GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
Engaging members and preparing for leadership transitions
By Brian Carnahan and Terry Butterworth, Columbus Curling Club
officer roles and contributed many hours behind the scenes helping to run the business side and contribute to the club’s success during the past several years vacated those positions, and an en- tirely new slate of officers were elected. Tree of the four officers had just taken their seats on the Board of Directors for the first time and there was a need to transition to the new leadership seamlessly. But, with some nerves and appre- hension came an opportunity for our organiza- tion to try out new processes and procedures. One of the first steps was to list out the vari-
T
ous tasks assumed by the previous leadership and then delegate liberally to board members, committee chairs, and other club members. Not only does this spread out the workload, it helps to build engagement, and bring other ideas and energy into leading the club. By reliev- ing the burden for a small number of members, we would be ensuring that board members and other club members would have a good under- standing of how the club operates and provide a way to back up individuals when they need as- sistance. Te outcome of the above action was that the
committees became freshly re-engaged. Te vice president held a pre-season meeting with all of the committee chairs to discuss activities, needs, members, and other matters. Te result was not only better communication between commit- tees, but the development of useful ideas. Additionally, a review and revision of a pre-
viously-started policy and procedure handbook was undertaken. Committee chairs and board members were engaged in the review. Te hand- book is another tool to ensure that club mem- bers know what is required to effectively operate the club. Te president is regularly at the club, avail-
able for impromptu meetings and feedback. She encourages members to speak with her, and when they do, she walks away with a note or “To Do” item from the conversation. Being on site regularly makes it clear to members that the president is a curler, too. Also, the officers of the
he beginning of the 2014-15 season marked a change for the Columbus Curling Club. Two members who held
club meet regularly to share updates and discuss issues. Tese officer meetings usually precede board meetings so that agenda items can be de- termined. One of the most important activities is out-
reach to members. Te club sends timely emails with updates, requests for volunteers, or other information of interest to members. Te co- chair of the Marketing and Communications Committee asks all board members and com- mittee chairs for information before delivering it to the membership. An email is used to save time in preparing a newsletter and we are mak- ing use of social media by communicating with our membership and the community at large via Facebook and Twitter. We have found it is the information that matters, not always how it is delivered. In addition to electronic outreach, the Mem-
bership Committee published a club handbook. It contains a list of members, contact details, general club information, and league rules. Te handbook is another strategy to help keep mem- bers engaged and feeling as if it is “their” club and has been well received. In November, we transitioned to a new version
of our website. While our provider did the work and the content remains relatively unchanged, the layout and subtle changes in communica- tion have been commented on frequently by the membership. Once of the smallest changes that has potential for a major impact occurred in De- cember during our spring league registration. At the end of the process, a button was present to click for volunteer interests. Forty-one percent of the membership responded with selections to help on one or more of our 12 committees and Learn to Curl clinics. Te current season is a transition year. We are
working to put in place the policies and proce- dures, and leadership vision that will help take the club into the future without reliance on any- one or a small group of members. Only through broadening the base of volunteers and leaders can the club thrive for years to come. Brian Carnahan is currently vice president of
the Columbus CC, where he has been a member since 2011. Terry Butterworth is currently the president of the Columbus CC, where she has been a member since 2012. Check out the Colum- bus website at
http://columbuscurling.com/. n
// CERTIFICATIONS Level I instructor
Curtis Bradbury, Capital Curling Club Karen Bronson, Denver Curling Club David Bueermann, Evergreen Curling Club Jonathan Burba, Atlanta Curling Club Richard Burk, Curling Club of Virginia Alexandra Carroll, Curling Club of Virginia Cimberlie Chambers, Denver Curling Club Alison Creeger, Ak-Sar-Ben Curling Club Kerry Duckart, Tri-City Curling Club Rene Eastman, Madison Curling Club Garth Farrend, Denver Curling Club Robert Ford, Ocean State Curling Club Barbara Gabhart, Ardsley Curling Club J.R. Grohs, Capital Curling Club John Guare, Ocean State Curling Club Alex Hughes, Copper Country Curling Club Mark Kretzmann, Poynette Curling Club Robert Kriewaldt, Appleton Curling Club Gene Leary, Broadmoor Curling Club Craig Markwardt, Potomac Curling Club Robin Mueller, Wausau Curling Club Andrew Ness, Ardsley Curling Club David O’Neil, Columbus Curling Club Barbara Jo S. Palsa, Curling Club of Virginia Catharine Persinger, Fairbanks Curling Club Cathy Persinger, Fairbanks Curling Club Monica Peterson, Minot Curling Club Ann Podoll, Fargo-Moorhead Curling Club Jess Rank, Appleton Curling Club Tess Reiche-Johnson, San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club Tomas Risdal, Fairbanks Curling Club Jeannette Smith, Fairbanks Curling Club Scott Strouse, Midland Curling Club Jennifer Ting, Appleton Curling Club Larissa Unruh, Capital Curling Club Sam Unruh, Capital Curling Club James “Patrick” Walsh, Curling Club of Virginia Tomas Whitman, Denver Curling Club Jim Yeager, Curling Club of Virginia Level I official
Joan Berceau, Tri-City Curling Club Wayne Dietz, Marshfield Curling Club Fred Fetzer, Eau Claire Curling Club John Gillespie, Philadelphia Curling Club Jennifer Severin, Eau Claire Curling Club
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