Be in charge: Like a plane, your group must have a pilot with  ultimate responsibility for the organisation, and for the people it aims to serve. This usually means the Management Committee, or in some cases, the Trustees who oversee the Committee. This team must set the strategy, direct the work of the organisation and make the key decisions. It also needs to make sure the organisation is well-run, has enough money, and is doing what it was set up to do. If you are involved in the  organisation’s day-to-day work, you need to keep this separate from your work as a Committee member.

Make sure everyone knows what they have to do: Write down what everyone is supposed to do – staff, volunteers, advisers, and Committee members. These can be role or job descriptions, or just letters setting out the key points.

Delegate: Delegate the jobs the Committee can’t do to other people, making sure that everyone knows exactly what they can and cannot do. You might need to take on staff, volunteers, consultants or advisers to make sure everything gets done. If you have a senior staff member, she or he should be the bridge between the Committee and the staff and volunteers. Get reports back from people working on behalf of the Committee.