Before Getting Started
Take a look at the Guidelines for Planning: Bylaws and Policies Booklet, paying special attention to pages 3-7. The goal is to gain a better understanding of shared governance and what policies and procedures are.
Policy - A definite course of action or position adopted by a board of directors, house of delegates, or any other authorized voting body.
Procedure
- Set method of conducting and managing business.
Creating a Policy and Procedure Manual for Your Chapter
Starting from scratch can be intimidating, but following these steps will get you off to a great start. It’s also important to remember that policies and procedures are fluid, this can relieve some of the pressure when you remember that what you are writing is not “written in stone” so to speak. If you write something that ends up not working or is not approved by the voting body then it will be easy to go back and change them.
Below are the steps to creating a Policy and Procedure Manual for your chapter. As you follow the steps you can print out or put on a thumb drive or disk the documents that will be voted on for approval. Whether it is the Executive Committee, Board of Directors or membership that is going to be voting voters will need the documents in advance. For this reason have them ready at the meeting before voting is scheduled to take place or electronically send them ahead of time.
Start-a-Chapter Request Form: MS PDF