The National
Capital FreeNet has several documents which outline its rules and
regulations. The first place to start is the NCF
By-Laws. But we also have had several policies adopted of the
years.Polices are general guidelines that tell how the
organization will conduct itself. NCF has two types -- general
policies and operational policies.NCF's board
of directors (elected by members at the annual general
meeting of members) set or approve policy to guide the
organization. These policy guidelines must be approved by a
majority of the board and be confirmed at the next annual general
meeting of the membership. Day-to-day operations that carry out
those policies are managed by the Executive Director.List of General
PoliciesOperational policies are the responsibility of NCF's
staff members. They do not have to be approved by the board or
the membership. They generally address day-to-day problems in
running a system like FreeNet.List of
Operational PoliciesThe Executive Director can help with
clarification or interpretation of NCF policies. The Executive
Director also brings gaps in policy to the attention of the
board, often with recommendations. See NCF Administration and
Operation for information about contacting the Executive
Director.Also, members are encouraged to discuss NCF policy in
the board's
newsgroup which is part of the NCF Board's online
area, where it will receive the attention of the
directors.See also the archive of
Board papers.
In "A Handbook for Cultural Trustees", Marion Paquet identifies
the following as characteristics of a good policy:
It is philosophically based and reflects values. It states
what is believed, valued, and desired.
It is a general statement of the board's beliefs on a
subject.
It tells what is wants of a board or staff.
It tells why certain things are wanted.
It consitutes a clear basis for the development and
implementation of procedures and regulations by staff.
It provides a positive direction to the board and staff,
but does not, and should not, prescribe methods for arriving at
the result.
It permits the board and staff to interpret it in such a
way as to adjust for changing conditions without making any
basic changes in policy.
It provides a standard for evaluating the performance of
the board and staff.
(from the United Way of Canada's "Board Basics
Manual", 1995).