The club runs on the contributions of a large number of members. As we have been reviewing our expenses and the way we manage our activities, I am impressed at how much different people do to help our club be as good as it is. We don't yet have a full list of the different contributors and their contributions, but I am convinced that the size of some of these contributions are largely unknown to our overall membership. For some of the roles, possibly only the persons who have held the role previously can comprehend the amount of time, effort and responsibility involved.
Take for example the House Manager role, currently filled by Bill Fitzsimons. In recent months a sample of things I am aware that Bill has been involved in, completely on a voluntary basis, include:
- Investigating possible chairs for the club, including arranging for two samples to be delivered for trial and then return, and then opening up the club-house and being present to receive the finally ordered 20 chairs
- Moving the library book shelves and bridge education cupboards, with power drill in hand
- Investigating several possible side tables, including trials of a number, before achieving committee approval for one model knowing that this will involve organising a significant working bee to construct and modify them
- Investigating alternatives for coffee machines and additional wall-mounted hot water dispensers to find that the high capital costs involved shifted the committee focus to an urn to address the problem of running out of hot water at our large sessions - and then finding that the urn procured had to be replaced twice as the first two were faulty
- Purchasing a wall mount and then arranging and assisting an electrician to cable in the relocated external monitor
The club needs lots of time and many skills. Some of these we need to pay for due to their being no volunteers available or willing to offer the skills, certifications or reliability we need. In some cases to ensure the amount of work we need is done well we currently make nominal payments for some roles such as directing or dealing boards. But in many others the work we need is done solely on a volunteer basis. This includes not only spontaneous volunteering, such as bringing a plate or helping clean up after an event, but also those, like Bill, who take on an enormous role and complete it with dedication.
I ask us all to consider how much our club needs and uses the voluntary support of some of our members. And also to consider whether you may be able to take on some role in the overall organisation.
