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No, its not Peter Parker and it can't be Peter Carter as I am now otherwise engaged .
My posts were to help you on with this project, in which I think have succeced. As I am already the Chair of a cycle club then I can't be an officer for another , though I am happy to help you on your way.
Good luck.....
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I'm out due to personal circumstances, and I had asked Peter Carter to step in, and he is out so someone needs to step up to chair the meeting. I really wanted to help with this and am quite gutted to be unable to.
Peter has very helpfully laid out a list of things that need to be done, there is only one essential one that needs to be the outcome of the meeting i.e. the election of a committee. We already have the proposal (it is well documented in the club thread) The other things do not need to be done tomorrow night, they can be the business of the committee once it is elected.
What is essential are the people prepared to take on the committee roles. We have secretarial roles well covered, what about the rest? Who is going to be on the committee? -
Adroit has sent me a PM asking if I can act as chair for the evening.
Am more than willing to do so.
I hope we can establish the core roles that will enable us to get the club up and running and then set a date for a subsequent meeting when we can expand to fill roles and positions as needed.
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GOVERNANCE – SETTING UP A COMMITTEE
- STARTING UP A COMMITTEE
To run your group efficiently you will have to form a Management Committ
ee (sometimes known as
the Executive Committee). This is the group of
people who are ultimately responsible for the
running of the group/organisation. It manages the group’s affairs on behalf of t
he members and is
answerable to them.
The committee members have a responsibility to work together and to take d
ecisions and share
the responsibility for these decisions and actions. If your group/organisatio
n becomes a registered
charity, the committee members will then also become trustees of that c
harity. Most groups/
organisations who set up do not need to have charity status as the constitution provides
the
recognised legal status.
The committee is drawn from members of the group and is elected by them, us
ually at an Annual
General Meeting (AGM). They may be elected by the full membership at the AGM or
by the
committee at its first meeting, according to the constitution. Alt
hough the officers carry out
particular jobs in the group, they have no more legal or financial responsibilities
than other
committee members.
The work of the committee will include:
•
meeting regularly and ensuring members are kept informed of dates/venues.
•
managing finances, agreeing a budget, and a fundraising strategy.
•
making sure the organisation is properly insured and also stays within the l
aw.
•
managing volunteers and employees (if applicable) and ensuring appropriate policies
are in
place; also developing other policies, e.g. Health & Safety and Equal Opportunities
monitoring and evaluating projects and activities.
•
having a shared vision and agreement about why the organisation has been set-up includin
g
clear roles, responsibilities, short and long term goals.
•
a willingness to work together, plan projects and set targets.
•
making sure the group does what it was set up to do, has enough money, does not go
into
debt and is well run. - MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS
How to Develop a Community Group : page 6
The committee may also invite other people to serve on the committee (known as c
o-opting). They
may be members of the group but can come from outside, and are generally co-
opted because
they have particular skills or knowledge, but do not always have voting right
s (depends on what
your constitution says).
A very small group may meet informally and have no elected committee. Many g
roups with modest
aims and activities run very successfully like this. In this instance,
the entire group is the
‘management committee’ and everyone is responsible for the group’s affairs
. It is usual, however,
that funders will only fund groups with at least three officers on the managem
ent committee.
Although every committee member shares responsibility, this does not mean that
each member
has to do everything. The job of members is to ensure that someone does each task
and reports
back. The tasks may be done by committee members, members of the group or people fr
om
outside. The most important thing is that the committee should work toge
ther and take joint
responsibility.
Most committees will include members who have special responsibilities and rol
es including a
Chair, Vice Chair,
Secretary and Treasurer
. It is important that members who take up these
roles understand their positions and the responsibility that goes with it.
The Chairperson
•Prepares the agenda and any papers for meetings (often with the Secretary)•
Chairs committee meetings and Annual General Meeting•
Has an overview of the organisation and its work•
Represents the group and speaks on its behalf•
Keeps the organisation on the right lines, supports and encourages other members and helps
resolve conflict
They need to be able to: clarify, explain, lead, control, summarise, be object
ive and unbiased,
avoid taking over, explain points and items where necessary, be prepared to alter t
he order of the
agenda, make sure everyone has the chance to speak, discourage separate discussions
, ensure
that all members know what they are voting for, regularly sum up what has
been decided and
check that everyone is in agreement.
