AEA POLICIES
Last Updated: March, 2012
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January 2012
October
2011
January 2011
November 2010
July 2010
February
2010
November 2009
The
following represent the Board-level policies of the association.
Current status:
Note
that the most recent changes appear
highlighted in yellow.
PREAMBLE
The American Evaluation Association seeks to act in ways that
embody our mission, vision, and values in pursuit of our defined
policies and goals.
MISSION: The American Evaluation Association’s mission is to
improve evaluation practices and methods, increase evaluation
use, promote evaluation as a profession, and support the
contribution of evaluation to the generation of theory and
knowledge about effective human action.
VISION: The American Evaluation Association’s vision is to
foster an inclusive, diverse, and international community of
practice positioned as a respected source of information for and
about the field of evaluation.
VALUES: The American Evaluation Association values
excellence in evaluation practice, utilization of evaluation
findings, and inclusion and diversity in the evaluation
community.
-
We value high quality, ethically defensible, culturally
responsive evaluation practices that lead to effective and
humane organizations and ultimately to the enhancement of
the public good.
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We value high quality, ethically defensible, culturally
responsive evaluation practices that contribute to
decision-making processes, program improvement, and policy
formulation.
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We value a global and international evaluation community and
understanding of evaluation practices.
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We value the continual development of evaluation
professionals and the development of evaluators from
under-represented groups.
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We value inclusiveness and diversity, welcoming members at
any point in their career, from any context, and
representing a range of thought and approaches.
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We value efficient, effective, responsive, transparent, and
socially responsible association operations.
I.
GOALS
POLICIES - As
amended,
February 2012:
1. Evaluators: AEA will provide and increase access
to resources, and contribute to communities, that enable and
support evaluators to:
A. become knowledgeable, effective,
culturally competent, and ethical professionals;
i. provide resources that support
rigorous education regarding history, methods, and
theories of evaluation
ii. provide resources for teaching
evaluation standards, ethics and culturally
responsive practices
B.
use a
multicultural lens to inspire excellence and rigor in
evaluation theories, methods, applications, and
practices, specifically to:
i. expand
our understanding of multiculturalism and enhance our ability to confront
oppression in various forms.
ii. promote
international solidarity among evaluators and openness
to additional diverse social, cognitive, and political
perspectives that can influence how we think about and
practice evaluation.
C. develop, disseminate, and transfer
knowledge about evaluation;
D. engage diverse communities in
evaluation practice;
E.
use culturally responsive evaluation models to
contribute to inclusiveness in society and to enhance
social justice and equity for persons of color and
others from underrepresented groups;
F.
contribute to building evaluation capacity within the
communities and organizations in which they work;
G. facilitate meaningful feedback
mechanisms from evaluation consumers/public at all
stages of evaluation;
H. engage in the field and profession of
evaluation and in the life of the association;
I. engage in other fields and
associations that are related to or aligned with the
field of evaluation;
Specifically, AEA has taken steps towards
achieving the above Goals Policies through the following
activities and programs:
1.1. Annual Conference: AEA will have an
Annual Conference
1.1.1 Content for the Annual
Conference is primarily identified through a
member-driven peer-review process
1.1.2 Content for the Annual
Conference is also identified by the President or
her or his Designee for a thematically-focused
Presidential Strand
1.2. Awards: AEA will have an Awards
Program
1.2.1 The AEA Awards Program will
recognize excellence in the field of evaluation.
1.3. Diversity Focused Programs: AEA will
offer diversity-focused programs and services
1.3.1 AEA’s diversity-focused
programs will be aimed at expanding the diversity of
the membership and of those practicing and teaching
in the field.
1.3.2 AEA will offer a Graduate
Education Diversity Internship Program
1.3.3 AEA will offer a range of other
diversity-focused programs for students and
professionals
1.4 Internationally Focused Programs: AEA
will internationally-focused programs and services
1.4.1 AEA’s internationally-focused
programs will be aimed at supporting our
international members, evaluators working in
international contexts, AEA’s networking with other
associations, and the field as it expands
internationally
1.4.2 AEA will designate a
representative to a major international organization
1.4.3 AEA will offer a joint
membership program with the Canadian Evaluation
Society
1.4.4 AEA will offer a range of other
internationally-focused programs
1.5 Journals and Peer-Reviewed Content:
AEA will offer peer-reviewed content
1.5.1 AEA will offer New Directions
for Evaluation as part of membership
1.5.2 AEA will offer the American
Journal of Evaluation as part of membership
1.5.3 AEA will select journal
editors:
1.5.3.1 AEA journal editors will
be nominated by an ad hoc task force convened by
the AEA Board of Directors that represents a
range of methodological and philosophical
perspectives regarding evaluation.
-
The AJE nominating task force
will begin no later than 12 months prior to
the end of the current editor's term.
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The NDE nominating task force
will begin no later than 18 months prior to
the end of the current editor's term.
1.5.3.2 The editors nominating
task force will solicit nominations, review
nominations, interview nominees, and identify a
single nominee for recommendation to the Board.
The search process will include efforts to
identify a range of diverse candidates (in
accordance with AEA's values, by-laws, and
policies).
1.5.3.3 Criteria for nominees
will include: membership in AEA for at least
three years, demonstrated commitment to AEA
values, and a track record of publishing in peer
reviewed journals. Preferred characteristics
include previous editorial experience.
1.5.3.4 The task force will
forward its nomination to the Board along with a
brief explanation of their recruitment and
selection process and reason for recommending
this nominee. The Board will make the final
appointment.
1.5.4 AEA will take a variety of
approaches to increasing access to other
peer-reviewed content.
1.6 Practitioner-focused content: AEA
will offer practitioner-focused content
1.6.1 AEA will offer
association-sponsored publications with
practitioner-focused content
1.6.2 AEA will increase access to
other materials including electronic resources for
evaluation practitioners
1.7 Professional Development: AEA will
offer professional development
1.7.1 AEA will offer professional
development workshops as part of the annual
conference,
1.7.2 AEA will offer an Evaluation
Institute
1.7.3 AEA will offer a range of other
professional development opportunities.
1.8 Standards and Principles for the
Field: AEA will serve as a leader in the setting and
vetting of Standards and Principles for the field
1.8.1 AEA will develop and maintain
Guiding Principles for Evaluators
1.8.1.1 Maintenance of the
Guiding Principles will include a periodic
review.
1.8.1.1.1 The review process
will be initiated at least every five years
from the time of the publishing of the final
report of the previous Review of the Guiding
Principles.
1.8.1.1.2 The review process
will ensure that the Guiding Principles
continue to support appropriate, effective,
and ethical evaluator decision-making; and
are adapted to address and reflect on-going
developments in the field.
