Passing the Baton: Preparing your Committee for succession and renewal

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Passing the Baton Preparing your Committee for
succession and renewal

• Dorothy Sellers B,Comm.Welf M.Soc.Pol
• HSA Consultancy Consultants to the Community
  Services Sector
• Capacity Building
• Project Management
• Training Development
• Governance Planning

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Today's Topics The 3 Rs For Management
Committees

• Recruiting new committee members
• Retention of committee members
• Renewal Succession Planning

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Recruitment Need to Plan Not Panic!

• Key Knowledge regardless of size of organisation
• Know your boundaries what does your
  constitution say about who should be on your
  management committee?
• Know your procedures for recruiting, selecting,
  electing or appointing new members
• Know your committee what are the gaps in
  skills, knowledge or representation on your
  committee?

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Good planning leads to good outcomes for all

• Know the role what exactly is involved in being
  a management committee member?
• Know your opportunities how will you find and
  attract new members to your committee?
• Know your induction strategy how will you
  introduce new members to their role? What
  information and support do new members need to
  carry out their responsibilities?

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Knowledge of Boundaries Constitution

• Your club/organisations governing document sets
  down the rules and guidelines that should be
  followed in the recruitment and selection of
  Management Committee members.
• Who can be appointed onto your M.C.?
• How many people do you need?
• How long can people sit on the committee?
• How do Committee members resign?
• What are the rules of your nomination and
  election process?

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Knowledge of Procedures Who does what how?

• In small committees usually an informal approach
  is adopted, however you must still consider
• How will individuals apply for Committee
  membership?
• Who will determine who is eligible to be put
  forward for Committee membership?
• What criteria will they use to determine who is
  eligible?
• What are your formal procedures for appointment
  to the Management Committee?

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Knowledge of eligibility Who will determine this?

• It is advisable, where possible, to involve more
  than one person in determining eligibility. This
  could be carried out by
• Chair/Secretary of the Management Committee
• Delegated Committee members
• As with any other recruitment situation,
  applications should be treated confidentially.

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Knowledge of criteria to determine eligibility

• Each organisation needs to be very clear who is
  and who is not eligible to be on the management
  committee. Consider
• Do management committee members need to be
  members of your organisation?
• Can people under 18 years of age be management
  committee members?
• What categories of people are legally
  disqualified from becoming a committee member?
• Check your constitution for eligibility criteria

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Knowledge of the roles The division of roles
responsibilities

• The Board and the Staff are separate entities
  with different functions.
• The Board
• Looks at the big picture policy, finances,
  legal operations, planning, leadership
  direction
• The Staff (under the CEO/Manager)
• Responsible for advising and informing the Board,
  implementing the Boards Strategic plans and
  conducting the day-to-day operations of the
  organisation with a suitably competent workforce
  that may include volunteers

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Knowledge of application process for membership

• How do people apply to join your committee?
• Informal indication of interest
• Informal chat
• Nomination by current committee member
• Submission of CV
• Application form
• Selection Criteria

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Knowledge of Formal Procedures for appointment to
the Management Committee

• There are 5 ways you can become a member of a
  committee
• Be voted on at the AGM
• Be co-opted to the committee at the AGM or
  another meeting
• Be co-opted to the committee at another time to
  fill a casual vacancy
• Be nominated by another organisation at the AGM
  or at another time to represent that organisation
• Be appointed by another organisation or authority
  (eg. Local government representative) at the AGM
  or at another time

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Recruit for the needed Experience, Knowledge
Skills

• MIX AND MATCH
• Management Committees operate most effectively
  when their members come with different skills,
  knowledge, backgrounds and experiences
• HEADHUNT
• Actively recruit people with particular skills
  knowledge to address identified shortfalls in
  areas of committee activity (eg. Fundraising,
  financial management, organising events etc.)

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Do You Need a Constitution Workshop to Increase
Knowledge ?

