SANIBEL & CAPTIVA ISLANDS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HANDBOOK
MEMBER
ROLES
COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON
Duties of the Chairperson
Responsibility
Authority
Budget
Accountability
Scheduling/Meeting notices
Publicity
Relationship of Staff
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Function
Committee Operation
Responsibility
Authority
Accountability
Qualifications
Cause of Removal
Guidelines for a Successful Committee Meeting
Questions Most Often Asked About Committee Involvement
What is the Role of the…
Board Member:
The Board of Directors is the policy making body of the Chamber of
Commerce. It represents a broad cross section of the business and
professional leadership of the community. It should be considered and
honor to serve on the Board. Proven genuine unselfish interest in the
Chamber and its objectives is the first requirement for a Board
Member.
Committee Member:
The committee serves as the clearinghouse for all suggestions that are
referred to it by the Executive Director, Board of Directors, and
members of the Chamber. Suggestions are reviewed and acted on by the
Board. Committees are action oriented.
Staff Member:
The Chamber staff oversees the actions of the committee. They make
sure that all chamber policies and procedures are being followed.
Staff, along with the committee chair, makes sure that the budget is
being adhered to. Staff is responsible for all expenditures and public
relations for the committee. Staff is required to have a broad
knowledge of the Chamber as a whole so that committees do not conflict
with other committees and that their mission coincides with the
mission of the Chamber.
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COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON
The Committee Chairperson provides progress reports to the Executive
Director and evaluates the accomplishments of the committee on a
regular basis. The Chairperson is to the Committee what the captain is
to a ball team – his or her function is to explain the task, line up
the team and advise and inspire them as the play moves from phase to
phase.
Qualities of a Chairperson
The Chairperson must…
1. Be a leader. They must command attention and loyalty.
2. Be able to communicate, think clearly, and express him or herself
concisely.
3. Be able to listen – to encourage ideas and opinions.
4. Be deeply interested in the objectives of the task assigned.
5. Have the time to carry out their responsibilities.
6. Be willing to give the time and energy necessary to carrying out
the committees assignments.
Duties of the Chairperson
1. Plan – The chairperson studies the task, clarifies any points not
thoroughly understood in cooperation with the Executive Director or
Chamber staff. The chairperson recruits individuals for committees
whose skills will help and are needed. He/She charts the course of
action and goes to work.
2. Conducts Meetings – The Committee meets only to utilize its members
in accomplishing a goal. Meetings are to be held as needed, start and
end on time, with all members having the opportunity to report,
suggest and participate. The Chairperson keeps his/her eye on the
objective and goals of the committee and keeps the discussion
pertinent to the goal.
3. Gets Action – The Chairperson guides and stimulates the group to
produce.
4. Evaluates – The Chairperson must constantly evaluate his or her
work and procedures and the progress of the Committee and its members.
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Responsibility
The Chairperson is responsible for carrying out the activities
assigned to the Committee on time.
Authority
The Chairperson has the authority to add members as needed and release
others as their function is finished
The Chairperson does not have the authority to commit the Chamber
financially to any project.
Budget
The Chairman of the Committee assists the staff in developing a budget
for the upcoming year. Once the Board of Directors approves the budget
it is expected that there will be no deviation. If changes to the
budget are required, or a new item is requested, it must go to the
Board of Directors for approval. All projects are expected to make a
“profit” for the Chamber to help offset the operating costs of the
organization.
Each year the budget starts from “0” and no money is held over from
one year to the other. Staff must approve all expenditures. At no time
should anyone make any purchases for the Chamber without the prior
consent of staff.
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Accountability
Each Committee Chairperson is directly accountable to the Executive
Director for coordination, performance or assistance.
Scheduling/Meeting notices
As soon as the Chairperson is appointed, he or she needs to consult
with Chamber staff to select the time and frequency of the meetings.
All committee meetings will require a Chamber staff person in
attendance. Meeting notices will automatically be sent to all
committee members’ 5-10 days in advance of the meeting. The
Chairperson is responsible for letting the staff know if there has
been any change in a regularly scheduled meeting.
