Board Committee Principles
- Policy Name: Board Committee Principles
- Policy Type: Governance Process
- Number: GP-06
- Date Approved: October 20, 2025
- Date Amended:
- Date Last Reviewed:
Board committees, when used, will be assigned to reinforce the wholeness of the Board’s job, and will never interfere with delegation from Board to CEO.
- Board committees are to help the Board do its job, never to help or advise the staff.
Expectations and authority will be carefully stated in order not to conflict with
authority delegated to the CEO.
- Rather than providing recommendations which would interfere with the Board’s holism
and its responsibility to govern the whole of the organization, Board committees may
be used to provide the Board with alternatives and implications for the Board’s informed
decision making.
- Board committees cannot exercise authority over staff. Because the CEO works for the
full board, the CEO will not be required to obtain approval of a board committee before
an executive action.
- Board committees may not speak or act for the Board except when formally given such
authority for specific and/or time-limited purposes.
- Committees will be used sparingly and ordinarily in an ad hoc capacity.
- This policy applies to any group that is formed by Board action, whether or not it
is called a committee, and whether or not it includes board members. It does not apply
to committees formed under the authority of the CEO.
- All committee members shall abide by the same Code of Conduct as governs the Board.
- Except as defined in written Terms of Reference, no Committee has authority to commit the funds or resources of the organization.
