ORA’s Governance Model An Environment to Support Future Growth Presented at the 2017 AGM and Conference John Voss, President

The Ontario Ringette Association The largest Ringette association in the World More than 12,000 registered participants 70 local associations Budget approaching $1 million

The Ontario Ringette Association The largest Ringette association in the World More than 12,000 registered participants – but not growing 70 local associations – some growing, but some disappearing Budget approaching $1 million – often not fully spent

The Challenge ORA needs to manage: An effective marketing and promotion campaign Well run athlete development programs with skilled coaches Effective organization of programs and events Appropriate risk management Accountability and fiscal responsibility It’s amateur sport but participants will not accept an “amateur” program

The Challenge Association: “Groups of individuals who enter voluntarily into a collaboration or agreement to accomplish a purpose” The ORA is largely dependent on volunteer resources to plan, develop and implement these programs and conduct these operations This dependence on volunteers means the ORA cannot reliably access the type of expertise or the quantity it needs to support change or growth

Officiating Development Current Structure Board of Directors VP Communications Past President President VP Finance 6 Regional Directors VP Administration Athlete Representative VP Technical Executive Director Games & Tournaments Membership Services Adult Development Coaching Development Elite Development Sport Development Officiating Development Technical Director Administrator = Executive responsibilities

Reliance on Volunteers Dependent on who is willing to step forward No certainty that the volunteers available will bring the technical or functional skills required for the task at hand Well-intentioned volunteers simply “do the best they can” Volunteers work on ORA business in their spare time Tasks requiring many hours end up spread over weeks of elapsed time Collaborative projects proceed at the pace of the least available member Volunteers tend to focus on personal passions Volunteers have a limited career, often with no succession planning Volunteerism is in decline

The Solution

The “Ringette Ontario” model Move beyond an “association” to a model that enables us to build the resources and capabilities we need to succeed Move functional responsibilities from the volunteer executive board members to specialist staff members Equip the Board of Directors to fulfill a governance or policy role, not an operational role Designate the Executive Director to be the Chief Executive of the organization.

A Corporate Governance Structure Board of Directors Executive Director (CEO) - marketing, promotion, sponsorship, communications Director, Administration - budgets and expenses, administration of policies and programs Technical Director - development of athletes, coaches, officials Admin support Coach Development Elite Development Sport Development Officiating Development Games & Tournaments Membership Services Adult Development

A Governance Board The Board is responsible for Direction and Control, not for management or operations “Nose in, fingers out” Board holds the Executive Director responsible for operating within policy to achieve the organization’s goals Executive Director oversees the staff Breadth of experience on the Board will be more important than deep Ringette experience

The Executive Director The Chief Executive Officer of the organization Responsible for seeing that programs and activities are implemented to achieve the goals and objectives established in agreement with the Board Growth targets, member satisfaction levels, specific events and programs Responsible for recruiting and managing other staff in compliance with budgets and plans approved by the Board Mike Beaton retirement planned for June 2018 New ED recruitment targeted for end of 2017

The Program Committees Source of rich Ringette knowledge and experience Resource to the staff member who has the related functional responsibilities Can help to provide recommendations on policy and on program design Regional co-ordinators will continue to have a role in program delivery at the local association level

Can we afford it? Costs likely amount to less than $10 per member in Year 5 Cost per member would be lower if the new model and marketing initiatives help to increase membership Transition costs Executive search costs for ED recruitment Period of overlap in ED transition Potential staff costs related to search for functional specialists and transition Legal costs related to change in corporate by-laws Some reserve funds available to offset these costs

The Transition Pathway Will not be a straight line! Broaden Board eligibility Job description and ED search Board and new ED develop staffing and transition plan Board and new ED work with legal advisors to revise by-laws, etc.

The Ringette Ontario model We are blessed by the passion and commitment of our volunteers Volunteers cannot take us to where the largest Ringette organization in the world needs to go We need to harness specific functional expertise to become the BEST Ringette organization in the world Ringette Canada, most other provincial Ringette organizations and many other PSO’s have already adopted this model The transition is feasible and affordable The ideal time is now

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