What are Advisory and Steering Committees? - ethniccommunities.org

Project for Strengthening Organizations Assisting Refugees
What is an Advisory Committee?
An Advisory Committee is a vehicle for conveying and coordinating community concerns. An
advisory committee is sometimes formed by an organization to assist it in addressing issues
of concern that have an impact on a given community. The committee enables a community
to have a voice in decision-making. The members of the committee come from the
community and represent a cross-section of interests and perspectives. Representative of
community interests, the advisory committee is recognized as a legitimate vehicle for
coordinating and conveying community concerns. An advisory committee, therefore, plays a
very important role by enabling a community to participate more directly in the decisionmaking
process.
An advisory committee can be of great assistance to an organization because it can offer a
variety of public viewpoints and concerns. It can be a source of new ideas for future projects
and create trust between an organization and a community. An advisory committee can
become an important symbol of credibility to potential donors because it indicates an
organization’s commitment to understanding community concerns, and shows that the
community support for the organization exists.
PLANNING: To form an advisory committee, determine:
• the purpose of the committee
• the size of the committee
• its duration
• guidelines for membership
RECRUITING: To recruit members, be sure to:
• Determine your recruitment method(s)
• Recruit a diverse group, including:
• members who will be impacted by your program
• individuals with expertise or skills on specified subjects,
• persons interested in what the committee is being asked to do.
OPERATIONALIZING: To ensure successful functioning, make certain to:
• Educate members on your organization’s cause and culture as well as the context and
conditions under which it must operate. Without this information, members will not be
able to make informed decisions.
• Provide an overview of the committee’s purpose, duration, membership guidelines, and
confidentiality policies.
• Address questions and concerns that members have.
• Set with the committee meeting logistics that allow for effective communication, including
frequency and length of meetings, meeting locations, seating arrangements, and the
decision-making process.
• Determine the leadership and how meeting agendas will be set.
• Choose a facilitator. The facilitator should be able to attend every meeting.
• Retain member interest through regular updating and by seeking the advice they were
recruited to impart.

What is a Steering Committee?
The Steering Committee provides support and guidance to an actual project. A project
Steering Committee is a key body that ensures that the project attains its goals, objectives
and outcomes, and is sustained. This may include developing and refining objectives,
developing budgetary strategy, monitoring quality and timelines, and assessing requests for
amendments to the scope of the project.
Membership usually includes:
• representatives from selected key stakeholders;
• experts from within the agency; and
• external, independent representatives with expertise relevant to the project’s aims.
The Project Manager is not a member of the Steering Committee. He or she works with the
Steering Committee to ensure the work of the project is undertaken as agreed. The Project
Manager should attend meetings of the Steering Committee. Additional staff such as a
project team member or administrative staff may also attend.
Collectively, the role of a Steering Committee is to:
• ensure the project's scope aligns with the agreed requirements of the Business
Owners and key stakeholder groups;
• provide those directly involved in the project with guidance,
• ensure that staff and volunteer effort and financial expenditure are appropriate to
stakeholder expectations;
• address issues which have major implications for the project;
• maintain the project scope as emerging concerns force changes to be contemplated;
• reconcile differences in opinion and approach and resolve disagreements;
Steering Committee members do not hold any direct responsible for managing or
implementing project activities. Rather, they provide support and guidance for those who
do. Given those responsibilities, members of a Steering Committee should:
• grasp the strategic implications and outcomes that are being pursued,
• both appreciate the value of the project for some or all major stakeholders and
perhaps represent their interests;
• possess a genuine interested in the project and its projected outcomes;
• possess an understanding of project management in general and be familiar with the
particular approach being used on this project.
• advance positive communication outside of the Committee in relation to the project's
progress;
• monitor whether the project’s activities adhere to recognized standards of best
practice both within the organization and in the field in general.