Policies
Club Constitution
A Club constitution is a simple document that outlines its functions and the rules under which it will operate.
A Club constitution should help to clarify how Club procedures work. The constitution, together with your Club's policies and procedures, will help to protect your Club members and officers and make your Club run more smoothly.
A sample of a Club Constitution can be found HERE.
Your constitution sets out the fundamental principles of your Club. A good constitution will:
- Explain to members (and non-members) what your Club is about.
- Help protect Club members and officers.
- Clarify how Club procedures should work.
- Clarify and help sort out internal problems.
- Underpin funding applications - most funding bodies will not consider applications from groups without a constitution.
- Enable your Club to become incorporated.
When do we need one?
If you are thinking of setting up a Club, before your group holds its initial meeting (or at least at one of your early meetings) it would be good to draw up a draft constitution. Doing this means you can discuss and agree the core principals of your Club early on. Having a constitution in place is one of the basics that funding Clubs will expect to see if you are applying for a grant. Make sure you have a constitution in place and that it is regularly updated.
Code of Conduct
A committee’s effectiveness is determined by who sits on it, what it does and how it acts. Many Clubs adopt a code of conduct for their Management Group and committee members to help regulate and manage their behaviour. This is sometimes known as a behavioural framework and should be linked to the Club’s values. A code of conduct can help to foster an environment where committee members feel they can openly debate matters and are clear about how meetings are run and what is expected of them. The chair of the committee also has a key role in creating the right environment and running meetings effectively.
It is the responsibility of everybody involved in your Club to ensure it remains a safe place, free from discrimination, fear and where possible, risk.
A key component of maintaining a quality Club culture is to set standards of acceptable behaviour, which must be upheld by all involved, and those participating in Club run activities and competitions. A crucial tool for defining and communicating acceptable standards of behaviour is a documented Code of Conduct. Ideally the Code of Conduct must apply to all involved in your Club and its activities, different groups of people that should be covered include: