The Governing Board consists of the President, the Secretary and the five Vice Presidents. Governing Board members collaboratively lead the Association and direct its major activities.

The Council consists of at least 40 members who are elected to four-year terms by members of the Association. The Council meets at the annual meeting of the Association, discusses critical issues by email, and is consulted by the Governing Board as needed.

The Governing Board organizes an annual General Assembly to be held in conjunction with the Symposium of the Association. All members of the Association and others invited by the Governing Board or the Council are admitted to the General Assembly.

Standing committees are permanent committees with members appointed by the President in consultation with the other members of the Governing Board. Special Committees may be established by the President as needed and are temporary in nature.

IAVS is legally incorporated in The Netherlands where its Statutes are formally recorded. These Statutes form the basis for its operation and governance.

The IAVS Bylaws interpret and implement these Statutes, or address topics that are not sufficiently covered by the Statutes. The Bylaws provide details of how IAVS operates, including roles and responsibilities of the Governing Board, Council, Committees, the General Assembly and specifics regarding IAVS Publications, Working Groups and Regional Sections

In January 2008 the IAVS Executive Committee approved the first formal public Resolution of IAVS. This adoption grew out of a discussion in the Council and General Assembly meetings in Swansea in 2007, and the Executive Committee and Council anticipate adopting future Resolutions as a particularly effective way to honor the aim of the Association articulated in the statutes to ''increase awareness and to disseminate knowledge about vegetation.''