One of the easiest and most preferable ways to ensure a smooth handover is to have what is referred to as a ‘rolling’ committee structure. This means that not all committee members come to the end of their term in office at one time. In this way, everyone is kept informed of the most current decision making and those who remain in office are able to pass the current information on to newly appointed committee members.
It is important for outgoing committee members to pass on as much knowledge as possible during the handover period. Clubs can manage this ‘information’ change by including the training and recruitment of helpers within the overall club plan.
A new committee can learn from past mistakes, and can gain an understanding of how past success was achieved to continue the trend. This highlights the importance of keeping up‐to‐date written record of all information relevant to each particular job. For new members to catch up on past activities, the club can also use previous minutes.
Useful Checklist for Information/Position Handovers:
- Inform all committee members of what their job involves as well as their responsibilities.
- Personal briefings from the previous office holder are very useful.
- Ensure your club provides written job descriptions to all committee members.
- Ensure a senior official briefs the new committee about the club, its history and its plans for the future.
- Welcome new committee members and encourage them to contribute. They need access to a past official who can answer any questions on how the club operates.
- Know where all of the club’s ‘legal’ documents are kept and have ready access to them.
- More information is on our our Governance and Compliance page HERE.