UUCP Board Policy Manual

Purpose The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix (UUCP) Board Policy Manual is intended to be a compilation of all policies adopted by the board of trustees and still in effect.

click here for The UUCP Board Policy Manual in PDF, printable format

The UUCP congregation voted at the 2006 annual meeting to adopt a policy-based governance model. Described in the 2005-2006 annual report, under policy-based governance responsibility for programmatic areas moves from the trustees to committees. A smaller Board of Trustees focuses on UUCP direction and policy, and empowers others to act with greater authority towards goals.

Statement of Reasons to Transition to a Policy Based Governance Structure 1) To place our mission and vision at the forefront of our work as a congregation. -- Allow the board to concentrate on its most important task: refining the broader vision and strategic assessment of our mission 2) To liberate the energies of our members by putting ownership for the ministry in the hands of the staff and committees, giving them authority to carry out the mission.--Our previous governance structure created a bottleneck that stifled ministry by requiring committees to run everything by the board, a time-consuming process. 3) To encourage our growth and better manage increasing complexity in the congregation, by improving professionalism, communication, and efficiency.--As a congregation grows, the management of its functions requires time, accountability, training, and competence that is most available in its professional staff. Policy-based governance encourages the staff and all the committees to define, articulate, and live their roles as a vital component of the overall mission of the congregation.

The transition to policy-based governance has been intentional and gradual. Because policy-based governance empowers entities other than the board of trustees, committees adopt policies over their areas of responsibility. This manual is limited to the policies of the board of trustees. Policies are effective upon adoption, unless the policy states otherwise. The following guidelines may assist in maintaining the manual: Policies shall state which policies they are replacing (if any). The policies that are replaced shall be removed from the manual. All policies shall include the title of the policy and the date of Board adoption on every page of the policy. The website shall be the official home of all Board Policies. The Policy Manual is provided in pdf format below, but organized in the following manner: 1) Governance Policy

1.1 Philosophy of Policy Governance 1.2 Board covenant 1.3 Board Self-government

2) Discernment

2.1 Principles, Purpose, Mission Statement and Core Values 2.2 Strategy / Vision of Ministry 2.3 Open Questions

3) Management (Delegation to Staff)

3.1 Overall Delegation Strategy 3.2 Delegation to the Lead Minister as Spiritual Leader 3.3 Delegation to the Lead Minister as Executive Director

• Chief of Staff
• Program Leadership
• Board Liaison
• Facility and Maintenance
• Communication
• Financial Authority
• Management of the UU Early Education Cooperative

4) Oversight

4.1 Care for People 4.2 Care for Resources 4.3 Monitoring and Evaluation 4.3.3.3 - Request for Board Action

The organization and spirit of UUCP's Policy Manual was inspired by the work of Dan Hotchkiss, Alban Institute Senior Consultant and author of Governance and Ministry: Rethinking Board Leadership Items that have a title, but no text are "placeholders" for future policies

Board and Congregational Meeting Minutes

[Board Minutes and financials are available for UUCP members only. Please contact the administrator (administrator@phoenixUU.org) for access]

Financials

Finalized Board Minutes and Congregational Meeting Minutes Internal Board Documents (working documents for the board of trustees)