Hillcrest Community Committee Toolkit

Governance Toolkit by Candice Marie Bickett is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
A COMPREHENSIVE
TOOLKIT
TO ASSIST THE HILLCREST
COMMUNITY COMMITTEE
Hillcrest Community Committee
GOVERNANCE TOOLKIT

CONTENTS
1. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 3
2. Committee Roles & Responsibilities ................................................................. 4-7
3. Sample Committee Bylaws ............................................................................... 7-11
4. Recruitment | Committee Members ................................................................. 12-16
.

1. INTRODUCTION
This toolkit has been developed to assist the
members of the Hillcrest Community
Committee to understand and undertake the
management of their community organization.
For individuals new to the role of committee
member, this toolkit will guide you through the
establishment of structures and procedures.
Each section of this Governance Toolkit also
offers practical advice, to help make the most of
the committee’s contribution to our shared
Hillcrest neighborhood of Contra Costa
County.

2. COMMITTEE ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITY
A major responsibility of the committee must be above all to ensure that its decisions and actions
are reflective of the best interests of the Hillcrest Community of Contra Costa County. Some of
the functions and duties arising from this responsibility are:
 To ensure that committee members recruited and elected reflect the diversity and needs of
the community
 To encourage active community participation in the activities of the committee and to
ensure that the community is aware of what the committee is doing.
 To initiate fund-raising and social activities to cultivate a closer relationship
between the committee and the community.
 To monitor and control the finances of the committee not only for the present but also
with the future in mind.
 To be aware of and ensure the regular review of the committee bylaws, policies,
procedures (therein).
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Most community committees comprise the following positions:
A. President
B. Vice President
C. Secretary
D. Treasurer
E. General Committee Members (non-voting)
Some of the desirable characteristics of persons occupying these positions are:
PRESIDENT
The primary role of the President/Chair is to provide leadership to the committee and members.
The President must act to ensure the efficacy of the committee, as well as be a motivator
providing encouragement to members.
The President normally acts as chair for all regular meetings; it is important that the person
occupying this position has knowledge of meetings and meeting procedures. The
President/Chair serves as the committee’s figurehead and acts as a link between the
committee and the management who in turn act as a link to general community members.

As a symbolic representation of the Hillcrest community, it is imperative
that the committee’s decisions and actions are mindful of the cultural
diversity of our shared neighborhoods in Contra Costa County
VICE PRESIDENT
The primary role of the Vice President is to support the President in the functions of
leadership, coordination and motivation. Vice Presidents should therefore be prepared to:
Assist the President or take the President’s place in her/his absence.
Accept responsibilities such as chair, subcommittees, or other specific functions when
called upon.
SECRETARY
The position of Secretary is perhaps one of the two “busiest” within any committee. The functions
of a Secretary include:
Recording of minutes of all meetings
Handling all correspondence for the committee
Maintaining the files, membership records, volunteer records
Ensuring that all rules relating to meetings are complied with including but not limited to:
Notices
Quorums
Meeting Procedures
Preparing agendas (in consultation with the President)
TREASURER
The Treasurer’s job is to monitor the committee’s financial processes and keep on top of the
variety of different reporting obligations. Traditionally Treasurers have needed to have a
fundamental understanding of bookkeeping and/or generally accepted accounting principles
(GAAP).
The reality is that the role of Treasurer is one of the hardest roles to recruit for. Outsourcing the
bookkeeping and payroll functions will assist in securing a Treasurer as this is one of the most
difficult positions to fill.

Alternatively, committees may recruit a Treasurer who possesses a sound understanding of and
ability to practically employ:
GAAP;
Principles of Fundraising, Grant Writing and Proposals;
Fund Development, Cash Receipts
Legal and fiduciary responsibilities of Contra Costa County’s elected representatives
The Treasurer will usually chair the finance subcommittee, (if there is one), and ensure that
regular financial reports are provided to the committee.
The specific job of the Treasurer includes:
Preparation and maintenance of all accounting records;
Preparation of all budgets;
Maintenance of all records of income and expenditures;
Maintenance and general supervision of the finances of the committee and
providing advice to the President;
Preparation of all Financial Reports and Statements. (Monthly reports to committee and YE
reports);
Execution of the annual audit of the Financial Statements for the committee (if applicable)
To undertake these functions the Treasurer needs –at minimum:
Knowledge of bookkeeping.
Time to maintain the records.
A willingness to learn.
Because of workload involved it is recommended that committees consider ways of helping
Secretaries and Treasurers. The appointment of Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer from
general committee members is one option to consider.

