Example of a Governance Manual

Dear all I am very glad that the question that I posed fueled a good discussion about governance manuals. I spend part of my time supporting our Associates/Afffiliates on developing and improving their manuals and it was really good to hear tips from other governance experts. For us, governance manuals are the single source of information on issues of governance and should spells out the key governance responsibilities and relationships within an organization. According to our manual, they can be used as:

Ø As a reference manual: The primary objective of this manual is to provide an overview of the governance and the expected roles and responsibilities of Board and General Assembly Members in relation to the governance of the organisation. It is therefore both a point of reference and a focus for debates.

Ø As a guideline for assessment: This manual also provides a framework for the Board to assess its own performance and suggest changes that would be appropriate to both the organisational context and developmental phase.

I would like to share with you some samples. Please find them attached.

Regards, Daniela Costa