Tool B
Committee Builder
One screen per committee. If you cannot write a purpose that names a decision or work product, you do not have a committee yet.
Recommended minimal structure
The simplest structure that does real work.
Budget under $500K
Finance and fundraising only. Executive committee optional, and usually unnecessary at this size.
$500K to $2M
Finance, fundraising, and executive. Add program when the board needs a structured outcomes conversation.
$2M and above
Finance, fundraising, executive, program, and operations. Add task forces for time bound work instead of new standing committees.
Finance charter
Never: Rebuild the bookkeeping or second guess staff on individual transactions.
What decision or work product did this committee produce last quarter that would not have happened without it?
Draft for your judgment. If the honest answer to the value test is nothing, collapse the committee and give the work back to the full board. That is a healthy move, not a failure.
Fundraising (Development) charter
Never: Take over staff run development operations or become a report reading session.
What decision or work product did this committee produce last quarter that would not have happened without it?
Draft for your judgment. If the honest answer to the value test is nothing, collapse the committee and give the work back to the full board. That is a healthy move, not a failure.