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TASK FORCE PROCEDURES AND PROCESSES INTRODUCTION

Dear NABJ Task Force Chairs,

In order to be compliant with longstanding NABJ operating procedures as posted here, please provide the National Office with the following by Nov. 1 annually, as indicated. This information helps us avoid scheduling conflicts, maximizes fundraising opportunities, and improves overall communications.

In summary, we need:

• Schedule of events you want to hold. (You can change the dates later but this gives us at least an opportunity to plan and avoid conflicts.)

• Name and contact info for chair, co-chairs. (This info will be updated annually on our website here.)

• Name and contact for officers, including bookkeeper and social media managers. (see Operating Procedures below.)

• Name and contact info for task force members per Operating Procedures. (We’ll let you know if anyone on the list needs to renew membership.)

• Social media and branding information and more.

• Note: Please review Article II section 7 of operating procedures of other items needing attention

Remember: Contact the Development Director before outreach to potential sponsors/partners: development@nabj.org.

Click here to submit your audits by Nov. 1 each year!

Thanks much!

Drew Berry, Executive Director

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NABJ Operating Procedures

Access Task Force Audit Information Here.

Access the Task Force Donations Form Here.

Article II. NABJ TASK FORCES

Notice: New, revised, or added operating procedures are in effect as of August 5, 2024.

Section 1: Approval by the Board of Directors
An NABJ Task Force, once organized, will apply to the Board of Directors for formal approval and recognition. The full NABJ Board will vote at the best full Board meeting.

All Task Forces have uniform leadership titles. If there is a two-person leadership team: Chair and Vice Chair. If there’s a three-person team: Chair, Co-Chair, Co-Chair.

The Task Force should select a chair that ensures that Task Force and its leadership is diverse in terms of age, gender and geography, and in the case of indecision and time-sensitive priorities, the president shall exercise the option to appoint a chair.

What qualifies as a Task Force? It must be interest- or topic-based. The Task Force must have a minimum of 15 inaugural members, including the leadership team. There must have been an interest group formed and meetings held and/or proof of events held within a year of proposal submission. Examples of events include panels and/or workshops at the immediate past convention, regional conferences, and institutes/summits that were organized by the founding members. However, a group should not bill itself as a Task Force until it is officially approved by the Board.

Additionally, in order to join or start a Task Force, you must be a national NABJ member in good standing. All Task Force leaders must be members in good standing.

Section 2: Officers’ Approval Before Raising Funds

Once approved, an NABJ Task Force shall organize its internal structure with a Chair or Co-Chair. A bookkeeper shall be named for any dues for newsletters and administrative fees. Under no circumstances shall an NABJ Task Force raise or solicit money for NABJ or itself without contacting and getting approval from the Executive Director, President, and/or Treasurer of NABJ.

Section 3: Submitting Names of Officers and Requests for Activities

An NABJ Task Force must submit the names of its officers to the National Office and the designated member of the Board of Directors each time there is a change.

Task Force leadership membership requirements.  All membership categories — with the exception of alumni and students — in good standing are eligible to be Task Force leaders. Members of media-related and academic groups are also eligible to be chairpersons of their Task Forces, as long as they are in good standing.

Task Force chair terms are for two years. Task Force chairs may be elected to multiple two-year terms; however, they are limited to a maximum of four consecutive years before being eligible to run again and be elected to lead at a later time.

The NABJ Board has the authority to appoint an interim Task Force chair for up to six months if the Task Force leadership becomes unresponsive. The line of succession will be the vice chair or co-chairs and then the treasurer (if applicable). Once that is exhausted, the Board can then appoint an interim chair via a majority vote.

All requests for convention programs, receptions and similar activities must be made and confirmed with the designated member of the Board of Directors and Executive Director of NABJ. All officers of the Task Force must be active members of NABJ.

Section 4: Annual Reporting, Requirements and Renewal

An NABJ Task Force need not apply for annual renewal.

Task Force quarterly reports are required. All reports are due to the board liaison(s) at least 15 days before the next quarterly board meeting.

Task Force year-in-review and audits. The new due date is November 1 and must include year-in-review reports.

Task Force convention requirements. All Task Forces will be required to submit a minimum of two session proposals for the annual convention each year.

