A committee member may not have a special title or task, but their presence on a committee is just as important as that of the office bearers.
Some duties of the committee members are:
- Attend meetings regularly;
- Stick to the agenda;
- Support the group/work as a team;
- Take action on tasks identified from the previous minute;
- Vote on issues;
- Discourage domination by one or a few;
- Assist with projects;
- Support and encourage quieter members to take part in the discussion;
- Abide by the decisions of the group;
- Encourage membership;
- Listen to each other;
- Feedback to the committee;
- Aim towards constructive discussion and decisions;
- Help with advertising, distributing leaflets etc.;
- Elect office bearers;
- Put forward ideas;
- Make suggestions; and
- Accept the authority of the Chairperson
Good committee members should always have:
- A diary
- Necessary paperwork for the meeting, agenda, minutes, reports
- Notepad & pen
- Folder to keep all the paperwork in
The role of the committee
The committee is elected by the members of the tenants’ and residents association to carry out the work of the association. The committee organises committee meetings to suit the needs of the group and general meetings for all it’s members, and the group’s Annual General Meeting. The committee must carry out the decisions made at these meetings. The committee has delegated authority to make decisions on behalf of the association, it is important that these decisions are reported back to the full membership. This can be done in a variety of ways including public meetings, posters or leaflets or newsletters
Working together
In order to work effectively together, you need to be clear who is responsible for what. Some jobs on the committee can be taken by one person or can be shared.
Teamwork is essential - Together
Everyone
Achieves
More
Purpose of a committee meeting
- To decide what action to take
- To come to a decision which is acceptable to the group
- To benefit from the ideas, skills, knowledge, and opinions of all members
- To conduct business efficiently in accordance with the constitution
Keeping everyone involved
Every tenants/residents association has to work hard at keeping people involved. If your organisation is to be strong, you must make constant efforts to keep your membership informed and get wider involvement.
Useful tips
- Set dates for regular meetings several months or even a year in advance. This helps you to give guest speakers plenty of notice and plan your public meetings.
- Find out the public holiday dates so that you can arrange meetings around them to avoid the need for last minute cancellations.
- Be aware of the school holidays – you may need to arrange crèche facilities if this will restrict the attendance of the committee or the public at a meeting.
- Be aware of the social/meeting calendar of the community. Avoid having meetings that clash with the big local events or when members may be involved with other groups/committees.
- Book your venue for several months ahead – to avoid the disappointment of not getting a room in suitable premises.
- Make your publicity materials as interesting and eye catching as possible. You want your poster to stand out on the notice board and your leaflets to be the ones people do not throw away before reading them!
- Make sure that your membership knows who you are and how to contact you.
- Make your meeting as interesting and enjoyable as possible – have fun.
- Make sure you publicise your successes.