You might look for new members:
- When you are first setting up a club
- If some of your committee members have left or are intending to leave
- If you feel your committee needs reinvigorating
- If your committee needs further skills and experience, eg. in areas such as governance, finance or marketing
- At your AGM
Recruiting to your committee is an opportunity to develop or bring in new skills, experiences and perspectives to your governance. It’s a good idea to regularly undertake a skills audit to identify any gaps.
Be diverse
Your committee should reflect the diverse nature of your members. Are any of the committee roles occupied by a diverse range of people? If you have a club with a growing youth section, you might want to think about involving a youth representative, for example. Just remember that no one under 18 can be a committee member for an unincorporated association.
Be businesslike
If you are looking for a particular skill, target the right audiences. If you need a new treasurer, target accountancy firms. If you need someone to look after sponsorship, target businesspeople that are used to negotiating. If you need a press officer, are any of your members journalists or journalism students?
Be transparent
If you’re looking for new committee members, spread the word and be clear about the role you are recruiting for. Draw up a role description and be honest about the responsibilities and time commitment involved.
Be professional
Refer to your constitution as there should be rules in place around the recruitment of officers. Make sure you know whether nominations for new committee members have to be taken in advance or can you take them at the meeting? (Most AGMs require a proposer and a seconder for each nomination)
Comply with safeguarding guidance and seek any necessary DBS checks. You can find out more in our Disclosure and Barring Service section.
