Management of Community Leadership

Management of the Executive and Synagogue Council 

• You should implement whatever processes you feel are necessary to enable the Executive, Synagogue Council and other volunteers to fulfil their responsibilities, such as the FR’s responsibility to adhere to the US’ Financial Representative Protocol. If you or anyone in your Community aren’t clear what is expected of your colleagues, and your responsibility for them, colleagues at US Centre are ready to assist. 

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• Regular communications are a necessity for the smooth running of our Communities. If in doubt as to whether to pass on information to, consult with, or ask questions of, the Executive, Synagogue Council, or any department at US Centre, please try, within the bounds of confidentiality and discretion, to lean towards initiating communication. 

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• You should provide leadership and support to the HOs and Synagogue Council, noting that you do not have formal ‘line-management’ duties over any of these people. The Community Development Team can assist you in ways to approach this.

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• Members are to be always treated with respect.

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• The Community Development Team have developed Portfolio cards to help your Executive decide how tasks and responsibilities should be allocated within your Synagogue Council. We can attend Executive or Council meetings to support you through this process.

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​​The Executive: Responsibilities

• The Executive administer the Community on a day-to-day basis. 

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• Members of the Executive are liable, together, for the exercise of powers delegated to them by the US Trustees. They may meet as often as they feel necessary. 

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• Where appropriate, the Executive should inform the Synagogue Council of those issues which may impact upon the Community, because the Executive are ultimately responsible for ensuring that the Synagogue Council carry out their duties, including those delegated to the Synagogue Council by the Executive themselves. 

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• The Executive are likely to be made aware of details of the personal and financial lives of their members. All such details, and all personal data (e.g. address, date of birth, etc.) are to be kept confidential for as long as they are held (a period limited by an individual’s membership), and you must address any issues arising around these details with tact, diplomacy, and sympathy. In order to safeguard Members’ data, the Executive  and Council Members are required to sign the Volunteer Confidentiality and Data Protection Agreement. 

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The Executive: authority 

• Aspects of management which remain within the remit of US Trustees, to be implemented by US Centre, include: 

1. Significant repairs, alterations and development of all Synagogue buildings*; 

2. Provision of light, heat and power; and 

3. Legal and employment matters. 

4. Safeguarding matters 

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• *HOs are asked to inform US Centre as soon as possible regarding any matters which materially affect the value, condition or status of Community property. Please note that for minor repairs and works to buildings, local HOs may enter into agreements subject to a limit of expenditure as set from time to time by the Chief Executive. Please see the Property – Capital Spend Decision Tree here.

 

• Local HOs – including the Chair – may not have authority to enter into any contracts or agreements in relation to the first three areas of activity listed above and therefore, agreements made locally may not be upheld by US Centre. Please check with US Centre beforehand. 

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• Please note that a Chair could be held personally liable for action taken regarding recruitment and other HR matters. 

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The Synagogue Council: responsibilities and authority 

• The Synagogue Council must meet at least four times a year. Significant responsibilities of the Synagogue Council with particular relevance to the Chair, include duties (paraphrased from the Byelaws) to: ​​

  • act as a forum to discuss the affairs of the Community; 

  • assist the HOs in the administration of the Community and the fulfilment of its strategy; 

  • receive and consider the annual budget; and to 

  • receive and consider a report from the local Selection Committee when appointing a Rabbi of the Synagogue, and to determine which candidate should be recommended for appointment, to the membership of the Community. 

  • determine the composition of the Synagogue Council; 

  • ​determine the number of HOs above the minimum requirement of three, up to a maximum of nine, and to fill any casual vacancies; ​

• A major role of the Chair is to chair meetings of the Synagogue Council. The Chair has a second or casting vote, if necessary, at Synagogue Council meetings. 

• You have various responsibilities to ensure that decisions of the Executive are recorded, and that proceedings of the Synagogue Council, as well as Annual General Meetings and Special General Meetings, are all minuted.

• Together with the Executive, you must ensure that proper records are kept, and in some circumstances displayed, and that they are available for review: a full list of record types is available from US Centre.

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