspective (e.g., past LLLI experience), related statistics, financial information or ramifications, research or information gathering, technical details of various tasks relevant to the daily operation of LLLI
- provides timely opinions to committee chair based on staff point of view or experience. Examples: feasibility of ideas/projects, suggestions about how the committee might work with another committee, cost estimates, ongoing evaluation of committee progress, brainstorming
- provides timely staff assistance to help carry out committee work
- advises the committee chair with problems and procedures, helping clarify areas of confusion
- participates in committee meetings when feasible, but does not vote. Staff liaison opinions are carefully considered and included in reporting
- keeps the committee chair aware of happenings at LLLI, items of interest,and staff input helpful to the committee
- is well-versed in the LLLI long range Strategic Plan and how the committee’s work fits into and enhances the plan.
RESPONSIBILITY OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Members of committees
- serve a term of the length stipulated in the committee commission. If no term length is stipulated in the committee commission, the length of the term is one year. Terms are renewable as approved by the committee chair and LLLI Board Chair(s)
- bring relevant perspectives and examples from their DCE, while keeping an organizational view for the good of LLL
- make every effort to attend all meetings of their committees and to participate in online committee discussions
- understand and abide by the confidentiality rules and any policies relevant to the work of the committee
- resign from the committee if they are unable to meet their obligations to participate regularly
- recuse themselves from discussions that present a conflict of interest for them [Conflict of interest policy] or in which there are circumstances which prevent them from being impartial
- assist other committee members to recognize when they might have a conflict of interest or circumstances affecting their ability to be impartial in making committee decisions
- when taking a leave of absence for more than three months, alert the committee chair who may then choose an alternate committee member who represents a similar voice
(Oct 92, Mar 19, Mar 2023)