1.8.1.1.3 The review process
will cultivate stakeholder awareness and
commitment to the Guiding Principles; and
increase ownership and use of the principles
by the AEA membership.
1.8.2 AEA will send a Representative
to the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational
Evaluation (JCES)
1.8.3 AEA will be involved in the
vetting process for new standards in the field
1.8.4 AEA will also support other
programs that promote and advance ethical practice
in the field.
2. Evaluation Users: AEA will provide and increase
access to resources, and contribute to communities, that
enable/support evaluation users to:
A. have an appropriate knowledge about
multiple ways of doing and using evaluation;
B. hold positive and realistic views
about the role evaluation can play;
C. make evaluation a standard practice in
their organization’s operations;
D. be sensitive to the ethical issues
that are involved in the doing and using of evaluation.
Specifically, AEA has taken steps towards
achieving the above Goals Policies through the following
activities and programs:
2.1 Influencing of Evaluation Policy: AEA
will strive to influence the setting and use of
evaluation policy
2.1.1 AEA will strive to influence
United States federal evaluation policy
2.1.1.1 AEA will strive to do
this primarily through outreach via a paid
consultant
2.1.1.1.1 Guidance and
direction for the consultant will come
through a Task Force of the Board of
Directors
2.1.1.1.2 The consultant
and guiding Task Force may advocate, in
relation to the U.S. federal sector, on
behalf of the association for the following
items in these or analogous terms:
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A broader and more
routine application of evaluation
requirements to public programs
generally;
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The assurance of adequate
and consistent funding for evaluation
over time and across subject areas;
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The flexible targeting of
the size and scope of evaluations to the
context, specific policy questions, and
individual stage of development within
the lifespan of a particular program;
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A clearer understanding
of the need for evaluation not only to
determine whether a program is
promising, but also to determine the
criteria for scaling up or transferring
a promising program to new and different
locations or contexts;
-
More consistent use of
qualified, experienced evaluators for
both the performance of evaluations and
the planning and application of
evaluation policy;
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The more frequent
provision, by evaluators and agencies,
of evaluation designs in which the major
rationale for the choice of methods lies
in their appropriateness for answering
the policy questions posed;
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Stronger support for the
independence of the evaluation process
as a whole, and of the evaluators
conducting it; and
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A greater commitment to
the transparency and use of the
evaluation results.
2.1.2 AEA will work to influence
evaluation policy more generally through other
activities
3. Public: AEA will provide and increase access to
resources so that the public will:
A. be more aware of the concept of
evaluation;
B. understand and appreciate the value of
evaluation;
C. expect and demand evaluation;
D. use evaluation appropriately.
Specifically, AEA has taken steps towards
achieving the above Goals Policies through the following
activities and programs:
3.1 Public Statements: AEA will issue
public statements on issues of importance to the field
3.1.1 AEA public statements will be
member-developed
3.1.2 AEA public statements will be
member-approved
3.2 Public Presence: AEA will project a
public presence by having association officials and/or
appointed designees represent us at select meetings and
conferences.
4. Organization: AEA will contribute to society
through:
A. building and sustaining a respectful,
welcoming, inclusive, fun community;
B. acting, and encouraging members,
partners, and vendors to act, in a socially responsible
manner;
i.
Considering the environmental impact of policy,
product, and service alternatives during
decision-making by the AEA Board and AMC.
C. collaborating with actors that align
with its values towards the furtherance of the
evaluation profession.
D. becoming known as a professional organization that is
exemplary in its strategic, operational, and normative commitments to diversity
and multiculturalism through:
i. adopting a broad
commitment to multiculturalism
and promoting the practice of applying a multicultural lens to every aspect of
the association;
ii. promoting justice and
excellence by committing to reach out to people of color and others
from underrepresented groups
and to maintain organizational openness and acceptance for all evaluators within
the association;
iii. fostering and regularly evaluating representation from
multicultural groups across the spectrum of AEA
leadership positions, both elected and appointed, and requiring that all
task forces, committees, and groups within the organization demonstrate a
commitment to multiculturalism.
Specifically, AEA has taken steps towards
achieving the above Goals Policies through the following
activities and programs:
4.1
Community and
Member Engagement: AEA will
actively
engage its members in
the policy and operational work of the organization,
with adherence to the Member Engagement Principles (see
glossary)
and through a variety of mechanisms.
4.1.1 AEA will have Topical Interest
Groups
4.1.1.1 AEA members may belong to
up to five TIGs at no additional cost as part of
their AEA membership.
4.1.1.2 AEA will place no limit
on the total number of TIGs recognized by the
association
4.1.1.3 TIGs cannot collect dues
independently of AEA
4.1.1.4 Those wishing to become a
TIG will submit a petition to the Board,
indicating:
-
the TIG’s purpose and
rationale/need for the TIG target
populations
-
organizers/conveners
-
planned activities
-
starting chair and program
chair
-
evidence that the proposed
topic is not adequately addressed by the
existing TIGs
-
the signatures of at least 20 AEA members who wish to become members of
the new TIG
4.1.1.5 The Board will approve
new TIGs based on review of the TIG proposal
4.1.1.6 In order to maintain TIG
status, each TIG will:
-
Hold an annual business
meeting at the AEA Conference or via some
alternative means
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Elect a Chair and Program
Chair, each to serve no more than three
years
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Maintain membership of at
least 25 members
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Review proposals for the
annual meeting
-
Submit an annual progress
report
4.1.1.7 If a TIG fails to meet
the above maintenance expectations for two
consecutive years, the TIG will be sunsetted
4.1.2 AEA will have structured member
involvement outreach
4.1.2
AEA will undertake a range of
internal
community-building and member-involvement efforts.
4.2 Communications and Website: AEA will
develop and maintain multiple communications vehicles
and materials that allow AEA to pursue its Goals
Policies
4.2.1 AEA will have an extensive
website
4.2.2 AEA will have a field-wide
discussion list
4.2.3 AEA will have other
communications vehicles and materials
4.3 Local Affiliates. AEA will value and actively
support Local Affiliates within the scope of the goals
policies detailed below.
4.3.1 Formation of Local Affiliates.
Any group of AEA members that has convened, reached
out to others in its catchment area, has goals and
values compatible with the goals and values of AEA,
and functions as a professional development and
networking entity can petition to become a Local
Affiliate. Typically a new Local Affiliate would be
in a region where one does not exist. If a new Local
Affiliate has an overlapping region with an existing
Local Affiliate, the relationship between the
overlapping entities needs to be explained and
justification given for a new Local Affiliate.
4.3.1.1. There is no particular
organizational structure required to be a Local
Affiliate, other than a clearly indicated point
of contact and open membership for all those who
share its goals and pay dues if appropriate.