The Secretary
The tasks of the Secretary may include the following:
•prepare and circulate the agenda (with the Chairperson)•
provide committee members with any required information prior to the meeting
•take, write and circulate minutes•
write letters on behalf of the organisation (to be checked and signed by Chairperson) and
inform the group of any correspondence received
•produce a written annual report•
ensure the organisation has adequate insurance•
book rooms, arrange meetings, receive correspondence and report to the committee
•keep a record of membershipThe Treasurer
The tasks of the Treasurer may include:
•keeping accurate, up-to-date financial records and producing end-of-year accounts. This
could mean arranging for an external examination of records in line with the gr
oup’s
constitution
•communicating with the bank and ensuring that statements are regularly received
•reconciling statements with the cash/receipt book and safely keeping cheques andmandates up-to-date
•putting a simple system in place for petty cash claims•
making sure that bills are paid promptly and all income is banked on a regular basis
•being able to give an accurate account of the group’s financial position at anygiven time
•preparing an annual budget for the committee and reporting at the AGM on the end of year
accounts
•ensuring that funds are spent in line with the group’s objectives and that the moneycan be
seen to have been used correctly
•keeping an inventory of all equipment.Although the Treasurer is responsible for preparing a draft budget and reporting r
egularly, the full
committee has a responsibility to: agree the budget and allocation of money; make g
rant
applications; and chase committee members for receipts.- MEETINGS
Some people may ask why a meeting needs to be formal and structured including takin
g minutes.
This is important for a number of reasons
•
To make sure all management committee members have had the chance to discuss an
issue
•
To help resolve conflict and avoid confusion
•
To prevent 1 or 2 people dominating the group
•
To demonstrate good, democratic management
A more structured meeting allows everyone to get involved in a discussion and tak
e a decision –
by law all members are collectively responsible for what happens in the group’
s name.
a) Regular General Meeting
These are the regular meetings a group has to discuss what they are doing. It is
generally
accepted that a management committee should meet at least 4 times a year but many meet
more
regularly, particularly if planning a lot of events or activities. D
ates for meetings should be agreed
some time ahead so everyone can get the date in their diary.
b) Annual General Meeting (AGM)
An AGM is a yearly meeting of the group or organisation’s full membershi
p. It is a chance for
everyone to hear from the people it has elected to run the organisation (the management
committee). It needs to be held every year and all members need to be invited
(how you define
members will be agreed in your governing document). You can also invite mem
bers of the
general public but only full members will be able to vote.
You need to give enough notice of your AGM (this will be stated in your governing doc
ument) – by
an advert in the local paper, poster on community centre notice board or in w
riting, for instance.
There are some formal items that need to be on your Agenda as the AGM is the tim
e when
Management Committee members stand down and are re-elected. The agenda is th
us - Welcome
- Apologies
- Approval of minutes of previous AGM
- Matters Arising
- Annual financial report/ annual accounts
- Report from the Management Committee
a. Chair
b. Secretary
c. Other committee members - Election of Management Committee
- Other Agenda items
c) Quorum
A committee must be “quorate” to conduct business. This means there must be
a certain number
of committee members at the meeting for decisions to be made. The number of
people required to
make a quorum will be covered in your governing document and is usually related to
the total
number of people on the committee. We recommend this is at least 3 (for groups o
f say 8
members). If not enough people attend you should not proceed with the meeting and will need
to
call another one.
d) Agenda
It is always useful to have an agenda for the meeting so you remember to cover
all the key items.
These usually follow the same format for each meeting, adding new items as sub-
headings if they
need to be raised at a particular meeting. An example is given below with the
suggested headings
in bold.
THE ABC GROUP
Management Committee Meeting
May 23
rd
2011 7.00 pm
The Green Community Building
Welcome, Attendance and Apologies
. You need to keep a list of who was there. If a
committee member is not able to attend they need to send their apologies.
