Steering Committee (Pillars of Life)

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The development of a strong leadership team is essential to the success of your project. This team, referred to as the Steering Committee is the guiding force in overseeing the project. Committees assume the following duties and responsibilities:

1. Determine and create an organizational structure that will sustain the project and review the assessment teams’ goals and objectives, work program, activity schedule, etc.

2. Identify, recruit, screen, and select qualified individuals to be members of the assessment teams.

3. Establish a regular meeting schedule, extend invitations to appropriate meeting participants, and make physical arrangements for the meetings.

4. Identify, recruit, screen, select, appoint or elect committee officers.

5. Establish an Advisory Board.

6. Determine the self-assessment process that the committee will utilize to develop the action plans.

7. Select/hire any person, staff or consultants that will be required to complete the community self-assessment and the action plan.

8. Enter into an agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Department and any consultants to be used in the process.

9. Solicit and raise funds necessary for the completion of the self-assessment process.

10. Develop a public relations and communications campaign to inform local citizens of the group’s activities and need for their participation.

11. Obtain the approval and support of all partners involved in the adoption and implementation of the action plan.

12. Monitor all activities and projects initiated as part of the Action Plan.

13. Develop a reward/recognition program to recognize committee members and program volunteers.

14. Manage the planning and assessment project and provide all necessary guidance and direction to staff, consultants, sub-committees, and action teams.

The organizational structure created to implement and sustain the various components of the Action Plan will vary according to the community’s needs and initial assessment, and the nature of projects to be initiated. Some communities will choose to develop a structure that allows the steering committee to become an independent not-for-profit organization, while others will remain an ad-hoc committee of the sponsoring partners.

The Steering Committee is charged with creating the framework and delegating responsibility for sustaining the effort to those who are best suited to develop and carry out the plan. Special attention should be given to utilize existing organizations. Duplication of effort wastes valuable time and creates unnecessary competition for limited resources.