What is the purpose and authority of standing committees?

• A. To handle ongoing programs (membership, finance, events, governance) and to authorize ad hoc committees as needed.
• B. To run ad hoc committees only as needed.
• C. To supervise officers' conduct and discipline.
• D. To manage external partnerships exclusively.

Answer: (B)

Standing committees act as a steady mechanism to mobilize temporary, task-focused groups when specific needs arise. Their authority lies in initiating, guiding, and overseeing ad hoc committees—defining scope, assigning members, setting timelines, and ensuring the work aligns with the organization’s goals. They don’t take on ongoing programs themselves; instead, they enable and supervise the special work that ad hoc committees are created to handle. That’s why the best match is that standing committees operate as the body that runs or manages ad hoc committees as needed. The other options describe duties that aren’t the standing committees’ primary role in this framework: ongoing programs for permanent operations, supervising officers’ conduct, or exclusively managing external partnerships.