4.3.1.2. The Board approves an
organization as a Local Affiliate. An
organization can apply to be an AEA Local
Affiliate at any time during the year.
4.3.2 Membership in Local Affiliates.
A Local Affiliate establishes its own criteria for
membership. Local Affiliate members need not be AEA
members.
4.3.3 Legal and Financial
Connections. Local Affiliates are 100% stand-alone
organizations. There are no legal or financial ties
to AEA, and such Local Affiliate tasks as setting
and collecting dues, maintaining finances and data,
and monetary flows are all completely separate from
AEA.
4.3.4 Renewal of Local Affiliate
Status. Local Affiliate status will be reviewed by
the Board based on each Local Affiliate’s annual
self-evaluation and a report from the AEA Executive
Director.
5. Priority areas for the Association
Management Company for FY2012 (July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012) will
be as follows:
A. Priority: A priority for new efforts will be outreach
to evaluation users and the public to increase the value
of evaluation to society at a budgetary allocation of up
to a total of $50,000 across FY2011 and FY2012.
B. Priority: A priority for new efforts will be 1a-f,
engage diverse communities in evaluation practice and
contribute to inclusiveness and diversity through
evaluation, through engaging the board, committees,
broader membership, and staff taking into consideration
the report from the multicultural task force at a
budgetary allocation of up to $40,000 across FY2011 and
FY2012.
C. Priority: A priority for new efforts will be
strengthening our organizational goal (4A) by actively
building bridges across methodological divides and
advancing methodological pluralism within AEA at a
budgetary allocation of up to $5,000 across FY2012 and
FY2013.
6. Priority areas for the Association
Management Company for FY2013 (July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013) will
be as follows:
Continuation of existing efforts begun in prior fiscal
years:
A.
Priority: A priority will be outreach to evaluation users
and the public to increase the value of evaluation to
society at a budgetary allocation of up to a total of
$16,000.
B.
Priority: A priority will be 1a-f, engage diverse
communities in evaluation practice and contribute to
inclusiveness and diversity through evaluation, through
engaging the board, committees, broader membership, and
staff taking into consideration the report from the
multicultural task force at a budgetary allocation of up to
$29,000.
C.
Priority: A priority will be strengthening our
organizational goal (4A) by actively building bridges across
methodological divides and advancing methodological
pluralism within AEA at a budgetary allocation of up to
$2,500.
Engagement in new efforts:
D.
Priority: A
priority will be taking steps that help evaluators to
conduct their evaluation work with greater environmental
consciousness and responsibility at a budgetary allocation
of up to $10,000 across FY2013 and FY2014.
E.
Priority: A priority will be improving evaluator’s
presentation and reporting skills generally, and conference
presentations skills specifically, at a budgetary allocation
of up to $20,000 in FY2013 and $5,000 in each of FY2014 and
FY2015.
II. EXECUTIVE LIMITATIONS POLICIES – As
amended,
February 2012:
1. GLOBAL EXECUTIVE CONSTRAINT:
The Executive
Director (ED) shall not cause or allow any practice,
activity, decision, or organizational circumstance that is
unlawful; in violation of commonly accepted business and
professional ethics or that endangers the association’s
nonprofit status; or is in conflict with the association’s
mission, vision, values, and goals. Limitations on the
actions of the Executive Director with regard to any
policies may be waived in specific instances by a vote of
the majority of the Board.
A. FINANCIAL PLANNING: Financial planning
for any fiscal year or the remaining part of any fiscal
year shall not deviate materially from the Board’s Goals
Policies, risk fiscal jeopardy, or fail to be derived
from a multi-year plan.
i. The ED shall not plan in a manner
that fails to include credible projection of
revenues and expenses, cash flow, and disclosure of
planning assumptions.
ii. The ED shall not plan for less
than a ratio of 1:1 income to expenditures for the
overall recurring (schedule I) budget within any
given fiscal year.
B. ACTUAL FINANCIAL CONDITION AND
ACTIVITIES: With respect to the actual, ongoing
financial condition and activities, the Executive
Director shall not cause or allow the development of
fiscal jeopardy or a material deviation of actual
expenditures from Board priorities established in Goals
Policies.
i. The ED shall
not make a single purchase of greater than $200,000 for
events or $50,000 for all other activities without the
approval of the Treasurer or President.
ii. The ED shall not commit the
association for multiple years for obligations in
excess of 3% of the currently available (operating
plus general) reserves without the approval of
the Board, except as explicitly stipulated in the
Goals Policies.
iii. The ED shall not allow to be
spent for Schedule I &
II combined net revenue less expenditures more than
20% of the
general reserve within a given
fiscal year as identified at the beginning of the
fiscal year nor allow the
general reserve to
fall below 25% of the
operating reserve at any time without notifying the
Board and identifying whether the Board wishes (a)
to allow for fee increases in subsequent years, or
(b) to change Goals Policies in subsequent years.
iv.
The ED
shall not fail to follow the following guidelines for
introduction and removal of
revenue and expenditure items on Schedules I and II.
a. New programs and initiatives
must be trialed first on Schedule II.
b. Neither expenditure nor
revenue items may be moved from Schedule I to
Schedule II.
c. No expenditure item and no
revenue item may remain on Schedule II for more
than
five years, except those that represent
‘pass throughs’ of funds.
-
Each new Schedule II item that represents a
pilot program will include an anticipated
timeframe of 1-5 years to determine program
continuation, with the time horizon to be
revisited annually as part of the Board’s policy
review
-
Each new Schedule II item that represents a
pilot program will include a monitoring plan
that contributes to the information needed for
continuation decisions within the anticipated
timeframe for decision making (see Evaluation
under Governance Policies)
d. New expenditures may not be
added to either Schedule I or Schedule II
without Board approval if they are in excess of
5% of the previous year’s schedule I budget.
v. The
ED shall not
neglect to present Schedule I and Schedule II
together as “The Whole Budget” any time the budget
is discussed.
vi. The
ED shall not
commence expenditures during a fiscal year without
Board approval of the budget for that fiscal year,
with the exception of pre-approved pre-payments.
vii. The
ED shall not
fail to provide the Treasurer a complete draft
budget for the following fiscal year no later than
three months prior to the start of that fiscal year.
C. EMERGENCY EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR COVERAGE:
In order to protect the Board from sudden loss of ED
services, the ED will not fail to provide a written
emergency plan and identify one or more other persons
who would be able to step-in in case of emergency. Any
person who assumes the position/or any responsibilities
of the ED will be held accountable to the Board under
all applicable policies.
