About
This document goes through the basics of what the IFSSA Board is and its responsibilities, as well as its roles and relationship to the Staff, Management, and the Executive Director.
Table of Contents
The role of the board is to provide oversight and guidance on programs as well as set direction and strategy. The Executive Director’s duty is to implement the strategy the board has determined through staff, and translate staff/program concerns to the board.
In order for the board to do its job it needs ample information on programs. Staff should communicate programming details to Committee Chairs (from the board).
Board members should take information they hear from staff, as well as concerns they hear from community and relay that to the Executive Director in the form of objectives and strategy.
Committee Chairs provide staff with subject matter expertise, community inroads, and act as ambassadors for the programs they steward. Committees should ask questions about program efficacy, targets, etc and help identify opportunities/emerging challenges to staff. The committee’s job is to identify gaps/weakness and helpful strategies.
Committees and staff should meet regularly to discuss programs and impact. Committee chairs as well as the ED relay information to the board and collaboratively set strategy.
Committee Chairs should avoid directly telling staff what to do – these directives should come through the Executive Director. The board directs staff through the ED, not directly. Committee Chairs hold the Executive Director responsible for administering directives, not the staff.
The president is first in-charge and representative of the organization as an example of the culture IFSSA represents and a spokesperson to the large community.
The president chairs Board meetings as well as the executive committee meetings and provides Leadership to the Board. However, they do not have the authority to veto board decisions. Board policies and decisions can only be changed through motion and a board vote as described in the bylaws. The President's responsibilities include: