Policy-Based-Governance (PBG) at VUU
Introduction: VUU and several dozen other UU congregations adopted policy-based-governance in 2005, based on a model used by the Unity Church-Unitarian of St. Paul, Minnesota.
VUU has been actively engaged with planning for and using policy-based-governance over the last 18 years, with much learning and growth along the way. We see value in this model for operating and growing a large congregation, and we have developed a hybrid model that meets our needs.
The operation of Valley UU Congregation is governed by policies for each organizational entity from the Board of Trustees (Board)/(BoT) down to the various committees. Each committee may have policies and has processes that govern their major activities with job descriptions that describe each role in the organizational structure.
VUU Policy-Based-Governance efforts have evolved into a shared system of leadership that empowers people at all levels to use their creativity and expertise to operate VUU without micromanagement. Such governance empowers the Board to evaluate progress toward; a “VUU Mission,” “Ends/Outcomes”, “Board Goals”; and to exercise oversight over the executive arm of VUU; while allowing the Minister, staff and lay-leaders to use the most appropriate “Means” to accomplish the work of the VUU Congregation. Such efforts are consistent with VUU governing philosophy and policies that draw on ideas from Carvers’ Policy GovernanceTM, from Dan Hotchkiss’ Governance and Ministry, “mission-based governance”, “adaptive leadership”, and even “starfish” principles, such as those found in Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom, The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations.
Designing the best possible governance system for VUU is an on-going project. We learn from our experiences, adapt to our unique circumstances, make policy decisions that fit VUU and continue to find and adopt ideas found in literature and research on nonprofits and religious organizations. (Information provided by VUU Member Anne Schneider, Ph.D.)
This website is the official repository of the VUU policies procedures and processes.
Please send all new documents to the VUU Administrator for inclusion on this site. The VUU Administrator will send them to the webmaster to be uploaded. To update an existing document, download the official document from this site, review, update, and obtain approval by appropriate entities before providing the updated document to the VUU Policy Committee for review. The Policy Committee will finalize it, submit it for board approval as needed, then send to the VUU Webmaster for uploading. If there are issues or unanswered questions, the Policy Committee will consult with the sender prior to reviewing it and having it uploaded.
Policy Driven Congregational Decisions
Discussions of Policy-Based-Governance lean toward focus on organizational written documents and how they are used to help a congregation function. Activities/responsibilities that are reserved for the congregation and its members, as a voting whole, are sometimes minimized in importance. They are highlighted below: (Information gathered by VUU Member, Nancy Egly, Ph.D.)
* The VUU By-Laws must be adopted/amended by those allowed to vote at a Congregational Meeting.
* The congregation approves the annual VUU operating budget and any changes beyond 3% in a fiscal year.
* The 7-member Board of Trustees is elected by the congregation for two-year terms. Members may consecutively serve a maximum of 3 complete terms, then must take at least a year hiatus. The Board creates, amends, and enforces Board Policies and the Board acts as those policies indicate.
* The 5-member Special Funds Committee (SFC) is elected by the congregation and is responsible for managing special funds, the VUU Endowment, and disbursing grants from endowment fund earnings. Special Funds has a Board approved charter. Changes to the Special Funds Charter must be approved by a 2/3rds vote of voting VUU members at a Congregational Meeting where a quorum is present.
* The 7-member Leadership Development Committee (LDC) is elected by the congregation and is responsible for recruiting Board, SFC and LDC committee election candidates, running the election at the annual meeting, identifying and developing future leaders. LDC Charter and Policy changes must be approved by the Board.
* When a new Senior Minister is needed, candidates for a 7-member Committee to Appoint a Called Minister are recruited by the LDC.
* When candidates have been chosen, a Committee to Appoint a Called Minister is elected by the Congregation at a specially called Congregational Meeting.
* When a new Senior or Associate Minister is to be called, A special Congregational Meeting is set and a vote taken by written ballot. According to the By laws, [the] call of senior or associate minister(s) “…shall require a 90 percent affirmative vote of the full voting members at a meeting [with a quorum and] legally called for that purpose.”
The Board of Trustees and PBG
These are excerpts from the writings of VUU member, Anne Schneider, Ph.D. (completed by Anne)
What is the Board of Trustees Role in Policy Development?
The Board should spend its time making policy, not deciding cases. Doing so:
- avoids dealing with individual decisions on a case by case basis.
- avoids staff or committees (shopping) for a decision they like.
- avoids being reactive.
What is the Board Role in Discernment (mission/vision/values)?
The Board, along with the minister and executive team, lead the congregation in articulating the mission (broadly understood), vision, and mission statement. [Note: “Discernment of mission and values” for Hotchkiss, is basically the same as developing the “Ends” statements explained by the Carvers]. including a/an:
- Vision Statement that is broad and expansive;
- List of Core Values…designed to last for several years [and an]
- “Annual” Vision of Ministry.
Hotchkiss frames the question this way: In what new and different ways will we transform lives in the next one to three years?
A Board/staff retreat is a good time to develop number 3.
What is the Board role in Strategy (“big decisions”)?
Decisions are shared with the minister/executive team. (Note: It’s not entirely clear who Hotchkiss believes should have final decision making authority.) At VUU most of these decisions require congregational approval and therefore the Board has “final” authority to present the recommendation(s) to the congregation. A minister could make alternative recommendation(s). This has not been done at VUU.
Hotchkiss describes these as “macro-decisions” rather than “micro-decisions.” Here are examples of Board work:
—When to start a capital campaign?
—Setting the overall operating budget and allocations across programs.
—Approving hiring or dismissal of principal staff members.
—Developing a strategic long-range plan.
What is the Board role in Management?
(‘Ministry” “micro-decisions”). Ministry decisions, in the terminology used by Hotchkiss, range from actual ministry and programs, to the day-to-day operational decisions including administrative ones such as paying the bills or fixing the air conditioning. Hotchkiss says to delegate all of this to the minister or executive team.
PBG Theory, Philosophy and Readings
The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) provides policy governance material here and here.
16 Readings is a newly edited policy-based governance BoT and committee training resource using updates of VUU member Anne Schneider’s work.