Approval of minutes of the last meeting
. You need to review the minutes and make
sure they are accurate. If they are correct, the Chairman should sign and date t
he
printed minutes and then the secretary should keep a copy. If some items are
inaccurate then a note needs to be made and noted in the minutes of the current
meeting. The chair still signs them but with a note saying “wit
h amendments.”
Matters Arising
. If there are minor items on the previous minutes that need discussing
or updating, do this now. As the agenda is the same for most meetings, many
of the
items can wait to be discussed under the headings below.
Secretary’s report / correspondence- an update on any letters received or other
administrative matters.
Treasurer’s Report
. Each meeting should have a financial update from the treasurer
showing income / expenditure / bank balances.
Item 1, 2, 3 etc:
this is where you discuss other key elements of your group’s work.
The headings will vary according to the group but might be: forthcoming ev
ents,
membership, marketing etc.
Any other business
. This allows members to raise short topics that have not been
discussed or raised in the meeting.
Date of next meeting
. It is best practice to agree at least the next meeting, if not
further in advance.
Taking Minutes
Taking minutes is an important part of the job, and can be a bit daunting when
you first start.
Minutes are simply notes taken during the meeting to remind you what was di
scussed and agreed.
They are important because:
•
It is useful to have a written record of the meeting, what you’ve decided
to do and who is
going to do it – memories are unreliable! This is true even if the meeting
is very small and
informal.
•
Minutes keep members of the group who weren’t able to attend a meeting inf
ormed about
what went on.
Minutes need to include some key details
•Name of organisation•
Type of meeting (General Meeting, Annual General meeting)•
Date and venue•
Members present and apologies•
Other people present and in what capacity•
Then follow the agenda items and record the key discussions under each itemIt is always important to take note of any actions that are agreed and w
ho is going to do them by
being as specific as possible i.e. Andy agreed to check the price of the hal
l and ring the treasurer
by Friday.
The minutes don’t need to be long or complicated, in fancy language or perfect gr
ammar. They do
need to record clearly and simply what decisions were made at the meeting and who is
going to
carry them out. Many groups make the mistake of writing down all the c
onversations that take
place in a meeting but all that is really needed is the key points and the actions.
No personal
remarks should be included in the minutes.
An example is given below:
We started the meeting and John and Brenda started to discuss the last meeting.
The minutes
said that John was meant to be producing a poster but he said he was sure it was not hi
m and, if it
was him, he had not done it. He was not happy that his name had been put down as he had not
offered to do it. Then Brenda said that she thought Sue had offered so they
asked her and she
said yes, she had done a draft and she had copies with her for people to look at. J
ohn said he was
happy that it was not him.
Compare that with the following:
The minutes from the previous meeting said that John was to draft a poster
but it was actually Sue.
She produced a draft that people commented on.
e) Term of office
Election of management committee members is key. The length of time a
member can sit on the
committee is called a “term of office”. This is often 1-3 years be
fore needing to stand for re-
election. When this term comes to an end they need to “stand down” but can be re-elected
if they
put their name forward again. The committee needs to inform the membership
who is standing
down and who is prepared to stand again. They should also ask the full membership if
anyone
else wants to stand. At the AGM all members present have the right to
vote. You can decide how
the votes take place – show of hands, writing voting slips etc. - STARTING UP A COMMITTEE
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^Just in case anyone has any problems opening the pdf linked to by Velocio and Adroit, also so it can be easily referenced tomorrow.
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Any questions in advance? Ask them now.
To elect officers, presumably we need to have members plus a constitution/articles with, at minimum, rules governing election of officers.
Does that mean that the order of business will be something along these lines:
1.That the people here gathered mutually agree to be members of lfgss.cc
2.That the members so joined mutually agree to adopt the said articles
3.That an election of officers be held forthwith?If so, it would probably make sense to have a piece of paper to hand headed with something like those three resolutions to which each person present can append his John Hancock on his way in.
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Peter Carter isn't even called Peter Carter in real life, imagine starting a meeting like that. At least dancing james really is called dancing james in real life. :)
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Can you just confirm what positions need to be filled on the committee?
