Club Structures

 

Small Club Structure

The club structure in practice:

 

Pros	Cons
Works best for clubs with a small membership base (0–25 members)	General members must help officers with duties
Expedites the decision and communication processes, a vital element for a new club	Limits the decision making process to a few club members
Clear roles and responsibilities	Increased work load for the officers

 

Roles

Officers

• The Executive Board includes president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary.

General Members

• Attend meetings, generate project ideas and participate in specific activities.
• Take on specific assignments, like planning service projects or fundraising efforts.

 

Meetings

General Club Meetings

• Includes all club members and officers team
• At least once a month
• Should cover project planning and brainstorming sessions

Executive Board Meetings

• Includes all officers
• At least twice a month
• Manage the current projects and initiatives, general troubleshooting and identify growth opportunities for the club

 

Large Club Structure

 

The club structure in practice:

 

Pros	Cons
Offers a number of leadership development opportunities	Requires a large membership base
Enables a promotion track for dedicated members willing to take on an officer position (i.e., from fundraising committee lead, to secretary, and then president)	Decision and communication process is delayed as more members are involved
Decreases the work load for club officers	Officers may become so engaged in the planning process that they are too removed from service project execution
Allows for more intense focus on individual Club administrative functions (i.e. recruitment)	Executive Board meetings become more challenging to arrange, as additional schedules must be considered
Allows officers to focus on setting the strategic direction of the club instead of leading and implementing projects.	Decision and communication processes might be cumbersome at times
Has a strong focus on Red Cross mission specific projects

 

Roles

Officers

• The president, vice president, secretary and treasurer are the principal officers. Some of their key responsibilities are related to facilitating and troubleshooting the work of committee leads as well as setting the direction for the club.
• Principal officers and committee leads make up the Executive Board
• Additional officer positions are optional and determined by the club’s specific needs (i.e., committee leads such as a fundraising officer, publicity officer, etc.)

Members

• Attend meetings, generate project ideas and participate in specific activities
• Each member is required to be actively involved with at least one committee
• Should suggest ideas, lead or participate in projects and provide suggestions and recommendations for improving general club activities

 

Meetings

General Club Meetings

• Includes all club members and Executive Board
• At least once a month
• Should cover project planning and brainstorming sessions

Executive Board Meetings

• Includes all officers
• At least twice a month (one of these meetings could take place right before the general club meeting)
• Manage the current projects and initiatives, general troubleshooting and identify growth opportunities for the club

Committee Meetings

• Includes all members who serve on the committee
• At least once a month
• Manage the committee projects and plan upcoming service projects

 

Committees

• Committees Structure can be based on the specific line of Red Cross services (Training Services, Biomedical Services, Disaster Services, International Services, and Service to Armed Forces) or based on the specific interests of the Club (Fundraising, Recruitment, Service Projects, etc.)
• It’s recommended that each committee lead is connected with the specific program or contact at the local Red Cross unit. Your Red Cross Unit Contact can help establish this relationship at the beginning of the school year.

 

Structure Alternatives

• Depending of the club’s specific situation, additional positions can be added to the structure (special projects officer, special events officer, service officer, etc). It is recommended not to overcrowd the Executive Board with unnecessary positions. Keeping everyone engaged and connected with the main focus of the club can become a difficult task.
• Depending on the club growth process, you will probably need to revisit the structure on an annual basis so it will correspond with the concrete challenges you have to face

 

Tip! You can always hold your committee meeting during a portion of your general club meeting or hold separate meetings. To increase participation in important committee meetings, consider hosting them immediately following another club function or meeting where members have already gathered together.

 

There are different structures that can help you decide the way your club operates. It is important to capture all these different roles, responsibilities and general operation procedures in your constitution.