Once the community has decided that they need to have an advice centre, a committee must be elected to set this up. This committee can be called a steering committee. Its job will be to set up and guide the advice centre in its early stages before a proper management committee is elected. The Constitution must state exactly what portfolios the management committee should consist of, how its members will be elected and its powers and functions, etc.

(See: A Constitution for an Advice Centre).

The following are examples of different types of committees:

Representatives from organisations – The committee consists of people who represent their organisations (in this way the organisations have a direct say in the running of the centre).

Members of organisations – The committee consists of people who are members of organisations (although not necessarily representatives of these organisations). This may exclude certain individuals who could make a valuable contribution to the advice centre, for example, a doctor, attorney, teacher, and so on.

Sub-committees of community organisations – Some communities prefer that the committee be drawn from a particular organisation, for example a civic association or a religious institution. This means that the management committee is directly accountable to the civic or religious institution.

Individuals – The committee can consist of a number of individuals drawn from the community who are broadly accountable to the community either through regular meetings or Annual General Meetings (AGMs), where all organisations are invited.

The type of committee and its accountability to the community depends on the conditions in each area as well as the available resources.