A charter letter or document is a formal signed record that defines a project or organization in writing. The charter is designed to specify the project, including goals and missions. With clearly defined goals, a project will be more likely to be successful. Your organization or company should create and approve the charter letter before undertaking a large-scale project to ensure agreement on all aspects of the plan. The steps to writing a charter letter may vary depending on your particular project but there are some general steps.
Include the project or organization name on the top of your charter. Add the manager’s name and any other important members of the organization.
Define goals and missions of your organization in the opening paragraph of your charter. Make sure all members of the organization agree on the goals and that they are achievable.
Determine what the requirements will be to become a member of your organization. For instance, if you are creating a charter letter for a youth soccer club, you would include age and residence requirements in your charter.
Organize how the association will be run. If there is a specific hierarchy, include those details in the charter. For example, if your organization has directors, managers and team leaders, you would want to specify who each position reports to.
Include responsibilities of each member of your organization or project team. The more details you add in your charter letter, the less confusion there will be later on.
Add a specific section in your charter letter that specifies how to add amendments. Inevitably, you will think of something else to include in your charter at a later date. Develop a plan with your organization for ways to add amendments.
Review charter letter with members of your organization. Try to include as much information as possible. This is the governing document and should be detailed.
Sign and date the document. Other members of the board that helped create the charter letter should also sign the charter. Provide copies to members of your organization and file copies in your club’s records.
