52 Fullarton Road, Norwood
PO Box 4040, Norwood South
South Australia 5067
P: 08 8333 5200
F: 08 8333 5210
E: mail@unitcare.com.au

Officers Club: Tools for running body corporates

develop images for meetings, discussion groups, manager relationship, funding, works, disputes




face to face converstaions with fellow officers & experts

blog at http://officersclub.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php

sign up for updates - ask for email address - hwo does this work for mass mailout. Do we have a dedicated email server to deal with or does wordpress have a feature to help.

The Officers Club
A club for the benefit of Chairs, Treasurers and Secretaries of body corporate management committees (BCMC).

Officers Club Objectives
Possible objectives include:

To promote and facilitate cooperation, collaboration, education and mutual support activities to assist members effectively perform their roles and responsibilities as officers of bodies corporate.
To monitor the performance of Strata Managers
To build lists of reliable service providers accessible to unit owners
To be an effective public voice on issues relating to unit owners.
To promote and protect the interests of unit owners.
To represent unit owners to government in the drafting of legislation and regulations affecting the interests of unit owners.

Officers Club Features

3 monthly Networking get-togethers.
Workshops – Roles and responsibilities, effective chairing, minute taking, getting members’ participation, building community.
Online chat room.
Blogs on broad topics and a topic of the month. E.g. Plumbing, legal, fire safety, white ant protection, upgrading your facilities, insurance issues, fences etc
Twitter notifications of new blogs, feedback and requests for information
Iphone and smart phone app access to updates and information
You tube talks and links
Presentations by Gordon and other people of standing and relevance
Blog and website interlinking e.g to the BP Manual and other sites.
Augment BP Manual with links to Blogs.
Q and A opportunities

Ref committee ? Occurs to me that it may be useful to establish an advisory committee for the Officers Club. Those who could id issues & provide some content. This would inc some officers.

Good news stories?

Officers Club Benefits

- Accurate knowledge of their roles and responsibilities.
- Improved ability to effectively and efficiently manage their committee’s business.
- Access to up-to-date and accurate information
- Clarity about processes used by UnitCare
- Opportunities for peer support amongst BCMC Officers
- Reduced risk
- Increased protection against the possibility of legal actions
- Increased cost benefit efficiencies
- Building of community within and across Bodies Corporate

podcasts - round table with experts and well informed unit owners etc - Mac software to edit - tag each converstaion with person's photo - Lindsay has eg of the software

Governance and Ethics
Roles and responsibilities
Strata Plan Interpretation
Administrative Matters
Communications

Reliable service providers

Access to current (and updated) legislation and regulations pertinent to BCMCs

- Roles, responsibilities and rights of BCMC Officers and committees
- An Officers’ “can and can’t do” list
- Access to current (and updated) legislation and regulations pertinent to BCMCs
- Current and emerging issues
- Lists of and recommendation for contractors
- Peer referrals to service providers such as legal, plumbing, cleaning, painting, and electrical services
- Warnings/notices about current issues
- Links to the Best Practice Manual
- Points for contractors dealing with UnitCare clients and vice versa
- Sources of resources
- Techniques, tools and systems.

3 monthly Networking get-togethers.
Workshops – Roles and responsibilities, effective chairing, minute taking, getting members’ participation, building community.
Online chat room.
Blogs on broad topics and a topic of the month. E.g. Plumbing, legal, fire safety, white ant protection, upgrading your facilities, insurance issues, fences etc
Twitter notifications of new blogs, feedback and requests for information
Iphone and smart phone app access to updates and information
You tube talks and links
Presentations by Gordon and other people of standing and relevance
Blog and website interlinking e.g to the BP Manual and other sites.
Augment BP Manual with links to Blogs.
Q and A opportunities

A link to officer training in NSW. may be worth a look.

http://nsw.stratacommunity.org.au/page/education/governance-education-for-executive-committees/

Free Online Executive Committee Training Home . Education . Free Online Executive Committee Training Learn more about your roles and responsibilities as an effective Executive Committee member. A new Education Program is now available to all members of Executive Committees, or those who would like to become one. This course will: Provide a good basis for understanding the roles and responsibilities of being a member of a Strata Executive Committee. Help you in your day to day dealings with your Strata Manager, other Lot Owners and contractors. Make your Executive Committee Role more enjoyable. The training covers the following topics: Governance and Ethics Roles and Responsibilities Strata Plan Interpretation Administrative Matters Communication.

