Section 400 - Duties and Activities of the Administrative Council

Section 400 - Duties and Activities of the Administrative Council

Table of Contents	Section 100	Section 200
Section 300	Section 400	Section 500
Section 600	Section 700
400.2 Chairperson Council Chairperson One of the Directors at Large of the UUFR Board of Directors is assigned to serve as Council Chair and as co-chair of the Joint Council. Duties Call, prepare an agenda for, and lead meetings of the Council. Be sure that minutes of the Council meetings are taken and distributed. The Chairperson shall insure that all minutes and other relevant documents are put in the Council notebook and distributed to the Council members and Board members by the end of first service the Sunday before the next Board meeting. Notify all Council members of the Council meetings. Call Council meetings as necessary, but at least once per month. Prepare a yearly report to be include in the Annual Report to be distributed at or before the Annual Elections Meeting. Maintain regular contact with the chairperson of the Program Council to identify issues of joint concern and to call joint council meetings as necessary. Serve on the Executive Planning Committee. Assist in orientation of new committee and council chairs as needed. 400.3 Grounds Committee Grounds Committee Philosophy The Grounds Committee advocates a wooded landscape plan and details that stress attractive but low maintenance plantings. When possible, native plants or plants especially well adapted to the Raleigh climate will be used. Organic maintenance products will be used when ever possible with minimal use of toxic substances. Duties Oversee all activities relating to grounds improvements and maintenance. Set policies and procedures for maintenance of, use of and changes to the grounds of UUFR. Develop a long range landscape plan. Functions Landscaping - Shall be responsible for landscape planning and implementation. Gardens and Natural Areas - Shall be responsible for improving and maintaining gardens and natural areas. Lawn Care - Shall be responsible for grass trimming and care of the mowing equipment. Memorial Areas - Shall work jointly with the Memorial Committee regarding the Memorial Garden, the Sculpture Garden and any other memorial plantings. Parking lots and Driveways - Shall be responsible for maintenance and drainage issues and any other seasonal duties. Duties of Chairperson Be responsible for calling, preparing an agenda for and leading Committee meetings. Appoint people who will be responsible for each function. Serve as a member of the Administrative Council Coordinate activities with House and Memorial Committees when such activities flow between committees. Act as liaison to the Office manager and other committee chair. Initiate annual budget preparation. Prepare a written annual summary of Committee activities for presentation to the Annual Meeting of the Membership Revision adopted 1/2001 400.5 House Committee House Committee Duties Set policies and procedures for all aspects of housekeeping, maintenance, renovations, operations, use, storage, and rental of the real property of the Fellowship. Develop and implement policies and procedures necessary to maintain a secure and safe facility. The committee shall work with the Congregation Administrator to contract for security and insurance services as needed to adequately protect the property. Develop a long-range facility maintenance and upgrade plan—with budget—to meet the needs of the Fellowship. Support and work closely with the Congregation Administrator on planning and day-to-day operations as needed, including research and contractual relations with vendors. Form and coordinate teams necessary for successful use and function of the facilities. The House committee is made up of a representative from each team and a chair. Organization and Functions Facilities Team : Be responsible for the care and maintenance of physical facilities, including providing team members to be called for help in emergencies. NOTE: Team 1 is not responsible for maintenance of items under the control of other committees, such as IS and music committees, nor is it responsible for cleaning up after kitchen use. Rental and Use Team: Set rental prices, develop rental policies and work with Fellowship Administrator when needed to solve rental problems. Aesthetics Team : Make decisions and recommendations on aesthetics and upgrades for UUFR spaces, including furnishings, art, and receipt of gifts. Memorial Team : Receive and keep records of memorial gifts. Make decisions regarding appropriateness, use, and placement of memorial gifts. Work closely with Aesthetics Team and Grounds Committee regarding placement of memorials. Duties of the Chairperson Be responsible for calling, preparing an agenda for, and leading meetings. Appoint people who will be responsible for each function. Serve as a member of the Administrative Council. Act as liaison to the Fellowship Administrator and to other committee chairs. Prepare the annual Committee budget, approve expenses, and track annual budget figures relating to the above duties. Coordinate with the Grounds Committee Chairperson on crossover issues. Prepare an annual report of committee activities and submit it to the Administrative Council Chairperson. Revised 1/2001 Revised 2/2005 400.7 Information Systems Committee Information Systems Committee Duties Responsible for evaluating the congregation and staffs’ needs concerning computers and computer systems and upgrading such systems as necessary and when money is available. Support, advise, and assist UUFR staff with computers, software, databases, etc. Duties of the Chairperson Prepare an agenda for and lead the Committee meetings. Attend the meetings of the Administrative Council. Prepare the annual Committee budget, approve expenses and track annual budget figures relating to the above duties. Approve all expenditures of the Information Services Committee. Prepare an annual report of Committee work and submit it to the Administrative Council Chairperson. 