“Competition is for Testing
Pigeons, not Relationships”
A Well-Run Club is The Key to a Successful Club.
Herb Cartmell, Past AU
Constitution and Bylaws Advisor.
We all hate to have disagreements occur in our clubs
that often end in ill-feelings, lost friendships and many times can even cause
a flyer to leave our sport. Member dissatisfaction from these conflicts is one
of the top reasons that a member quits our sport. Far too often it causes a set back in our
clubs. We have to constantly remind
ourselves that the reason we got into this Sport in the first place was to
enjoy our birds and have some friendly competition and camaraderie. In short, have Fun!
I
am often surprised by the seemingly lack of operating procedures, common sense
and “protocol” that many clubs seem to try and operate with. Most of the conflicts and problems a club has
arise simply because of poor communications and a full understanding of how the
club should operate. Sometimes even the
officers don’t seem to be informed.
One
thing that stands out with the stronger clubs is that the members all have a
clear understanding of their purpose as a club and how they have agreed to
treat their members and themselves. This
is more than just camaraderie and friendship.
It’s the understanding by all the members that the club operates with
fairness and has a purpose and plan: The club’s Constitution and Bylaws.
The
C&BL establishes ground rules that will reduce dissatisfaction with rules
and race schedules, the formation of cliques within the club, and encourages
beginners in the art of racing pigeons.
Your
club’s Constitution and Bylaws is after all, the guidelines, policies and rules
that your club has agreed to use and live by.
It is the agreement the club has made with it’s members that defines how
it will be organized, and what responsibilities the clubs elected officers
have. Most importantly, it describes how
the club will deal with problems or disputes when they arise.
Here
is a brief outline of some of the main elements that your club’s Constitution
and Bylaws should encompass.
A preamble or statement of
purpose which
describes the objective and purpose of why the club exists. This can be a simple sentence or two which
will help “set the stage” and can be used to re-focus the club on its true
objective, such as: “The Purpose of this
club is to engage in the friendly competition of racing registered Homing
Pigeons. To promote the hobby of
breeding and racing Homing Pigeons, and to foster a positive social environment
for members and their families.”
It
should include a statement as to its’ affiliation with local concourses, state
and national organizations (AU) and may even include a Motto like the Burns,OR
RPC has: “Competition is for Testing Pigeons, not Relationships”
What is a member. Who can be a member and what, if any,
requirements need to be met. Some clubs
have different levels of membership such as probationary and junior members. Some clubs are by invitation only. An active member, for instance, might be described
as “Any Homing Pigeon fancier who has
participated in at least one race during the prior year, are current in all dues and fees of the club and
affiliate organizations and are of good character.”
Some clubs have a probationary period for new members. During this probationary period, the new
member should have full entitlement to participate in races and other
activities sponsored by the club, but may not have voting privileges during
this period. Usually at the first club
meeting following completion of this probationary period, the member would be
voted into full active member status.
One
of the most important areas of your club’s Constitution and Bylaws is that of
how and when you elect your officers, what officers are elected and what their
duties and responsibilities are.
Far
too many times a member is elected to a position with very little idea as to
what the office requires. Your club
needs a well-informed “team” of officers to be effective and keep the club
viable. Every office is important and
time should be spent with each new officer to be sure they understand the
duties and responsibilities of their new office. Here are the traditional ones.
President: The President presides over
all meetings and business transactions. In many cases he is the spokesman for
the club, and may be the one to meet the public should the need arise. The President will break all tie votes and is
automatically on all committees in an advisory capacity. The President is your leader and
the “cheerleader” for creating enthusiasm and participation.
Vice-President: The Vice-President will preside
at all meetings in the absence of the President, and heads up special
committees as appointed by the president, (i.e. publicity or Race committee) It
is recommended that this officer be your Constitution & Bylaws advisor
which is the one to make sure your club operates as intended. He is back up for the President.
Secretary: The Secretary is the cornerstone of the
club. He or she will send notices of all club meetings, keep the minutes, and
conduct the general correspondence of the club.
It is the Secretary that will order and issue the bands, and keep the
records, in accordance with the policies of the AU. The Secretary is responsible for keeping the
By-Laws and Race rules current and issues all revisions to the members. It is the Responsibility of the Secretary to
make sure the AU secretary kits with band orders are returned to the AU in a
timely manner. Essentially he is the
one that keeps the records and writes it down so there is no misunderstandings
down the road.
Treasurer. The Treasurer is responsible for the
financial assets of the club. He will
submit a financial accounting to the membership quarterly, or as directed by
the President, and keeps the president informed as to any delinquent (member)
accounts. He is responsible to pay the
club’s bills, usually with the president’s co-signature on check exceeding
certain amounts. (i.e. $500.) The
Treasurer keeps in his custody the books and records pertaining to the club and
deposits all monies received for dues, bands, surplus received from shipping or
any other sources into the Club’s official bank account.
To protect the integrity of
this position and avoid problems it is recommended that at the end of his
office, or even yearly, the Treasurer request an audit be made by the incoming
Treasurer and two (2) members of the Club as appointed by the President.
Race
Secretary: The
Race Secretary is, in my opinion, the most important job in the club. This is the person responsible for the
conduct of all the club’s races.
The Race
secretary is your event director. He/she chairs the race committee, which
usually includes other elected or appointed members. This committee will resolve all questions and
disputes regarding the racing competition.
The Race Secretary is also responsible for conduction and maintaining
the records of all loft surveys and ensures that the racing supplies are
adequately maintained. The Race
Secretary coordinates the liberation and makes provisions for notifying club
members of the release times. He shall
manage all race-figuring activities, and is responsible for publishing race
results and the distributing of diplomas and awards.
The
Bylaws are the club’s policies and operating procedures. This is the How, When, and Why, things are
done part of the Constitution. The
Bylaws will define the club’s policy as to rule changes, voting, dues, when to
hold elections, and what happens if the club dissolves, should that ever occur. It is designed to keep everyone all on the
same “page” and eliminate misunderstandings.
Participation and harmony is always improved when all the members
understand how things are supposed to work.
Many
club members seem to have little or no interest in their club’s rules or bylaws
until a conflict occurs and for the uninformed club this can be a
disaster. This is when the club can be “Railroaded”
or intimidated into something that may either be improper, poorly conceived or
thought through. If the club has a
strong set of Bylaws and refers to them regularly, you should already have a
procedure for handling most situations that will occur. (You also should have a procedure for adding
things that are not covered, and may want to include a built-in “cooling off
period”.)
Every
club should invest a few minutes at their annual meeting to review their
Constitution, Bylaws and Race rules and make copies available for the members
to take home and review. It is your
responsibility as a member to be familiar and understand how your club
operates, and what is expected of you and the rest of the members.
We
need to remember that people join pigeon clubs to fly and enjoy their birds,
but it is everyone’s responsibility to make the club run smoothly and fairly. Should dissension occur in your club,
remember the motto that the Burns, OR RPC uses:
“Competition is for Testing Pigeons, not Relationships” to
re-focus on your clubs purpose and the discussion. With a good Constitution and a set of Bylaws
a stronger, more harmonious club can almost be guaranteed.
So
when was the last time you reviewed your club’s Constitution, Bylaws and Race
rules?
A sample Club Constitution &
Bylaws is here: https://www.pigeon.org/organizationsampleconstitutionby-laws.htm
