Delegation of Authority

Delegation of Authority is the clear legal power to take some action with regards to the convention or organization. The Executive Committee of the convention, or the Parent Organization, should establish clear Authority and Responsibility for the functions of the convention very early in the formation of it. Often this will be in the description of officers in the Bylaws of the organization. But it could be by direct delegation, such as by a resolution (from a committee) or by a letter (from a single person) or even by published policy. All the actions that officer or person takes from then on flows from the delegation of authority to him or her. Clarity and non-ambiguity are critical when making the delegation, as well as giving some meaningful direction or intent for the delegation.

Another aspect of the delegation of authority is whether it can be further delegated or whether it is to be held only by the person receiving it. For example, a Treasurer may authorize several people to make deposits to a bank account, but might not allow anyone else to write checks against that account. Or, in another example, a 24 hour operation may have a designated lead person in charge, but that authority may only last for the duration of that shift, when it passes to the next lead person. This kind of rotation would have to be made clear to the other people involved, so they understand "who is giving the orders" at any given moment. A third example might be Chain of Command, where one person can take over some authority from another in their absence. Much like a President and Vice President or a Chief and Deputy Chief relationship.