• It is important that each Board member is
  familiar with the Constitution
• Consider holding a constitution workshop for your
  whole Board after your AGM?
• This will
• Identify any requirements of the Constitution
  that are not currently being met
• Enable members to note the details from the
  Constitution that are particularly relevant to
  their roles and responsibilities
• Increase efficiency of your Board
• Decrease likelihood of misunderstanding
  conflicts

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Finding Committee Members Strategies

• Word of Mouth Personal recommendation advantage
  the person and their skills are known
  disadvantage the person may take up the role
  because they feel obliged or flattered, or may be
  a friend or family member which is often not
  appropriate
• From Current organisational membership
• Raise your profile Get a good reputation

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Strategies cont

• Place a Help Wanted Volunteer Board Member ad
  in your newspaper, newsletters, bulletin board
  etc.
• Form a Recruitment Task Force
• Target individuals with skills knowledge needed
• Local networks develop or utilise existing
  contacts with other voluntary organisations,
  businesses, trade associations, the local
  council, corporate etc.

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Retention Dont loose them!Why did you
volunteer?

• What motivates people to volunteer?
• Feeling strongly about a common interest or cause
• To help family-community-club-neighbourhood
• Belief in volunteering/giving back
• Personal satisfaction
• Wanting to develop interest or skills
• Companionship/friendship/develop connections
• Because they were asked!
• No one else will do it ! (Pressured?)
• Consumer knowledge/experience

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Need to match the original motivation to the
experience Retention satisfaction

• I want
• To make new friendships and connections
• To develop skills self confidence
• I want to help make a difference

• Need to
• Make time to have social time together
• Give opportunities to learn. Attend conferences
  like this!
• Make sure the committee is well run provides a
  sense of achievement

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Develop Know your Induction Strategy Take the
guess work out of the process

• Induction is one of the most practical ways of
  ensuring new Management Committee members receive
  core information about the club and their role.
• Result Ensures that new members feel welcome,
  valued and part of a team.

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Provide Information to new members Induction is
time well spent!

• Make an Induction manual/folder/Handbook for new
  committee members
• What they need to know?
• Contact Details
• Organisational Chart
• Vision, Mission, Strategic Aims, Constitution
• Roles and Responsibilities (inc. Code of Conduct,
  Conflict of Interest Declaration, Sub-committees,
  role description)
• Staffing roles etc.
• Finance
• Strategic Operational Planning
• Policies Procedures

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Knowledge of RoleFeeling Competent, secure and
capable

• For some organisations, the role of the
  Management Committee member is implicitly
  understood rather than written down and agreed.
• However, your Management Committee will operate
  much more effectively if members have a clear
  written outline of their purpose and role.
• (Most of the information will be contained
  within your Constitution)

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Ensure new members feel welcome!

• Special reception to follow election of new
  members at AGM
• Special induction meeting at which receive
  members handbook and a brief summary of each
  section from the Chairperson
• 10 minutes speed dating style introductions to
  staff and other committee members
• New members mentored by an existing committee
  member who is responsible for introductions and
  bringing up to speed
• One-to-one support provided by the Chair or Vice
  Chair to address any concerns
• Schedule training or development away days for
  the whole committee shortly after new members
  join

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Remembering the Committee Member

• Recognising the many contributions of committee
  members is essential if they are to feel welcome,
  needed and part of the team.
• Consider
• Having a snack or light meal before or after
  meetings
• Have regular get-togethers to celebrate
  achievements (breakfasts, lunches or dinners)
• Offer to reimburse out-of-pocket expenses (eg.
  phone calls from home, additional travel costs)
• Life memberships
• Paying for attendance at relevant training
  programs.

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So its time to go!Renewal Succession Planning

• Why Plan?

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What does your constitution say about renewal
succession?

• How long can someone serve?
• Is the committee replaced?
• Are roles replaced?
• Which roles are replaced?
• Can you serve in executive and then committee
  etc. etc.
• Exit requirements (replace self!!)
• Plan for retention of skills and knowledge
• Plan for the health and vitality of your
  committee and its members

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Committee Health Check! Does it need an
injection of Planning Knowledge?
Constitution Policies Procedures
Recruitment
Plan to Plan!
Retention
Renewal
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28 Years Plus

• Volunteers tell others about their volunteering
  experience
• Research suggest that we tell 6 or more people
  when we have had a bad experience.
• Recent research has found that we tell others
  about a good experience for an average of 1.5
  years afterwards
• However, we tell about a bad experience for an
  average of 28 years afterwards!