|
Club Etiquette
Good club etiquette can be gleaned from the tips which follow to help create a successful and happy club A successful club is one where its members feel comfortable and have a sense of ownership and belonging. After all, a club is only a group of people with similar interests pursuing similar goals We are not talking about the toffs' clubs here, where people walk about with their noses in the air. Nor are we talking about night clubs, strip clubs and other sleazy joints We mean the everyday friendship and fellowship clubs formed to pursue a common interest which are found everywhere. Some are formal and others informal Sometimes clubs struggle because too few people are expected to do too much. Therefore - "Ask not what your club can do for you - ask what you can do for your club" (to misquote JFK) Club Etiquette - Members New members need to attend regularly to get to know the other members and activities until they fit in comfortably Members have a duty to look out for new members and guests; introduce them around and help them feel comfortable Look out for anyone on the sidelines and draw them into the activities In time, new members must make an effort to ‘belong.’ One of the quickest methods of fitting in is by rolling up the sleeves and pitching in to the activities Find out the objectives of your club and then actively participate in them with goodwill and enthusiasm. Pull together Maintain high standards of honesty, integrity, decency, cooperation and respect in dealing with the club and its members As a member you have an obligation to pitch in and help where necessary If something displeases you about the club see what you can do to bring about improvement instead of just standing back and levelling criticism. Words are cheap It’s your club. Promote its benefits and contribute towards its improvement Don’t undermine your club by your words or actions or you’ll not have your club any more Committee members are usually volunteers. They need your help and not your hindrance Don’t arrange activities in competition with your club; it already struggles with competition from other existing clubs. Don’t draw members away from your club’s organised activities to other events or you will undermine its membership base and cause its decline To bring about ‘improvements’ in your club; join the committee After all is said and done, remember that more is said than done. Try to reverse that Try to fit in with the objectives of your club. If you cannot, then perhaps you don’t belong there Not everything in your club will run smoothly. Don’t complain. Don’t get cranky. You’re a member, just pitch in and help to fix it You will not necessarily get along with all the other members, nor will you always agree with their points of view. Just agree to disagree and respectfully move away to more congenial company It is bad club etiquette to allow your club subscriptions to fall into arrears yet continue to attend as if you are a fully paid up member Retain your self respect and avoid any embarrassment by making your payment before you have to be reminded Club Etiquette - Events Be prepared, and pay any charges for events at the door. You would lose dignity if caught trying to evade fees and charges. Don't be a cheapskate Attend initially, only the events that you are likely to enjoy. While there, make a positive contribution towards them. From time to time try out the other activities. They could become enjoyable to you as your friendship base grows If you wish to introduce a new activity or event, it is your responsibility to research it. Ask the other members whether it is of interest to any of them before you try to thrust it upon the club. Be prepared to do your bit to make it a success Bones of a Club The body of every club has four kinds of bones: 1. The WISHBONES who spend all their time wishing that someone else would do the job 2. The JAWBONES who do all the talking but very little else 3. The KNUCKLEBONES who knock everything that everybody else tries to do 4. The BACKBONES who get under the load and do the job So, what kind of bone are you? Club Etiquette - Committee The Committee must act in the interests of its members It must act fairly and not favour any one person or group of people It must keep sight of the primary objectives of the club and not deviate from that purpose It must keep concise up-to-date records of its members and treat those records with the utmost confidentiality It must keep up-to-date and easy-to-follow financial records of all member subscriptions, income and outgoings. Funds must only be used to finance legitimate club activities We would love to hear about your experiences on our interactive visitors forum - Club Etiquette for possible inclusion in our Rage Page Back to our A to Z Guide
|