D. DECISION MAKING: The ED shall not
develop or implement programs, initiatives, or policies,
without weighing (a) alignment with the association’s
mission, vision, values, and goals, (b) input from the
board, (c) input from members and relevant member groups
(e.g. TIGs, relevant task forces),
and adherence to
the Member Engagement Principles (see glossary), (d) evaluative data,
and (e) short- and long-term ramifications. The ED shall
not implement new programs, initiatives, or policies
without first informing the Board about the AMC’s plans.
If a majority of the Board does not believe that the
plans are a reasonable interpretation of Board policy,
the ED shall not implement the plans without
reconsideration of Board policy.
E. ASSET PROTECTION: The ED shall not
allow association assets to be unprotected, inadequately
maintained or unnecessarily risked. The ED shall not:
i. Fail to insure against liability
losses to Board members and the organization itself
in an amount no less than the average for comparable
organizations.
ii. Pay for any significant amount of
products, services, or contract or project staffing,
at rates higher than average rates paid for or by
relevant comparables.
iii. Fail to protect intellectual
property, information (including member databases)
and files from loss or significant damage nor
breaches of confidentiality.
F. COMMUNICATION TO THE BOARD: The ED
shall not withhold information or misinform the Board.
G. TREATMENT OF MEMBERS: With respect to
interactions with members or those applying to be
members, the ED shall not cause or allow conditions,
procedures, or decisions that are unsafe, untimely,
undignified, unethical, or unnecessarily intrusive.
Further, without limiting the scope of the foregoing by
this enumeration, the ED shall not:
i. Elicit information for which there
is no clear necessity.
ii. Use methods of collecting,
reviewing, transmitting, or storing client or member
information that fail to protect against improper
access to the material elicited.
iii. Fail to establish with members a
clear understanding of what may be expected and what
may not be expected from the service offered, and
the opportunities available to them.
iv. Fail to inform members of this
policy or to provide a way to be heard for persons
who believe they have not been accorded a reasonable
interpretation of their protections under this
policy.
v. Fail to incorporate the
association’s values as a key consideration
throughout the process of identifying operational
volunteers.
H. TREATMENT OF VOLUNTEERS and
CONTRACTORS: With respect to the treatment of volunteers
or contractors, the ED shall not cause or allow
conditions that are unfair, undignified, or unethical.
IIII. DELEGATION POLICIES - As amended
January 2011:
1. GLOBAL DELEGATION POLICY: The Board’s official connection
to the operational organization, its achievements and
conduct will be through the Executive Director (ED).
2. UNITY OF CONTROL: Only officially passed policies of the
Board are binding on the ED.
A. Decisions or instructions of
individual Board members, officers, or committees are
not binding on the Executive Director except in rare
instances when the Board has specifically authorized
such authority.
B. In the case of Board members or
committees requesting information or assistance without
Board authorization, the ED can refuse such requests
that require, in the ED’s opinion, a material amount of
staff time or funds or are disruptive to carrying out
operations.
C. The ED will develop and maintain
operational policies as needed to carry out the business
of the association. These must be differentiated from
Board policies. The operational policies will guide the
work; the Board policies guide decision-making, priority
setting, monitoring and evaluation.
3. ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: The ED is the
Board’s only link to operational achievement and conduct, so
that all authority and accountability of staff, as far as
the Board is concerned, is considered the authority and
accountability of the ED; consequently, the Board will view
ED performance as identical to operational performance, so
that reasonable progress towards Board stated Goals and
adherence to Executive Limitations policies will be viewed
as successful ED performance.
4. DELEGATION TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: The Board will
instruct the ED through written policies which prescribe the
organizational Goals to be achieved, and describe
organizational situations and actions to be avoided,
allowing the ED to use any reasonable interpretation of
these policies.
A. The Board will develop policies
instructing the ED to achieve specified results, for
specified recipients at a specified priority or cost. In
the absence of specifying a priority or cost, the ED may
use any reasonable assumption of the appropriate
allocation of resources within the restrictions
identified in the Executive Limitations Policies. These
policies will be developed systematically from the most
general level to more defined levels, and will be called
Goals policies.
B. The Board will develop policies that
limit the latitude the ED may exercise in choosing the
organizational means. These policies will be developed
systematically from the broadest, most general level to
more defined levels, and they will be called Executive
Limitations policies.
C. As long as the Executive Director uses
any reasonable interpretation of the Board’s Goals and
Executive Limitations policies, the ED is authorized to
make all decisions, take all actions, establish all
practices and develop all programs. Such decisions of
the ED shall have full force and authority as if decided
by the Board.
D. The Board expects the ED to maintain
and improve upon the existing baseline activities of the
association as defined by the specific examples provided
within the Goals Policy.
E. Within resources available, the Board
expects the ED to develop and trial new programs in
pursuit of the Goals Policies within the constraints
defined under the Executive Limitations Policies.
F. The Board may change its Goals and
Executive Limitations policies, thereby shifting the
boundary between Board and ED domains. By doing so, the
Board changes the latitude of choice given to the ED.
But as long as any particular delegation is in place,
the Board will respect and
support the ED’s choices.
G. Evaluation for monitoring: Monitoring will enable the
Board, other association leadership groups, and the
Association Management Company (AMC) to assess the
quality and effectiveness of association programs and
activities, in terms of their design (e.g., efficiency,
relevance, reach); implementation (e.g., usage); and
short-term outcomes. Monitoring responsibilities are
delegated to the AMC for use in ongoing administrative
management and decision making regarding association
programs and activities. Monitoring data will be
collected according to the discretion of the Executive
Director or by request of the Board, and in order to
fulfill the following reporting responsibilities of the
AMC:
i. The Executive Director will gather
monitoring data on all startup programs while in
their trial phase and all major association programs
within the full annual cycle, as well as on other
programs and association activities as deemed
relevant by the Executive Director or as requested
by the Board. A definition of a major program is one
that meets any of the following three criteria: (a)
involves more than $20,000 in annual expenditures;
(b) has likely political ramifications and has come
under publicly voiced criticism with founded
concern, or has been recommended by the Board for
additional monitoring; and (c) the Executive
Director intends to cut the program based on
existing monitoring/evaluation data regardless of
its cost.
ii. Monitoring data on association
programs will regularly include member input and the
input of appropriate association leadership groups
(e.g., Priority Area Teams (PATs), Task Forces,
Topical Interest Groups (TIGs)), as deemed relevant
by the Executive Director or as requested by the
Board.
iii. Monitoring data will be shared
with members, PATs, the Board, and other association
groups, as deemed relevant and appropriate by the
Executive Director or as requested by the Board.
iv. As appropriate, monitoring data
will include information on the connections between
the program being evaluated and the association’s
mission, vision, values, and goals.