From perusing other committees in other clubs, there seems to be some key positions, and some which maybe surplus to requirements, just for now.
I'm assuming Chair, Sec, Treasurer, Membership Sec, and Kit Officer are pretty necessary right now, but Ride Organiser, Publicity Officer, Welfare Officer, Website Manager, Youth Officer, and Event Coordinator not so much.
Looking at the BC proforma, we need a Chair, Sec, and Treasurer to register with IR as a CASC.
Could we form a list of the roles and who is willing to volunteer for them?
Chair,
Sec,
Vice Sec
Treasurer,
Membership Sec,
Kit Officer
Ride Organiser,
Publicity Officer,
Welfare Officer,
Website Manager,
Youth Officer,
Event CoordinatorCould one of the potential secretaries produce the order of business document as suggested by Tester?
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Useful meeting guidelines here http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/trustees-staff-and-volunteers/trustee-board/meetings-and-voting/
Long term we will need a governing document stipulating roles, election processes, how long a role is for etc, what constitutes a quorum etc.
For tonight it would be useful if people proposing themselves can give a short account of why they believe they would be good at the role and if someone can nominate them.
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That list is too long, we don't need all of that right now.
We only need:
1) Chair
2) Secretary
3) TreasurerThat's all we need right now, that's the critical core.
If, as suggested, Poots and Hats want to share Secretary then you could argue for the Vice Secretary too.
But let's not encumber the club with a top-heavy administration. That's one way to ensure that the committee aren't doing what the members want because we'll have invented jobs that don't yet need doing and people will always attach egos to their titles and seek something to do... i.e. why do we need a Youth Officer when the club excludes youths so that we can continue to ad hoc organise things without putting every volunteer through background checks. And why an event coordinator when events have always been organised by forum members in the past and we want that spirit to continue.
Creating and filling those positions implies that's what the committee does... which implies the members shouldn't be bothered as someone will do it for them.
It should be clear... the committee does the bare minimum to provide the members the structure, support and officiality of a club so that the members can do whatever the hell they like.
As for constitution, there are model constitutions we can use but we want to be two things:
1) CIC (Community Interest Company)
2) CASC (Community Amateur Sports Club)These two things dictate that we are a non-profit entity acting in the interest of the members and the sport. The CASC status allows us to claim Gift-Aid on any donations received by the club and cements our non-profit status for third parties such as Xero, Shopify, etc thus ensuring we can get access to third party services as if we are a charity... for zero cost. CIC status ensures that we have the structure of a company (required by many third parties) yet are acting in the interest of the community and not shareholders ( read about that here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-the-regulator-of-community-interest-companies ).
The CIC has to have articles of association as per a company, and there are model articles that can be accepted:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-interest-companies-constitutionsThe CASC has to have a model constitution as per a club, and there are model clauses for a constitution that can be accepted:
http://www.cascinfo.co.uk/applyingforcasc/cascdocumentsBritish Cycling also provide a model constitution, which take the CASC model clauses and adds a few more.
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/clubs/article/20130829-Model-club-constitution-0We only need accept the British Cycling model constitution above to start us out, as that covers the requirements of three committee members (roles given above). That document is here:
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/zuvvi/media/articles/clubs/T23_-_Model_CASC_Constitution.pdfWith three roles filled, Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary... we can get the CIC done, the CASC done, the bank account opened, Shopify created, the kit ordered, the tickets sold for the velodrome, the book-keeping set up. Technology makes all of this a breeze, but we just need three people to sign things, and assume responsibility for their roles, and to keep everyone informed of progress. There's a chain of dependencies here, and I couldn't progress as I needed three signatures, that's what blocked everything.
We do not need, today, more than the 3 core roles filled.
If, in the future, need drives us to create other positions. Then cool... but we shouldn't create a single position without a clear need driving it.
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Peter Carter put an agenda on page one, we should follow it:
Agenda, draft.
1) Introductions - so you know who is there. I suggest that people sign in. Real names please.
This is a register of attendees.
2) Reason for the meeting - the acting chair explains why you are all here and what you are going to do that evening. A record of the meeting should be being taken by an acting secretary.
