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The “Definition of Terms” provide a description of each governance group within the committee structure of the National Association of REALTORS® and the reporting process they follow.
Committee Functions & Reporting Structure
Coordinating Committee
Function: A coordinating committee is a policy recommending committee. It evaluates all recommendations that are presented to it by each group that reports to it and acts on those recommendations. It is responsible for addressing conflicts and inconsistencies between committees within its purview and makes recommendations to resolve such conflicts and inconsistencies.
Reporting Structure: The Chair of each committee under a coordinating committee's purview reports directly to the Executive Committee if the committee has an action to report. The Chair of the coordinating committee may accompany each Chair of a committee under its purview in the Executive Committee. If the coordinating committee should have a recommendation different from that of the originating committee, the coordinating committee Chair will have an opportunity to express the views of the coordinating committee during the Executive Committee meeting, and the recommendation of the coordinating committee shall be outlined under the reporting committee's recommendation in the report.
There may be times that a coordinating committee will consider issues that have not been considered by the committees that report to it. The coordinating committee will most likely refer the issue to a committee under its purview, but the coordinating committee is not precluded from advancing the recommendation to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors if it feels doing so would be acting in the best interest of the Association.
Committee
Function: A committee strives to accomplish the programs assigned to it. It should continually evaluate existing programs. It has the responsibility to address conflicts and inconsistencies between advisory boards within its purview and to make blanket recommendations to resolve such conflicts and inconsistencies.
Reporting Structure: The Chair of a committee reports the committee's recommendation(s) to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors on behalf of the advisory board(s) that report to it. The committee advances its own recommendation(s). However, the original recommendation(s) of an advisory board(s) that reports to a committee, if different from the committee's recommendation, shall be outlined under the reporting committee's recommendation in the committee's report.
If the committee defeats a recommendation of an advisory board(s) under its purview because the advisory board’s recommendation needs further study or because the committee opposes the advisory board’s recommendation, the recommendation of the advisory board(s) should be outlined either in the non-action section of the committee's action report or in the committee's filed report. The Chair of the committee should then inform the Executive Committee that they defeated an action item of an advisory board(s) under its purview. In the case where the committee files a filed report and an advisory board(s) under its purview has an action item that was defeated, the Committee Liaison should report on the non-action item in the Executive Committee.
Trustees Committee
Function: A trustees committee has the fiduciary responsibility to disburse and/or raise REALTOR® voluntary and/or dues dollar resources to support REALTOR® Party candidates.
Reporting Structure: A trustees committee has the sole authority to disburse REALTOR® voluntary contributions and reports dues dollar disbursements to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors.
Advisory Board
Function: An advisory board is a group of issue experts appointed from within a committee to make recommendations to that full committee on specific issues concerning that committee.
Reporting Structure: An advisory board makes recommendations to the full committee in connection with the specific issues assigned to it.
Advisory Group
Function: An advisory group is a group of issue experts appointed in order to bring a very broad perspective to discussions on overarching issues that impact the organization (such as the Multicultural Real Estate Leadership Advisory Group) or a specific program within the organization (such as the Leadership Academy Advisory Group, the Large Residential Firms Advisory Group, and the Large Commercial Firms Advisory Group).
Reporting Structure: An advisory group makes recommendations directly to the Leadership Team, who then decides if the recommendations should be acted on by the advisory group, handed off to a committee or other group, or moved forward in some other manner.
Council
Function: A council is a group which primarily performs a task. Unless otherwise specified within the council’s purpose, a council may make policy recommendations according to its reporting structure; however, this is not its primary purpose.
Reporting Structure: If a council is under the purview of a full committee, it will report to the full committee. If a council is not under the purview of a full committee and not precluded from making recommendations in its purpose, the Chair of the council will report the council's recommendation(s) to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors.
Forum
Function: A forum's function is to disseminate information and to encourage discussion among members; the forum provides feedback of the discussion to the full committee if appropriate. The full committee should take the feedback from the forum into consideration when making recommendations. It should also communicate with the forum issues it is aware of that should be provided to and discussed in the forum.
Reporting Structure: A forum neither receives motions nor makes recommendations. However, the deliberations of the forum are provided to the decision-making committees as valuable input.
Note: A forum is open to all members who have an interest in the topics discussed. Membership rosters or attendance are not recorded for forums.
Informal Work Group
Function: A group of members appointed by a committee Chair to do in-depth analysis on a specific issue(s) that is well-defined and within the purview of the committee. Membership is confined to members who serve on the committee to which the work group reports. A work group disbands when its task is completed or at the end of the committee year, whichever comes first. If the work of the work group is not complete by the end of the committee year, it is at the discretion of the next President to decide whether to re-appoint the work group to complete the task.
Reporting Structure: A work group reports its findings/analysis to the committee having purview over it. The committee decides whether to move the recommendations from the work group through the committee reporting process.
Formal Work Group
Same as above except the composition includes members from other committees and/or the work group has requested funds from the Special Meetings budget.
Budget Impact
A Special Meeting Budget Cost Summary Form should be submitted for a Work Group that will require additional funds to complete its work. This is typically for Work Groups that will have in person meetings outside of the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings and REALTORS® Annual Conference.
Presidential Advisory Group (PAG)
Function: A Presidential Advisory Group is appointed by the President to address issues that may not fall within the jurisdiction of a standing committee or to address an issue that may be time sensitive. The term of each PAG shall not extend any longer than the term of the appointing President. A PAG evaluates single activities or projects as assigned by the President.
Reporting Structure: The report or recommendation(s) generated by a Presidential Advisory Group is to be provided to the President only. Therefore, there shall be no open hearings, forums or reports to committees or affiliates without the review and approval of the President in advance. At the President’s discretion the report is provided to the Leadership Team for review. The Leadership Team will decide to move recommendation(s) forward through the committee reporting process.