5. MONITORING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PERFORMANCE: Systematic and
rigorous monitoring of Executive Director job performance
will be solely against the only expected ED job outputs:
progress towards the general Goals Policies and execution of
the major activities noted in the Goals Policies within the
boundaries established in Executive Limitation policies on
Executive Limitations.
A. Monitoring is to determine the degree
to which Board policies are being met. Data that does
not do this will not be considered to be monitoring
data.
B. The Board will acquire monitoring data
by any of a number of methods, including: (a) by
internal report of the ED, (b) the independent report of
the volunteers serving under the ED, (c) by external
report, in which an external, disinterested third party
selected by the Board assesses compliance with Board
policies, (d) by direct Board inspection, in which a
designated member or members of the Board assess
compliance with the appropriate policy criteria.
C. In every case, the standard for
performance shall be any reasonable ED interpretation of
the Board policy being monitored. The Board is final
arbiter of reasonableness, but will always judge with a
“reasonable person” test.
D. All Executive Limitations policy
violations will be noted and, if there are no mitigating
circumstances, will contribute to a negative appraisal
of the ED’s performance. The Board will however view
violations of financial policies as especially serious.
6. ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT COMPANY (AMC) CONTRACT: The Board
will hold a contract with the AMC and the ED and Board will
be bound by that contract and the contract will stipulate
adherence to these policies.
A. AMC contract shall be reviewed by the following:
i. The Executive Committee (EC) shall
have the responsibility to review and discuss the
existing contract, including any future amendments
or additions to the existing contract as presented
in the renewal contract process, for presentation to
the Finance Priority Area Team;
ii. The Finance Priority Area Team
shall review all fiscal matters pertaining to the
AMC contract and raise questions to the EC and AMC
as deemed appropriate in preparation for
presentation to the Board;
iii. The Association’s lawyer shall
review all legal matters prior to presentation to
the Board;
iv. The Board will review and discuss
for vote to renew (or not).
B. The timeline for the review of the AMC contract shall
be as follows:
i. The review will begin 18 months in
advance of the contract expiry date;
ii. The EC’s review will be completed
for presentation to the Board within six months from
the start date of the review.
iii. The Board will make a final
decision regarding the contract within three months
of receiving the report from the EC.
IV. GOVERNANCE POLICIES – As amended
February 2012:
1. BOARD of DIRECTORS: AEA will be governed by a Board of
Directors, elected to represent the organization as a whole,
that sets and refines policy, evaluates progress towards
policies, and engages members,
A.
The
Board of Directors will be selected through a careful
and systematic nominations and elections process.
i. Nominees for President and Treasurer will
undergo a credit check with the credit check requirement
specified in the call for nominations.
a. An attorney retained by AEA will identify
an independent third party to conduct the credit checks.
b. Based on the results from the independent
third party, the attorney will give the names of those
nominees who present a financial risk and a general
statement of the nature of the concern to the body
responsible for creating the slate of candidates.
ii. Nominees may challenge the attorney’s
decision. In that event, a second independent party,
identified by the association’s Board, will make the final
determination.
B. The Board will consider and vote on the budget as
forwarded from the Treasurer, no later than one month
prior to the start of the fiscal year.
2. GLOBAL GOVERNANCE LIMITATIONS: The Board shall not cause
or allow any practice, activity, decision, or organizational
circumstance that is unlawful; in violation of commonly
accepted business and professional ethics; endangers the
association’s nonprofit status; or is in conflict with the
association’s mission, vision, values, and goals.
3. GLOBAL GOVERNANCE-MEMBER CONNECTION: The Board serves the
organization membership. It draws its authority from and is
accountable to the members. As such, its role is that of
servant-leader to and for that group.
A. MEMBER INPUT: The Board will gather
input from members,
with adherence
to the Member Engagement Principles (see Glossary) and
employing a variety of mechanisms,
as needed to understand the membership’s needs and
priorities. B. ACCOUNTABILITY TO MEMBERS: The Board will ensure that
members are informed about Board decisions and actions.
4. GLOBAL GOVERNANCE-MANAGEMENT CONNECTION: The Board’s
official connection to the operational organization, its
achievements and conduct will be through the Executive
Director (ED).
5. AGENDA PLANNING: The Board will follow an annual agenda
which (a) annually completes a review of all Board policies
for relevance to current issues in the discipline
and in society,
responsiveness to membership interests, and other criteria
as appropriate, (b) monitors ED performance on reasonable
progress towards Goals, and (c) continually improves Board
performance through Board education and enriched input and
deliberation.
A. Time will be set aside at each Board
meeting for consideration of policy changes,
introduction of new policies, and review of outstanding
policy issues.
B. The Board will utilize evaluation data
in its responsibility to regularly review policy.
6. EVALUATION: The
Board and the Association Management Company (AMC) will use
high-quality evaluation processes to ensure that AEA
operations and governance are well designed, well
implemented, effective and efficient. Evaluation in AEA has
three functions. First, evaluation for monitoring purposes
involves ongoing, routine processes of gathering and
analyzing data about the quality of the design,
implementation / usage, and short-term outputs and outcomes
of association programs and activities for use in
administrative improvement and decision making about the
designated evaluands.
Responsibility for monitoring is delegated to the
Executive Director (see Delegation G).
Second, evaluation will assess
progress toward fulfillment of AEA’s overall goals including
programs and initiatives. Third, evaluation will determine
the quality and effectiveness of association governance.
A.
All association evaluation work will be conducted in
accordance with the AEA Guiding Principles for
Evaluators.
B. Evaluation of progress toward association goals: This
function will include evaluation of both issues and
programs.
i. Each year, the Board, with input
from other association groups and from members, will
determine which issues merit evaluation in service
of assessing progress toward association goals based
on: (1) currency of issues involved, (2) adequacy of
existing data that bear on the issue, (3) the
financial, and human resources implications of the
issue; (4) cost of evaluation needed, and (5) the
recommendations of the Executive Director. In
service of this function, evaluation will focus on
high impact, high visibility, systemic, and
cross-cutting issues that are directly relevant to
association goals. These issues may be enacted in
programs, in other initiatives within the
association, or in multiple strands of the
association’s organization, programs, and
activities.
ii. Each year, the Board, with input
from other association groups and from members, will
also determine which association programs merit
evaluation studies based on: (1) the centrality of
the program to the association’s mission, vision,
and goals; (2) the financial, and human resources
cost of the program; (3) the cost of an evaluation
of the program; (4) the need for information to
inform the decision about continuation or
sustainability of the program; (5) the interest in
or demand by members for data on a particular
program; and (6) the recommendations of the
Executive Director.
iii. Once the Board has identified issues and/or
programs as evaluation targets, the Board will
establish the purpose and key evaluation questions
and refer these to a Board Task Force comprised of
Board members for each evaluation. The Board Task
Force will employ a Board-approved evaluation brief
template to prepare a brief for the Board. The Board
will review and approve the brief.
iv. The Board Task Force will convene
an Evaluation Task Force to oversee the evaluation
process.
