Board Functions, Covenant And Code Of Conduct

Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Lafayette CO Approved by BVUUF Board: 1/17/08

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BOARD FUNCTIONS

The job of the Board is to represent the congregation by determining and providing appropriate organization performance and leadership. Accordingly, the Board will:

  • Produce and update, as appropriate, governing policies and operating procedures based on substantial consultation with the congregation.
  • Develop and monitor progress toward accomplishment of fellowship goals.
  • Conduct open meetings and keep the congregation informed of its
    policies and other decisions.
  • Manage budget and operating fund expenditures in accordance with
    established policies and guidelines. Reallocates funds within the operating budget.
  • Review the annual operating budget presented by the Finance Planning Committee, make adjustments if necessary, and recommend a budget for congregational approval at the Spring business meeting.
  • Accept gifts to the Fellowship and if the gifts consist of or are converted to money, authorize expenditure, except that any gift that requires expenditure in a future fiscal year must be approved by the congregation.
  • Exercise final authority in all personnel matters for all employees and contract service providers other than the minister.
  • Represent the Fellowship in UUA and other meetings and functions.
  • Handle congregational suggestions and complaints that involve policy and refers others to the proper operational level for resolution (i.e. Program Council, standing committees, Personnel Committee, Minister Advisory Group, minister)

BOARD COVENANT

In working together to serve the Fellowship, the Board of Officers and Trustees covenants to:

  • Attend monthly Board meetings and other meetings that Board members are expected to attend.
  • Adhere to and practice the Fellowship’s Guidelines for Right Relations.
    Respond to emails and other correspondence necessary for conducting Board business in a timely manner.
  • Work together to build personal bonds to enrich ourselves and the Board process. Listen deeply to each other and assume that others have the best interests of the fellowship at heart.
  • Set aside personal agendas for the best interests of the fellowship, expressing views fully and honestly.
  • Respect our differences and recognize that disagreement is a part of Board life.
  • Take the initiative to ensure we are adequately prepared for meetings and accept the responsibility to seek and provide information necessary to make well-informed decisions.
  • Handle issues brought by congregational members to the Board with respect. As part of the discussion, consider whether the matter belongs at the committee or Program Council or Board levels.
  • Respect the confidentiality appropriate to issues of a sensitive nature.
  • Support all decisions of the Board, moving on in spite of our differences. This principle requires all Board members support decisions once made by majority vote.
  • Communicate decisions to the congregation in a complete and timely manner.
  • Focus on the big picture.

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR OFFICERS AND TRUSTEES

The Board commits itself and its members to ethical, businesslike, and lawful conduct, including proper use of authority and appropriate decorum when acting as Board members. Accordingly, Officers and Trustees:

  • Must show unbiased loyalty to the interests of the Fellowship. This accountability supersedes any potentially conflicting loyalty such as that to advocacy or interest groups and membership on other boards or staffs. It also supersedes the personal interest of any Board member acting as a consumer of the church’s services.
  • Must avoid conflict of interest with respect to their fiduciary responsibility. When the Board is to decide upon an issue about which an officer or trustee has an unavoidable conflict of interest, that trustee shall absent herself or himself without comment from the vote and from the deliberation by leaving the meeting.
  • Must not use their positions to obtain fellowship employment for themselves, family members, or close associates. Should a member desire employment, he/she must first resign from the Board.
  • Will annually disclose any involvement with other organizations, vendors, or any other associations that might produce a conflict.
  • Interactions with members of the congregation, public, press, or other entities must recognize the inability of any Board member to speak for the Board except to repeat explicitly stated Board decisions.