Publicity
Before any report of action taken by a committee is given to the news
media, it must be cleared and approved by the President or Executive
Director. At no time should a committee member release information on
any Chamber program or event without the consent of the Chamber staff.
Relationship of Staff
The staff member assigned will do everything possible to aid the
Committee in achieving its goals including:
1. Scheduling meetings, writing progress reports and handling details
for meetings to assure efficient use of time by all concerned.
2. Reservations for meetings to be held at selected sites. Only
Chamber staff will be allowed to confirm and attendance count.
3. Prepare and agenda after consulting with the Chairperson.
4. E-mail meeting notices 5-10 days in advance of meetings.
5. Re-approve any and all purchases previously approved in the annual
budget. Whenever possible and when appropriate, the Chamber asks that
items for purchase be sent out to bid to members of the Chamber
providing that service or product.
6. Assemble such materials as needed for the meeting.
Committee chairman are asked to give ample notice for assignments. If
staff is needed to work on a project it is requested that the chairman
and/or committee member make and appointment so that they receive the
attention they deserve.
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COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Members in good standing are eligible as committee members for the
Chamber. A Chairperson will be appointed by the President of the Board
to preside over the Committee. The Committee Chairperson will in turn
recruit members for the committee with assistance from Chamber staff
and approval from the President of the Board. Non-members may be
recruited as committee members with prior consent of the Board of
Directors.
Function
The Committee serves as the clearinghouse for all suggestions which
are referred to it by the officers, Board of Directors, members and
other concerning priorities which are or should be receiving active
attention of the Chamber. Suggestions for the creation of special
Committees are reviewed and acted upon by the Board.
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Committee Operation
Committees are action-oriented. They get the facts, face the facts,
and take the action to get the job done. A successful Committee will:
1. Understand objectives – Make sure that you have a clear positive
goal, study it, and agree on exactly what is to be done. If there is
disagreement, get clarification at once from the Chairperson.
2. Analyze problem or activity – Understand all parts of the problem
and determine the sequence to be followed
3. Assign work – Make specific assignments to members.
4. Gather Facts – Obtain the information required to intelligently
work on the problem or activity. Avoid prejudices, previous opinions
or beliefs.
5. Get outside help if needed – Get outside technical advice. Use
outsiders as advisors or consultants, but do not give them the
responsibilities that the Committee is expected to assume.
6. Evaluate results – Find out to what extent goals are being met, and
to what extent each member of the Committee is doing his or her part.
7. Conclusion – When your task is finished and the goal is reached,
you have completed your commitment to the Committee. In addition to
public acknowledgement and thanks, every Committee member knows he or
she played a part in the action. You have made a difference in your
community!
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Responsibility
A committee is responsible for carrying out its assigned task as
approved by the Board. Each member is responsible for his/her phase of
the work as assigned by the Committee Chairperson.
Authority
Committee authority is delegated by the Board and action must have
approval by the Board unless such action is specifically granted
previously. Within the Committee, the authority lies with the
Chairperson.
Accountability
The Committee members are accountable to the Committee Chairperson.
The Committee as a body is accountable to the Board of Directors.
Qualifications
Members of Committees must be members of the Chamber of Commerce.
Participation on a Committee requires only the interest of the member.
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CAUSE OF REMOVAL
Committees will be continued as long as there is work to be done.
Conflict of interest: From time to time, a Committee must consider a
problem on which a member has a close, personal or financial interest.
In these cases, the member is free to express his or her belief in the
matter but then temporarily disqualify himself or herself as a member
until this particular issue is settled.
Lack of interest in the task and its progress is considered adequate
reason for dropping the member from the Committee. If a Committee
member does not show up for three meetings in a row, with no
notification to the Chamber, it will be assumed that the person is no
longer interested in serving on the Committee and they will be removed
from the mailing list.
The President of the Board leads, the Board sets policy, initiates and
receives reports; the staff advises, coordinates and implements the
action taken. The members serving on the Committee do the work.
