Committee Membership

Events teams and Services teams operate slightly differently in terms of the terms of office and committee operation.

Events teams

Formation and Dissolution

Events teams (and their respective committees) operate on a 11-month cycle running from early July to early June the following year. The one month gap provides a much-needed break for members of the team. This gap also provides a definitive start of a new cycle and creates an opportunity for new volunteers to get involved starting afresh with the rest of the team.

Registration of Interest

Approximately three weeks before the new team is to be formed, all registered SR volunteers are invited to express an interest in being part of the next committee or team. Previous members of the committee and/or team are welcome to register interest.

Formation

The committee is formed at a meeting with the Trustees. If more than 3 volunteers register an interest in being on the committee they will all be invited to the formation meeting, however only 3 of them will be allowed to become committee members. If more than 10 volunteers register an interest in being on the committee then the Trustees select a short-list of 10 volunteers to invite to the formation meeting, based on the skills and experience they could bring to the committee. Any volunteers who register an interest in being on the committee but are not selected are contacted if vacancies appear on the committee during the 11-month period.

At the meeting, the Trustees discuss their expectations for the approaching year (based on feedback from the previous year’s cycle) and clarify any concerns about roles and responsibilities. Each year, the Trustees provide guidance as to the direction in which they would like the approaching year to be taken and where they would like the committee to focus their efforts. For example, it may be the case that the Trustees would like to expand the number of school teams, or they may want the committee to focus on increasing volunteer engagement. After discussing these points, and answering any questions, the Trustees leave the meeting, allowing a short time for discussion. On return, they ask for a show of hands of people who would like to join the committee. If more than 3 people indicate a desire to join the committee at this stage, the Trustees select the 3 people that they feel are most able to take on the responsibilities of the committee.

The First Few Weeks

After the formation meeting has concluded, the newly formed committee fulfil their collective responsibilities. The Trustees encourage the committee to identify any management, coaching or team building training they may need to discharge their responsibilities effectively.

Dissolution

At the end of the term of office, the committee is invited to meet with the Trustees to review the progress made. This serves as a useful event for both the committee, to reflect on their achievements, and the Trustees, to gather as much information as possible to feed into future competitions. It is expected that the committee will get the views of the wider team before the meeting. After the review meeting, the team and its committee is effectively disbanded.

Services teams

Joining the committee

Volunteers join the committee by application to the Trustees. The committee will operate on a continuous/rolling timeline. Each member has a maximum term of two years, after which they are automatically retired from the committee. Before the conclusion of the two year term the member may apply to the Trustees to extend their term for a further two years, without a gap in membership.

Registration of Interest

All registered SR volunteers are able to express an interest in being part of the committee at any time during the current committees term of office. The Trustees may choose to directly invite all registered SR volunteers to express an interest in being part of the committee or team in advance of filling a role. Previous members of the committee and/or team are welcome to register interest.

Yearly updates

Once a year, around early July, the committee will meet with the Trustees. At the meeting, the Trustees discuss their expectations for the approaching year and clarify any concerns about roles or responsibilities. Each year, the Trustees provide guidance as to the direction in which they would like the approaching year to be taken and where they would like the committee to focus their efforts. For example, it may be the case that the Trustees would like to expand the number of kits available, or they may want the committee to focus on increasing team support.

Common

Resignation of a Committee Member

If a committee member wishes to resign part-way through their term of office they email the Trustees. The Trustees work with the individual to see if there is any further help and support that they can provide to allow the volunteer to continue in their role. If there is no option for the individual to continue, the Trustees work with the rest of the committee to find a volunteer to become a replacement committee member. Volunteers that indicated a desire to be on the committee at the start of the cycle, but were not selected due to the size restrictions, are considered first, followed by those who registered an interest at other points during the term of office.