What are Club Executives?
A Club Executive is made up of members who are elected by the members of a Club to fill constitutionally mandated roles. Each of these roles must have a role description in the Club’s Constitution. This means that your Executive may only consist of the positions listed in your Constitution and must have a member elected to each role that is defined
Important Information for new Club Executives
Congratulations on your new role! Being a Club Executive provides you with an outstanding opportunity to contribute to the future of your Club whilst also learning new skills that can assist you in life! Before you get into the exciting plans, it’s important you are aware of what being a Club Executive means and the associated risks with the position. We encourage you to read all the relevant Clubs Handbook Sections, complete your Executive Training and seek internal and external advice.
Make sure to sign and abide by the Arc Clubs Affiliation Agreement (this is a requirement for your Club to be affiliated), including (but not exclusive to):
- Make sure to become an Arc member
- Read & understand the Arc Clubs Alcohol Policy (see Clubs Handbook Section 16) and ensure that your Club abides by this at all its events (breaches may result in your Club's affiliation being suspended or your Club becoming disaffiliated)
- Make sure at least one person from your Club Executive attends Club Briefings and reads official Arc emails, and passes on all relevant information to the rest of the Executive
- Display the Arc Clubs logo on all Club publicity material & publications, including your Club’s own website (if there is one)
- Making sure the Club’s financial records are kept up to date
- Make sure to keep your Club’s member details confidential
- Read & understand Arc’s Club incident reporting requirements (see Handbook Section 14: WHS)
- Understand the impact of incorporation (see Handbook Section 12: Incorporation)
- Understand existing insurance coverage for the Club (see Handbook Section 17: Insurance)
- Understand the risks associated with your Club and its events (see Handbook Section 14 and 22)
If you have been elected to the position of President, Secretary, Treasurer or Arc Delegate (or your Club’s version of these roles), you must complete compulsory Executive Training. All other Executive have access to the content off this training online.
Executive Training
Arc provides training to Club Executives to heighten their awareness of the responsibilities and liabilities of their roles. This training is comprised of an in-person session and online modules. New executives will be provided a reasonable amount of time to complete ALL the required training.
Training is mandatory for all executive positions in your club. However, anyone else who helps with your club’s running such as sub-committee members are welcome to attend training sessions and access the online modules.
In-person training sessions will be offered on a regular basis for new executives and new clubs. Where a Club has one or more of these Executives fail to attend a training session by the provided deadline, the Club’s affiliation may be suspended until the requirement has been met (additional training sessions will be offered for this purpose).
How to operate your Club successfully
For a Club to operate successfully, each member of the Executive must take on different but important roles. It is vital that all Executive members are aware of their own requirements and responsibilities and communicate these responsibilities and expectations with each other.
All Clubs are expected to be run democratically and fairly, and decision-making ability and responsibilities and should never rely solely on one Executive role.
Managing your Club email
Your Club’s email is integral to the successful operation of your Club as it is often the first point of contact for potential new members and external parties to the Club will have with you. It is advisable to have at least one general email address that all Executives have access to. This ensures that any enquires can have a timely response.
Different portfolios may also have their own distinct email address, which can be divided amongst directors if needed. For example, if there is an 'Events' department within the Club that specifically liaises with sponsors to host events, having a separate 'Events' team email for each director ensures streamlined communication between the director and their sponsor. This also ensures that emails do not get mixed up between directors and don’t go unseen.
When submitting grant applications, it is highly advisable that the same Club email is used for every grant application, preferably an email that all the Executive have access to. This ensures that any feedback that is given in regard to an application can be read by all the Executive, ensuring that the Club does not make the same mistake twice. It also keeps all the information in once place, makes it easier to look over any communications with Arc, and makes it easier for Arc to know which email to use when contacting your Club.
Handover
At the end of your term as a Club Executive, you may have found that your duties were fulfilled quite satisfactorily and that the Club has had a successful year – if so, congratulations! However, this does not ensure the Club’s success in future years.
Handover documents are important to continue and even improve upon the standard of performance of the Club from year to year. Ideally, each Club Executive member should write a handover for the incoming Executive, specific to each role. It is a good idea to upload these documents to a cloud-based document sharing system like Google Drive or Dropbox so that each year new Executive members can learn from the previous documents (make sure to give access to new Executives as needed). The handover document should report on three main things, which will be covered in the following sections: how to perform the role, what happened during the year, and suggestions for the next year.
