Board Liaison Policy

Board liaisons minister to their committee chairs and other working committees of the congregation. This builds the idea and experience within our congregation that ministry is something everyone does. Most importantly liaisons serve as the communication link between the Board of Trustees and the committees. The committee chairs will know who to go to with concerns, needs, and requests for the Board. This spreads the work evenly within the Board. Following are some suggestions that will assist the liaison in working with their assigned committees.

In August or September, please notify your assigned committee chair that you will be their board liaison for the next congregational year. It is hoped that you can have a face-to-face conversation to cover the following topics.

Exchange of contact information and encouragement to be in touch often. Liaisons should be included in committee meetings if at all possible and email exchanges if appropriate.
Many committees encourage active involvement in their committee by the board liaison. This should be mutually decided by the committee chair and the liaison.
Committee chairs should be highly encouraged to let the liaison know of any item they wish to have brought to the board.
The liaison should inform the committee chair that they will be requesting a written report on the committee activities about a week prior to each monthly scheduled board meeting. The liaison will post this report in the Google Board documents a few days before the board meeting. This report may be short depending on the committee’s activities.

In October, February and June, please notify your assigned committee chair that you will be requesting a more detailed report for the congregational meeting, usually held at the end of these months. The report should include all activities for the year to date, as well as the goals and needs of the committee. These reports should be sent to the liaison and then forwarded to the Vice President of the board within 2 weeks of the scheduled congregational meeting. The Vice President will compile and have printed and emailed to be available for the congregational meeting.

Late winter/early spring of the congregational year, the board and finance committee will begin to prepare a budget for the next year. Each liaison should communicate with their assigned committee that the board will be asking for a budget request, with justification, for the monies needed for the committee. The liaison should facilitate this process and bring the budget request forward at the requested time. The goal is to have each committee make a budget request based on their anticipated needs, not just the amount they might have received in the past.

Throughout the year, minister to your committee chair as you request monthly reports and the special congregational reports. Check in with them to see how they are doing both personally and as the committee chair. Listen to their joys, concerns, questions, and ideas and do what you can to make their experience a meaningful and enjoyable one of service. Ask them what support they need, especially if they have a big project. Remind them often that you are the conduit between them and the board.

Ministering to folks for whom you are the liaison helps foster a caring, proactive and productive religious community for us all. Thank you for your service as a liaison.

Adopted September 2022