Where is the club treasurer? Overseas? When will he or she come back?
Spending
What if you end the year with a handy sum of money. How do you spend it?
Do the committee members who have worked all year get a gift, or a certificate, or cash?
Disputes
Disputes may arise when on ex committee member is retired and another is a wage earner.
Whether you are raising the membership fee, or spending money on a party, you are likely to have a difference of opinion. The wage earners say, "Oh, we can afford it!" Or, "You can afford it."
Those who are retired might favours money being allocated in subsidising fees for long standing members and/or giving cash rewards to committee members.
Those in employment might favour spending on physical trophies such as plaques to add to status.
Those who are wage-earners might resent paying full price for one two or thee members of their family to subsidise others or offer them financial gifts.
I imagine advocates on both sides consider that the other is advocating a course diverting club money to themselves, or wasting club money. Who should decide, president, treasurer, or vote? I imagine whether to save money for the next exco and year's membership or spend it on your exco and your year's members is another source of debate - which applies to all clubs and the area and division.
Head Office Directives
I think the umbrella organization should remind all treasurers every month to send the month's account of money spent, money owed, and any payments to be paid in the rest of the year and next year.
It is very hard chasing a treasurer, making sense of what they say on the phone.
I had a treasurer who suffered a multiple bereavement from a car accident. We could not chase him for accounts without looking heartless.
At another club we had a treasurer who started a new job. He was too busy to deliver the accounts to the incoming treasurer.
We had another club where the treasurer went overseas. What with his government, his work permit, his divorce and remarriage ...
Another where the treasurer resigned saying we owed a huge sum of money we had never paid back for printing and all sorts of things. He subsidised all year, as in previous years, whilst he was a member, but when he left wanted to claim back.
When you try to chase a treasurer you can easily run the risk of seeming to accuse the committee member of inefficiency, unprofessionalism, or even dishonesty. All this could send them into flight or fight mode.
FLIGHT
Once you get into a dispute, the treasurer might say, defensively:
'After all the work I have done for years for the club unpaid ....'
'Are you implying ...?'
'I don't like your tone "
'How dare you accuse me ...'
'I am leaving this club!'
FIGHT
The treasurer or committee member could turn around and accuse the other committee members of faults which everybody has but which go unmentioned until there is a dispute.
An independent and unemotional reminder from head office can be much better. But the umbrella organization could send out an automated reminder. Our auditors .. tax rule ... company rule says ... etc.
SUB-COMMITTEE SOLUTION
Another way to do things is to have each officer with two assistants so they are training up somebody else to take over and have less work to do. If the committee head is ill, bereaved, dead, overworked, another member can then take over.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Please share links to your favourite posts.
Spending
What if you end the year with a handy sum of money. How do you spend it?
Do the committee members who have worked all year get a gift, or a certificate, or cash?
Disputes
Disputes may arise when on ex committee member is retired and another is a wage earner.
Whether you are raising the membership fee, or spending money on a party, you are likely to have a difference of opinion. The wage earners say, "Oh, we can afford it!" Or, "You can afford it."
Those who are retired might favours money being allocated in subsidising fees for long standing members and/or giving cash rewards to committee members.
Those in employment might favour spending on physical trophies such as plaques to add to status.
Those who are wage-earners might resent paying full price for one two or thee members of their family to subsidise others or offer them financial gifts.
I imagine advocates on both sides consider that the other is advocating a course diverting club money to themselves, or wasting club money. Who should decide, president, treasurer, or vote? I imagine whether to save money for the next exco and year's membership or spend it on your exco and your year's members is another source of debate - which applies to all clubs and the area and division.
Head Office Directives
I think the umbrella organization should remind all treasurers every month to send the month's account of money spent, money owed, and any payments to be paid in the rest of the year and next year.
It is very hard chasing a treasurer, making sense of what they say on the phone.
I had a treasurer who suffered a multiple bereavement from a car accident. We could not chase him for accounts without looking heartless.
At another club we had a treasurer who started a new job. He was too busy to deliver the accounts to the incoming treasurer.
We had another club where the treasurer went overseas. What with his government, his work permit, his divorce and remarriage ...
Another where the treasurer resigned saying we owed a huge sum of money we had never paid back for printing and all sorts of things. He subsidised all year, as in previous years, whilst he was a member, but when he left wanted to claim back.
When you try to chase a treasurer you can easily run the risk of seeming to accuse the committee member of inefficiency, unprofessionalism, or even dishonesty. All this could send them into flight or fight mode.
FLIGHT
Once you get into a dispute, the treasurer might say, defensively:
'After all the work I have done for years for the club unpaid ....'
'Are you implying ...?'
'I don't like your tone "
'How dare you accuse me ...'
'I am leaving this club!'
FIGHT
The treasurer or committee member could turn around and accuse the other committee members of faults which everybody has but which go unmentioned until there is a dispute.
An independent and unemotional reminder from head office can be much better. But the umbrella organization could send out an automated reminder. Our auditors .. tax rule ... company rule says ... etc.
SUB-COMMITTEE SOLUTION
Another way to do things is to have each officer with two assistants so they are training up somebody else to take over and have less work to do. If the committee head is ill, bereaved, dead, overworked, another member can then take over.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Please share links to your favourite posts.
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