Starting Your Club
Starting documents
A constitution is a basic set of rules for running of your club or group. It details for your members and others the name, objects, methods of management and other conditions under which your club or group operates and generally the reasons for its existence. It also clarifies the relationship between members by setting out the basis for working with other members of the club.
Constitutions do the following:
- Explain to members and non-members what your group is about.
- Provide guidelines for the daily running of your group.
- Help to sort out internal problems.
- They are a legal necessity if your group wishes to become incorporated.
- Can help in seeking resources from other organisations, such as a government agency.
- Allow you to apply for a liquor licence.
A constitution can be extremely simple, containing only the basic outline to explain who you are, what you are set up for and important management matters. The extent to which you add detail in the rules depends on the needs or formality at the time of setting up the group, and on your group’s thoughts about the projected needs of the group as it grows. Many details relating to minor management matters are best kept within your club’s policies and discussed at club meetings thus keeping your constitution flexible and easy to operate within.
We have provided a sample constitution in the resource section that will give you a clear idea of what you can be included in your constitution.
