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Why You Need To Explain What Your Committee Roles Involve To Your Members

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One of the most common complaints clubs have is that they struggle to get people to volunteer for committee positions. Your club's committee is a crucial aspect of operations, and without new members volunteering, you will soon start to struggle. 

One of the main reasons people hesitate to volunteer for committee positions is they don’t know what the role involves. Think about it; if your friend just said, “come on a hike with me tomorrow,” you’d probably have a few questions before you said yes. How long is it? How easy is the terrain? What do I need to bring? Because you need to know whether it’s a casual 2km bush walk or a full Lord of the Rings-type endeavour. 

 

Lord of the Rings 

 

The same is true for committee roles. People are really going to hesitate to sign up for your club’s committee roles if they don’t have a clear understanding of what the role involves. So, you need to make sure you clearly define your club’s committee roles if you want more people to volunteer for them. 

The Mystery Of Committee Roles 

When you don’t know how something works, it is mystifying and intimidating, but once you’ve gotten a peek behind the curtain and know how it works, it is much more approachable. If your members don’t know what is involved with being a committee member, how much time it might take, what work is needed, etc., it will seem like a much more daunting proposition than it really is. So, your job is to demystify the process for them. 

If you do this, it'll be a lot easier to get people to sign up for committee roles, and you'll likely end up with more qualified volunteers, too. By being upfront about what you need, like stating that you're looking for someone who can do A, B, and C and can spare an hour a week for club stuff, you'll naturally filter out anyone who can't meet those requirements. This means you get more volunteers and better ones to boot. So, let's check out some ways to make your committee roles clearer.

Clearly Defining Your Club’s Committee Roles

It might seem a little cliche, but the best way to define a committee role is to focus on the Five Ws. 

  • Who 
  • What
  • When 
  • Where
  • Why
  • How

Yes, the Five Ws are actually six and yes, one of them is a H. People in the past weren’t great at naming things. 

Take, for example, this old-fashioned dry shampoo that was marketed as a quick alternative to regular shampoo. 

 

old-fashioned dry shampoo

 

Their slogan was, “When you can’t shampoo, Minipoo,” 

Anyway, the point is that for any and every committee role, you need to answer the Five Ws. 

  • Who: Who are you looking for? What skills, experience, or personality traits would make someone a good fit?
  • What: What does this role actually do? What are the specific responsibilities and tasks involved?
  • When: When are meetings or events held? What's the expected time commitment? How long is the term of service (e.g., a season, a year)?
  • Where: Where will the volunteer need to be? Are meetings in person, online, or a mix?
  • Why: Why is this role important to the club? How does it contribute to the club's overall success?
  • How: How will the volunteer carry out their duties? What tools or resources will they use?

 

By providing detailed answers to these questions, you'll give potential volunteers a clear understanding of what's involved and help them decide if the role is right for them. This transparency can lead to more engaged and committed volunteers for your club.

For example, below is a very quick advertisement for an Event Coordinator role that uses the Five Ws. 

“Seeking Club Event Coordinator

We're looking for an organised and enthusiastic individual with strong communication skills to coordinate our club's events. 

You'll be responsible for organising club events, from monthly socials to our annual fundraising gala. This includes using Member Jungle to create event pages, manage registrations, and track attendance.

Most events are held on weekends or evenings. You'll need to attend monthly committee meetings and dedicate roughly 5-10 hours per month to event planning. The term of service is one year, though you can volunteer to stay longer.

Meetings are typically held online via video conference. Events may be held at various locations in the community.

This role is vital for fostering member engagement and building a strong community within our club. You'll utilise Member Jungle's event management tools, collaborate with other committee members, and communicate with members through the platform.”

Again, this is a quick little example, and if I were really going to post it, I’d put much more time into it, but as you can see, it is a great foundation to work off and will go a long way into giving your potential volunteers vital context about the role. Someone looking at this will know instantly what’s required of them, how much of their time it will take up and how important it is. 

This will reduce any uncertainty and fear they have about volunteering for a role and will increase the chance that you get more people volunteering for these committee roles. 

Open Your Committee Up To Questions From Members 

While clear role descriptions are important, they might not answer every question a potential volunteer has. To encourage open communication and address individual concerns, you want to make sure your members have an easy way to get their questions answered. 

Offer Multiple Avenues For Questions

Let members know they can reach out to current committee members via email, online chat, or in-person meetings.

Host Q&A Sessions

Consider holding dedicated Q&A sessions, either online or in-person, where members can ask questions about committee roles in a relaxed setting.

Create A Dedicated Space For Inquiries

Set up a forum or online thread where members can post questions and receive answers from committee members or club leadership.

By making it easy for members to ask questions and get clear answers, you'll build trust and transparency, making committee roles more approachable and appealing.

Make Committee Roles Transparent

Increase transparency and member understanding by making your committee structure and roles easily accessible to all members.

  • Publish a Committee Roster: Feature a clear list of all committee positions and the names of the individuals currently holding those roles on your website.
  • Provide Role Descriptions: Include brief descriptions of each role's responsibilities to give members a better understanding of the committee's functions.

This openness helps demystify the committee, making it more relatable to members and encouraging them to consider volunteering.

The Benefits Of Demystifying Your Committee Roles

By taking these steps to demystify your committee roles and encourage open communication, your club will reap significant benefits. Clear role descriptions, accessible information, and opportunities for questions create a more transparent and approachable environment for potential volunteers. 

This leads to increased interest in committee positions, a wider pool of qualified candidates, and, ultimately, a more engaged and effective committee. A strong committee, in turn, drives club success by improving organisation, fostering member engagement, and ensuring smooth operations.

More Ways To Get More Members Interested In Committee Positions 

Clarifying what your committee roles involve is a great and effective way to increase the number of members volunteering for committee positions. However, it is far from the only way to do so. 

To find out more ways you can increase the rates that members volunteer for committee roles, read 5 Simple Ways To Get More Members Involved In Your Club’s Committee.   

If you need to make sure that all of your committee members have access to the right parts of the Member Jungle system to do their jobs, check out Don't Let Your Committee Get Lost in the Jungle: A Guide To Member Jungle Committee Access.

 

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