This is part three of our “UWSA 101” series, in which we explain how the UWSA works, your rights as a member, and how to participate.
The role of the board vs the work of the Association
Last week, we looked at two key UWSA documents: our by-law and articles of incorporation. They cover the UWSA’s purpose and high-level decision making, but they don’t say much about our day-to-day work. That’s because there are two big categories of UWSA activities, which we refer to as “governance” and “operations,” and the by-law only addresses the latter.
Governance vs operations
The Board of Directors—and annual member meetings—are focused on governance: long-term planning, overseeing the big picture, and ensuring the sustainability of the association.
The day-to-day “operations” work—delivering programming and services to members, and advocating on behalf of staff—is done by our Operations Team: the presidents and three employees, along with several committees and UWSA representatives.
In simpler terms: The operations team is concerned with UW staff, and the board is concerned with the UWSA as a corporation.
Here are some more examples of what’s in these two categories:
Governance
- Strategic planning
- Financial and risk oversight
- UWSA by-law and policies
- Policy & legislative compliance
- Succession planning & recruitment
- Election planning and oversight
- Communicating with members
- Delegating work to Operations
Operations
- University relationships/advocacy
- Financial management
- University policy approval/development
- Member support and services
- Volunteer development
- Member & public communication
- Social events and workshops
- Committees and appointments
Both the board and the operations team are accountable to members and keep you updated on their activities, through meetings, emails, and annual reports.
Why you need to know this
Understanding the difference between governance and operations is important for members. It can help you to know who to contact about a question or concern. If you have a concern about the UWSA's finances or by-laws, you're looking for a director. If you have a question about the UWSA's work on a committee or position on a UWSA policy, you'll want to talk to the president or another Operations Team member.
It can also help you decide how you might want to get involved—we recruit candidates for board and president elections at the same time, and they work closely together, but they do very different work!
We’ll be taking a break for the start of term, but we’ll be back in two weeks to hear directly from directors and presidents about their experiences and what’s involved in each role!