Board Resources

The BC Societies Act governs how societies (not-for-profit corporations) are created and run in BC. Complete information is available HERE.

The BC Societies Act includes guidance on:

• Fundamental Matters in Relation to Societies
• Registered Office and Records
• Finance
• Management
• Members and General Meetings
• Corporation Reorganizations
• Remedies
• Audit
• Liquidation, Dissolution and Restoration
• Extraprovincial Non-Share Corporations
• Special Societies

This documentation is an important place to begin the planning and operations of any local rowing organization Board and Management.

The BC Societies Act dictates that a society must have at least 3 directors and at least one of the directors must be ordinarily resident in British Columbia. Unless the bylaws of a society provide otherwise, the directors may meet at any location, on any notice and in any manner convenient to the directors. The specific positions, and number of positions, is defined in the Constitution and Bylaws of each local rowing organization.

Board Basics:

• Sport Law – Hosting Effective Board Meetings Recording and Powerpoint
• Board Matters Consulting – Roles of a Board Webinar Recording (presented for Rowing BC March 2021)
• Board Matters Consulting – Roles of a Board PowerPoint (presented for Rowing BC March 2021)
• Vantage Point – Board Member Essentials
• CPA Canada – Not-for-Profit Governance Fundamentals: Board Basics of the NFP Director
• CPA Canada – 20 Questions Directors of Not-for-Profit Organizations Should Ask About Recruiting, Developing, Assessing and Renewing Directors
• BoardSource – Checklist of Board Roles and Responsibilities
• BoardSource – What Makes a Good Board Member
• viaSport BC – Role of a Director
• viaSport BC – Why Good Governance
• viaSport BC – Why Good Governance (poster)
• viaSport BC – Governance Terms of Reference
• viaSport BC – Committee General Overview

Sample Role Descriptions:

• Vantage Point – Sample Board Role Descriptions
• Vantage Point – Tool for writing Volunteer Position Descriptions
• Rowing BC – General Role Descriptions in Section 5 of Rowing BC Bylaws (posted November 2019)
• Rowing BC – Detailed Role Descriptions for Director, President and Treasurer (posted August 2020)
• viaSport BC – Club Director at Large Sample Role Description
• viaSport BC – Club President Sample Role Description
• viaSport BC – Club Secretary Sample Role Description
• viaSport BC – Club Treasurer Sample Role Description
• viaSport BC – PSO General Board Member Sample Role Description

The BC Societies Act provides guidance on the designation, election and appointment of directors, as well as necessary qualifications for directors. In addition, the Constitution and Bylaws of each organization will provide specific guidance related to roles and process to fill them.

Board Member Recruitment:

• BoardSource – Taking Action on Board Diversity
• Boardable – Addressing Diversity and Inclusion on Nonprofit Boards
• Vantage Point – The Strategic Approach to Board Recruitment
• Vantage Point – How to Bring On the Right Board
• Rowing BC – Nominating Committee in Section 7 of the Rowing BC Bylaws (posted November 2019)
• Rowing BC – Sample Call for Expressions of Interest Newsletter (posted August 2020)
• viaSport BC – Board Skills Matrix
• viaSport BC – Why Volunteer for a Board
• viaSport BC – Nominations Terms of Reference

For an organization to stay healthy over the long term, it is imperative that succession plans are in place to retain organizational history and the usage of best/promising practices.

Succession Planning:

• Board Matters Consulting – Succession Planning Webinar Recording (presented to Rowing BC April 2021)
• Board Matters Consulting – Succession Planning Webinar PowerPoint (presented to Rowing BC April 2021)
• Boardable – A Nonprofit’s Checklist for Better Board Succession Planning
• Vantage Point – Steps to Organization-Wide Succession Planning
• Volleyball Canada – Succession Planning Resource and Research

The BC Societies Act provides guidance on the designation, election and appointment of directors, as well as necessary qualifications for directors. In addition, the Constitution and Bylaws of each organization will provide specific guidance related to roles and process to fill them.