One member of the Board Task Force will serve as the liaison between the
Evaluation Task Force and the Board.
v. As possible and without conflict
of interest, all association evaluations will be
conducted by association members through a volunteer
or an open and transparent contracting process.
vi. Evaluation of new initiatives:
All major Schedule 2 programs and initiatives will
include an evaluation plan and budget with a
timeline that will provide findings in time to
inform a decision about whether or not to move the
initiative to Schedule 1, and to record learnings.
The scale of the evaluation plan should be
commensurate with the size of the investment, the
risks involved, and the relevance of learnings from
this initiative for future policy and operational
decisions.
C.
Evaluation of association governance: Based on member
and board input, the Board will determine annually if
evaluation is needed of any aspect of governance.
i. Once the need for evaluation is
identified, the criteria for judging the quality and
effectiveness of association governance include: the
extent and depth of member involvement in
association business; the extent to which members
involved well represent the full diversity of the
association’s membership; the extent and character
of member satisfaction with their opportunities to
provide input and be consulted; the extent and
character of the Board’s ability to focus on policy;
the workability of existing policies; efficient and
effective use of resources; and the extent to which
the association is accomplishing its goals and is
advancing evaluation’s contributions to society.
D. The results of evaluation that is undertaken to
inform the Board will be disseminated widely to the
membership, within parameters of confidentiality and
propriety. Major evaluation results will also be
disseminated to a broad range of AEA stakeholders on an
annual basis, at minimum, as determined by the Board
with member input.
i. The Board will use the findings
from evaluation to learn what is going well, what is
not, and how the Board and the Executive Director
can make improvements in governance and operations,
as well as policy making and strategic planning.
ii. The
Board will also use the findings from evaluation
activities to demonstrate accountability to members.
7. BOARD PLANNING
AND PRIORITY SETTING CYCLE: The Board will plan and budget
on a cycle that takes account of the fiscal year and the
rotation of Board members.
A. The Board will establish annual priorities
among goals
policies during
the first quarter of each calendar year in order to
prepare for a fiscal year that runs from July 1 to June
30. The
process will include:
i. Reviewing
existing priorities and timeframes to identify adjustments that
may be needed to achieve the desired progress towards goal, time
horizon, or budget allocation
ii. Identifying
new priorities when warranted and resources allow, including
explicating for each:
B. Guided by the Treasurer, and informed by discussion
with the Executive Director, during the first quarter of
each calendar year, the Board will establish a Board
budget for its own activities (e.g. Board meetings,
auditing, Board training, evaluation) to be included
within the overall Schedule I budget for the coming
fiscal year.
C. The Board will review the timeframe (1 to 5 years) of
existing Schedule II programs during the first quarter
of each calendar year, and adjust as needed based on
existing information to date.
8. BOARD BUDGET: Guided by the Treasurer, and informed by
discussion with the ED, the Board will establish a budget
within Schedule I each fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) for
its own activities (e.g. Board meetings, auditing, Board
training, evaluation of the Board and Association).
9. PRESIDENT’S ROLE: The President, a specially empowered
member of the Board, assures the integrity of the Board's
process and sets the agenda at each meeting consistent with
the Board’s annual agenda, with input from the Board
members, and chairs the meeting.
A. CHIEF EXECUTIVE: The President is the
Chief Executive Officer of the association with the
following roles and responsibilities:
i. The President is the public face
of AEA.
ii. The President sets the
Presidential Theme for the annual meeting.
iii. The President Chairs the
Executive Committee.
iv. The President addresses emergency
issues working along with the Executive Director.
v. The President is the primary
association official with direct responsibility for
managing the
Association's relationship with the Executive Director.
a. The President is the
association official who signs the AMC contract
on behalf of the Board.
b. The President is responsible
for assuring that the Board reviews the
performance of the Executive Director and the
association’s operations.
vi. The President Chairs the Board of
Directors’ meetings with the following roles and
responsibilities:
a. The President is responsible
for setting the agenda for Board meetings with
consultation and input from the Board.
b. The President presides over
Board meetings and enforces procedures and
processes that assure the meetings proceed in a
collegial and business-like fashion (using a
form of Robert’s Rules of Order as a guideline).
c. The President is responsible
for assuring that any Board Task Forces,
Committees, or Groupings, or other volunteers
who work on behalf of the Board, have adequate
direction from the Board.
d. The President is responsible
for assuring that the Board provides adequate
training and orientation of new and returning
Board members.
vii. The President Chairs the AEA
Annual Business meeting with the following roles and
responsibilities:
a. Ensuring that a report is made
regarding the status of the association;
b. Ensuring that a report is made
regarding the current Board volunteer leadership
support structure;
c. Ensuring that a report is made
regarding the financial state of the association
by the Treasurer or duly-authorized
Board-appointed agent.
viii. The President serves as the
second signatory on all AEA Bank Accounts.
a. The President shall
periodically monitor balances of each
Association account.
ix. The President makes appointments
or nominations for individuals to serve on external
groups.
a. An open call will be issued to
the membership for recommendations for
nominees/appointees.
b. The President will consult
with the President-elect when making a
nomination or appointment.
10. PAST-PRESIDENT: The Past-President is a specially
empowered member of the Board with the following roles and
responsibilities:
A. The Past-President is the Secretary to
the Board with responsibility for assuring that all
Board records are up-to-date and sufficiently archived.
B. The Past-President is an Ombudsperson
to the Board, responsible for assuring that complaints
or issues of Board Members or serious complaints or
issues of members of the association receive a clear and
proper hearing of the Board.
C. The Past-President is the
Parliamentarian to the Board and is responsible for
assisting the President in the management of discussions
at Board meetings.
D. The Past-President has a special role
as mentor to new Board members and is responsible for
assuring that they are integrated well into the life of
the Board.
E. The Past-President is a member of the
Executive Committee.
F. The Past-President serves as the
acting President in the event that the President and
President-Elect are unable to fulfill the position.
G. The Past-President works with the
President as needed to set the agenda for Board
meetings.
11. PRESIDENT ELECT: The President-Elect is a specially
empowered member of the Board with the following roles and
responsibilities:
A. The President-Elect works with the
President to set the agenda for Board meetings.
B. The President-Elect meets with the
current President and ED at least once for a detailed
briefing on the current state of the association and of
the Board.
C. The President-Elect is a member of the
Executive Committee
D. The President-Elect serves as the
acting President if the President is unable to fulfill
the position.
