Why become a Board Member?
With your Association pushing out Board nomination requests in the not too distant future, what exactly is involved when it comes to being a member of the PCA Board? As most people reading this will know, the PCA is a membership organisation and the associated board are all elected by the members of the PCA to represent their interests. This acts as an important check and balance to ensure that those involved in the day to day running of the organisation always have the members' interests in mind as any major decisions on strategy and expenditure can only be made with the approval of the board. But what exactly is involved and what are the benefits to joining the board for you?
Working effectively to represent members
Board members are elected to serve for three years, after which time they need to seek re-election for another three year term if they want to remain on the board. This means that they need to demonstrate to the electorate (the PCA members) that they are working effectively to represent them. My own time spent serving on the board from 2012 to 2021 was very satisfying, although sometimes challenging. Serving on the board meant giving up valuable time to attend four board meetings a year, but this was time well spent. As well as contributing my own skills to the board, I was also able to learn from the knowledge of other board members with widely differing backgrounds and experience.
A wide diversity of skills, experience & background is essential
Many people imagine board meetings to be rather dry and boring affairs taken up by administrative niceties. I'd have to admit that there is a little bit of this, as it is required to run a fully accountable organisation. However, I'd say that around three quarters of each board meeting is devoted to a thorough discussion of the issues confronting the Association at the time, and to developing strategy for the future. For this reason it is vital that we are able to attract members with a wide diversity of skills, backgrounds, and experience to put themselves forward as candidates for election to the board. Examples of the types of issues that might be discussed in board meetings include:
- Future direction of the Association: e.g."where are we?","where do we want to go?"
- Financial position of the Association
- Opportunities: e.g. collaboration with other trade associations
- Purchase of property
- Moral decisions: e.g. over whether to take legal action or to expel members
Contribute to the future growth of the Association
To be effective in their roles, board members need to be able consider decisions in the context of the long term interest of the membership as a whole, and not just their particular sector. They also need cool heads that can occasionally make tough decisions. A strong, skilled, and diverse board is vital to the functioning and future growth of the Association, and I would thoroughly recommend anyone who feels that they have something to contribute to put their names forward for election.
Sound interesting? Get in touch...
If you are interested in becoming a Board member, and think you have the time to dedicate to the role, please contact Sue Uttridge in the first instance on [email protected] / 014480 400001.
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