Show Notes
The questions that come up in committee rooms are remarkably consistent across organisations of all kinds. The secretary who takes biased minutes. The quorum that can never be reached. The long-serving leader who’s not doing a bad job but nothing ever changes. In this episode, the Kates answer eleven listener questions directly — the situations people are navigating right now and aren’t sure how to handle. If your question isn’t here, submit it for the next round.
Questions Covered in This Episode
- Our club secretary takes the minutes but he’s also the one who gets into the most arguments at meetings. The minutes never quite reflect what actually happened. What can we do?
- One of our committee members never reads the agenda or papers before the meeting and asks the same questions every time. Can we actually require people to prepare?
- We passed a motion three months ago and the chairperson hasn’t acted on it. He says he disagrees with the decision. Can he do that?
- Our constitution states we need a quorum of seven for committee meetings, but we can barely get five people there. Are our decisions legal?
- A candidate has refused to supply a candidate statement. Can we reject the nomination?
- A committee member has been sharing confidential information with members outside the committee. What are our options?
- We’ve been running a fundraising raffle for twenty years. Someone has just told us we need a licence or we’re breaking the law. Do we?
- Someone has nominated for the committee but half the current members don’t want them elected because of a personal conflict from a few years ago. Can the committee reject the nomination?
- Our treasurer has just resigned with no notice. They’re not even coming to the next meeting. We have no idea what’s in the accounts or where anything is. What do we do first?
- How do you move a club forward without offending the past?
- We’ve had the same president for eleven years. She’s not doing a bad job, but nothing ever changes. How do we move her on without causing a war?
Got a Question for the Kates?
There are more Your Questions Answered episodes to come. Submit your question — however basic it feels — via the contact form at thecommitteeroom.com.au. If you’re wondering about it, someone else is too. Your question might shape a future episode.
Mentioned in This Episode
Fundraising Directory fundraisingdirectory.com.au — state-by-state rules for running raffles and other fundraising activities in Australia
Want to Go Further?
If your committee is stuck in the situation Simon described — long-serving leadership, nothing changing, hard to move forward — a governance health check from an independent consultant can be the circuit breaker. Find out more at freshallsorts.com.au.
Kate H’s Committee Companion and Kate M’s Just a Tick between them cover most of the situations raised in this episode in practical, plain-English detail. Both are linked at thecommitteeroom.com.au.
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. Her Committee Companion is a head start on good governance with checklists, frameworks and exemplars for committee members. 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 the author of Just a Tick, a plain-English governance guide for committees and boards. liquoriceallsorts.com.au
Together they offer governance health checks and practical support through Fresh Allsorts.
This podcast provides general information on best practice governance for small to medium not-for-profit associations. It is not legal advice.
Timestamps
00:31 — Question 1: Taking accurate minutes
03:34 — Question 2: Meeting preparation
04:34 — Question 3: The chair acting independently of committee decisions
07:18 — Question 4: Quorums
08:50 — Question 5: Nomination requirements
11:25 — Question 6: Confidentiality
12:30 — Question 7: Raffles
14:21 — Question 8: Disallowing nominations for personal reasons
15:38 — Question 9: Treasurer resigns without notice
19:56 — Question 10: Changing the future without offending the past
23:32 — Question 11: Terms of office
25:12 — Wrap-up and next episode
Next Episode
The Great People, Great Committees series wraps up in style — with a trip to Revolutionary France! Episode 11 is the Bastille Day special, and the Kates promise that heads may roll.
Resources & Links
🎙️ The Committee Room thecommitteeroom.com.au — episode archive, show notes, downloads and contact form
🍬 Fresh Allsorts freshallsorts.com.au — Governance Health Checks and practical services from both Kates
Kate Hartwig Consulting katehartwig.com.au — including the Committee Companion, a head start on good governance with checklists, frameworks and exemplars
Liquorice Allsorts Consulting liquoriceallsorts.com.au — including Just a Tick, Kate McPhee’s plain-English governance guide
Facebook: The Committee Room
LinkedIn: The Committee Room
You don’t need good luck if you’ve got good governance.
The Committee Room | thecommitteeroom.com.au