Orienteering Victoria Board

 

Board Members

The current VOA Board members are:

 

Position	Name	Club
President	Mark Hennessy	CH
Vice President	Margi Freemantle	YV
Vice President	David Jaffe	MF
Secretary	Carl Dalheim	MF
Treasurer	Stephen Collins	BK

 

Board Responsibilities

Objectives

The members of a Board share a common ‘fiduciary’ duty, i.e. in an organisation such as Orienteering Victoria they are trustees on behalf of stakeholders for:

• The achievement of fair and reasonable outcomes
• The financial security of the organisation and
• The expression of a moral and social responsibility to the members and the community at large

A fiduciary duty occurs when one is bound to act for the benefit of another - or others. It is defined by the High Court as “to act with fidelity and trust to another”, ie, the board member must act honestly, in good faith, and to the best of their ability in the interests of the organisation and not allow conflicting interests of personal advantage to override the interests of the organisation. The interests of the organisation must always come first.

Responsibilities of each Director

In all organisation dealings , adopt an attitude of due care and diligence:

• Take reasonable care when performing functions
• Be diligent
• Acquire at least a rudimentary understanding of the organisation’s business
• Keep continually informed and continually assess whether practices are safe and proper
• Read and understand the accounts regularly
• Enquire about financial matters that call for inquiry
• Regularly attend board meetings
• Mindset – be proactive, inquiring, diligent and attentive about all relevant matters
  

Board Procedures

Code of Conduct

The VOA Board - Code of Conduct gives board members a guide to what is acceptable behaviour and what is expected of them as they conduct their work on behalf of the organisation. The Code of Conduct guides board members ethically and professionally in the following areas:

• Meeting procedures
• Meeting attendance
• Meeting preparation
• Meeting reporting
• Dealing with the media/external enquiries
• Understandings and principles relating to such things as pecuniary interests, declarations of conflict of interest and expected behaviour.

An aspect of the Code of Conduct that is often overlooked, is the need to develop the capabilities of the Board. In a sporting organisation such as Orienteering Victoria, periodic self-assessment of Directors strengths and weaknesses is worthwhile. The organisation should invest in itself by:

• Expanding board members knowledge of the sport on a national/international basis
• Expanding the board members knowledge of the sport and recreation industry
• Expanding the board members knowledge of the trends and issues within the industry
• Ensuring the board members understand their roles and responsibilities
  

Compliance System

One of the key responsibilities of Boards is to ensure that an effective compliance system is in place - and then to monitor this. Such a system could have financial, human resources, policy and planning facets.

Establish Sub-Committees

Each committee established by the board should have a terms of reference.

The establishment of Terms of Reference allows a committee to stay focused on the reason for why the committee was formed. The Terms of Reference define the scope of work (parameters) and outcomes to be achieved by the committee.