Helpers please.......

Dear members

As this year’s term of service for committee members is coming to a close, we are looking for new members to join the committee to support and manage the Hamilton Bridge Club. The 2023-2024 committee has had a difficult year where we would probably award ourselves a pass mark but it has taken a lot more effort than anticipated and not all has gone to plan.
This difficulty is largely due to numbers or more precisely lack of numbers as the Club for the first time ever found itself with a bare minimum number of Committee members. As a result the Committee needed to co-opt two other members to enable the year's tasks to be accomplished. The same challenge is also seen in our Club volunteers.

This lack of members to serve in Club positions or as a volunteer is not only applicable to the Bridge Club but is present in many Clubs in NZ. While it started prior to Covid it has become more prevalent since. It is not helped by the fall in Club numbers since Covid from approx 280 to the current 203 at the middle of 2024 and forecast to fall to around 170 by the end of 2026.

This is a potentially serious problem for the Club - not enough members for the Elected Management team would threaten the viability of the Club legally. This is not a path that the Club should contemplate. To manage the Club going forward next year we really need more members to assist in the running of the Club in both elected and volunteer positions.

Sub committees were in the past used to make use of members with limited time but were keen to help. These allow the Main Committee to concentrate on more pressing tasks and the Club would like to increase their use. Members who offer to assist in these areas will be matched with their requests / abilities were possible.

So we are asking members to think about their availability and whether they are able to donate some time to the running of our Club.

The positions needed to be filled are numerous -

Elected Club Management -
Club Officers

Club President
Club Vice President
Treasurer

Supporting Cast

Club Committee members (6)
 

Sub Committee outside the Club Committee -

Membership Numbers Drive : increase membership - advertise / promote bridge and the club
Building and Grounds : car-parks, gardens, trees, building appearance
House Committee : oversee the buildings facilities and make sure they are fit for purpose, need upgrading or replacement
Club Togetherness : Social events, Quiz nights, raffles, book table, sponsors etc
Volunteers : be part of a pool available to be asked as and when required
 

Any questions about any of the roles please contact a member of the committee or the Club secretary.

If you wish to accept our invitation to join one of the sub-committees initially, contact the Club secretary either by email or in person and the Club will then start the process.

 
Regards
The Committee
Hamilton Contract Bridge Club