Chapter Policies and Procedures

The policies and procedures of a chapter (beyond its bylaws and CUPA-HR affiliation agreement) are the foundation of every successful chapter. Thorough policies and procedures ensure excellent operating practices.

Your chapter’s policies and procedures should be documented, expand on the chapter bylaws and provide consistency and guidance for your chapter board.

Consider including the following in your chapter’s policy and procedures document:

Governance

• Summarize the additional board positions other than the executive committee, which are referenced in your bylaws. Include titles, length of terms and responsibilities such as website management, event planning, sponsorships, engagement plans, etc.)
• Note board meeting information such as how often you meet, how or where you meet, and how or where meeting minutes are retained
• Establish expectations regarding attendance at board meetings (what should be prepared for each board meeting, how many absences are allowed, etc.)
• Outline election procedures such as when open positions are posted on the chapter website, who contacts the candidates, who confirms board members are national CUPA-HR members, etc.

Finance

• Guidance for how often the treasurer will report on the finances (CUPA-HR recommends this happen at each board meeting)
• Note the process for conducting a financial review for your chapter such as who will perform it (should be two board members who do not have access to any financial accounts) and how often
• Establish processes for approving and paying invoices, including amounts that require two signatures or pre-approval and how the chapter will avoid invoicing scams
• Outline what are appropriate travel expenses related to chapter business
• Provide a timeline for when your budget for the next fiscal year or event will be completed

Events

• Detail who is responsible for reviewing and signing contracts for your chapter (for event space, hotel, food, etc.)
• Note how you determine registration costs for chapter events and how registrations will be processed
• Provide guidelines for corporate partner giveaways, door prizes and gifts at chapter events
• Highlight programs for offering scholarships for individuals to attend your events or other CUPA-HR conferences
• Identify the ways in which you partner with other organizations or CUPA-HR chapters to host joint events
• Detail the ways in which alcohol is served (will you allow alcohol at receptions and if so, what types of alcohol, and do you post signs to discourage drinking and driving)

Communications and Marketing

• Detail how often your chapter website should be updated and who is responsible for those updates as well as what resources are available to do that work
• Plan for how your chapter’s online community should be monitored or reviewed and how you’ll engage individuals in that space (for example, is your board responsible for posting questions or comments in your online community to spark conversations? If so, how often?)

These suggested items are things your chapter may encounter and should be documented for consistency and accuracy. Your policies and procedures document will always be a work in progress. As improvements are made to processes and new needs appear, you should update your document.

We recommend that you NOT place your chapter’s policies and procedures on your chapter’s website due to the financial procedures that are detailed to prevent invoice scams.

You can find sample policies and procedures documents provided by several CUPA-HR chapters in the Chapter Management Community in CUPA-HR Connect. If your chapter would like to share its policies and procedures document, please email us.