Section 5: Submitting Names of Members; Requesting Lists of Eligible Members

An NABJ Task Force must submit its membership list to the NABJ National Office; it may receive, upon request, a list of members from the NABJ office eligible for membership within its Task Force. The list shall be provided upon approval of the Executive Director and the NABJ President.

Section 6: Dissolutions, Dormancy and Changes

Task Force dormancy. If a Task Force is inactive after six months, the Board liaison will conduct a check-in as a verbal warning. If the Task Force remains inactive after the six-month check-in and it reaches one year, the leadership team will automatically be replaced — whether by election within the Task Force or by appointment from the Board president and Task Force liaison.

The six-month check-in will repeat, but if the Task Force remains inactive for a year after the change in leadership, the Task Force will be automatically dissolved.

An NABJ Task Force should alert the National Office and NABJ Board should it ever dissolve. The NABJ Board shall also reserve the right to dissolve any Task Force should the Board determine that the Task Force’s mission or function is inconsistent with or detrimental to NABJ’s concerns. When a Task Force is dissolved, the assets are turned over to the NABJ operating fund once all financial obligations have been cleared.

Section 7: Responsibilities of Task Forces
The responsibilities of the NABJ Task Forces shall be as follows:
-The Task Force shall submit reports and complete a Task Force audit at each quarterly Board of Directors meeting and such other times as requested by the Board.
-The Task Force shall submit an annual statement of its activities to the Board of Directors at its annual meeting and plans for the next 12 months.
-The Task Force should hold at least one meeting per quarter to carry out its mission. The meeting may be conducted live, by telephone, or electronically.
-The Task Force must submit minutes of its meetings to the Board of Directors.
-The Task Force shall perform such duties as assigned by the President and/or Board of Directors.
-The Task Force shall report all income and expenditures.
-The Task Force chair may be asked to have a presence and/ or attend Board meetings.

-The Task Force should submit annual programming and sessions for the convention.

-The Task Force must receive approval to host public events online or in-person via the National Office forms. Task Forces must submit their new or updated official logos/branding for approval to the National Office (NABJ Communications).

Section 8: Sponsorship Allocation

All initial outreach to potential sponsors must first be approved by the NABJ Development Director and/or NABJ Executive Director to avoid sponsor/partner confusion and conflicts. Failure to get the initial approval from National Office personnel as listed above will disqualify a task force from any revenue allotment as outlined below.

All sponsorship dollars must be paid to NABJ and go through the National Office.

Task Forces cannot create their own funding prospectus when soliciting sponsors and must follow the sponsorship levels and donation guidelines outlined by the National Office.

Inside of the National Convention Dates: If a Task Force brings in a new sponsor, any sponsor not financially engaged with NABJ for the past three conventions, that Task Force would receive a finder’s fee of 10% of the sponsorship allocation. The “new” status is eligible to remain if the sponsor returns for a second consecutive year. New partners are defined as sponsors that have not engaged in a sponsorship with the national organization during the past three conventions. New partners can retain their “new partner” status for two consecutive years.

The purpose of the sponsorship is to cover the costs of the entire event, or/and the 10% earmarked for the Task Force will go to cover the event costs. Any surplus beyond 10% will go to NABJ to help cover convention costs.

For example, if the total sponsorship is $10k and the event costs $7k, the Task Force gets $1k and NABJ will use the remaining $2k to cover convention and budget costs.

The cost of your event cannot exceed your sponsorship minus the finder’s fee. Your event’s budget must be submitted to the National Office and the treasurer when you pitch your event.

For a ticketed event, the Task Force receives all ticket sales unless the cost of the event exceeds actual expenditures.

Any Task Force-related convention events and the associated budget must be approved by the National Office by April 1. All sponsorships and funds must be secured no later than Memorial Day or the event will be cancelled unless given approval by the National Office.

Outside of the National Convention Dates:

1. Task Forces receive 60% of revenue from new partnerships initiated and solicited by the Task Force for Task Force events. The percentage is allocated after all expenses have been paid. New partners are defined as sponsors that have not engaged in a sponsorship with the national organization in the past three years. New partners can retain their “new partner” status for two consecutive years.

2. Task Forces will receive 100% of all ticketed registration net revenue to their events after expenses.

3. All monies raised by Task Forces must be used for training, scholarships, and other activities that support NABJ’s constitutional mission.

