Governance & Committee Activites
This section explains ARA’s Governance structure and how committees support the delivery of ARA’s strategy through the activities and services that they provide.
Governance structure
The ARA’s charitable purpose is listed in the Memorandum and Articles of Association:
to foster the care and preservation of archives in the public interest and to promote the better administration of archive repositories.
to advance the professional education and training of Archivists, Archive Conservators and Records Managers and those engaged in related activities.
to commission and support research into the creation, use, administration and conservation of archives and the development of new techniques and the publication of the useful results of such research.
The Board of Trustees manage the ARA to ensure it meets its charitable purpose and responsibilities. The Board is responsible for developing and implementing the ARA’s strategy and business plan. It publishes an overview of ARA’s progress and activities in the annual report.
The Board comprises up to 12 ARA Members (with the option to co-opt an additional 2 non-members), supported by the Chief Executive. The composition of the Board is Chair, Vice-Chair, Honorary Treasurer, Honorary Secretary and 8 Board members. Each member serves a suggested term of three years. At the end of this period, the member may stand down from the Board or stand for a further and final three-year period. Co-opted members have a term of two years which may be renewed. Elections are held at the Annual General Meeting to replace Board members whose terms have ended.
Information on the current Board can be found here
Board Members and Staff can all be reached by email using the format firstname.lastname@archives.org.uk
Scotland, Wales, English Regions and the island of Ireland all have committees that support ARA’s governance structure. The purpose of the committee is to develop and implement an action plan that reflects the priorities set out in the ARA strategy and support members in the geographical location or professional area of interest that they serve.
Committees are required to hold a Terms of Reference (TOR). See [Forms, Templates, Resources ] for a Board approved TOR. Committees are welcome to add new terms if they wish, but these must be approved by the Board before adoption by the committee.
The official rules for committees can be found in Section 13 of the ARA Bye Laws.
A list of Scotland, Wales, English Regions and the island of Ireland committees with contact details can be found here
A list of sections and groups with contact details can be found here
ARA UK and Ireland committees
Committees consist of volunteering ARA members who plan and deliver services and support to their constituent members. Committees are encouraged to build their professional communities by engaging with ARA members, non-members, students and allied professions.
The committee structure
Committees should meet in person or online 3 or 4 times a year. The average time commitment for each committee role is approximately 2-3 hours a month. Each committee shall select its own Chair and Secretary and each committee member may serve a term of three years. Once a committee member has completed a three-year term, they may either step down from the committee or reapply to join at the appropriate time.
The number of members involved in the committee will vary depending on the number of available volunteers. Core committee roles are described below, but others may be created where needed. If committee members are unable to commit to a particular role, then that role may be shared or rotated at each meeting.
Committee roles:
The Chair leads the work of the committee. Duties include:
The development and management of an annual action plan that sets out committee activities. Plans should be submitted to the ARA[1] with any budget requests, accompanied with a brief report on the previous year’s activities and achievements.
Working with the Secretary to prepare meeting agendas and papers and invite speakers or guests to the meeting as appropriate.
Lead committee meetings, ensuring that discussion is participatory and focussed on the agenda items. There is a collective responsibility amongst committee members to agree a way to take subsequent actions.
Take part in occasional meetings with the ARA Board to share news, insight, issues and contribute to ARA consultations and the development of the ARA strategy.
Think about succession planning as committee members (including the Chair) approach the end of their term.
The Secretary supports the chair with the work of the committee. Duties include:
The preparation and distribution of notices of meetings (in person and online), agendas and papers and published minutes with actions.
Arrange for invited speakers or guests to attend meetings.
Assist in the development of an annual action plan and brief report on the previous year’s activities and achievements.
Organise the AGM by consulting with the Chair and other committee members.
Ensure good communication with ARA’s Membership Services Manager, providing updates on changes to committee members and other administrative issues.
The Treasurer manages all aspects of the committee budget in conjunction with the Chair. Duties include:
Prepare and submit an annual budget proposal to the ARA Honorary Treasurer by the 31st June.
Support the Events and Training Officer in producing budgets for events and training proposals.
Budget reports for committee meetings and the AGM.
Monitor expenditure, process invoices, and authorise legitimate officer expenses.
All income from committee activities should be coded to ARA’s central budget. The committee’s budget is provided from ARA’s central fund, and any surplus is returned to that fund. Each committee has its own budget code and Treasurers can request budget reports from ARA at any time.
SEE ALSO FOR TREASURERS
The Events and Training officer develops and delivers CPD opportunities. Duties include:
To develop and deliver events, training and other CPD activities, with an emphasis on in person events. Identify and book suitable venues and speakers.
Identify and recruit speakers.
Liaise with the ARA office on potential topics and other training/CPD insights gained from ARA member surveys.
Work with other committee members and ARA office to agree the budget to pay for the events and training, identify potential sponsorship opportunities and agree appropriate delegate fees.
Maintain good communication with other Events and Training officers and attend ARA-hosted online Events and Training Officer meetings.