A good handover document will have the new person in your role feeling confident and motived about taking on their new role as a Club Executive. Be sure to include your name and contact details in case the new Executive member wants to clarify anything with you.
How to perform a role
Include essential information that will need to be passed on from year to year. It may include things like:
- usernames and passwords for the Club’s email, website admin, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
- details about the Club’s bank account
- a calendar of the year’s events
- timelines on the production of each of these events
- a rough budget for the year
- important contacts e.g. suppliers/printers/caterers/sponsors, etc.
- how to best use the Arc online platform
What happened this year
You should cover all the events you organised this year. Make sure to include:
- deadlines for organising different elements of the event
- the event budget, which states actual expenditure and a record of receipts of each purchase
- the organisation of the event on the day
- the outcome of the event and any suggestions for future years
Suggestions for next year
This section does not need to be too detailed. It should mainly be advice or ideas that you can suggest to the new Executive member that may help them in their role. It could include information on:
- best places to find sponsorship
- what not to do in events planning
- other ideas for events
- things you wish you’d known when you started
Communication
As a Club Executive, it is important that you can communicate effectively with your team. You will need to exchange your best contact information with your team and keep their information easily accessible.
Once you have exchanged contact details, choose a preferred method of communication for your team to use. You may wish to use emails for important matters, a Facebook group for updates and general discussion, and a Facebook chat for general conversation. The important factor is that everyone uses the same platform for communication. Set realistic expectations about reply times. Although communication is easily accessible, you will need to allow people to take breaks (particularly during busy periods), and good planning can minimise the need for 'urgent' communication. It is also important that you communicate with your Executive team when you need help or will be unavailable.
If you are unable to attend an Executive meeting or perform your duties, let your team know in advance. If you need assistance or can offer help make it clear. Letting your team know what skills and resources you have can make it easier to organise and run the society (for example, if you can drive, live near campus, or have staff discounts)
Responsibilities and Expectations
As an Executive, agree on general responsibilities and expectations for those in your team. Most responsibilities will be outlined in your Club's constitution, but there will be grey areas. Try to allocate responsibilities early on and discuss them throughout the year as they become relevant so there is no confusion. For example, during semester, the Secretary may be responsible for replying to emails sent to the general Club email within 3 working days, but a deadline has not been set for semester breaks.
To develop your expectations, it is important that your team understands what other time commitments everyone else has (e.g. university, work, volunteering, other Clubs). Talk about your individual and group expectations, and the consequences for when group expectations are not met (e.g. potential removal from the Executive at an EGM). To help you meet expectations, set SMART goals that you can check the progress of throughout the year. For example, the number of Club members or the number of events. Circumstances can change throughout the year, and it is important that you leave room to revise these responsibilities and expectations if necessary.
Decision-making
As an Executive, you will be making many decisions with your team, so it is essential that your Executive agree on a process for making decisions. This is particularly important if any decisions are made outside of a meeting (e.g. voting over email). You may want to consider:
- How long do you have to respond?
- Does advance notice of the vote need to be given before the response period begins?
- Can someone change their vote?
- What is the minimum number of votes needed to make a decision? Is the vote finished when you have a majority, or when the time is up?
Some of these factors may be prescribed in your Club's Constitution or other policies set by your Club.
Additionally, when you are making decisions or discussing ideas, it is a good idea to take notes (minutes) of what was said so you can refer back to them throughout the year and pass them on to any new Executives later on.
FAQs
How many Executive members can we have? Can we create extra positions other than the ones suggested and listed by Arc?
There is no maximum limit to the number of positions that a Club can have, but that does not mean that Clubs can have positions that are not necessary for the Club. See Clubs Handbook Section 7 (Club Constitutions).
Are there specific roles that are mandatory for each Club to have?
Yes, the core roles that every Club should have are President, Treasurer, Arc Delegate and Secretary. For more information, see Clubs Handbook Section 7 (Club Constitutions).
Can we have multiple people in one position?
Yes, as long as it is correctly specified in your Club’s constitution. For more information, see Clubs Handbook Section 7 (Club Constitutions).
Who do I contact if I am struggling to manage the Club?
Contact the Arc Clubs team for advice on management of the Club.
