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A Director’s Perspective on NCA: Bringing it All Together

As a long time member of Canterbury Golf Club, where I’ve also served on the board and as the Chair on the House Committee and Green Committee, I’ve been able to see the kind of work that goes into keeping a club running.  Managers, board members, committees, staff and club members all contribute to creating a successful, thriving club environment. While this concerted effort ultimately equals much more than the sum of its parts, getting all of the various contributing groups on the same page can be another matter entirely.

With all of these different perspectives in the mix, coordinating it all can be a daunting task that usually falls to the club’s general manager. The GM is often put in the challenging position of bringing together a group of people with different perspectives and priorities, all of whom have the club’s best interests at heart, but many of whom may not appreciate all of the issues involved in club decision-making.  Getting everyone on the same page sometimes seems like it requires intervention from a higher power. Enter the National Club Association.

Resources for the Board

Just as club members demonstrate their commitment to a club’s success by volunteering, clubs should also dedicate themselves to giving their volunteers the tools they need to succeed. NCA membership is one of the most important tools for club leaders.  NCA provides the latest and most relevant information to help bridge the gap between the various points of view within a club structure and provides a clear guide on how to run a club from both the bottom up and top down. Having an organization to go to with questions that can serve as the final word and best source for information on any given issue is a godsend. It can help club leaders reconcile differing ideas and disputes or provide a frame of reference to lay the groundwork for numerous issues.

Board members have varying experiences and opinions, and often have very different ideas about how things should be done.  Some focus on the experience of being a club member to help form their views, while others draw on their experiences in running small businesses.  NCA helps provide perspective on the issues most pertinent to private clubs, and helps put board members on the same page with a vast array of educational resources, including information on governance and board member responsibilities.

Based on my perspectives and experience as a director of NCA, and having served in a governance role at my club, I know how valuable NCA membership can be to clubs. Many clubs don’t have the resources to research every topic or follow every issue related to our industry. That’s why I look to NCA for answers.

One of the most valuable NCA resources I turn to is the Club Director Reference Series, a set of technical publications that serve as the club industry’s most trusted source for tax, privacy, legal, financial, and policy information. This resource provides models on how to establish bylaws and rules for clubs, golf course rules, committee and membership guidelines, and membership admissions policies successfully implemented at numerous private clubs nationwide. 

Other invaluable tools for any club director include The Legal Reference Guide for Private Clubs, the definitive sources for tax, privacy, legal, financial and policy information (full disclosure: I wrote the chapter on environmental law) and Club Governance Guidelines, the best book on governance issues and effective ways that club managers and boards can apply nonprofit best practices. Through these publications, club leaders gain a better understanding of the fiduciary responsibilities of serving as a director, and the club’s compliance in areas of finance, privacy and private status.

NCA is the best source for information on the nuts and bolts of private club governance and operations, while integrating the diverse viewpoints of those involved in club management. If conflicts arise, NCA enables club leaders to have a clear point of reference and a definite authority to look to for not only standard practices, but for the very best ways to deal with almost any situation that arises.

Resources for Staff

General managers focus on operations and staff planning, performance and coordination. However, as volunteers and members become more involved, the general managers often play a role in policy development discussions, coordination of committee work, and strategic planning and risk assessment. The GM’s main goal is to keep the club running smoothly. NCA has extensive information on operations, including guides and best practices for managing different areas of operations. Tools NCA offer range from Disaster Planning & Recovery and Membership Marketing to the annual Trends & Issues: A Private Club Perspective, which highlights the latest information and trends to keep club leaders ahead of the curve in the ever-changing economy, population demographics, consumer spending, food and beverage operations and golf, fitness and leisure activities.

NCA also presents educational programs, hosts conferences and keeps everyone involved in club administration—from board members to general managers—informed on the latest issues, trends and best practices needed to keep a club running smoothly. Publications such as Club Director magazine provide, business, legal, legislative, policy and trend information for professional and volunteer private club leaders. Club Director’s analysis-oriented features help management teams make policy decisions that support member service. 

NCA also guides clubs through some of the more difficult processes, such as human resource management, governance and private and tax-exempt status issues. NCA also provides information on the various legal issues that club leaders have to deal with on a daily basis, acting as an expert on the subject—always there to answer questions via phone or e-mail and help bring everyone up to speed.


Advocacy for the Club Industry

With regard to legal, regulatory and legislative issues, NCA is the primary source for a club to understand the nuances of the laws and regulations affecting the private club industry. Even with a membership chock-full of attorneys, clubs can rely on NCA for advocacy and answers to the questions that arise from issues about privacy, tax-exempt status and the ever-growing regulations and laws affecting private clubs.

Board members and general managers usually have neither the time nor the inclination to track every piece of legislation or new regulation that comes out of Washington, let alone the desire to spend hours attempting to figure out what it all means. NCA provides constant updates on the most relevant laws and regulations affecting the industry—clearly explaining how they relate to clubs and what club leaders need to do to ensure that their clubs comply.

When I served as a club director, I wish I had some of the resources available today, such as the weekly National Club Association SmartBrief, the Washington Weekly Update, which keeps members informed of the latest updates on the Hill, and “Laws & Regs” in the newly revamped monthly NCA CONNECT, which details legislation, regulations and legal issues—both national and state—that could impact private clubs.  The new NCA website, in addition to offering expanded resources, also provides board members and managers with the tools they need to make themselves heard on advocacy issues.

NCA serves as a guidepost for the future of private clubs, making sure clubs are ready to deal with the major issues facing the industry today.  NCA has been an invaluable resource to me, and future members can look forward to even more of the stalwart advice and insightful analysis of which I’ve had the benefit for all these years.

Michael L. Hardy, Esq., is a partner with Thompson Hine, based in Cleveland, Ohio, whose primary focus is environmental law.  He is a member of the Union Club of Cleveland, a member of the Canterbury Golf Club in Cleveland and a member of the Club at Key Center. He currently serves as Chairman of NCA.

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