Board and Staff Responsibilities
To help convey who does what regarding board and staff, the following activities are suggested to be done by board, staff or jointly. Ultimately, the responsibility for the various activities depends very much on the life-cycle of the organization — young organizations often have working Boards that are involved in day-to-day activities, while older organizations have Boards that attend exclusively to top-level policies and plans. This document should be reviewed by board members to finalize who they would like to do what among board and staff members.
The original author of this document is unknown.
| Activity |
Respon- |
PLANNING:
| Direct the process of planning | Board |
| Provide input to long range goals | Joint |
| Approve long range goals | Board |
| Formulate annual objectives | Staff |
| Approve annual objectives | Board |
| Prepare performance reports on achievement of goals and objectives | Staff |
| Monitor achievement of goals and objectives | Joint |
PROGRAMMING:
| Assess stakeholder (customers, community) needs | Staff |
| Train volunteer leaders (nonprofits only) | Staff |
| Oversee evaluation of products, services and programs | Board |
| Maintain program records; prepare program reports | Staff |
| Prepare preliminary budget | Staff |
| Finalize and approve budget | Board |
| See that expenditures are within budget during the year | Staff |
| Solicit contributions in fundraising campaigns (nonprofits) | Board |
| Organize fundraising campaigns (nonprofits) | Staff |
| Approve expenditures outside authorized budget | Board |
| Insure annual audit of organization accounts | Board |
PERSONNEL:
| Employ Chief Executive | Board |
| Direct work of the staff | Staff |
| Hire and discharge staff member | Staff |
| Decision to add staff (nonprofit) | Board |
| Settle discord among staff | Staff |
COMMUNITY RELATIONS:
| Interpret organization to community | Board |
| Write news stories | Staff |
| Provide organization linkage with other organizations | Joint |
BOARD COMMITTEES:
| Appoint committee members | Board |
| Call Committee Chair to urge him/her into action | Board |
| Promote attendance at Board/Committee meetings | Joint |
| Recruit new Board members | Board |
| Plan agenda for Board meetings | Joint |
| Take minutes at Board meetings | Joint |
| Plan and propose committee organization | Joint |
| Prepare exhibits, material and proposals for Board and Committees | Staff |
| Sign legal documents | Board |
| Follow-up to insure implementation of Board and Committee decisions | Staff |
| Settle clash between Committees | Board |
Return to Overview of Board Roles and Responsibilities
For the Category of Boards of Directors:
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