SEE ALSO FOR EVENTS AND TRAINING OFFICERS
The Communications officer ensures timely and effective communication of all committee actions. Duties include:
Provide content to ARA’s Head of Communications relating to events, officer vacancies, update on activities for dissemination via ARA Today, ARC magazine and other ARA communication channels.
Create content for social media channels (if used) in line with ARA’s Social Media Policy [SEE Communications and Social Media page], taking advantage of all the social media campaigns available, such as #exploreyourarchive #archivehour.
Develop content for the committee webpage, ebulletins and Blog (if a blog exists), keeping it up to date.
Ensure events and training are widely promoted using all ARA communication channels and any known local or topic-specific networks.
SEE ALSO FOR COMMUNICATIONS / SOCIAL MEDIA / WEBSITE & BLOG OFFICERS
Risk management
ARA recognises risk management as the cornerstone of effective governance and decision making. Risk management is everyone’s responsibility, and all decision-making should be informed by a risk-based approach. Chairs, Vice Chairs, Secretaries and Treasurers hold an enhanced responsibility in managing risks associated with their activities and should regularly consult ARA's Risk Management policy and training webinar.
Recruiting and managing volunteers
Committee vacancies should be advertised through the website page ‘Volunteering with the ARA’ ARA Today, the Member email bulletin as well as appropriate Listservs. The committee may have other ideas on how to engage with Members and generate interest in volunteering. The ARA staff team may also be able to help.
Informal feedback suggests that some Members are interested in volunteering but are unsure of time commitments. Others may not feel confident or experienced enough to take on an advertised vacancy without prior experience. Committees may want to consider ways for interested members to join and shadow or observe volunteering activities before making that commitment.
Non-members of ARA are welcome to attend committee meetings, especially if they contribute to a particular activity. They may also be co-opted onto a committee but have no voting rights.
Non-attendance at committee meetings
Committees are advised to follow the ARA Board’s policy for non-attendance. If a Board member fails to attend three consecutive meetings without a reasonable explanation, then they are politely advised that their term of office has ended. New committee members should be made aware of this policy. The ARA staff team are happy to advise committees on how to approach this issue.
Guidance and support
Committee representatives are invited to take part in quarterly meetings chaired by the ARA Board. These meetings are known as the ARA Forum. Members of the ARA staff team also attend. Meetings include strategy sessions, where ideas on the strategic direction of the ARA are developed. They also include items of interest for other committee positions, including events and training, communications and budgeting to help promote discussion and sharing of ideas and good practice.
Committee members are also encouraged to contact the ARA staff team whenever they need advice, help or support. Committees are also encourage to invite a member of the ARA Board, or member of staff, to attend meetings when required.
Committee activities
Each committee should prioritise the following activities:
Lead ARA activity and engagement within their geographical location or area of professional interest. They should engage with members, non-members and allied professionals.
Provide a supportive, inclusive and friendly professional community that welcomes new and existing members and encourages discussion, knowledge-sharing and an open exchange of views on good practice in record-keeping and related issues.
Promote the ARA and the member services and benefits offered.
Many record keepers work on their own or in small teams. It is therefore essential that committees promote themselves as a local professional community and the value and importance of meeting, networking and sharing good practice.
Action plan. The first task is for the committee to think and plan its activities for the next 12-18 month period. When planning activities, committees should consider a wide range of activities that will support the delivery of the ARA strategy.
The action plan should include the AGM, potential dates for events and training, committee meetings and other activity, such as deadlines for publishing content for Blogs or webpages. Committees should also consider opportunities for outreach and engage with non-members and allied professionals. The ARA strategy includes a specific commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. Committees should reflect this commitment in their activities. An example action plan is included in the [Forms, Templates, Resources ].
Universities: ARA accredits a number of post graduate programmes. It is important to engage with students, introduce them to the ARA and local ARA activity. They are also a potential source of new volunteers. Committees are encouraged to engage with their nearest ARA-accredited programme.
Knowledge and Insight: Help the ARA build its knowledge and insight of the sector by identifying local professional issues – both positive and challenging – and reporting them in to ARA. This helps us respond more effectively to the needs of members.
Budget. ARA provides funding to support committee activities. Every April or May ARA will contact committees and invite them to submit actions plans with budget proposals. Committee Chairs and Treasurers are responsible for submitting the budget proposal. Budget proposals should give a brief explanation of the activity, the cost in delivering it, and any expected income that the activity may generate. If an activity makes a surplus, then that surplus may be used in the same ARA financial year (1st October to 30th September) to fund other activities.
Budgets requests are approved by the Honorary Treasurer and Chief Executive. The Board recognises that it can be difficult to accurately estimate the cost and income from events and other activity. Chairs and Treasurers are advised to submit a budget with the best estimate possible. Each committee has its own budget code, which is available from the ARA office. Any unspent money will be returned the ARA at the end of September.
SEE INFORMATION, HELP AND SUPPORT AND TEMPLATE DOCUMENTS
For links to budget templates, expense forms etc.