Excerpt from approved TAPVI Bylaws:
ARTICLE 9 – Committees, Affiliates and Regional Representatives
Section 5: TAPVI Committees:
a. shall have and exercise such prescribed authority as is designated by the TAPVI Board of Directors. The board may authorize these committees to exercise any powers, responsibilities, and duties consistent with the Certificate of Formation and these bylaws.
b. shall develop and maintain the standard operating procedures of the committee, to be presented for approval by the TAPVI board, which is conferred by majority vote by the TAPVI board
c. shall develop project plans and budgets at the beginning of any new task, to be presented for approval by the TAPVI board, which is conferred by majority vote by the TAPVI board
d. shall work with other committees as needed to accomplish the goals of the committee
e. shall communicate with the Treasurer regarding all financial transactions necessary to accomplish the work of the committee
Section 6: TAPVI Committee Chairpersons:
a. shall be TAPVI members
b. shall be appointed by the TAPVI board, by recommendation by the President, with majority approval by the board
c. may or may not be a TAPVI Board Member
d. shall serve as the single POC of the committee
e. shall attend TAPVI Board meetings when invited
f. shall ensure the work of the committee is being performed, including seeking approvals by the board, and providing regular reports to the board on the status and progress of the work of the committee
g. shall identify and recruit adequate committee members to ensure the work of the committee is performed
Section 7: Standing committees
a. the following standing committees have been designated as such, and shall be considered to exist at all times
b. additional standing committees may be created by the TAPVI board, as needed, by majority vote of the TAPVI board
c. shall create and maintain/update policies and procedures for their tasks, and get approvals on those by majority vote of the TAPVI board
d. shall regularly perform their tasks that have been previously approved by the TAPVI board, independently of the TAPVI board without further directions or reminders
e. shall regularly report their progress and status back to the TAPVI board, per their standard operating procedures or by request by the board
f. shall identify and recruit adequate committee members to ensure the work of the committee is performed
Standing committee chairperson
— is a TAPVI member
— is appointed by the TAPVI Board
— may or may not be a TAPVI Board member
* Fundraising – develops and implements ideas and plans for fundraising to meet the budget needs as determined and approved by the TAPVI Board
— presents the fundraising plans to the TAPVI Board for approval
— ensures adequate personnel support for approved fundraising efforts
— presents reports to TAPVI Board on the status of the fundraising efforts
* Marketing – maintains the identity of TAPVI using print collateral (letterhead, envelopes, business cards and direct mail) and digital media
— keeps the website and all social media channels up-to-date with new content while also maintaining the identity and branding consistency across print and digital media sources
— promotes TAPVI using direct mail, social media, email blasts and traditional types of media i.e. postcards, flyers, posters, novelties, and other kinds of advertising and marketing endeavors
— supports other committees such as Website and Newsletter as needed
— installs analytics
— advertises using Google’s ad word grants for non-profits
* Newsletter – generates the TAPVI newsletter by writing articles or by requesting others help out
— creates the overall draft of the newsletter
— submits the draft to the Board for review
— obtains approval on the final version from the President
— ensures the newsletter is sent out on a regular basis
— ensures a presence in TAPVI Talks (Texas SenseAbilities, the TSBVI Outreach biannual publication), and other agency publications.
* Website – maintains the website
— proposes updates and implements changes per TAPVI Board approval
* Membership – maintains the membership database with all of the profile information that has been collected, including membership expiration dates
— notifies members when it is time to renew
— generates membership drive ideas to share with the TAPVI Board
— maintains the separate listings of non-member contact information that we have collected and of expired members, and occasionally contacts those people to ask them to become members or renew their membership
* Legislative – this committee is knowledgeable about special education and civil rights laws affecting our membership
— informs and educates the TAPVI Board about current issues
— attends meetings and other events as directed by the TAPVI Board and represents TAPVI at those meetings and events
— partners with agencies to ensure any proposed new legislation is favorable to our membership.
* Conference – plans any conferences that TAPVI hosts
— plans any major family/membership activities at other conferences (e.g., at Texas Focus and other events)
* Bylaws –
— is chaired by a TAPVI Board member
— ensures that our bylaws are kept up-to-date and remain functional
— (The President assures the TAPVI Board work conforms to the bylaws (quorums are met for meetings, elections are held, etc.))
* Scholarship Committee – Assistance to Families – develops the guidelines for any scholarship programs
— reviews applications and make recommendations to the TAPVI Board for approval of scholarship awards
* Spanish Committee
— includes members who are bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish fluently
— provides suggestions and feedback to the TAPVI Board regarding how to meet the needs of Spanish-speaking members, particularly in regards to our marketing and educational materials, and our website and other electronic communications and tools
— provides support at TAPVI events when requested to provide Spanish-English interpretation
— translates written materials and electronic materials at the request of the Board or when deemed appropriate by the Spanish Committee
Ad-hoc committees
— are formed for specific reasons, for specific time-frames, at the direction of the TAPVI Board
— upon being assigned a task, create a timeline and project plan to present to the TAPVI Board at startup
— report their progress to the TAPVI Board as directed/needed
— provide a “lessons learned” or other ending report at the completion of the task assigned
* Conference presentation committee (e.g., TAER, IAER, Texas Parent to Parent, etc. – separate POC’s/committees for each event)
— the chairperson, appointed by the TAPVI Board, serves as a single point of contact (POC) for each conference (separate from any TAPVI-sponsored conference which is the purview of the standing conference committee)
— ensures that the call for presentations is answered (an application is made to give a presentation at that conference)
— makes recommendations to the TAPVI Board as to presentation content, speakers, whether an exhibit table is desired, and who will work in the event, for approval by the TAPVI Board
— ensures adequate representation at the event, and works with those representatives regarding schedules and activities at the event
— works with the Fundraising and Budgeting Committees to ensure there will be adequate funds to support the event
— works with the Treasurer to ensure appropriate dispersal of the funds for the event
* TAPVI Family Fun/Special Event Days
— the chairperson, appointed by the TAPVI Board, serves as a single point of contact (POC) for each TAPVI Board-approved TAPVI Family Fun Day or similar special event
— determines the content and all details of the event
— recruits support for the committee and for the event
— determines budget needs
— presents a complete plan (including event budget) to the TAPVI Board for approval
— presents the progress of the planning from approval to implementation
— provides a full account of the day to the TAPVI Board after it has been completed, in the form of a final financial accounting, any procedures, and lessons learned.
* Nominations Committee
— is convened in the months prior to the elections
— does not include the current President
— solicits and interviews potential future Board members
— determines a slate of Officers and Board Members for the coming election and provides that for vote by the membership