12. TREASURER’S ROLE: The Treasurer is a specially empowered
member of the Board whose responsibilities in consultation
with the Board and ED are, at minimum:
A. The Treasurer assures
that draft
budgets meet Board policies.
B. The Treasure preserves financial
assets for core operations of the association.
i. AEA should protect its current
assets with fully federally insured investments so
that it could meet all regular financial obligations
for 12 consecutive months without any income. No
more than 20% of the
general
reserve may be
invested in low-risk instruments and the remainder
must be invested in fully federally insured
investments.
ii. In consultation with the Finance
Priority Area Team, and with the approval of the
Board, the Treasurer will make the investments
described above on behalf of the Board.
C. The Treasurer
ensures that
adequate self-insurance is maintained for the association against potential
disasters.
D. The Treasurer serves as educator to
the Board on association financial issues.
E. The Treasurer provides signatures on
financial matters on behalf of the association (except
for those matters directly related to the Treasurer).
i. The Treasurer shall periodically
monitor balances of each Association account.
F. The Treasurer ensures that ED
monitoring includes attention to fiscal issues as
delineated in the Executive Limitations Policies.
G. The Treasurer serves as a key liaison
with the association’s accountant and auditor.
H. The Treasurer facilitates the Board in
monitoring the fiscal health of the association.
i. The Treasurer oversees regular
external review of AEA’s finances.
ii. The Treasurer will report monthly
to the Finance Priority Area Team, and at each Board
meeting, on the status of investments and all other
AEA financial assets.
I. The Treasurer chairs the Finance
Priority Area
Team.
i. The Treasurer ensures that the
Finance Priority Area Team forwards to the Board its
recommendations regarding the budget no later than
two months prior to the start of the coming fiscal
year.
J. The Treasurer maintains direct contact
with the ED regarding the association’s budget and
expenditures.
K. The Treasurer, or duly-authorized Board-appointed
agent reports to the membership
regarding the financial state of the association at the AEA Annual Business Meeting.
L. Within one week of receiving contact information for
the Treasurer-elect the current Treasurer will initiate
the following steps to acclimate and educate the
incumbent regarding her or his responsibilities and
operational capabilities, as necessary:
i. Complete paperwork to add the
Treasurer-elect as a signatory on the Association's
account(s), allowing the incumbent to begin viewing,
investing, and signing instruments such as checks on
behalf of the Association at the start of their term
(currently January 1 following the election),
ii. Provide the Treasurer-elect with
all paper and electronic files and correspondence
relevant to the incumbent's role, no later than the
start of their term.
iii. Include the Treasurer-elect in
all communications and meetings with the Executive
Director, and of the Finance Priority Area Team
(F-PAT).
iv. Meet monthly with the
Treasurer-elect through December 31, to explain and
discuss in detail the following:
-
Association Bylaws relevant to
financial operations,
-
Association policy regarding
financial operations,
-
Generating monthly financial
reports of the Treasurer to the F-PAT and Board,
-
Creating the annual Treasurer's
report to the Association, presented at the
annual Business Meeting,
-
Current budget and investments of
the Association,
-
Current plans regarding future
budgets and investments of the Association, and
-
Other matters brought up by
either the incumbent or current Treasurer.
v. The former Treasurer also will
participate in all F-PAT meetings for the first
three months following initiation of the
Treasurer-elect’s term, to answer questions and
provide guidance.
vi. The former Treasurer will be
available for at least the first three months
following initiation of the Treasurer-elect’s term
for consultant and advice.
13. BOARD MEMBER AT LARGE:
Board members are
specially empowered members of the association who have the
duty to ensure
appropriate governance and performance. All members of the
Board have the following roles and responsibilities:
A. Fulfill four primary
roles:
i. Serve as the link between AEA as
an organization and its membership.
a. Engage the membership both to
understand their interests and needs and to
communicate Board policies and practices.
b. Develop and review policies
that are member- and organization-driven rather
than constituency-driven.
ii. Actively engage in the ongoing
development and priority-setting of written
governing policies that address the broadest levels
of all organizational decisions and situations,
including:
a. Goals Policies that define
desired organizational outcomes.
b. Executive Limitations Policies
that define constraints on executive authority
and establish the prudence and ethics boundaries
within which all staff executive activity and
decisions must take place.
c. Governance Policies that
specify how the Board conceives, carries out and
monitors its own work.
d. Delegation Policies that
specify the ED’s role, authority and
accountability, and how the ED performance is
monitored.
iii.
Fulfill the
evaluation responsibilities as specified in written
Governance Policies.
iv. Exercise
fiduciary responsibility to safeguard the financial
health of the association.
B. Serve as public ambassadors of the
association.
14. BOARD MEMBER CODE OF CONDUCT: The Board commits itself
and its members to the highest ethical, businesslike, and
lawful conduct, including proper use of authority and
appropriate decorum when acting as Board members.
A. Dedication to Governance: The Board
will invest in its governance capacity through
appropriate and thorough individual preparation for
meetings, individual and group training and capacity
building, and provision for and insurance of avenues for
member input. Board orientation for new members,
especially with reference to policy governance, will be
a routine activity.
i. Professional Role: The Board will
be prepared, conscientious, and professional in its
role.
a. Sign Letter of Agreement to
abide by the principles so delineated by the
Board member roles and responsibilities.
b. Declare any potential conflict
of interest.
c. Learn the governance
procedures of the Board.
ii. One voice: The Board’s authority
is a group authority rather than a summation of
individual authorities. While there may be
disagreement among Board members, duly-reached Board
decisions are supported by the Board as a whole.
iii. Confidentiality: Board
discussions will be kept confidential and not shared
with association members except through formal
vehicles such as minutes or reports unless otherwise
decided by the Board.
iv. Promote and uphold the Guiding
Principles: The Board will conduct all association
evaluation work in accordance with the AEA Guiding
Principles for Evaluators.
v. Board evaluation and training: The
Board will set its own agenda for training and
evaluation of itself.
B.
With respect to comprising the slate for the
Board of Directors, Board members will not nominate, write
letters of support, or campaign on behalf of candidates,
although they may encourage individuals to seek election.
15. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: The Executive Committee is a
specially empowered subgroup of the Board that consists of
the President, Past-President, President-Elect and Treasurer
with the following roles and responsibilities”
A. The Executive Committee may be
Convened by any member of the Executive Committee.
B. Emergency Decision-Making: The
Executive Committee is convened in situations where
immediate action or decision-making is needed and it is
not feasible to convene the whole Board. In these
situations, the Executive Committee may be convened by
any member of the Executive Committee or by the
Executive Director. The Executive Committee or ED will
notify Board members of the situation, and seek and
consider any input provided in the timeframe needed for
the decision. The Executive Committee will notify the
Board upon making a decision.
