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Operating Procedures

The Operating Procedures for our Chapter can be found here

Why does the Boston Chapter have Operating Procedures?

According to AGO Headquarters, each chapter may establish its own operating procedures, provided that such operating procedures do not conflict with the charter or bylaws of the Guild.  The Guild’s bylaws require that operating procedures must be approved by the chapter, a regional councillor, and the vice president of the National Council. 

Effective administration of a chapter proceeds from first defining the tasks to be done and then seeing that authority is delegated to persons willing and able to accomplish the tasks.  Chapter operating procedures help to clarify those tasks by providing job descriptions for the various positions and committees appointed by the chapter. Chapter operating procedures also facilitate smoother chapter operations by providing an enduring source documenting procedures and policies of the chapter.   They inform everyone of board intent, goals, and aspirations,  prevent confusion among board members, and eliminate the need for instant (crisis) policymaking. A policy is a written statement of the process and procedures for handling a specifically defined issue.  Bylaws are not board policies. Bylaws are a higher and more permanent set of guidelines for how the board will operate.

AGO bylaws require that a chapter fill the positions of dean, treasurer and secretary. Based on the size of a chapter, additional officers may be added to the executive committee in order to successfully accomplish the goals of the chapter.  Each AGO chapter is unique and has different needs. We encourage you to assess the needs of your chapter and identify which officer positions will directly support the operations needed to achieve the goals of your chapter. Many chapters feel compelled to include Member-at-Large positions, without assigning these volunteers specific duties. Unless you define  in what capacity a member-at-large officer will work, this position becomes superfluous. 

All elected officers and board members, chairpersons and members of standing or ad hoc committees of any chapter should be voting General Members of that chapter of the AGO as defined by the National bylaws , Article VII, Section 3.