Women’s traditional role in society has been evolving for decades, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost 40 percent of working wives now earn more than their husbands. Women began graduating from college in greater numbers than men in 1985 and a recent article in USA Today confirms women now complete 57 percent of Bachelor’s degrees and 60 percent of Master’s degrees. What naturally follows advanced education and professional achievement is an increase in spending power for women. Nielsen confirms that total purchasing power for women in America is growing, and is estimated to range anywhere from $5 trillion to $15 trillion annually. So, what impact has this professional and economic evolution had on women’s roles in membership, management and governance in private clubs? Are women the key to unlocking a successful and vibrant future for the private club industry?
Industry experts reflecting more than 200 years of total experience in private clubs were interviewed about how clubs are increasing women’s involvement in all facets of club life. They offered insights and best practices resulting from their own clubs’ evolution to greater women’s participation. Those interviewed were sought out because of their proven track records in leading successful clubs. They represent club directors, club managers and consultants from member-owned to corporately owned private clubs. They were asked about women serving in prominent roles in their clubs, what impact this has had on their club, and what clubs in general need to do to demonstrate that private clubs are relevant to women today.
BOARD SERVICE (ARE MORE WOMEN SERVING IN PROMINENT ROLES?)
In the private club industry, a 2012 survey conducted by the National Club Association (NCA) showed that 60 percent of private clubs who responded had one or more women on their governing boards, indicating that the club industry as a whole is embracing women serving on boards.
NCA recently undertook a major research project to examine the forces shaping the private club industry in order to develop an informed view of how private clubs are likely to evolve over the next 5–10 years. Not surprisingly, a key prediction by industry experts held that, “Club culture will need to reflect the advances women are making in their professional lives, while also addressing their desire for family activities.” An industry-wide survey shows that 91 percent of survey respondents believe more women will emerge in club leadership roles.
Donna Coyne, president of Club Mark Corporation, has been in the private club industry for 28 years and sees a trend toward more female participation. “Women are becoming much more involved in private clubs as prominent members serving on committees and even as presidents in governance roles. As employees, the growth of women in GM roles, as well as membership professionals, is experiencing expansion far beyond one would have thought 20 years ago.”
COMMITTEE AND BOARD SERVICE
Many clubs have made adding women to their boards an evolutionary, rather than a revolutionary, process. Often, they begin by inviting women to serve as leaders on club committees. Janine Budzius, general manager of the Philadelphia Country Club, believes that this development process allows women to become knowledgeable about club governance and comfortable dealing with important issues, preparing them for board service down the line. The Philadelphia Country Club board currently has 17 women serving on its six standing committees alongside 26 men. According to Budzius, in order for women to have a voice in their club, they must first be welcomed into meaningful roles within the club.
One club has taken an untraditional approach to increasing the number of qualified women to serve on its board. The Thornblade Club in Greer, S.C., changed their bylaws to allow for spouses of members to serve on the club’s board of governors. Says GM Patricia Calder, “Women can be members themselves, but most of the memberships are in the husbands’ names. This [bylaws change] allows us to have a bigger pool of very qualified women to draw from for the board. And, we did elect one of these very qualified women this year.”
Some clubs like Somerset Hills Country Club, established in 1899 in Bernardsville, N.J., have been open to female membership and participation in club governance and leadership from the very beginning. Somerset Hills hired a female general manager more than twenty years ago. Liz Fitz-Grant, the club’s general manager today, believes that there is a distinct advantage to a club having a female manager. “Women can relate and connect more quickly to a female GM and are more likely to share their opinions with and feel acknowledged by another woman,” says Fitz-Grant. The club’s board of governors also has female members, and she is convinced it “indicates a balance of power at the club, as well as an indication that women’s opinions are valued.”
Merion Golf Club General Manager Christine Pooler echoes the value of having a voice. “When women members who are participating in their club [by serving on boards and committees] are willing to voice their opinions, the benefits are positive for the club and the membership. In my experience, women have a different perspective from men.”
The trend of more women serving in leadership roles has progressed over time, just as women’s roles in the home and workplace have evolved. According to Terra Waldron, CCM, CCE, vice president & COO of Desert Highlands Association (DHA), “Many women of a former generation generally preferred to work quietly out of the limelight. More women are now participating in the overall club experience and are more heavily involved in club leadership roles. Emerging female leaders bring an understanding of business from their corporate experiences and from the perspective of mothers, wives and partners (from their homes) to club member life, just as men do.”
