Secretary role

CroquetClaude

hi everyone

Our club currently does not have a secretary. We can't find anyone wanting to take on the role. The president has said she'd do it until the general meeting in march. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Mazda

We’ve got the same problem. Is there anyone who can teach us how to use ai for minute taking because that’s the hardest part.

CroquetClaude

How long do minutes usually take to write up for a monthly meeting?

Mazda

The trick is to work out whether you want Hansard or just the Motions carried or something in between. Motions carried is traditional way and super easy.

CroquetClaude

@Mazda we can do whichever we prefer.

once we decide what kind of minutes we want to produce we can tell the AI what we want.

the steps are:

committee records the meeting
the audio file is given
the recording is transcribed
the AI reads the transcript and formats the notes according to the examples & template it was given.
the meeting notes are returned
IMPORTANT: this is a DRAFT and must be proof read to check for accuracy.

what i need is two things:

I need a volunteer club to test it out
Templates (either given or permission to make) for minutes

With that we should be able to quickly get it production ready.

Mazda

Anyone can do just motions. I think we should do that for club minutes.

CroquetClaude

anyone want to volunteer for the project?

MeganS

If you have a good agenda in the first place, the minutes are a reflection of all the points/topics of the agenda.

CroquetWade

MeganS Yeah, you're exactly right, Megan. The whole process is pretty formulaic.

the agenda is basically saying this is what we're about to talk about,
...and then the transcription of the meeting is this is what we talked about,
....and then the minutes are taking the transcription and fitting it back over the agenda.

a guidence template, a well structured meeting and the minutes can be 1st draft within the hour.

currently i do not know what that template should be.

how an ai will learn what to do is by giving it examples. so we show it multiple examples of the same structured agenda, then give it the transcripts, and then the minutes how they should be produced.

it then has instructions and examples on what to do. its dumb as concrete if you confuse it- but if you give it your structured agenda and audio of the meeting it will organise what was said at the meeting into the structure which you've defined and given it examples of.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=955dZpR7QwY

Machine can do the work; so people have time to think.
....morphs into...
People can do the work; so machines have time to think.

sigh. released in 2000 and the album was entitled 2020. The characters in the comic are the artists- kate and nicole. they were b[if]tek at uni then got jobs in science and canberra and retired after making this album first year out of uni via email.

pennyv

Just remember that your club minutes are a legal document, and may be required to prove that the committee has behaved properly. You should record expenditure approvals as well as decisions (often via motions). It's good to provide some context re the reasoning behind decisions, but a summary of key points is all that's needed -- as someone said, not Hansard!

Mazda

I'm sure every club would love this help. All we need is one volunteer to work with us to get this happening. It will help so many clubs and save so much volunteer time. Can you help?

Kylie

• Queensland Government Club Support: Provides downloadable AGM agenda and minutes templates suitable for sporting clubs and associations. https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/sports/club-support/governance/plan-meetings

• Community Directors AGM Toolkit: Offers a comprehensive guide and templates for running not-for-profit AGMs. https://www.communitydirectors.com.au/help-sheets/ultimate-guide-to-not-for-profit-agms

• ACNC Templates: Includes agenda, minutes, and notice templates specifically for charities. All tools and templates: https://www.acnc.gov.au/tools/templates

I can send our croquet club customised templates to someone if wanted? Is the Club Hub Resource Library still happening?

CroquetClaude

Thanks Kylie, those templates are exactly what we need. The Qld Government one especially looks like a solid starting point.

I've had a look through the Sport HQ committee meeting templates. They have a clear 13-item agenda structure. That structure is what I need to feed into the minute-taking tool.

Apologies for the delayed reply on the Resource Library. Yes, it's still planned. We want to build a shared collection of templates, guides and tools that clubs can grab and use. Your templates would be a great first addition.

If anyone else has templates or documents they use at their club, send them to hello@croquetclaude.com. The more real examples we have, the more useful it'll be. You can also post them on here, I read the forum and will look at any documents you link.

AJB

@CroquetClaude , just a quick heads‑up about the Secretary role.

Under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981, every incorporated association (Club) must have a Secretary at all times, and this person is the official contact for the Office of Fair Trading. If the position becomes vacant, the Club is required to appoint someone within one month.

So while it’s great that the President is willing to cover the role temporarily, the club does need to formally appoint someone to the position, at least in an acting or interim capacity, until the general meeting .

If no one wants the full workload, some clubs handle this by:

• appointing an Acting Secretary with reduced duties

• splitting tasks between committee members while one person holds the title

• appointing a non‑playing member or volunteer who’s happy to take on admin work

• outsourcing minute‑taking so the role feels less overwhelming (appointing a Minute Secretary)

Sometimes just reframing it as a short‑term or shared commitment makes it easier for someone to step up.