Episode Description
The annual general meeting. Four usual suspects nominate each other, a hand shoots up from someone nobody recognises, and seven people are declared elected to enthusiastic silence. Sound familiar? In this episode, Kate and Kate explain why nominations from the floor are one of the worst things you can do for your organisation — and walk through the eight-step election process that actually gets the right people in the room.
Show Notes
A good committee starts with a good election process. Not the hands-up-at-the-AGM approach that most associations still rely on, but a proper process where candidates are informed before they nominate and every member gets a genuine opportunity to vote. It’s more work upfront — but the Kates have seen what happens when you skip it, and it’s a lot more work to fix. This episode covers everything from the nomination pack to term limits to what to do when a president doesn’t want to let go.
In This Episode
- Why nominations from the floor at the AGM feel democratic but aren’t — and what to do instead
- The eight steps of a best-practice election process, from nomination pack to announcement on the night
- Why a candidate statement isn’t too corporate for volunteers — and what it tells you before anyone’s elected
- The returning officer: who they are, what they do, and why they matter
- Staggered terms, term limits, and why one bad AGM can cause organisational amnesia
- Why a clean break when leadership changes is better for everyone — including the outgoing president
Free Downloads
We mentioned two resources in this episode. Download them at thecommitteeroom.com.au:
Kate McPhee’s book Just a Tick has more on running a great AGM — find it at liquoriceallsorts.com.au.
This Week’s Challenge
Have a good look at how your organisation runs its elections right now. Is it a proper process, or is it still the hands-up-at-the-AGM approach? You don’t need to change everything overnight — just identify one thing you could improve before your next AGM and do it. The election process checklist in the show notes is a good place to start.
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 — How to ruin a perfectly good AGM
01:07 — Introducing the Kates and today’s episode on elections
01:52 — Nominations from the floor? Don’t do it!
03:32 — Eight steps in an election process — Step 1: Nomination pack
04:07 — Step 2: Call for nominations
04:19 — Step 3: Candidate statements
05:11 — Step 4: Returning officer
05:29 — Step 5: Voting
06:24 — Step 6: Count and verify
06:40 — Step 7: Notify and thank
07:09 — Step 8: Announcement at the AGM
07:38 — Election of office bearers
08:31 — Staggered terms of office
09:35 — Term limits
09:53 — When it’s over, it’s over
10:38 — Recap
11:17 — This week’s challenge
12:09 — Wrap-up and next week’s episode
Next Episode
Now that you’ve got the right people elected, how do you make sure the hard questions actually get asked? Next episode, the Kates tackle the power of questions in the committee room — why asking questions isn’t a sign of ignorance, why staying quiet is never neutral, and how to build a culture where problems get raised before they become crises.
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 Room thecommitteeroom.com.au — episode archive, show notes and Ask Us Anything
🍬 Fresh Allsorts freshallsorts.com.au — Governance Health Checks and practical services from both Kates
Kate Hartwig Consulting katehartwig.com.au — practical governance support for SA NFPs
Liquorice Allsorts Consulting liquoriceallsorts.com.au — including Just a Tick, Kate McPhee’s plain-English governance guide
LinkedIn: Kate Hartwig | Kate McPhee
You don’t need good luck if you’ve got good governance.
The Committee Room | thecommitteeroom.com.au