I blogged a while ago about a personal journey in creating MyPhoneVouchers.com and the gymnastics club that spawned me to action.  This weekend they had one of their famous sausage sizzles at bunnings.  I didn’t assist and not because MyPhoneVouches is replacing their fundraising but because I’m disallusioned with the committee and their incompetence.

If you don’t have business skills or a passion for gymanstics get off the committee.  Now I speak as a parent and someone that pays lots of fees across three gym sports.

Lets look at some fundamental truths:-

• Parents generally are on the committee to make positive change for their child regardless of what it does to the gym’s cost structure.
• All groups must be financially viable or be signed off by the committee that they know it’s not viable and they are willing to carry this costs.  This requires that every cost and revenue is allocated to the groups.
• All committee members must know what the financial model is based on and how their decisions will change things.
• Someone needs to manage the coaches in respect approving changes to class hours or when numbers change.  The goal is not to run classes at break-even but to make a profit.  10 gymnasts per group is not too many if the the coach has a leason plans taking into account individual gymnast requirements or skill level, without it is chaos.
• Parents are your customers listen but keep in mind the financials.
• Communicate success and failure both show something important.
• Lets get to the failures:
• Floor Manager that was not coaching (Add to the cost side with no revenue)
• Keeping the “floor manager” when you got a got a head coach.  (This allowed for undermining of the purpose and well as white-anting).
• Splittting the Boys group into two gave the coach nearly double the hours and the costs but the revenue went down.
• No fundraising except the sausage sizzles.
• General employee Discipline mangement.
• No mobile Phones while working
• Only water while working
• No food while working
• If you have a group you are coaching be within 5 metres of the gymansts 95% of the time
• No sitting on the boxes and yelling across the gym.
• If you take a group with CAP’s kids you are still to be with the gymnasts.
• Plan for a break it you are working more than 4.5 hours as required by the employment act.

Lets look at what the club should be doing:-

Build culture

• Organise for groups of gymnasts to be at competitions to cheer the West Coast Gymansts.  (By Organise I mean arrange transport and supervision)
• Speak to evey parent on a one-to-one basis.  Make its a four-way meeting, Gymanst, Parents, Coach & Committee.  Ask them to get involved directly.  Ask them to commit to being a volunteer.

Financial Stability

• Build an exact model of the business and test your assumptions
• Test against actuals
• Build backwards from capacity to capabilty and fill the gaps
• Get Financial support or supporters
• Use cheaper labour..  (if available)

Build the network

• Know the Gymansts and their interests
• Know the Parents and their interests
• Know the Supporters and their interests

• Use this network to build the brand and the business

Engage the peak bodies

• Be the best friend of GWA
• Be the best friend of Each person within GWA
• Be on first name basis with GA for the parts that count
• Be involved at the forums

So why didn’t I go to the Sausage Sizzle?  Because I’m too angry with the organisation at the moment.   Personally I’m not sure if I have the time or the energy to take-on duties on the committee and if I did I’m not sure I can keep my mouth shut enough to work with some of the current members.  I’m not saying it’s my way or the highway, I’m am saying that if you put the club into financial jeopody your should leave the club to competent people.

Wouldn’t it be a shame that your legacy was to destroy a 30 year old club.