This is a statement only.
3) Proposal to form the LFGSS CC - This is your first decision and every thing else follows from this. Some one will need to have drafted a formal motion to propose that the club's formed and it will need a proposer and seconder. Here is where it's explained in more detail what the clubs about, what it's going to do and not do. The club's legal status should be described.
I can do this right now:
I, David Kitchen, propose we form a cycling club called LFGSS CC. The club will be a community interest organisation, that is non-profit and acts in the interest of the community. The purpose of the club is to encourage participation in cycling and related sports amongst adults in and around Greater London.
I propose that the club legally forms as a CIC to ensure community interest, and that we register the club as a CASC to ensure a sports purpose. I further propose fully taking on all that those statuses infer, not limited to transparent use of funds, any funds used for the club activities and promotion of the sports and reinvested accordingly, and a committee structure to administer the club.
I propose that the club adopts the British Cycling model constitution at this meeting, allowing us to hold this meeting and elect the committee.
There should be a debate here so that all attendees and all prospective members know exactly what they are agreeing to. The motion should also include a proposal to elect a committee and adopt a constitution.
This is a yay or nay to the proposal... the meeting will have to be abandoned if this cannot be resolved or accepted very swiftly.
4) Electing Officers - Assuming that you agree to all of the above then you should move onto electing officers. The basics are a chair, secretary and treasurer. All will need to be proposed and seconded and elections held if they are contested. Committee members should also be elected at this stage- though they are more likely to be volunteers. I would strongly suggest that its made clear that being a committee member is a commitment with responsibilities.
This is the meat of the evening, elections.
5) Adopting the club constitution - Assuming you adopt the BC "model one" then you will need to have either circulated already for agreement or the attendees can delegate it to the committee to draft it and return it for agreement at the next meeting. Getting it agreed there and then is preferable but might not be possible.
This is the club constituion I propose: http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/zuvvi/media/articles/clubs/T23_-_Model_CASC_Constitution.pdf
This is a yay or nay.
6) Membership - very important to agree this . The club rules will define membership and fees. I assume you are not going to be covered by BC until you have the done this. You also need the income to do the next item.
I (David Kitchen) have already calculated that it's possible to fund the club from jersey sales assuming a 20% up-take of a new jersey each year for our club numbers. I propose we start the club with a £0 membership fee, and a strong recommendation to buy a club jersey. The point here is no barriers to entry, and reduced costs in handling low-fees, high-membership numbers to allow us to leverage the numbers to do more.
We would make the club far more money through adding small donations to events, jerseys, etc... and then claiming Gift Aid on those... than through a set fee. We would also achieve larger member numbers, which would drive larger sales of jerseys, etc and thus produce a higher revenue.
LFGSS CC BC affiliation already had a £0 fee mentioned, BC are happy with this. The committee can choose to introduce a membership fee if they wish.
So let's do a yay or nay on whether people agree with this proposal... if nay, then the committee can be asked to determine the membership fee in their own time and report back and present it for an open debate and vote.
7) Motions to affiliate - members need to agree to affiliate to the relevant bodies and ask the committee to do the necessary paper work.
This is a yay or nay... the committee will apply for the CIC, CASC, bank account, affiliate with Cycling Time Trials, etc in their own time. We already have BC affiliation.
8) AOB - probably not too much.
No, let's drink.
I suggest that the agenda is timed so that you can get all the necessary business done that evening. Some one will need to have kept minutes etc or the meeting didn't happen.
Also agree there and then when the next meeting is and the timetable for formally adopting the club constituition.
That's it. We'll start at 18:45 promptly and will race through it as fast as can be.
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In advance of the meeting...
Nominees for roles (put yourself on the list if you wish to stand for election, someone else needs to quote this and second your nomination):
Chairperson:
- NurseHolliday (seconded by Velocio)
- Velocio
Treasurer:
Secretary:
- pootsmanuva (seconded by Hats)
- Hats (seconded by pootsmanuva)
Those roles in brief:
Chairperson: Oversees all club activities, providing support to other committee members and the direction in which the club is heading. Needs a strong belief in the purpose of the club, and will be responsible for: calling meetings, chairing meetings, delegating tasks, keeping aims of the club in mind at all times, being a spokesperson or figurehead, maintaining enthusiasm amongst other committee members.