Waldron also sees the value of dual perspectives on a board: “Women see things differently, which is neither better nor worse, than men see them. It is the combination of viewpoints equally measured and considered that helps the club most.”
SERVING AS THE CLUB LEADER
Women are not only serving on committees and boards in increasing numbers, but also in top leadership positions. This spring, the Pensacola, Fla. maritime community witnessed four female commodores in area yacht clubs. Susan McKinnon is the first female commodore in Pensacola Yacht Club’s 105-year history. In an interview with the Pensacola News Journal, McKinnon says, “For a woman aspiring to become commodore, she should immerse herself in club activities. The more involved one becomes, the greater the exposure to membership. Familiarization of the process to acquire a leadership position within the club is crucial. It’s a natural progression.”
A case in point would be the Union League of Philadelphia, where Joan Carter became the 67th president and the first woman to hold the post in the club’s 146-year history. In 1986, Carter was one of the first five female members admitted to the club. When she became board chair, she had not only been a respected, tenured club member of 24 years, but also a successful businessperson own right. As former chairman of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and owner of more than 40 businesses, she brought a wealth of talent and experience to the club. As one member put it, she became the president “not because she’s a lady but because she’s the best possible person for the job.” (See sidebar interview with Carter on page 17.)
Having interested and qualified women serving on committees and boards is also important at Desert Highlands Association (DHA), a private club with a home owners association in Scottsdale, Ariz. Waldron believes DHA is a bit ahead of the trends as compared to the industry at large: The DHA board’s senior vice president, who is the president elect, as well as a retired superior court judge, is female. There are also numerous other women who have served on the board over many years.
WOMEN IN CLUB MANAGEMENT
Women are continuing to rise in club management just as they become more prominent in the business world. According to a 2011 CMAA operating study conducted by Club Benchmarking, eight percent of the 493 clubs they surveyed had a female general manager. Waldron has witnessed the progression of women in DHA administrative hierarchy in key roles, including VP/COO, CFO, HR director, marketing director, property manager and professional golf instructor. “These women continue to flourish in their respective positions,” she believes, “not so much because they are women, but because they are consummate professionals, and each was selected on her merits and skills, not by gender.”
Former DHA President Steven M. Singer remarked, “I believe that some prospective members recognize and appreciate the fact that DHA does have a female COO. It sends a message (albeit subtle) that we value change and appreciate that competency in club management (and other club functions) is not gender dependent and that we value the fact that we are progressive and reflect what is happening ‘outside our walls.’”
One club that’s effectively mirroring what’s happening outside the walls of the club is the Philadelphia Country Club. The club has precisely equal female representation in club management: half of the 14-executive management team is women. Educational opportunities are one way to assure continued growth for club managers according to Budzius, “The club provides significant resources for all managers to continue their education, training and association memberships so that each of their careers can continue to progress.”
DO DIFFERENT KINDS OF CLUBS OFFER DIFFERENT BENEFITS TO WOMEN?
Next, we sought to learn if there are differences in what women want from membership at a city club versus a country club. For perspective, we spoke with Joan Carter, the past president of the Union League in Philadelphia, and Barbara Carr, the current president of Jupiter Island Club in Hobe Sound, Fla. National Club Association President & CEO Susanne R. Wegrzyn also weighed in on whether there are variations in terms of programs and activities targeting women.
“We expected to see a desire for more family-focused activities and female-oriented amenities at a country club,” said Wegrzyn. “What we found is that both women feel clubs today are gender-blind and there is significant openness to accommodating women and families in both city clubs and country clubs.” Learn more from Carter and Carr on pages 17 and 18.
Carter did emphasize the importance of family activities in attracting women to the city club, while Carr suggested that women and men should be appealed to for the same reasons. Wegrzyn is also a former president of the University Club of Washington, D.C. During her tenure on the board, several opportunities arose that suggested women prefer not to be treated differently. She described a series of focus group interviews in which women members indicated that they joined the club for the same reasons as men. They were not expecting specific events or services designed for women only.
“While there will always be niche interests, or ‘clubs within a club’ that may appeal more to one gender or another, overall women want the same social benefits as men do from their club experience,” said Wegrzyn.
