Governance Policies
These Governance Policies, making up the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Governance Manual, reflect where the UUA Board is in the transition to the UUA's new governance model. These policies will continue to be revised as we learn more and practice more.
The following documents are in PDF format.
- Section One: Ends (2 pages)
- Section Two: Executive Limits (22 pages)
- Section Three: Governance Process (15 pages)
- Section Four: Board-President Linkage (3 pages)
- Appendix 3A: Monitoring Schedule (4 pages)
- Appendix 3B: Recurring Agenda (1 page)
Our governance model is built on the foundation of John Carver's "Policy Governance®." At their April 2008 meeting the Board of Trustees affirmed the plan to begin operation under the new governance model in July 2009, at which time they will begin receiving staff monitoring reports against the policies found in these manuals.
If you desire assistance with the terminology of this governance model, please search for "policy governance" on this website, and read from the many books published on the subject. Carver's "Boards That Make A Difference" is one example.
At last count, 24 Unitarian Universalist congregations, and 8 of our 20 districts, are operating in a policy governance based approach. Many of the congregations also have their governance policies posted on their own websites. We do caution that while Carver lays out many principles for the governance model, almost every organization implements the model in a way that is tailored to their specific situation, so interpretation is required by the reader in nearly every case.
The Board has not yet established ENDS policies for the Association, as they are still working with many constituencies to gain their counsel. The "Open Space" work at General Assembly (GA) 2007, and the "Appreciative Inquiry" work to occur at GA 2008, are examples of the Board's work with congregational delegates to engage them in this work as well.
Finally, the Board notes that the decision to move to policy governance on their part is not intended to be a recommendation for adoption by any congregation or district. That is your decision.
If you have questions about the new governance model or these policies, you may write the Board's Governance Working Group at uua-gov @ uua.org and a member of that Working Group will respond as soon as practicable. Please understand that we cannot do "policy governance" education by email.
Last updated on Friday, May 16, 2008.
