Orientation Material for Prospective New CES-ON Board Members
Considering Joining the CES - Ontario Chapter Board?
Thank you for considering joining the Canadian Evaluation Society Ontario Chapter (CES -ON)’s Board of Directors. Below is some information that would be useful for you to know, drawn from CES/Ontario chapter bylaws.
1. The CES Regional Chapters
The CES has Chapters in every province and territory in Canada. All CES members registered with an Ontario address (outside the Ottawa capital region) belong to CES - ON. Chapter Directors plan and conduct a program of membership services such as resource networks, professional development activities, and forums for CES members to explore, discuss and pursue evaluation issues of interest throughout the year. Some Chapters stage one or two day conferences and publish newsletters as well.
Chapters’ activities are financed by a portion of the membership fees paid by members from the region as well as any fundraising activities the Chapter may undertake. CES membership gives one access to the full range of professional development activities offered by CES nationally and by the Chapter in the region.
Relationship of National Council to Chapters: The CES was incorporated as a non-profit corporation under Part II of the Corporations Act by Letters Patent dated 29 May 1981. For administrative purposes, thirteen “provinces” were defined. One organization meeting the requirements specified in the CES by-laws has been recognized by Council as the Provincial Chapter in each of the designated provinces: BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, National Capital (Ottawa), Quebec, NB, NS, PEI, Newfoundland, NWT, and the Yukon.
Each provincial Chapter has jurisdiction over the design and delivery of CES programs in its area, but has an obligation to ensure that the programs are consistent with the mission and goals of CES, and meet any standards that may be established by Council.
2. CES (Ontario Chapter) Missions and Values
Canadian Evaluation Society Ontario Chapter (CES-ON) members are engaged in program evaluation, product evaluation, technology evaluation, personnel evaluation, and many other forms of evaluation. They assess the strengths and weaknesses of programs, policies, personnel, products, and organizations to improve their effectiveness.
Our mission is to foster a vibrant evaluation community in Ontario by promoting best practices and research to achieve evaluation excellence in the public, private and non-profit sectors and thus contribute to the betterment of society. To fulfill our mission, the Chapter:
- Promotes awareness of evaluation and of the value that evaluation can add to government and business.
- Advocates for the use of evaluation through direct contact with political and business decision makers.
- Disseminates knowledge about quality evaluation through workshops and other professional development opportunities.
- Supports research in evaluation.
- Facilitates networking within the evaluation community.
- Recruits students into the field of evaluation.
3. Purpose of the CES-ON Board
The activities of the CES-ON Chapter are under the general direction and authority of a Board of Directors. Each CES-ON Director chairs a CES-ON committee and participates in the decision-making around CES-ON design and policies. Each director serves a term of three years, with the exception of the student Board member (who serves a two-year term). It is expected that, over each Director’s three year term, they will represent the interests of the committee they manage and recognize the legitimate interests of other committees, as a whole. Above all, it is expected that Directors join enthusiastically with their fellow Directors in making and keeping CES-ON a vibrant and relevant organization.
4. CES - ON Relationship with National
Two primary functions of National Council are to provide a forum for sharing information among Chapters and to develop mechanisms for dealing with common issues. A National Councillor sits on each Chapter Board of Directors. Councillors represent the interests of CES members in their region to Council, while at the same time working to achieve optimum outcomes for CES.
The CES National Secretariat in Ottawa responds to questions from members and the public, processes membership applications, maintains the official CES membership list, and carries out a number of administrative duties as assigned from time to time by Council. These include such things as processing accounts payable, keeping official records, and organizing Council meetings. These duties are carried out for a set fee under a contract with The Willow Group. National Secretariat does not perform administrative duties for Chapters.
5. How the Board Works
5.1 Composition of the CES - ON Board
The CES - ON Board has thirteen Directors:
- The Immediate Past Chairperson;
- Twelve directors who each serve a 3-year term (maximum of two consecutive terms), and
- One director who serves a 2-year term and must be a student at a college or university. This director is automatically the Chair of the Student Committee and the Board secretary.
5.2 CES - ON Board Roles
Each year, the Board of Directors elects a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson. The previous year's Chairperson takes the role of Immediate Past Chair. The Chairperson assigns portfolios to other directors as necessary. Typical portfolios include:
Officers
► Chairperson
► Immediate Past Chairperson
► National Council Representative
► Secretary
► Treasurer
► Vice-Chairperson
Committees
► Advocacy Committee
► Board Development Committee
► Communications Committee
► Conference Committee
► Membership Committee
► Professional Development Committee
► Student Committee
5.3 CES - ON Board Meetings
The dates, times, and locations of regular meetings of the Board are determined by the Board at the beginning of the year and are posted on our Board Meetings webpage. The Board of Directors usually meets once per month generally via teleconference. The January and June meetings are in person meetings that are generally held on a Saturday and October meeting corresponds with the AGM.