Communication and Access

The Council will use multiple means of online communication and to disseminate information, each with a slightly different purpose. Links and instructions to obtain logins for closed or restricted sites will be posted on the Council of Chapters Website.

• Council of Chapters Website - open to view by everyone inside and outside of the Society – contains Council calendar, contacts, meeting minutes, and resources.
• FNPS Forum Council of Chapters section - open to view by everyone inside and outside of the Society – used for announcements, election voting, and public discussions.
• FNPS Council of Chapters Facebook page - a "closed group" for Chapter Representatives - used communicate informally with each other.
• FNPS Website Data Section – private section accessible only with a Chapter login – provides email lists and resources.
• Council of Chapters Google Drive – accessible through the FNPS Website Data Section (above) - used for collaborative document development and archiving.

Email, virtual meeting service providers, polling software, and other communications tools will be used for communications, meetings and gathering information and opinions.

Council Subcommittees

The Council, with agreement of the Officers, will create subcommittees to advance the work and initiatives of the Council without prolonging or diluting full Council meeting focus on overall strategies and communication.

Council Subcommittees will include:

• Standing subcommittees for ongoing Council business (including Administration and Orientation and Training).All standing subcommittees will be headed by a Council Officer.
• Regional groups will be encouraged to communicate, cooperate, and coordinate activities and share materials for their mutual benefit among Chapters in proximity. Regional activities may take many different forms based on the needs and goals of the participating Chapters. Regional groups will operate as Council subcommittees.
• Ad-hoc subcommittees to conduct research and craft recommendations on Council issues or develop and implement Council initiatives. Ad-hoc subcommittees will typically go out of existence upon completion of a project.

All subcommittees will have a head or primary point of contact and identify this person to the Council Secretary. Heads of all standing and ad-hoc subcommittees will be responsible for scheduling meetings, reporting progress, and forwarding recommendations for Council voting or action.

Subcommittees may adopt their own procedural rules and meeting format(s) subject to state laws, FNPS Bylaws, and Council guidelines.

Best Practice: Subcommittees (including regional groups) whose purpose or initiatives overlap with the purview of other FNPS committees should coordinate with the Chair of those committees.

Subcommittees will prepare reports and recommendations to the Council [see Subcommittee Report Template on Council of Chapters website/Templates].

Best Practice: Subcommittees (including regional groups) should submit a final report and recommendation and, at a minimum, an annual progress report.

Subcommittee recommendations will be presented and voted on at a full Council meeting and either approved or disapproved.  If disapproved, a recommendation shall be returned to the subcommittee for further study and brought up again at a future Council meeting.

Meetings

The full Council will meet regularly to ensure timely communication. Subcommittees will meet as needed.

A tentative schedule for all regular meetings of the full Council (live or online) will be scheduled one year in advance on the Council calendar.  One meeting will be scheduled in January to solicit officer nominations.  Four meetings will be scheduled approximately 1 month prior to FNPS Board meetings to discuss and prepare Council requests and reports for the Board.  Up to seven additional full Council meetings may be scheduled at the discretion of the Council Chair.

Best practice: Confirm, cancel or reschedule full Council meetings at least one month in advance.

Subcommittee meetings (live and online) will be scheduled in advance to give members sufficient notice.  Advance notice will depend on the type of meeting (in person or online) and the need for prompt action.

Best Practice: Only in unusually urgent cases will less than one week be sufficient notice. 

Meeting invitations including directions and agendas for regular meetings of the full Council will be emailed prior to the meeting.

Best Practice: Distribute directions, agendas and backup documents at least one week prior to the scheduled meeting. 

All meetings will be posted on the Council calendar by the Council Secretary.

Motions and Voting

Voting, except for elections, may be conducted by voice or online using polling software.

Any Council member may make a motion (e.g., to approve work product or initiate action).  A vote will be called after the motion is seconded and discussed.  A simple majority of the Council members casting votes will determine motion approval or rejection.

Orientation and Training

Within a month of joining the Council, Chapter Representatives will receive orientation to facilitate their use of all adopted communications and obtaining necessary logins to access online Council sites and resources.

Annually, a training session will be conducted that includes, at a minimum, and highlights recent changes to:

• Communications access – FNPS Website, FNPS Forum, Council of Chapters Facebook, Council of Chapters Google Drive
• Council of Chapters Website
• FNPS Handbook – Council of Chapters Guidance
• FNPS Bylaws and Policies
• Chapter Representative expectations
• Chapter Responsibilities
  • Ensure Chapter Bylaws are not in conflict with FNPS bylaws
  • Ensure FNPS Executive Director is in receipt of Chapter bylaw changes
  • Ensure each Chapter is reporting volunteer hours
• Council of Chapters resources and educational materials (toolbox)
• Support (resources) provided to Chapters by FNPS
• Chapter Representative Reporting

Orientation and training materials will be posted on the Council Website and kept current by the Orientation and Training Subcommittee.

Changes to Council Guidelines

The Council has the right to vote to establish, remove, or revise any guideline as long as it is not in conflict with FNPS Bylaws.

The Council Administration Subcommittee will review the Council Guidelines annually and make recommendations for affirmation or revision to the Council at the January full Council meeting.  

Any Council member (Chapter Representative) may make suggestions to the Administration Subcommittee for improvements to the guidelines.  The subcommittee will review and prepare and present a recommendation to the full Council for a vote.

Changes to the Council of Chapter Guidelines, after approval of the Council, will be forwarded to the FNPS Board for review and updating of the FNPS Handbook.