Don’t Leave it All Up to the Club Manager
Article by Warren Tapp
So often Club Managers say to us that
“the Board of Directors just leave everything up to me and I wish they would not”.
While the Manager is the Public Officer as far as the regulators are concerned, it does not mean they are responsible for everything. The law is very clear about the accountability of Club Directors or Committee members, you are all responsible too.
Whether it be compliance with the liquor and gaming, or anti-money laundering laws, or simple oversight of the Club finances and risk, the Board is responsible. A lot of well-meaning Board members (often volunteers) do not take the time to understand what they are responsible for and how to oversee it.
The Manager may provide monthly reports to the Board on these matters, but do you really know what is going on?
Take the time to read your Board papers and ask questions before your meetings if you do not understand. Perhaps ask to sit with the Manager sometime so they can explain it all to you until you really know what such reports mean.
Do not assume the Manager is on top if all such compliance matters or any other operational issues, go and find out for yourself.
At the end of the day the buck stops with the Board or Committee legally, so do not leave it all up to the Club Manager.
Ask Club Governance for suggestions on how to make your whole Board more responsible and not leave it all to someone else. Contact us at www.clubgovernance.com.au anytime.
If you need assistance with managing conflicts of interest in your Club, contact us on 0411 111 588 or at www.clubgovernance.com.au anytime.
Who Needs Club Governance Training?
In our opinion every club and Association across Australia need Club Governance Training.
Governing a Club, Charity or any Not-for-profit is a big responsibility, and it cannot be done by well-meaning volunteers who do not understand their role.
Club Governance Training will;
- Board Members will know their responsibilities.
- You’ll have more productive Board Meetings.
- Help improve your Club’s growth and sustainability.
- Your Club will be more legally compliant.
Club Governance has developed an online training program for all Board and Committee members to ensure they know how to do their job.
It is available in 15 modules of about 15 minutes each and covers all the necessary knowledge they must have, based on our 30+ years of assisting organisations like yours around Australia.