3. SAMPLE COMMITTEE BYLAWS
i. Name [of committee]:
II. Purpose [mission, statement of activities and or programming]:
III. Membership Distribution List:
IV. Selection of Members
A. Membership requirements
B. Meeting attendance requirements
C. Clarify election or appointment procedures for officers including who votes/appoints
members and officers
D. Election/Appointment Timeline
E. Clarify start date and length of members/officers’ terms
V. Members Duties:
F. The President shall:
1. [Call regular meetings]
2. [Approve agendas]
3. [Distributed approved minutes]
4. [Preside over meetings (clarify who presides if Chair is absent)]
5. [Provide reports if needed]
6. [Attend meetings]
7. [Verify the committee’s web postings/social media presence/formalize content]
8. [Report and recruit for openings on the committee]
9. [Hold elections for the committee officers]
10. [Report annualized membership list and officers]
G. The Secretary shall:
1. [Create and approve agendas]
2. [Create accurate attendance and meeting minutes for President/Chair
approval no less than 7 calendar days prior to each scheduled meeting]
3. [Create agendas for President/Chair approval no less than 3 calendar days
prior to each scheduled meeting]
4. [Take accurate minutes (including attendance records) of each committee
meeting]
5. [Submit draft of minutes to committee chair no less than 10 days prior to the
meetings using the template provided]
6. [Distribute approved agendas]

VI. Meetings:
A. The(committee name) will meet the ___________________ of every ______________
B. Define process for calling special meetings including notification requirements
C. Define quorum i.e. the minimum number members who must be present at meetings
D. Clarify acceptability and process of virtual meetings including agenda, attendance
records and, minutes
VII. Attendance:
A. Define committee’s attendance policy
VIII. Voting:
E. Who may vote and who may not (chair? past chair?)
F. Percentage of members needed to certify vote
G. Process for Voting
H. Clarify process for proxy voting
I. Clarify process for virtual voting
IX. Amendments:
A. Define the process for amending these bylaws

ARTICLE 1: NAME AND PURPOSE
 Official name of the committee
 What are the purpose, function, and mission of the committee?
ARTICLE 2: MEMBERSHIP, SELECTION, AND RECALL
 Who are the members?
 Who do they each represent in the community (constituency, cultural and or experiential
diversity, professional experience or job title/position)?
In general, membership should reflect the diversity of the shared communities, which the
committee serves. Ideally, membership includes the following:
 At least a 51% majority of business and industry members
 An educational administrator;
 Counselor/advisor and/or a diversity representative
Optional members may include:
 Secondary and/or postsecondary technical instructors;
 General education (academic) faculty
 Current student or parent representative
Questions for consideration:
 Are all the interested parties properly represented to adequately fulfill the purpose/mission
of the committee?
 Is there anyone missing that has particular knowledge or responsibility that is integral to the
committee’s purpose? If so, they should be added to the membership roster.
 Is there a representative from the body to whom the committee reports who will act as a
liaison with that body?
 Is there a student member included, if student input would be appropriate?
 What are term lengths?
 There should be a standard term length for all committees: most have 3-year terms. Terms
should be staggered to ensure continuity of membership from year to year.
 Most committees have 1/3 of their membership expiring each year.
 How many consecutive terms may a member serve?
How are members selected?
 Members should be selected by their peers in an open, fair, democratic process.
 Are there particular qualifications, experience, or expertise required of members?

Ex-Officio members are members of committee by virtue of their position or job title, and may be
voting or non-voting, depending on the decision of the committee.
 Ex-Officio members have the right, but not the obligation, to participate.
ARTICLE 3: OFFICERS AND MEETINGS
 How and when is the committee President/Chair selected and who is eligible?
 How long is the term of office for the President/Chair? Can s/he serve a second term? Is
there a Vice President/Chair? How is s/he selected?
 Is there an Executive Committee? Who are the members? How are they chosen?
 What are the duties and responsibilities of the President/Chair? The Vice President/Chair?
 Who informs members of meeting dates, times and places?
 What happens if the office of the President/Chair becomes vacant? (Succession planning)
 May the Chair be recalled? Under what circumstances? What is the process? How often
does the Council or Committee meet?
 May members request a meeting? If so, how many requests are needed for a meeting to
be called?
ARTICLE 4: MINUTES, QUORUM, AND VOTING
 Committees shall include the following statement in their bylaws: Minutes are kept for
each meeting and are submitted in a timely manner to the President for review and
approval/acceptance.
 All minutes, bylaws revisions, documents generated, and recommendations from
Subcommittees are submitted to the parent committee, which reviews and
approves/accepts them
 This information reporting chain keeps everyone informed of Council and committee
activities, and ensures that recommendations and action items are followed through to
completion or resolution.
 How many voting members are needed to constitute a quorum? Are absentee or proxy
votes allowed? Are email votes allowed? How many votes are needed for a motion to
pass? What happens with tie votes?
 Do Presidents/Chairs have the right to vote? Or do they vote only to break a tie?
ARTICLE 5: STANDING COMMITTEES IF APPROPRIATE
 Does the committee have the right to form subcommittees and or ad hoc committees if it
deems necessary?
 A record of the members, their term dates, and the bylaws of each of the subcommittees is
 maintained by the committee

