Notwithstanding that some of the committee members have specific roles with bespoke role descriptions, the terms of reference for governance are relevant to the whole committee.
Good governance is the foundation of a well-run club. It protects the club’s values and reputation whilst looking after the club’s funds and members. It also holds those responsible accountable for the club’s actions and decisions. It is represented by the structures, rules, policies and practices in operation in a club.
The constitution is our club’s most important document as it provides the rules for our club. The committee ensures this is fit for purpose and up to date. All the committee members must understand how Club Standards can benefit the club. The committee must agree to any new policies or procedures and decisions must be documented in our committee meeting minutes.
The club standards set by the UK Athletics can be illustrated diagrammatically as follows.
Click image for larger version (opens in new window).
Having the standards in place will help our club to:
- Be legally compliant
- Protect and support volunteers in their roles
- Ensure members are accessing our club activities safely, protecting them from harm, incidents and accidents.
- Minimises club issues and conflicts
- Give our members the confidence that the volunteers have the interests of the club at heart and are making decisions based on what is right for the club
- Engage with our members so they understand how the club operates and can contribute to the success
- Have happier members, less churn, bigger growth and perform better
- Save time when policies or procedures need to be adopted