Running an event, no matter how small it seems, is no simple task and generally not a job for just one volunteer or committee member. When the committee decide that they wish to run an event a very important first step is to decide who they will delegate the responsibility of creating and running the event.
If the event is a “small” event then the committee may delegate responsibility to a single person. For example, responsibility to arrange the Annual General Meeting is generally delegated to the club secretary while a much larger event is likely to be delegated to a sub-committee.
For large and complex events, the sub-committee may break the event into parts and create additional sub-committees to focus on separate areas such as:
- Entertainment or sporting activity – deliver the activity people are attending for
- Fundraising – Sponsorship, grants, fundraising opportunities, in kind donations
- Logistics – Liaise with council; venue and permits, on the day preparations i.e. registration desk, information area, first aid set up
- Volunteers – Recruit, train, ensure safety compliance
- Marketing and promotions – Update social media, do letterbox drops, put up posters around the community
- Finances – Is a bank account set up, who will be handling the cash, receipts and invoices?
By breaking your event down into smaller sections you will find volunteers and groups of parents at your club may be more willing to help out, as they have one responsibility they feel they can manage. This may also require your club to come up with position descriptions to help clarify the expectations, responsibilities and time frames for each volunteer.
The Committee Process for a Sub Committee
If your committee has decided your event would be best run by a sub committee or group of sub committees it is essential that a person is nominated to be responsible for the overall running of the sub committee, such as a chair.
Once the event sub committee is formed, it is advised to meet regularly and have future meeting dates diarised. This ensures a stronger attendance at each meeting.
The frequency of meetings will vary depending on the tasks the group have set and how close the event is. It is suggested that having them at regular intervals will allow better monitoring of the actions that need to be completed. For example you may like to meet fortnightly and then with a month to go meet weekly or even twice a week depending on how much your sub committee has to do.
Formal minutes are not usually necessary but it is suggested that action items, responsibilities and timelines are documented to ensure clarity and a shared understanding of what is required, by whom and in what timeframe.
There is no set number of people to have on a committee, but it is important that everyone on the committee is aware of the expectations and objectives and is willing to take responsibility for any activities they have volunteered for.
With a strong sub committee your event will be far easier to run and will help spread the workload across your volunteers.
We will look at how to recruit volunteers and position descriptions for the event a little later on. First let’s focus on the work of the initial sub committee.
