The Constitution

The constitution of a committee or board sets out the purpose and functions of what it is to achieve. Some constitutions are brief, others quite lengthy. In addition to setting out the purpose and functions, the constitution should make clear any process that might be ambiguous: for example, whether a proxy should also be counted towards the quorum, or if all members are attending as delegates rather than as representatives. It is most important to clarify such matters in setting up the constitution in order to counter the notion that a rule is invented to fit a particular case. Such clarity can also prevent trivial arguments. For a sample of constitutions, see Part Four.

All committees require some rules to guide their internal governance. An organisation need not have a separate constitution of its own. It can simply take advantage of the rules provided by an outside organisation. For example, the Australian Corporations Law requires that companies must adopt the rules set out in the replaceable rules of the act, their own constitution or a combination of both. Typically the governance rules will deal with the appointment, removal and powers of an organisation's office bearers, the procedure for convening and conducting meetings of members and office bearers and rules related to managing the financial affairs of the organisation. The rules are set out in the constitution to meet the particular needs of the organisation.