4. The National Office will support events by soliciting funds from new and/or existing partners. Monies raised by the National Office will not be split with the Task Force but will be used to help cover the organization’s expenses in the approved budget.

5. Task Forces must be compliant with operating procedure requirements, including submitting a list of activities, budgets, lists of officers, and other outlined requirements by the deadlines in order to be eligible for any revenue splits for the year. Task Force chairs must attend an annual financial and operational training meeting as part of the annual audit process. Failure to attend makes the task force ineligible for any revenue split allocation.

6. All Task Force splits will be credited to the Task Force’s account by October 31, after the convention.

Hosting off-site events during the convention dates.

NABJ will not support any off-site events during convention dates.

Task Force meetings, receptions, and regional caucuses during convention dates:

All Task Forces will be given a meeting and reception space free of charge. For receptions, Task Forces will not be charged for room space, but are responsible for food and beverage and other incidental expenses related to using the room (i.e., decorations, audio/visuals). Receptions can have multiple donors to cover the costs of the reception. However, the reception will be branded as a Task Force reception. Task Force reception donors will not get any national benefits or promotions, including from the branded Task Force platforms. Task Forces can design the programming for their receptions.

For annual meetings, receptions, and regional caucuses, NABJ will only accept donations and not sponsorships. These donations are not eligible for a split. Any donation above the current appropriate national sponsorship rate will be classified as a sponsorship.

Any excess funds from donors for a meeting, reception, or regional caucus will be credited to the Task Force. Those funds can only be used for training, scholarships, and other activities that support NABJ’s constitutional mission.

Donations are given purely for the greater good, without expectation. Sponsorship, on the other hand, is a reciprocal activity where the expectation is an exchange—generally marketing-related partner benefits such as those described in our convention partnership prospectus at nabjconvention.com.

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Other National Office Task Force Guidance & Requirements

View Marketing and Events Guidelines Here.

As the keeper of NABJ’s brand, the NABJ National Office has developed its own set of operating procedures that also includes information about how Task Forces (which also applies to Committees) should interact with the National Office and the role they play in brand management. For additional information, contact the Director of Operations or Director of Communications.

The guidelines outlined in the document include:

-Use of the NABJ letterhead must be requested, placed and approved by the National Office upon each use.

-Any external or regional/national event (in-person or virtual), program, marketing materials, etc., bearing NABJ’s name or logo must be approved by the National Office.

–No Task Force should speak on behalf of NABJ’s Headquarters, the Board or the organization as a whole. The President should be made aware beforehand of all official media interviews, statements, quotes or other addresses. Any statement or materials distributed by a Task Force or Committee must clearly indicate that the information represents the Task Force/Committee and not the National Headquarters or Board, unless approval is given to do so. The President is the Chief Spokesperson and must be made aware of and approve all formal statements and announcements.

-All Task Forces/Committees must keep their websites and social media presences updated. These links should be submitted to the National Office annually for review/approval or upon the start of a new page. The manager’s name and contact of each social platform or website as well as the login credentials must  be on file with the Director of Communications for emergency purposes and to ensure information is transitioned when a new leadership team for the Task Force/Committee is in place. All website and social media managers must be current members of NABJ, in good standing, and must agree to not share member information or use it for non-task force business. This applies to committees and groups of the National organization as well.

–The National Office must have credentials/access to all official email accounts, websites, or social media pages in the case of an emergency and for ease of leadership transitions.

-Only Task Forces in good standing will have access and approval to use NABJ’s logo. Please contact the Director of Communications for the official logo. The logo should not be manipulated in any form or used with boxes or other shapes around it. Task forces may use their own logos with approval of the Director of Communications and Director of Operations. All branding used for task force and committee platforms should be approved by the National Office (Director of Communications and Director of Operations). Task forces and committees can also request branding kits.

-Task Forces and Committees may request support from the Director of Communications to promote national and regional activities, webinars and special events via calendar listings, eblast inclusion and social media upon approval and at the discretion of the National Office. Please request the service form at press@nabj.org.

-Task Forces/Committees must propose webinar ideas on or off our official platform through our webinar form and await approval before promotion. Request the form from webinar@nabj.org. Webinars must be accessible to the entire membership but can be hosted by a Task Force/Committee.

-Task Forces are responsible for ensuring their contact information and group descriptions are updated with the National Office annually prior to the convention or as changes occur, so the website, internal files and convention book are accurate.

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