Best Practice: Governance Policies & Procedures (P&Ps): Creation and Maintenance
Chapter: NAWBO New York City
Contact: Sallie Mullins Thompson, smt@wt.net
Goal: To ensure a smooth transition to future leadership, NAWBO NYC documents all of their operational processes and standards.
Implementation: NAWBO NYC creates a basic Policies & Procedures (P&Ps) document by using the guidelines set forth on the NAWBO National website under Chapter Resources and incorporates known processes and characteristics specific to their chapter. After this is developed it is approved by the entire board. During board and permanent / standing / ad hoc committee meetings, someone, such as the board Secretary, the Governance Director, or a committee chair should always be assigned to note any items that are omitted, need to be revised, or should be deleted from the P&Ps. These amendments should be documented and approved by the board on a regular, agreed-to schedule.
Once the amendments are approved and implemented, a copy of the revised P&Ps document should be distributed to the chapter leadership, posted to the local website, and filed in the chapter’s document archive. It is important to remember that P&Ps are a work in progress at all times, so changes & additions on a regular basis are necessary and appropriate. The document should be part of every chapter leader’s binder and a copy available for consultation at all board-related meetings. The P&Ps creation, approval, and maintenance process should all be documented.
Results: A benefit of having a P&P document is so that when questions arise regarding how something should be done, a board-approved document to which all agreed, is available as a resource to the board. It helps to standardize chapter operations. Each member of the chapter leadership understands her responsibilities and what is expected.