Every year, by the end of March, sports clubs hold their annual general meeting. A new board is elected. Enthusiasm runs high — the handover is often forgotten.
Three months later, new board members are stuck with questions such as: Who has access to online banking? When is next year’s annual general meeting to be held? Where are the statutes?
What separates successful clubs from stressed clubs is often one thing: a proper handover.
Here is your checklist for getting off to the right start.
What needs to happen before the first board meeting
Before anything else is done, the previous board must document everything the new members need to know.
Make an overview of all keys and access rights
Make a list of all the systems the club uses:
- Online banking and e-ID
- Membership system (Rubic or another)
- Email (shared mailbox, if anyone uses a private account)
- Gmail, Slack or other communication tools
- Volunteer calendar or platform for volunteer work (dugnad)
- Events and ticket sales
Make sure the treasurer and secretary are given access at the same time as the old ones are removed. If the treasurer uses their private email and does not hand over the password, the club is locked out from day one.
Rubic’s membership system makes this job easier: every role can log in under their own name, so no one has to share passwords.
Create an organisation chart
Who does what? Write it down:
- Chair of the board — chairing meetings, annual general meeting, external communication
- Treasurer — accounting, payments, VAT compensation, auditor
- Secretary — minutes, statutes, member lists
- Team/section managers — training, tournaments, volunteers
- Person responsible for accounting (if not the treasurer)
If the club uses Rubic, these roles can be set directly in the system. Who should be able to see the finances? Who should be able to invite volunteers to volunteer work (dugnad)? Set it up now.
Roles and responsibilities — get them in writing
A new treasurer needs to know:
- When should expenses be reported? (Weekly, monthly?)
- What is the approved spending limit before board approval is needed?
- Who approves payments and transfers?
- Where are receipts and vouchers kept?
A new secretary needs to know:
- When are the board meetings? (The first meeting should be within two weeks.)
- What should the minutes contain?
- Who should receive meeting invitations?
A new chair needs to know:
- What are the club’s three biggest challenges right now?
- Who are the key contacts (federation, municipality, sponsors)?
- When will the next annual general meeting be held?
Write this down. The goal: the new chair should be able to lead the first meeting without asking their predecessor.
Annual calendar — this cannot wait
Map out all events and deadlines for the next 12 months:
- Annual general meeting (date and deadlines for notice and proposals)
- Audit deadlines (accounts)
- Membership fee collection (when should it be done?)
- Financial reporting to the federation or municipality
- National events
- Plans to form new teams/classes
An annual calendar is not glamorous. But when the treasurer searches for “when do I need to submit the accounts”, the answer should take 10 seconds to find — not three emails later.
See how Rubic brings all of your club’s operations together — members, finances and volunteer work (dugnad) in one system.
The first 90 days — what to prioritise
Do not try to fix everything at once.
Weeks 1–2: Learn the systems
- Which of the club’s systems work well?
- What is broken or confusing?
- Who do you call when something does not work?
Weeks 3–4: Talk to the members
- What works? What is frustrating?
- The members’ view may differ from the board’s.
Month 2: Make an action plan
- What can you change this year?
- What has to wait until the next annual general meeting?
Month 3: Implement at least one thing
- Cheaper or faster membership fee collection?
- Digital planning of volunteer work (dugnad)?
- Better communication with members?
One improvement per quarter is better than waiting for a “perfect plan”.
Checklist for a change of board
Go through this when the board changes:
- Online banking: Treasurer has access, former board members removed
- Membership system: All roles created, passwords changed
- Email: Shared mailbox or an overview of who has access
- Digital systems: Documented, passwords shared securely
- Statutes: Printed out and reviewed
- Auditor: Contact details registered
- Annual calendar: Created and shared with the whole board
- Role responsibilities: Written down for each position
- Federation contact: Who reports to the federation?
- Procedures for meeting notices and minutes
- Brønnøysundregistrene: New board registered
Once this is in place, new board members have what they need. Stress goes down. Productivity goes up.