Episode Description
You’ve been elected to the committee. You’re keen. You turn up to the first meeting. And then… nobody really explains what you’re supposed to do. In this episode, Kate and Kate unpack what it actually means to be a committee member — the three dimensions of responsibility, why confidentiality matters more than most people realise, and why a job description isn’t too corporate for volunteers. It’s just common sense.
Show Notes
Being on a committee involves a lot more than turning up and having a vote. There’s an organisational dimension, a cultural dimension, and a group dynamics dimension — and understanding all three is the foundation for everything else. This episode also covers the practical tools that make expectations clear from the start: job descriptions for every role (yes, including the general committee member) and a code of conduct that’s actually worth having.
In This Episode
- The three dimensions of committee responsibility: organisational, cultural and group dynamics
- Why the ‘fish rots from the head’ — and what that means for committee culture
- The Vegas rule: what happens in the committee room stays in the committee room
- Why speaking with one voice doesn’t mean pretending you agreed
- Job descriptions for volunteers — why they’re not too corporate, and what they should cover
- What makes a code of conduct genuinely useful (hint: aspirational words on a laminated poster don’t count)
Free Download
📥 Committee Member Role Description Template We mentioned this in the episode — here’s a simple template to get your committee started. Adapt it to suit your organisation.
Kate McPhee’s book Just a Tick covers job descriptions in detail — find it at liquoriceallsorts.com.au.
This Week’s Challenge
Two things this week. First: does your committee have a written job description for every role, including the general committee member? If the answer is no — or you’re not sure — that’s your starting point. Links in the show notes.
Second: pull out your code of conduct if you have one (or honestly acknowledge that you don’t). When did anyone last actually look at it? Put it on the agenda for your next meeting — not to rewrite it, just to read it out loud together and ask: is this still us? Does it match how we actually operate? You might be surprised by the conversation it starts.
About Your Hosts
Kate Hartwig has spent forty years working in and around not-for-profit and membership organisations — as a CEO, director, and independent consultant. katehartwig.com.au
Kate McPhee has three decades of hands-on experience helping small clubs and associations get more done with less stress. She is also the author of Just a Tick, a plain-English governance guide for committees and boards. liquoriceallsorts.com.au
This podcast provides general information on best practice governance for small to medium not-for-profit associations. It is not legal advice.
Timestamps
00:00 — Your first committee meeting — how did it go?
00:45 — Introducing the Kates and today’s episode
01:27 — What is your job as a committee member? Exactly?
02:05 — The organisational role
02:43 — The cultural role
03:47 — Living your values
03:56 — Group dynamics — common sense and common courtesy
04:37 — Confidentiality
05:04 — Debate inside the committee room — support outside
06:17 — Job descriptions for everyone!
08:33 — Code of conduct
10:35 — How to build your code
10:57 — Summary
11:50 — This week’s challenge
12:38 — Wrap-up and next week’s episode
Next Episode
Next episode the Kates go deeper into the legal side of committee membership — the three duties of care, loyalty and obedience. Three words that sound like an old-fashioned wedding vow, and turn out to be very serious indeed.
Got a Question for the Kates?
We’d love to answer it on the show. Submit your question at thecommitteeroom.com.au/ask-us-anything.
Resources & Links
- The Committee Companion Essentials — practical governance for committees starting out: katehartwig.com.au/essentials
- Just a Tick — Kate McPhee’s plain-English governance guide: liquoriceallsorts.com.au/just-a-tick
- Fresh Allsorts — good governance for associations of all sorts: freshallsorts.com.au
- Kate Hartwig Consulting: katehartwig.com.au
- Liquorice Allsorts Consulting: liquoriceallsorts.com.au
- Kate Hartwig on LinkedIn
- Kate McPhee on LinkedIn
- Got a question for the podcast? Ask us here
You don’t need good luck if you’ve got good governance.
The Committee Room | thecommitteeroom.com.au