Creating and Managing Committees

Boardwise helps you organize your governance structure with boards and committees. This article explains how to set up and manage committees effectively.

Understanding Boards vs. Committees

Every organization in Boardwise has one main board that is created automatically. This represents your primary governing body (e.g., Board of Directors, Board of Trustees).

Committees are separate groups you create to organize work around specific functions or topics. Common examples include:

• Audit Committee
• Compensation Committee
• Nominating Committee
• Finance Committee
• Executive Committee

The key differences:

Feature	Main Board	Committees
Created automatically	Yes	No - you create as needed
Can be deleted	No	Yes
Appears first in lists	Yes	Sorted alphabetically
Has its own meetings	Yes	Yes
Has its own documents	Yes	Yes

Creating a New Committee

To create a committee, you need Administrator permissions in your organization.

1. Navigate to Committees in the main navigation
2. Click Add Committee in the top right
3. Enter the committee details:
   • Name - A clear, descriptive name (e.g., "Audit Committee")
   • Description - Optional text explaining the committee's purpose
   • Logo - Optional image to identify the committee
   • Welcome Note - Optional rich text that appears on the committee's page
4. Click Create Committee

After creating, you can immediately begin adding members and scheduling meetings.

Adding Members to a Committee

Committee members are drawn from your organization's people directory. You can add existing people or create new ones.

1. Open the committee and click Manage Members
2. To add an existing person:
   • Select them from the Select Existing Person dropdown
   • Choose their committee role
   • Click Add to Committee
3. To add a new person:
   • Fill in their email, first name, and last name
   • Choose their committee role
   • Click Add to Committee
   • They will receive an invitation email

People can be members of multiple committees simultaneously. Their access to each committee's materials is determined by their membership.

Assigning Committee Leadership Roles

Each committee member can be assigned a role that reflects their position:

• Chair, Senior Vice Chair, Vice Chair, Executive Chair - Lead the committee; can schedule and run its meetings, manage its documents, and create action items
• Secretary - Manages the committee's meetings, records, and communications; cannot cancel meetings or delete action items
• Treasurer - Oversees financial matters (when applicable); can add documents
• Immediate Past Chair - The previous Chair, staying on for continuity
• Independent Lead Director - Leads the independent directors
• Member - A regular voting seat
• Observer - Can attend and view materials but does not vote
• Staff - Employees who support the committee and receive its materials but do not vote

Everyone on the committee can read its meetings and documents. See Assigning Board and Committee Roles for the full detail on each role.

To change someone's role:

1. Go to the committee's member list
2. Remove the person from the committee
3. Re-add them with the new role

Note: The Chair, Senior Vice Chair, Executive Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Immediate Past Chair can each be held by only one person per committee. A committee can have several Vice Chairs.

Managing Committee Documents and Meetings

Each committee has its own dedicated space for documents and meetings, keeping materials organized and access controlled.

Documents

From the committee page, you can:

• Create folders to organize documents by topic or year
• Upload documents directly to the committee
• View recently added materials in the Documents section

Documents added to a committee are only visible to committee members and organization administrators.

Meetings

Committee meetings work the same as board meetings:

1. Click New Meeting from the committee page
2. Set the date, time, and location
3. Build your agenda and attach documents
4. Send the date hold, then publish the materials when they are ready
5. Start the meeting when it begins and close it when it ends

Only committee members receive meeting notifications and have access to meeting materials.

Removing Committee Members

To remove someone from a committee:

1. Go to the committee and click Manage Members
2. Find the person in the member list
3. Click Remove next to their name
4. Confirm the removal

Removing someone from a committee does not delete them from your organization's directory. They simply lose access to that committee's materials and meetings.

Deleting a Committee

If a committee is no longer needed, administrators can delete it entirely.

1. Go to the committee page
2. Click Edit to open settings
3. Scroll to the bottom and look for the delete option
4. Confirm the deletion

Before deleting, consider:

• Meeting history - Past meetings associated with the committee will lose their committee association
• Documents - Committee documents will lose their committee association
• Action items - Open action items will lose their committee association

Deletion is permanent. If you might need the committee again, consider leaving it empty rather than deleting it.

Tips for Corporate Secretaries

• Plan your committee structure early - Set up all standing committees when you first configure Boardwise
• Use descriptive names - Clear committee names help members navigate quickly
• Keep memberships current - Update committee rosters promptly when board composition changes
• Add welcome notes - Use the welcome note field to document the committee's charter or key responsibilities
• Review membership regularly - Check that term dates are accurate and expired memberships are addressed