Nonprofit board committees can be a double-edged sword. When operating well, they promote productivity and ensure the organization runs as efficiently as possible. Committee members get to use their skills and expertise to fine-tune specific areas of the nonprofit, helping the organization accomplish its goals and fulfill its mission.

Committees do have their downside, though. The good things only happen when the committee operates well, and that’s often not the case. When a board does not fully commit to their success, the potential positives fade away. Committees instead become a source of frustration, full of unproductive and ineffective efforts.

We’ve seen the negatives many times in nonprofits we work with, and we know it doesn’t have to be that way. We’ve put together five tips that will help your organization’s committees operate successfully.

Tip #1: Understand The Roles and Types of Committees

A board committee is a small, dedicated group of individuals that help the board make decisions around a specific need. Committees leverage the unique backgrounds and knowledge of committee members to support the board with significant decisions or projects, pulling from a larger network to get to the best conclusion possible.

Some committees, like an executive committee or board recruitment committee, only consist of board members. Other committees, like a capital campaign or bylaws committee, may include a mix of the board and staff and sometimes even key advisors and stakeholders. The objective is to get the right people in place for the committee’s specific tasks.

Committees are typically either “standing” or “ad hoc”. A standing committee is ongoing and is often specified in an organization’s bylaws. The most common standing committee is the executive committee, typically made up of the board’s officers and mandated by the organization’s bylaws. As referenced in this excellent article, this committee is responsible for the hiring, firing, and support of the executive director and sometimes acts on behalf of the full board. Finance, fundraising, and membership committees are some other common standing committees.

Ad hoc committees (sometimes called a task force) are temporary and disband after the particular project is accomplished. Capital campaign, strategic planning, bylaws, and annual event committees are examples of ad hoc committees.

Tip #2: Appoint an Effective Chair and Secretary

Like the board itself, a committee should have an effective chair (or co-chairs) and secretary. By far, this is the most important tip within this article. Quite simply, the leadership and support provided by these two roles can make or break a committee.

Like the overall board chair, the committee chair must:

• Set and run organized meetings

• Maintain and communicate a clarity of purpose for the committee

• Create space for all of the committee members to share their perspective

• Ensure that the committee has clear goals and is making progress towards accomplishing them

Typically, the committee chair is also responsible for reporting the committee’s progress back to the full board.

The secretary is responsible for things like taking notes, disseminating agendas, and supporting the chair. In many cases a staff member plays this role.

Make sure that whomever is selected for these roles has the time and commitment to do them well.

Tip #3: Identify the Purpose and Goals of Each Committee

Committees shouldn’t exist just to say you have them. Each one needs a clearly defined purpose and measurable goals.

The purpose of the committee can be stated as one or two sentences that highlight the overall reason for the committee’s existence. Here is the purpose statement for the advocacy committee of one of our customers:

The advocacy committee is responsible for ensuring that the organization has a clear, current, and well-documented advocacy strategy that aligns with the mission and strategic plan.

Further, two of this committee's specific and measurable goals are to create and disseminate an advocacy tool kit for their members and to refine and implement their monthly information sessions with state legislators. You can see how they keep their committee focused and organized with a table like the one below.

Having a documented purpose and small set of measurable goals for your committees will help them run more effectively.

Tip #4: Get Your Meetings Right

Unfortunately, committee meetings are notorious for being poorly run and taking too long, in large part because the prior tips haven’t been followed.

Following the guidance that we provide in our blog article about effective meetings, “Death by Meeting”, each committee meeting should have clearly stated outcomes, a set agenda, and tie back to the committee’s purpose and goals.

Tip #5: Review the Number and Size of Your Committees

The number and size of committees varies greatly from organization to organization.

One of our customers, a staff-driven nonprofit, only has one board committee (an executive committee) and that works just fine for them. Another one of our customers, a membership organization, has a very effective set of eleven committees where the work of the organization is conducted.

Committee size varies depending upon the task. A bylaws committee may have three people whereas an annual event committee may have fifteen. Generally speaking, the smaller the committee the more manageable it will be.

If you’re wondering whether you have the right number and size for your committees, make this topic an agenda item at your next board or executive committee meeting. Bring these documents to review at the meeting:

• Current list of committees

• Who is on each committee

• The committee purpose and goals

• Your bylaws

• This article

Review these documents with your board and have a frank discussion about whether your current number and size of committees are serving you well and then begin to make adjustments as needed.

Closing Thoughts

Nonprofit board committees can either be a source of great frustration or great success. They can be filled with unproductive meetings and wasted time, or they can bring positive change to the organization. Following these tips can help you run your nonprofit committees more successfully.