400.9 Personnel Committee Personnel Committee Composition The Personnel Committee shall consist of at least five members. Duties Serve as fair and impartial advisors to the Board of Directors and develop guidelines and schedules regarding the hiring and firing and regular evaluation of nonministerial staff. Be responsible for setting standards for personnel files, including position descriptions, nonministerial staff evaluations, and other information pertinent to nonministerial staff requirements and performance. Be responsible for developing/updating procedures regarding searches for new employees when there is a vacancy, including information regarding the types of benefits available to regular paid nonministerial staff. Be responsible for developing/updating procedures regarding termination of nonministerial employees, including specifying circumstances under which immediate termination is justifiable. Summarize and present budget information to the Board of Directors, representing the cost of paid nonministerial staff, including current salary, taxes and benefits. Advise the Board of Directors regarding the equity of nonministerial salaries and benefits. Duties of the Chairperson Responsible for calling, preparing an agenda, and leading the meetings. Recruit new members of the committee as needed. Serve as a member of the Administrative Council. Designate a liaison with the minister and the Board on personnel policy issues as needed. With the Minister, prepare the annual budget for nonministerial staff. Prepare an annual report of Committee work and submit it to the Administrative Council Chairperson. 400.10 Ways and Means Committee Ways and Means Committee Duties Determine and coordinate all major fund-raising activities. This shall be done in such a manner as to ensure several well-organized fund raising events spread throughout the year. Be responsible for approval of all other fund-raisers by other committees. Monitor pledge and other donation records, including follow-up of delinquent contributions as diagnosed. Be responsible for soliciting pledges from members during the annual canvass and from new members as they join. Duties of the Chairperson Prepare agenda for and lead committee meetings. Attend meetings of Administration Council. Prepare pledge estimate for Board of Directors. Help with hiring financial staff as needed. Keep Board of Directors informed about the status of the pledge revenues and fundraisers. Approve expenses of all sub-committees. Submit an annual report to the Administrative Council Chairperson. Sub-Committees Canvass Committee Auction of Goods and Services Committee Flea Market Committee Gala Committee Artfest Committee Bazaar Committee Miracle Sunday Committee (when applicable) Bookstore Committee Used Book Sale Committee Entertainment Book Sales Committee Capital Fund Drive (as needed) Cookbook Sales Committee Any other fund raising committees (as needed) 400.12 Denominational Affairs Committee Denominational Affairs Committee Duties Coordinate all denominational activities with the Fellowship. This Committee shall serve as a liaison between UUA, the Thomas Jefferson District and the congregation. One of the main functions of this Committee shall be to publicize the various denominational events and to enlist delegates to and participants in these events. The denominational organizations that are coordinated by this committee include: The Unitarian Universalist Association UUA General Assembly Other meetings or Special Events Thomas Jefferson District Universalist Convention of North Carolina, Inc. Shelter Neck Southeastern UU Summer Institute (SUUSI) Southeastern Winter Institute in Miami (SWIM) The Mountain - Highlands Camp and Conference Center Chalice Lighters Identify obligations that delegates to GA have to the congregation. The Committee shall help them determine the preferences of the membership on issues coming up at GA. The Committee shall help them determine how much freedom they should have in voting and how much obligation to reflect the majority stance of the congregation. Recruit people to be considered as delegates for GA and the annual Thomas Jefferson district meeting. Delegates shall elected to GA at the annual meeting. The Committee shall publicize the conference with information such as costs, dates, a description of the delegate’s obligation to this Fellowship and a description of what it is like to be a delegate. Train delegates to GA. The Committee shall see that the delegates have the information they need to register and plan for their trip. This information should include a congratulatory letter and specific details on what they need to do to finalize their plans. The Committee should urge delegates to GA and the district meeting to caucus to plan their strategy--what stands they want to take, whether they want to vote as a bloc, etc. The committee should help prepare the delegates to give the Fellowship some feedback when they return. This might include newsletter articles and help with a Sunday morning program. Delegates shall report on major decisions made, including the fate of resolutions that the fellowship has studied during the year. Delegates should also report on their own activities and anything else of interest. Works with other area UU congregations to help host District events. Duties of the Chairperson Call, provide an agenda for and lead the Committee meetings. Attend Administrative Council Meetings. May be a delegate to District meetings and General Assembly. Prepare the annual Committee budget, approve expenses and track annual budget figures. Prepare an annual report of Committee work and submit it to the Administrative Council Chairperson. Revised 1/02 400.13 Leadership, Education and acilitation (LEAF) Committee LEAF Committee Mission To promote healthy relationships within our community by providing training, resources, referrals and by facilitating forums and conversations. Duties Offer training in communication skills such as effective listening. p Facilitate meetings, forums and conversations as requested. Provide assistance in dealing with sensitive situations upon request. Maintain information and literature on outside resources regarding facilitation, training, interpersonal relationships, etc. Make referrals as appropriate. And provide leadership training in coordination with the Nominating Committee. Duties of Chairperson Provide leadership to the Committee in identifying issues and facilitating discussion and action by the Committee. Ensure that information and literature on outside resources are maintained. Ensure that confidentiality concerning sensitive issues is respected and maintained by the committee. Ensure that regular meetings are called and publicized. For each committee meeting, ensure that space is reserved, the agenda is prepared and distributed in advance and that a meeting leader is assigned. Ensure that simple, concise minutes, including action items, are recorded at each meeting of the committee and distributed to the committee members as soon as feasible after each meeting and that an official copy of the minutes is maintained. Serve as a member of the Joint Council. Ensure that the annual Committee budget is prepared, expenses are approved and annual budget figures are tracked. Ensure that an annual report of committee activities is prepared and submitted to the appropriate Joint Council Chairperson. Ensure that new members are recruited as needed. Ensure that the committee coordinates with the Minister and the Committee on Ministry (conflict situations), the Nominating Committee (Leadership Training) and with other committees as appropriate. Approved June 2007

