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In general, committees are delegated bodies charged with accomplishing certain work between board meetings and bringing information or recommendations to the full board at a designated time. As a best practice, the full board should engage in generative and strategic thinking about the use of board committees for their organization. Once a board has determined if there is a real need and purpose for establishing a particular board committee, it can develop a global organizational protocol for committees.

No board’s committee structure should be set in stone. Every board should pay close attention to the needs of the board and the organization and make sure its work groups are meeting those needs. Frequently reevaluating your board’s committee structure and keeping it flexible allows your board to address structural issues as they occur or even before they start.

It is also important to note there is no optimal committee size. It strongly depends on the purpose of the committee, scope of its work, and the size of the full board. A committee should always be small enough to keep all members thoroughly involved. Group dynamics can determine effective working relationships and consequently the size of the group.