Induction for New Members

Having a formalised process to welcome new committee members is a great idea. It gives new people joining an opportunity to meet the members leaving your committee and those who are staying on. It’s an excellent opportunity for more experienced members to pass on skills and knowledge to your new members. This is particularly important for office bearer positions. Some of the ways skills can be passed on are by appointing an assistant treasurer or secretary, or other positions who shadows an experienced member, by giving new members opportunities to take turns at chairing sub-committee meetings, and have a handover period, giving new committee members a chance to learn about their roles. Your committee’s transition from one set of members to the next will be smoother if at least half of the previous committee remain to help provide continuity of governance. One idea is to have committee members elected for a two-year term and 30 to 50% of your committee step down each year. Think about your induction process and how you welcome new members. Make a list of ways you can improve this process and discuss these with your committee at your next meeting. During the induction process, it’s a good idea to have new members sign key governance documents. These can include a code of conduct, an eligibility declaration confirming compliance to your constitution and incorporation requirements and other agreements you might have, such as confidentiality.