Officers’ Club to support Bodies Corporate
Many Strata and Community Corporations (Bodies Corporate) don’t understand the full extent of their roles and responsibilities.
When matters go well, most Bodies Corporate (or Management Committees) operate effectively and the tasks are not too arduous. However, when difficult issues arise it often falls to one or two people to sort things out. This becomes very time consuming and demanding on a few people.
A recent UnitCare survey discovered that some Body Corporate officers - presiding officers /chairs, treasurers and secretaries - would like to gather with other Bodies Corporate to swap their experiences and knowledge or take part in educational and skill development activities designed to help them to more easily perform their roles.
The Strata Unit Owners Association of South Australia no longer operates, but there is the opportunity to create a new organisation to meet the current needs of Officers of Bodies Corporate. It has been proposed that an Officers’ Club be formed, meeting perhaps 3 times a year for seminars, workshops or information and skills development sessions with activities to be decided by members.
Officers Club Objectives
Possible objectives include:

To promote and facilitate cooperation, collaboration, education and mutual support activities to assist members effectively perform their roles and responsibilities as officers of bodies corporate.
To monitor the performance of Strata Managers
To build lists of reliable service providers accessible to unit owners
To be an effective public voice on issues relating to unit owners.
To promote and protect the interests of unit owners.
To represent unit owners to government in the drafting of legislation and regulations affecting the interests of unit owners.

February workshop
An initial workshop will be held in February 2012. We will discuss and take action to form an organisation with activities to meet the needs of officers of Bodies Corporate.
If you would like further information or would like to comment on the sort of activities that would interest you, email me at: lcholmes@meetingsuccess.org
We will keep you informed.
Lindsay Holmes
Meeting Success
www.meetingsuccess.org

Outcomes sought

For UnitCare Clients and BCMC Officers:
BCMC Officers have:
- Accurate knowledge of their roles and responsibilities.
- Improved ability to effectively and efficiently manage their committee’s business.
- Access to up-to-date and accurate information
- Clarity about processes used by UnitCare
- Opportunities for peer support amongst BCMC Officers
- Reduced risk
- Increased protection against the possibility of legal actions
- Increased cost benefit efficiencies
- Building of community within and across Bodies Corporate

For UnitCare:
- Officers of bodies corporate managed by UnitCare are informed of their roles and responsibilities and able to take effective and efficient action more independently.
- A system that empowers clients to take action confidently, and with gravitas, transparency and authority.
- A reduced need for UnitCare staff to take action to remedy matters able to be handled by BCMC officers.
- Increased cost benefit efficiencies for staff time
- Prospective new customers see the added value of using UnitCare services.

Information that may be provided via the Officers’ Club
- Roles, responsibilities and rights of BCMC Officers and committees
- An Officers’ “can and can’t do” list
- Access to current (and updated) legislation and regulations pertinent to BCMCs
- Current and emerging issues
- Lists of and recommendation for contractors
- Peer referrals to service providers such as legal, plumbing, cleaning, painting, and electrical services
- Warnings/notices about current issues
- Links to the Best Practice Manual
- Points for contractors dealing with UnitCare clients and vice versa
- Sources of resources
- Techniques, tools and systems.

Possible Officers Club processes and systems

3 monthly Networking get-togethers.
Workshops – Roles and responsibilities, effective chairing, minute taking, getting members’ participation, building community.
Online chat room.
Blogs on broad topics and a topic of the month. E.g. Plumbing, legal, fire safety, white ant protection, upgrading your facilities, insurance issues, fences etc
Twitter notifications of new blogs, feedback and requests for information
Iphone and smart phone app access to updates and information
You tube talks and links
Presentations by Gordon and other people of standing and relevance
Blog and website interlinking e.g to the BP Manual and other sites.
Augment BP Manual with links to Blogs.
Q and A opportunities

Issue of moderation of chat rooms needs further work.

Membership
Open only to UnitCare clients or any BCMC member who is prepared to pay?

Sign up system

Subscribe via the website.
Notice placed on website and emailed to UnitCare clients?

Need list of clients email addresses.
Membership fee?

A small annual fee charged to the individual offer who receives an invoice for the amount to be refunded by the BCMC.
Gives access to face-to-face workshops and Officers Club members pages on the website.
How much? Suggested $30 p.a. for UnitCare clients (access for 3 officers) and $100 for non UnitCare clients.

Marketing and Notification of the Officers Club.
Initially ascertain interest by phone calls to 20 current clients.
Place a notice and EOI link on the UnitCare website.
Gordon to provide phone numbers to LH.
Lindsay to prepare phone survey script.

Costs of establishing and running Officers Club