On-boarding New Board Members:

• BoardSource – What Goes In A Board Manual
• Boardable – 3 Key Skills to Focus On When Training New Board Members
• Boardable – 5 Steps to Onboarding New Board Members
• Boardable – Welcoming New Board Members – Tips for Successful Onboarding
• viaSport BC – Offboarding Knowledge Transition Checklist
• viaSport BC – New Director Checklist
• viaSport BC – New Director Appointment Process
• viaSport BC – Director Onboarding Process
• viaSport BC – Director Interview Guide
• viaSport BC – Director Commitment Letter
• viaSport BC – Director Appointment Letter
• viaSport BC – Conflict of Interest Policy
• viaSport BC – Conflict of Interest Declaration Form

Each Board functions in a unique organizational environment, and the specific factors leading to health and sustainability will look different in each place. It is important that at some stage, the Board is able to take a moment to evaluate themselves and their overall functioning. This could take a variety of forms, some examples are included below:

• Board Matters Consulting – Board Self-Evaluation Webinar Recording – start at 44 min (presented to Rowing BC April 2021)
• Board Matters Consulting – Succession Planning Webinar PowerPoint – start at slide 29 (presented to Rowing BC April 2021)
• BoardSource – 4 W’s and an H of Board Self-Assessment
• BoardSource – 6 Essential Ingredients for Effective Governance
• BoardSource – Understanding the Lifecycle of a Board
• Boardable – Board Evaluations: The Complete Q&A Guide for Nonprofits
• Charity Village – Better Board Kit

All local rowing organizations are required to be in adherence with the Harmonized RCA Safe Sport Policy Suite. This suite of policies covers Safe Sport, as well as replaces most other necessary policies. The complete policies can be found HERE.

To stay in compliance with the Safe Sport Policy Suite, local rowing organizations must:

• Post the Safe Sport policies adopted on the organization’s website (or if it is a club that is not digitized, posted in a public place for all to access and an email/communication to ensure all the membership knows about the posted policies). Policies should be posted publicly, not in a “members only” or limited access section of a website or boathouse.
• Post the Independent Third Party (ITP) posters where applicable that show club participants how to access the ITP if they need to make a complaint. This can be found here. Remember that the policies dictate that the ITP is where all complaints should be directed
• Screen everyone as per the Screening Policy.  This includes the board, staff and volunteers that fit into the provided screening matrix in the appendix. For most roles this includes Application Forms, Criminal Record Checks, Disclosure Forms, and training with the free CAC Safe Sport module. Those forms are in the PRA Safe Sport Lead folder and can be found here.
• Ensure that the Code of Conduct and Image Consent forms are signed. The Image Consent Form is at the end of the Athlete Protection Policy.
• Work with Coaches and other leaders to train and implement the Athlete Protection Policy, including the Rule of Two, and the Social Media Policy. More resources on Rule of Two are within the Safe Sport Leads folder here.

Find out more about Safe Sport HERE.

Fiduciary Duties:

• Vantage Point – Not-for-Profit Financial Systems Checklist
• CPA Canada – A Guide to Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Organizations: Questions for Directors
• BoardSource – Are your financial statements trying to tell you something?
• viaSport BC – Finance Audit Risk Terms of Reference
• viaSport BC – Finance Audit Risk Annual Agenda

Accessing Funding:

• Rowing BC – Funding Opportunities relevant to local rowing organizations
• Canada Summer Jobs Program
• BC Community Gaming Grants

Fundraising:

• BoardSource – 3 Types of Fundraising Campaigns
• BoardSource – Fundraising Communications Toolkit

General Risk Management:

• Rowing Canada Aviron – Safety E-Learning Modules
• Canadian Center for Ethics in Sport – Risk Management Project (posted 2019)

Insurance:

Membership with Rowing BC and Rowing Canada Aviron includes General Liability and Accident Insurance coverage as detailed HERE.

In addition, local rowing organizations should carry property insurance for boats and other equipment. There are a variety of insurance providers who can create these policies. For reference, Rowing BC has relied for many years on SBC Insurance through Sport BC for this purpose. SBC Insurance was specifically founded to support the Amateur Sport Sector in BC, and is the only insurance broker in Canada owned by a non-for-profit. More information can be found HERE.

