Executive Committee

In consultation with the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer prepares necessary information and basic documentation on the basis of which, the Board can make well-founded decisions. He presents matters and motivates proposed decisions, as well as reporting to the Board on the development of the Company. The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for leading the work conducted by the Executive Committee and renders decisions in consultation with the other members of the Executive Committee, which consists of a total of eleven persons (including the Chief Executive Officer).

It is important for all board members and volunteers to understand both the challenges and benefits of working with a board. An executive committee can be difficult to understand - and to keep under control. Executive Committee, by Mark Light, recognizes the potential for an executive committee to cause unrest on the board, and provides suggestions on how to avoid possible conflict. This resource assures readers that, despite risks involved, an executive committee is an asset due to its understood authority in emergency situations of the board and its unique relationship with the chief executive.

Current executive committee members may find some helpful ideas for

operating their committee more effectively or for reforming some existing

operations. The material presented here also may serve as a tool to

new board members doing homework on how boards and committees

function. It will be useful to chief executives, as well, who are looking

for ways to use an executive committee as both a sounding board and a

professional support.

Some boards may find the executive committee to be effective because,

with fewer people, it can be more productive than the full board. At the

same time, the executive committee can become a divisive force on the

board. A board may begin by asking itself, "If so many other nonprofits

have executive committees, shouldn't ours as well?" The answer to this

question depends upon many things, such as the size and structure of

the board, the geographic distribution of its members, the skill level of

the board's leadership, and the purpose for having the committee at all.

Executive committees invite strong reactions. As Robert Andringa and

Ted Engstrom observe in the Nonprofit Board Answer Book, "There is no

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