C. Advisory Role: The Executive Committee
may be called upon by the President to advise on Board
work such as the determination of agendas, resolution of
conflicts or strategic directions for the Board.
D. Representation: The Executive
Committee may be called upon to represent the Board and
AEA membership in matters pertaining to the association
and its functioning.
16. BOARD COMMITTEES: A committee is a Board committee only
if its existence and charge come from the Board. The sole
responsibility of Board Committees is to provide policy
guidance to the Board.
17. BOARD COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Board committees commit
themselves and their members to the highest ethical,
businesslike, and lawful conduct on behalf of the
association.
18. BOARD COMMITTEES: In accordance with our Mission,
Vision, and Values, currently there are five priority areas
for policy-making:
19. BOARD TASK FORCES: The Board may appoint time-limited
Board Task Forces for specific tasks such as exploring
particular policy issues, following up on evaluation study
recommendations, and other tasks that are typically of an
immediate nature and/or require particular expertise.
A. Charge: A Board Task Force receives
its charge from the Board and reports to it as progress
is made and its task is accomplished.
B. Term: The term of each Board Task
Force is set by the Board. Board Task Forces must have a
specified term of no more than three years.
C. Establishment: The Board may establish
a Board Task Force by a two-thirds vote. Alternatively,
the President may establish a Board Task Force for a
term corresponding to the President’s term in office.
D. Chair: The Board will identify the
Chair for any Task Force that it convenes. The President
will identify the Chair for any Task Force that she or
he convenes. The Task Force Chair will serve a term
corresponding to the term of the Board Task Force.
E. Liaison: Should the Chair of a Board
Task Force not be a current Board member, the President
will appoint a Board liaison each year to the Task
Force, otherwise a Board member on the Task Force will
serve as the liaison.
20. SPECIAL LEADERSHIP POSITIONS: Special leadership
positions may be specified by a two-thirds vote of the
Board, and shall be noted in the policies.
V. GLOSSARY – As amended
February 2012:
Association Activity: An association activity is
a process or event intended to contribute to association
operations.
Association Program: An association
program is an intentional intervention designed to directly
contribute to association goals.
Excellence Imperative (from the BDI phase I
evaluation report): The excellence imperative is to raise
the standard of excellence in evaluation practice by
integrating multicultural commitments. The excellence
imperative reflects individual and collective desires to
build upon, broaden and strengthen—through responsiveness
and connection—our theories, methods, approaches and
practices with wisdom and excellence.
Justice Imperative (from the BDI phase I
evaluation report): The justice imperative is to promote
justice and equity in evaluation practice. It is motivated
by individual and collective commitments to justice –
equity, fairness, respect, inclusiveness, and acceptance –
and to promoting unity among evaluators while redressing
past harm.
Redressing past harm refers to recognizing
and correcting oppressive policies and actions and
balancing majority privilege.
Illustrative ways this may be accomplished in AEA
include through:
-
Relating or enhancing
communication about multicultural issues and working
respectfully to design, implement, and monitor
policies, projects, and activities that strengthen
multicultural representation, voice, and cultural
competence within the association.
-
Restoring or taking
action to recognize past harm and making changes
(e.g., policies) to ensure that multiculturalism
remains a central value of the association and is
reflected in AEA policies, structure, and
activities; recognizing and correcting oppressive
actions.
-
Acknowledging or
learning from the past and seeing diverse groups
with new understandings and balancing majority
privilege.
Member Engagement Principles: Member engagement
contributes to the fulfillment of the AEA’s governance and
operations while concurrently building member capacity and
leadership. Such engagement contributes by:
-
Generating responsive and strategic AEA policy and
positioning as well as operations that are congruent
with AEA’s mission, vision, and values.
-
Keeping the board and the association relevant and
vibrant to its members and outside communities.
-
Offering opportunities for leadership development to all
AEA members.
-
Offering opportunities for leadership development
through continuity of service and through engagement in
knowledge acquisition, management, and sharing.
Member engagement democratically draws on—and contributes
to—valuing diverse experiences, talents, and ways of
knowing, as well as diverse racial, ethnic, gender, and
cultural backgrounds by:
-
Taking multiple and varied forms so that diverse AEA
members have the access, opportunity and means to
participate and build their leadership capacity.
-
Ensuring that multiple perspectives and lenses are
included in governance, policy- and decision-making, and
operations.
Member engagement draws on both individual and collective
voices by:
Member engagement contributes to trust, respect, ownership,
responsibility, and timeliness of interaction within AEA by:
-
Affording member voice and access to individuals and
information in a transparent, open, and timely manner.
-
Enhancing members’ feelings of belongingness and
connection to AEA and the broader evaluation community.
-
Respecting, valuing, and giving feedback on members’
contributions.
Multiculturalism (adapted from the Building
Diversity Initiative (BDI) phase I evaluation report):
Multiculturalism concerns the process of recognizing,
understanding and appreciating the cultural background of
others as well as one's own. It stresses an appreciation of
the impact of difference in social location based on the
variety of demographic characteristics that describe our
differences and our similarities, including race/ethnicity,
indigeneity, gender, class/level, age, sexual orientation,
religion, physical/mental ability, immigration status,
language, military experience, and geographic location.
Net Assets: Net Assets are the difference between
the association’s total financial assets and total financial
liabilities (accounts payable and debts). AEA divides its
net assets into two categories, the Operating Reserve and
the General Reserve
-
Operating Reserve: The operating reserve
is an unrestricted fund balance set aside to stabilize
our finances by providing a cushion against emergencies
or large, unexpected fluctuations in income. AEA sets
aside a minimum of
85% of the Schedule I budget for Fiscal Year 2012 and
100% of the Schedule I budget for Fiscal Year 2013 and
beyond, as its operating
reserve. The Operating Reserve is identified at the
beginning of each fiscal year and is defined as the
highest of either the current year’s estimated Schedule
I budget or either of the immediate past two year’s
actual Schedule I expenses. The Board sets policy that
establishes parameters on accessing the funds within the
Operating Reserve.
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General Reserve: The General Reserve is an
unrestricted fund balance representing those funds
available for programs and services. The General Reserve
is identified at the beginning of each fiscal year and
is defined as subtracting the Operating Reserve from the
Net Assets of the Association at the close of the fiscal
year. The Board establishes policy that sets parameters
on accessing the funds within the General Reserve
People of
color: People of color in the contemporary United
States context refers to people from racial and ethnic
groups that [continue to face] discrimination, prejudice,
and injustice within the American context.
Public Engagement: Public Engagement is the
coordinated set of activities that AEA conducts outside our
own association in order to (a) present to, (b) learn from,
and (c) collaborate with other relevant organizations and
individuals, both within the United States and
internationally.
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