Nominating Committee: Role, Duties, and How It Works

Short answer: A nominating committee is a small group, elected or appointed under your bylaws, that finds, vets and proposes candidates for open offices or board seats. It reports a slate to members before the election. It does not elect anyone. Members still vote, and under Robert’s Rules they can usually add names from the floor after the committee reports.

This guide is for member organizations: nonprofits, associations, HOAs, PTAs and clubs. In a public company, the nominating committee is usually a board committee of independent directors that recommends director candidates, and the duties differ.

What Is a Nominating Committee?

A nominating committee prepares the list of candidates for an election. Your bylaws decide whether you have one, how it is formed and what it may do. Some organizations elect it at a membership meeting. Others let the board appoint it.

The committee’s output is a report, usually called the slate: one or more nominees for each open position, each of whom has agreed to serve. The committee chair reads the report at the election meeting, or it goes out in advance with the meeting notice.

Robert’s Rules allows a slate with only one nominee per office unless your bylaws require more, according to this summary of common nominations mistakes. Some organizations still ask the committee for two nominees per seat so members have a real choice.

What Does a Nominating Committee Do?

The exact duties come from your bylaws, but most committees do the same core work:

• Review the open positions. List each seat, its term and any eligibility rule, such as membership in good standing or a term limit.
• Identify what the board needs. Compare the current board’s skills with the work ahead, such as finance, fundraising or event planning.
• Recruit candidates. Publish a call for nominations, accept self-nominations and ask strong members directly.
• Check eligibility and consent. Confirm each nominee meets the bylaws and has agreed in writing to serve if elected.
• Prepare the slate. Decide on nominees by a majority vote of the committee and write a report members can read.
• Report and step back. Present the slate on time. Once floor nominations open, the committee’s formal role usually ends.

The committee also gathers what voters need to compare candidates: a short statement and, if you use one, a photo. Our candidate statement examples give you a format to send every nominee.

Who Should Be on a Nominating Committee?

Pick people who know the membership and will recruit beyond their own friends. A mix of long-time and newer members widens the committee’s reach.

• Size: your bylaws set it. An odd number, such as 3 or 5, avoids tie votes inside the committee.
• The president: leave the sitting president off. Some bylaws say so directly. The Texas PTA election guidelines, for example, bar the president from serving.
• Board members: one or two current directors help the committee understand the board’s needs. A committee made up only of the current board looks like the board choosing its successors.
• Confidentiality: the committee discusses candidates in private. Ask members to keep those discussions confidential, as the Texas PTA guidelines require.

Can a Nominating Committee Member Be Nominated?

Yes, under Robert’s Rules. Serving on the nominating committee does not stop a member from becoming a candidate. A ban would make good people refuse committee seats, and it would let anyone block a rival by putting them on the committee.

Two practices keep it fair. The member being considered leaves the room while the committee discusses that seat, and the minutes record the recusal. If your bylaws bar committee members from the slate, follow the bylaws.

Many organizations also accept self-nominations. A self-nomination still goes through the same eligibility check and meets the same deadline as any other.

Nominating Committee Timeline

Work backward from the election date and your bylaws’ notice period. This sample assumes a 90-day runway. Shorten it for a small club.

If your bylaws set a deadline for publishing the slate, that date overrides this table. The Texas PTA guidelines, for example, ask for the report to be publicized at least 7 days before the election meeting.

How to Run a Fair Nomination Process

1. Read the bylaws together at the first meeting. Note the committee’s powers, its deadlines and any rule on floor nominations.
2. Publish the criteria. Share the open seats and the skills the board needs, so members can judge whether to put themselves forward.
3. Open nominations to every member. Accept nominations from members, self-nominations and committee members, with one deadline for all. A board nomination form makes every nomination arrive with the same details.
4. Collect names online if your members are spread out. An ElectionChamp nomination question lets members type in the names they want considered, so the committee starts with a wider pool.
5. Get written consent. Confirm each nominee will serve if elected before the name goes on the slate.
6. Treat every candidate the same. Give each one the same statement length, the same deadline and the same space on the ballot.
7. Report on time and invite floor nominations. Under Robert’s Rules, the chair calls for further nominations after the committee reports, unless your bylaws close nominations earlier.

Once the slate is final, the ballot is the easy part. With online nominations you can run the nomination round and the election in one place. Each candidate’s photo and bio sit on the ballot, every voter gets a single-use key, and ballots stay anonymous.

Nominating Committees on Nonprofit Boards and PTAs

On a nonprofit board, the nominating committee often works year-round. It tracks when terms end, keeps a list of prospective directors and helps new directors get started. Many boards give this work to a governance committee with a wider brief.

PTAs and parent groups usually elect the committee at a general meeting. Under the Texas PTA guidelines, the committee dissolves once its report is read. Parent volunteers change every year, so start recruiting early and ask parents directly as well as through the newsletter.

If your board election is coming up, see how nonprofit online voting handles board seats, bylaw votes and member approvals.

Nominating Committee Mistakes That Lead to Disputes

• Unpublished criteria. Without stated criteria, members assume the committee picked its friends.
• Missing the bylaws deadline. A slate published late gives a losing candidate grounds to challenge the result.
• Blocking floor nominations. If the bylaws allow them, refusing them invites a challenge.
• Nominees who never agreed. A candidate who withdraws after the ballot goes out forces a correction and a new notice. Get consent in writing.
• No records. Keep minutes of the committee’s decisions and the reasons for them. If a member questions the slate, the record answers.

If a dispute reaches the election itself, an audit trail helps. ElectionChamp logs every administrative action with a timestamp, and the log can be exported. Confirm your nomination and election process with your bylaws and counsel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a nominating committee required?

Only if your bylaws create one. Many associations, PTAs and nonprofits require a nominating committee in their bylaws. Others take all nominations from the floor or by petition. Check your bylaws before the election cycle starts.

How many people should be on a nominating committee?

Your bylaws set the number. An odd number, such as 3 or 5, avoids tie votes when the committee decides on its slate.

Is the nominating committee a standing committee?

It depends on your bylaws. Some make it a standing committee that recruits all year. Others form it for one election and dissolve it once it reports the slate.

What is the difference between a nominating committee and a governance committee?

A nominating committee focuses on finding and proposing candidates. A governance committee usually does that work plus board evaluation, orientation and governance policies. Many nonprofit boards combine the two.

Planning your next vote? Read about online nominations and board election voting, or see pricing: free up to 20 voters, $10 up to 200, then $0.05 per voter.