Treasurer: Oversees all financial activity, knowing where we stand and being transparent and accountable. Advising on avoiding debt, and planning the finances. Is responsible for: keeping track of income/expenditure, forecasting, planning, monitoring, reporting, processing payments that need to be made, account management.
Secretary: Backbone of the club, makes sure things run smoothly. Takes care of affiliations to other organisations, managing the membership lists, arranging and minuting meetings, dealing with post and emails, record keeping, communicating with the club members.
There will be a swathe of tools to support all of this:
Xero for accounting, reporting, monitoring, book-keeping.
PayPal for automated payments, reported into Xero.
Google Docs for membership management (spreadsheets).
Forum for discussions.
Shopify for selling things.
Google Groups for inbound email being available to all committee members.
Streak CRM for managing visibility of handling email.The tools are going to be put in place by me to ensure that the committee members have a very light workload even when the club gets large. Most of running the club will be automated as soon as the initial things (CIC, CASC, bank account) are put in place.
- NurseHolliday (seconded by Velocio)
-
I'll bring a sign in/attendence sheet and I've serviced many, many committees (no sniggering at the back) from very formal to the less formal over the the years so I'm pretty well versed in what needs to be recorded.
I'll print out some agendas too - will check back later to see if anything has been added.
See you all later!
-
Nominees for roles (put yourself on the list if you wish to stand for election, someone else needs to quote this and second your nomination):
Chairperson:
- NurseHolliday (seconded by Velocio)
- Velocio
Treasurer:
- Aroogah
Secretary:
- pootsmanuva (seconded by Hats)
- Hats (seconded by pootsmanuva)
- NurseHolliday (seconded by Velocio)
-
Nominees for roles (put yourself on the list if you wish to stand for election, someone else needs to quote this and second your nomination):
Chairperson:
- NurseHolliday (seconded by Velocio)
- Velocio
Treasurer:
- Aroogah (seconded by Soul)
Secretary:
- pootsmanuva (seconded by Hats)
- Hats (seconded by pootsmanuva)
- NurseHolliday (seconded by Velocio)
-
Just because it looks a bit odd that the secretaries are mutually seconding each other (waheeeey)
Nominees for roles (put yourself on the list if you wish to stand for election, someone else needs to quote this and second your nomination):
Chairperson:
- NurseHolliday (seconded by Velocio)
- Velocio
Treasurer:
- Aroogah (seconded by Soul)
Secretary:
- pootsmanuva (seconded by Hats, seconded by TW2)
- Hats (seconded by pootsmanuva, seconded by TW2)
- NurseHolliday (seconded by Velocio)
-
because it looks a bit odd that the secretaries are mutually seconding each other (waheeeey)
Nominees for roles (put yourself on the list if you wish to stand for election, someone else needs to quote this and second your nomination):
Chairperson:
- NurseHolliday (seconded by Velocio)
- Velocio (seconded by dj)
Treasurer:
- Aroogah (seconded by Soul)
Secretary:
- pootsmanuva (seconded by Hats, seconded by TW2)
- Hats (seconded by pootsmanuva, seconded by TW2)
- NurseHolliday (seconded by Velocio)
-
Just to confirm for this evening.
DJ is chairing this first coming together of people proposing the formation of LFGSS CC
The agenda for the meeting is as VB has outlined in post #113 - Poots will bring agenda and distribute -
Have put an agenda together, including supporting papers from the keys bits in this thread from Velocio, including the BC model constitution, and a sign in sheet
See you all in a bit!
-
Let me know how it goes...
Velocio
Peter_Carter
adroit
dancing james
gbj_tester
Oliver Schick
pootsmanuva
hats
Aroogah
Soul
NotThamesWater
NurseHolliday-
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About
2014-04-03 Thu 18:45 - LFGSS CC Inaugural Meeting - Goldsmith, Southwark Bridge Road
Posted by
@ak
It's a web-based club
/dadjoke