400.14 Communications Committee

Communications Committee

Mission

The Communication Committee furthers the mission of UUFR by enabling effective communication both within UUFR and between UUFR and the wider community. The Committee works to ensure that: 1) UUFR members and friends are informed about the programs and activities of UUFR; 2) Potential UUFR members are informed about UUFR and Unitarian-Universalism; and 3) UUFR makes use of all appropriate communication media to influence the community around us in accordance with our UU beliefs and values and UUFR statements of conscience.

Duties

Develop, implement and regularly review a communication plan for UUFR;
Consult with the Long Range Planning Committee and others as appropriate to ensure that the communication plan reflects UUFR’s mission and goals;
Develop policies, procedures, guidelines, and standards for communication of UUFR messages and promulgate them throughout UUFR;
Consult with UUFR committees, ministers, the DRE, and other staff as appropriate to ensure excellent communication of all UUFR messages;
Set policies and procedures regarding communications at UUFR. This includes but is not limited to policies and procedures for the Chalice newsletter, the UUFR website, other newsletters, brochures, and broadcast email messages.
Provide support and assistance to our Chalice editor(s) and website manager(s), as well as to office staff whose work involves communication;
Consult with the Aesthetics Team of the House Committee to establish guidelines for effective use of UUFR bulletin boards and signage;
Consult with the Information Technology Committee to choose appropriate communication contractors and resources (i.e., service providers, software, etc.);
Initiate and maintain other communication efforts as part of the UUFR communication plan, for example:
Issuing press releases, placing unpaid announcements, or purchasing advertising in outside media outlets;
Taping or televising UUFR services or programs for electronic distribution;
Creating and distributing brochures, flyers, posters, etc.
Set policies and procedures for the maintenance of UUFR archives.
Provide support and assistance to our Chalice editor(s) and website manager(s), as well as to office staff whose work involves communication;

Membership

Members of the Committee will include:

Editor of the Chalice or other representative of the Chalice team;
Website manager or other representative of the website team;
At least three additional members, with expertise in such areas as:
Writing and editing
Public relations and local media outlets
Electronic communication and computers
Graphic design
Photography
Deep understanding of UUFR organizational structure/history
Passion about spreading the word of UUism and UUFR.

Duties of Chairperson

Call, provide an agenda for, and lead the committee meetings;
Represent the committee at Administrative Council and Joint Council meetings;
Prepare the annual committee budget, approve expenses, and track budget figures;
Prepare an annual report of the committee’s work.

Approved July 2007

Revised 1/02