Strategic management
The general meeting is the supreme governing body of an association. It decides on the strategy and sets the guidelines for the committee. The committee substantiates the strategy by defining the goals broadly and by determining the use of funds. In small and medium-size associations, it implements the (operative) measures itself, in larger associations it entrusts the business operation or the administrative office with the operational implementation.
The strategic and operational business are closely linked. Each organisation decides how the division of tasks is organised in detail.
Further information on important aspects of this sub-topic can be found at the bottom of this page.
The mission statement describes the values on which an organisation is based. It provides guidance, both internally and externally, and answers the following questions: Who are we, what are we doing, why are we doing it and how are we doing it? Just as important as the final document is the joint development of the mission statement (mission statement process). It is this process that really benefits the organisation. A successful mission statement should be suitable for everyday use.
Organisations and their environment are constantly changing. Organisational development is a method by which change processes are carried out. The involvement of all participants and a well-planned step-by-step approach are essential for it to succeed. The goal of organisational development is to keep the organisation viable and adaptive, to eliminate dysfunctions and obstacles and to facilitate learning processes. Organisational development makes use of the knowledge that exists within the organisation. It is above all a management task and is often carried out in cooperation with professional experts.
Question
Our association has been in existence for more than 50 years and organises various activities for senior citizens. In some cases, these are now carried out by other organisations. We now find ourselves in a situation where nobody else wants to join the association and even committee members occasionally want to step down. All of the members have already served on the committee. While individual members want to continue taking on tasks, they have no desire to sit on the committee. What would be your recommendation to us?
Answer
Your association cannot avoid the question of whether it is still needed and what would happen if the association no longer existed. Together with your colleagues, consider which activities you absolutely want to continue with and in what form. What can be given up without issue? Perhaps there is an opportunity to link up with an organisation that pursues similar goals?
Whatever the answers to these questions may be, your association was good and necessary. Without it, these offers that others are now taking on wouldn't have existed in the first place. It would therefore not be true to say that the association had failed if it now had to be discontinued.
Evaluation is the determination of whether something is the way it should be. Using different methods, the results obtained can be checked against the objectives. Evaluations are for promoting quality; they can be conducted both internally and externally. An evaluation can be conducted with regard to individual sub-projects or with regard to a total project.
Anyone holding a committee office or wishing to do so should have the opportunity to prepare for this job. The costs should be borne by the association because the association will benefit from the acquired knowledge. The opportunity to take some training courses is also a form of recognition. Vitamin B offers specific seminars for committee members working on an honorary basis.
In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is difficult to find time for innovation and creativity. In order to implement new ideas, you need a rapid deployment force that organises itself on a project-by-project basis. Such a group needs a mandate, should be trusted by the whole team and should have a high level of competence. A clear briefing that states the goal to be pursued is crucial for the work of such a project team. There are many different types of innovation. For each of them, different skills and perspectives are required. Therefore, you need different people for each innovation project. Associations offer an advantage in this respect, because among their members there are often people from different backgrounds who can contribute their skills for a temporary commitment when they feel valued and part of a group.
To delegate a task means to entrust that task to another person or group. For instance, the committee may delegate tasks to working groups, to individual members of the association or to an administrative office. Together with the tasks, the corresponding powers (competencies) and the responsibility for them shall be delegated, even if the overall or ultimate responsibility remains with the committee.
The committee is the executive body of the association and manages the association’s business in accordance with the law. It may delegate the executive management to the administrative office (the secretaries), the business operation or the operational management, but ultimately remains responsible.
As committee members do not perform their function for a living and as they often do not have the same professional background as the employees (so-called professionals) of the commercial business, they are sometimes called lay people. However, as a lot of competence and professionalism is required for their office, this name is no longer adequate.
If the committee reaches its time limits and if the budget allows for it, administrative activities or parts thereof may be outsourced to companies or non-profit organisations: Accounting, shipping, membership administration, editing of the members’ journal. Before outsourcing any of these activities, costs and benefits must be carefully weighed.
Employees of an association are paid for their work and usually have a specialist training in the area in which they operate. In contrast, committee members hold an honorary office and can have a different professional background.
Within organisations, responsibilities are designated to different bodies or people. Responsibilities are either explicitly defined by a competent authority or the mandate results from the job description, the definition of powers and responsibilities, departmental processes, committee regulations or any other organisational basis. The clear definition of responsibilities is an important task of the management. A lack of clearly defined responsibilities leads to poor results and, in many cases, causes conflicts. A mandate is a contract type under the Code of Obligations (CO).
The object of controlling is the procurement, preparation, analysis and communication of data for the preparation of decisions. It is an important planning and steering tool, both at an operational and strategic level. Frequently, regular controlling reports to the subsidising body are the basis of service agreements. It contains statistics on the use of the service as well as budget reports and their interpretation.
The committee is the executive body of the association and manages the association’s business in accordance with the law. It may delegate the executive management to the administrative office (the secretaries), the business operation or the operational management, but ultimately remains responsible.
The committee is the executive body of an association. It is entrusted with the association’s management and/or the management of its commercial activities. It is responsible for managing the association in accordance with its purpose, to use the funds wisely and to make sure that an appropriate organisation is in place. It also performs personnel management duties. Where the association is engaged in commercial activities or has an administrative office, the management task is limited to the development and monitoring of strategic guidelines for all matters and to the direct supervision of the executive management.
It is very helpful to have a clear definition of who is responsible for what, in other words, if there are clear rules of competences. This applies not only to the distribution of tasks between the different functions within the committee, but also between the committee and the administrative office, the secretariat or the operation. Clear competency rules help to prevent conflicts.
The general meeting is the supreme governing body of an association. It decides on the strategy and sets the guidelines for the committee. The committee substantiates the strategy by defining the goals broadly and by determining the use of funds. It entrusts the business operation or the administrative office with the operational implementation. The strategic and operational business are closely linked. Each organisation has to decide how this division of tasks should be organised in detail.