The exact jobs of a Board member will vary depending on your center’s size, stage of development, and individual personality.  It is important that there are job descriptions in place for all areas of your board.  Board members in general should have job descriptions.  Additionally, there should be a job description for each officer position.

Standing committees--those which exist from year to year also need job descriptions.  If your board only has 6-8 members, you may not function with committees but rather as a “committee of the whole” each time you meet.

Some centers with that size Board (6-8 members) still find it helpful to have committees, with a Board member as chair of each.  You can then draw in Advisory Board members from the community to fill out the committee.   This is also a good way to “scope out” potential new Board members!

If you do have committees as a part of your governing Board, they might include a Finance Committee, Development Committee, Personnel Committee and Program Committee.  With active, working committees, the entire Board may only need to meet every other month or once a quarter.  When committees make recommendations to the Board as result of their charges, Board should either accept it or send it back for further consideration.  It is not necessary to “rehash” everything the committee’s already done!