If the task is large enough, they may delegate work to the total membership of the entire group. The first person named to a committee is usually considered the chairperson, unless otherwise specified. Some committees elect the chairperson. There are two main kinds of committees. Standing committees handle certain tasks specified by the parent group.
Examples are membership, finance, and program development.
These will usually be specified in an organization's bylaws. Special committees are selected for a particular job for a specified time and should be officially dismissed with appreciation after the job is done. They may have special assignments such as fact-finding, planning, advising, coordinating, making recommendations, writing resolutions, performing needed action, or carrying out special activities. Some of these special committees may function for 10 minutes during a meeting, while others may have a task requiring weeks. Conducting small group discussions is a form of committee work, when the group reports to the membership as a whole.