 List the subcommittees under the auspices of the committee, if any
 Include a statement that the committee reviews and approves/accepts the minutes of the
subcommittees.
 May the committee discontinue or disband a subcommittee? Should the committee
determine the membership and purpose of subcommittees it establishes?
ARTICLE 6: BYLAWS AMENDMENT PROCESS
 How many votes are required to amend the bylaws?
ARTICLE 7: BUSINESS ITEMS
 What happens to business items not completed by the end of the calendar year? Are they
to be continued the next calendar year?
 Who initiates new business for the committee to work on?

4. RECRUITMENT | COMMITTEE MEMBERS
There are three main ways to recruit new committee members; election (from the membership
according to the rules laid down in the bylaws), invitation (to targeted individuals provided your
bylaws allow it), and advertisement (usually followed by some form of selection process to check
that potential committee members are suitable).
The most common way to recruit Management Committee members is word of mouth and
personal recommendation. The main benefit of this method is that the person and their work or
skills are already known to the Committee.
The downside is that individuals approached may take up the role because they feel obliged or
flattered rather than having a commitment to carrying out the associated responsibilities. This
approach can also lead to friends and family becoming Committee members, which is often not
appropriate, or it may produce a Committee with skills gaps.
To ensure that a diverse range of committed people with a variety of skills/expertise are recruited,
consider utilizing a ‘skills/needs’ matrix to identify the existing skills-sets and contributions of
existing members, while discerning the ‘gaps’ and needs of your committee:
GOALS Start by identifying your goals for the committee’s governance team
IDENTIFY Take ‘inventory’ of current committee member’s skills-set in light of those goals
ASSESS Discern the needs that are currently going unmet.
RECRUIT Integrate your attributes assessment into your recruitment strategy
Source new members from your existing networks. Start by dedicating time with your existing
committee to develop a recruitment strategy, resist the temptation of ‘poaching warm bodies’ to fill
the ‘needs gap,’ and revisit your committee’s mission and vision for the community if needed to
stimulate strategy meetings.

GOALS SETTING
Approach goal setting as you would an organizational Theory of Change – that is, identify the
goals your committee has for our shared communities and map out a strategy.
1. GOALS SETTING
GOAL 1 GOAL 2 GOAL 3 GOAL 4
SKILLS-SET
‘Goals Setting’ adapted from, Strategic Needs Table, created by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits

STRENGTHS INVENTORY
Use a Strengths Inventory to identify current committee members in the left-hand column and the
skill sets needed from the row across the top.
2. STRENGTHS INVENTORY
SKILL SET 1 SKILL SET 2 SKILL SET 3 SKILL SET 4
Member A
‘Strengths Inventory’ adapted from, Board Inventory, created by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits
P
R
I
O
R
I
T
Y
S
K
I
L
L
S
&
A
T
T
R
I
B
U
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S

ATTRIBUTES ASSESSMENT
Use an Attributes Assessment to list recruitment possibilities in the left-hand column and desired
attributes across the top row.
Recruit Attributes Chart
CANDIDATES HAS
TIME
DIVERSITY LOCAL ACCESS TO
COMMUNITY
LEADERSHIP
STRATEGIC
POSITIVE
MISSION
DRIVEN
(Public Speaking)
Candidate A
Candidate B
(Event Planning)
Candidate A
Candidate B
SKILL
Candidate A
Candidate B
SKILL
Candidate A
Candidate B
‘Attribute Assessment’ adapted from, Board Inventory, created by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits

Hillcrest Community Committee Toolkit

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