Rowing BC’s Strategic Planning Process:

Once every four years, Rowing BC follows a six-step process to update the Strategic Plan. Following similar steps as a local rowing organization can ensure there are clear priorities set that will meet member needs.

In 2021, Rowing BC did the preparation to create the 2022-2025 Rowing BC Strategic Plan. The resources below will provide a glimpse into that process as it unfolded.

• Step 1 & 2: Input Collection & Input Consolidation can be viewed in the recorded presentation here which was originally given to Rowing BC’s Board and Staff at a retreat in January 2021.
• Steps 3 & 4: SWOT Analysis and Draft Strategic Plan was shared with the BC rowing community through Step 5: Stakeholder and External Consultation in May 2021.
  • To view the recording of the Zoom session click here.
  • To view the PowerPoint presentation click here.
• Step 6: Release of the finalized Strategic Plan HERE.

Additional Resources:

• BoardSource – 5 Phases of Strategic Planning
• Vantage Point – One Page Strategic Plan
• BoardSource – Mission Statement vs. Vision Statement
• BoardSource – Tips for Developing a Mission Statement
• BoardSource – 9 Characteristics of a Mission Statement
• Vantage Point – Mission-Focused Decision Making
• Vantage Point – Keeping a Focus on Vision and Mission

Written agreements should be in place for staff and volunteer positions associated with each organization. These agreements must ensure alignment with organizational policies, as well as policies of umbrella organizations such as the RCA Every Coach Certified Initiative, or alignment with National Safe Sport policies (see Organizational Policies section earlier on page).

If interested in specific contract examples for coaching or administrative roles within the rowing community, or additional information about common practices for remuneration etc. please contact memberservices@rowingbc.ca.

Compensation:

• viaSport BC – HR Playbook: Compensation

Recruitment: 

• viaSport BC – HR Playbook: Recruitment
• viaSport BC – Sample Interview Guides

Offer Letters and Employment Agreements:

• Vantage Point – Writing Job Descriptions
• viaSport BC – HR Playbook: Offer Letters and Employment Agreements
• viaSport BC – Sample Offer Letter
• viaSport BC – Generic Sample Offer Letter
• viaSport BC – Employment Agreements Guide
• viaSport BC – Existing Staff Full Time
• viaSport BC – Existing Staff Part Time
• viaSport BC – Existing Staff Manager Full Time
• viaSport BC – Existing Staff Manager Part Time
• viaSport BC – Independent Contractor Agreement
• viaSport BC – New Hire Staff Full Time
• viaSport BC – New Hire Staff Part Time
• viaSport BC – New Hire Executive Director Full Time
• viaSport BC – New Hire Manger Full Time
• viaSport BC – New Hire Manager Part Time
• viaSport BC – Volunteer Agreement Committee Member
• viaSport BC – Volunteer Agreement Staff (with language for minors)
• viaSport BC – Volunteer Agreement Board Member

Onboarding: 

• viaSport BC – HR Playbook: Onboarding
• viaSport BC – Onboarding Surveys

Performance Management: 

• viaSport BC – HR Playbook: Performance Management
• viaSport BC – Performance Review Templates
• viaSport BC – Questions Template
• viaSport BC – Performance Scorecard Template
• viaSport BC – Performance Improvement Plan Template

Employee Engagement: 

• viaSport BC – HR Playbook: Employee Engagement
• viaSport BC – Employee Engagement Survey

Terminations and Offboarding: 

• viaSport BC – HR Playbook: Terminations and Offboarding
• viaSport BC – Dissmissal Guidance Document
• viaSport BC – Without Cause Termination Letter
• viaSport BC – Resignation Acceptance Template
• viaSport BC – Release Template
• viaSport BC – Exit Interview Template
• viaSport BC – Complaints Procedure Template

Sample HR Policies: 

• viaSport BC – HR Playbook: Sample HR Policies
• viaSport BC – Sample Interview Guides