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GUIDELINES FOR A SUCCESSFUL COMMITTEE MEETING
• Start on time and end on time. Meetings should last no longer than 1
hour unless previous arrangements have been made.
• Involve all committee members in discussion
• Have an agenda and necessary discussion items prepared.
• Identify the purpose of the meeting.
• Stick to the agenda.
• Utilize the staff to guide and direct the work of the committees.
• Remember that meetings are a time to conduct business, not a social
occasion.
• Provide the staff with the necessary time and information to prepare
for the meeting.
• Respect the staff’s position and knowledge regarding policy and
procedure.
• Summarize your accomplishments.
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QUESTIONS MOST OFTEN ASKED ABOUT COMMITTEE INVOLVEMENT:
Does a member of the committee have to be a member of the Chamber?
Non-members may be recruited as committee members with prior consent
of the Board of Directors. At times it may be appropriate to bring in
a guest as a reference or speaker but they are not to be added to
committee rosters or become a regular part of the meeting.
Does the staff or the Chairperson prepare the agenda? The staff is
more than willing to prepare the agenda with the help of the
Chairperson. If the Chairperson prefers to develop the agenda on their
own it needs to be provided to the staff 24 hours prior to the meeting
so that appropriate copies and reference materials can be available.
Who sends out the meeting notices? The staff will send out the meeting
notices 5-10 days prior to the meeting.
Is it necessary for staff to be at all committee meetings? Yes, we
require that staff be in attendance at any official meeting regarding
a chamber project or event.
Is there an attendance policy for committee members? In accordance
with the Chamber’s Bylaws, any person who misses three meetings
consecutively or four in a year will be removed from the committee.
Staff will keep the Chairperson informed of any attendance problems.
It is very helpful if the Chairperson contacts the individual to see
if they can help to solve the attendance problem.
How long should a meeting last? Most meetings, unless otherwise noted,
should be completed within one hour. It is important for meetings to
begin on time and to keep non-pertinent discussions to a minimum.
Chairpersons should not bring latecomers “up to speed” on what has
been discussed until after the meeting is adjourned.
Can non-members be solicited for sponsorships or gifts for events? It
is the policy of the Chamber to only solicit members for events and
activities. If something is donated from a non-member they will not
receive any promotion for the item. It is the Chamber’s policy to do
business with Chamber members only.
How does the committee work with the budget? Typically the Chairperson
and the staff member will prepare a budget request to be forwarded to
the Board for approval. Committees are expected to generate the
revenues that they proposed and keep within the expense line that they
submitted. If it is anticipated that the revenues will be less than
expected, then expenses will need to be cut accordingly. If the
committee exceeds the projected net revenue for a particular project
or event, that doesn’t mean they have “extra” to spend in another
area. Funds do not carry over from one program year to another.
Committees cannot commit to spending money on behalf of the Chamber.
Any significant project (printing, plaques, shirts etc.) must be sent
out to bid to appropriate member firms.
Who develops press releases for the events/programs? All press
releases must be sent out from the Chamber office. If a committee
member writes the press release, it should be e-mailed to the chamber
so that it can be placed on chamber letterhead. At no time should a
press release be sent from a committee member’s office.
How can we use the newsletter/website to promote our program/project?
The Chamber’s newsletter and website is meant to be a very informative
and proactive means of communications to our members on programs,
events and issues. If a committee wants to submit and article, they
must provide it to staff by the 20th of the month preceding the month
that they want the article to appear in the newsletter. Information on
the website can be dealt with at any time. Unfortunately, due to space
limitations, we cannot give a committee a “standing article” or
secured space each and every month.
Who speaks for the media? The Executive Director and Chamber President
are the spokespersons for the organization. At times a staff member
may refer a media call to you for comments but will inform you of
these situations. If you get a media call you should contact the
Chamber to verify what information is appropriate to share with the
media.
If you would like more information on Chamber committees, please
contact the Chamber at 239-472-1080 or
island@sanibel-captiva.org.
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