Those social benefits now include a meaningful place to spend time with family, and both men and women today are making this a priority. Just as women are expanding their role in the professional world by serving as top executives, starting their own companies, and leading boardrooms, men are playing a greater role at home. There’s been a clear trend toward men wanting greater work/life balance and participation in child rearing, especially among the affluent.
The amount of time parents spend with their children continues to go up. Fathers have nearly tripled their time spent with children since 1965, according to a 2013 Pew Research report, entitled “Modern Parenthood,” which demonstrates that the roles of mothers and fathers are converging. The report draws from a Pew survey of American adults and data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s “American Time Use Survey.” Findings show that 56 percent of mothers and 50 percent of fathers say juggling work and family life is difficult. Additionally, 23 percent of moms say they don’t spend enough time with their children and 46 percent of the men feel the same way.
Attitudes are without a doubt changing and clubs are poised to serve as a solution for busy families to spend time together. In sum, women feel they become club members for the same reasons as men, and those reasons have now expanded to include family programming as a priority.
WHAT ATTRACTS WOMEN?
In sum, it appears women are looking for value in terms of time and expenditure as well as an effort to involve all family members, including children, in club programs and activities.
“I think that now, more than ever, women have a stronger voice in the family’s club membership decision. I think that women are looking for clubs that are making a significant effort to attract, engage and retain women from dual income families, “ says Janine Budzius of the Philadelphia Country Club. “Women are looking for the ‘total package’ of club amenities, which will benefit all family members participating in the club experience.”
Terra Waldron of the Desert Highlands Association has experienced this decision-making firsthand. “A woman toured our Desert Highlands Club, bought a home and membership, and then texted her husband telling him she had made the investment.”
But the benefits of engaging women are not just about the membership purchasing decisions. Waldron professes that club leaders benefit from hearing wide and diverse perspectives when weighing priorities in programs and capital expenditures. She says that women serving on the board and on committees at DHA “have provided a voice that has been respected and heard with a definite impact on the development of the club’s initiatives and programs.”
DHA Attorney Alan Kaufman stated, “Women have made a notable positive impact. Not only do these women bring professional success achieved in sometimes difficult circumstances that make them more experienced and ‘battle tested’ but, in my experience, their personal philosophies are often more oriented toward creating effective organizational teams and groups and less toward competitive turf wars and defensive in-fighting.”
Says Waldron, “Women tend to search for indications that the club understands and respects women, and women are highly effective at promoting programs.” They even have an eye for reviving activities and programs that are lagging behind. Additionally, Waldron says, “they have been known to promote membership to their friends, who have also subsequently purchased within DHA.”
The National Club Association has closely monitored and reported on trends related to women and financial decisions. According to TIME magazine, women are the primary financial decision makers in most households, making 85 percent of all household-buying decisions. Other sources, such as McGladrey’s “Florida Trends in Private Clubs,” confirm this also holds true in the private club industry, with women having a significant say in decisions to join private clubs.
Janine Budzius says, “Women not only have an increasing voice in the family finances but, despite their busy careers, they also continue to control the family calendar, the allotment of time and the selection of venue for the various activities of the day.”
Women in leadership roles within private clubs not only send a positive signal to women that there is a balance of power in the club, but also demonstrate that women’s opinions are valued and encouraged. According to many of those interviewed, women’s influence in family and women-friendly programming, healthier menu items, greater merchandise selections in the golf pro shop and even day care offerings have resulted from clubs hearing and acting upon women’s input.
WHAT MESSAGES SHOULD CLUBS SEND TO WOMEN?
We asked a number of women from the club industry what primary messages clubs should be sending to be successful in recruiting, retaining and utilizing female members. Answers ranged from addressing alternative programming for families and offering strong women’s golf programs to being inclusive in club governance and truly listening to women’s concerns about time constraints.
Waldron feels clubs should recognize and be respectful of all parties involved in the decision to join a club, while also acknowledging that women have a strong voice in the decision-making process. She says, “In the previous club generation, women were generally the quieter club members. However, the emerging profile of a club member today includes professional women who now have the financial resources to experience what men have for years.”
In looking at tangible steps clubs have taken, Waldron feels they have slowly chipped away at, or removed, all barriers to promote equal tee times, discontinue segregated dining rooms, and look to women for their insightful contributions on committees and boards.
“Our messages should reflect the profile of the members we are seeking, thereby positioning clubs as forward-thinking, exceptional business models with social and athletic-oriented experience offerings and an array of services that women, as well as men, find attractive,” says Waldron.
“Successful modern and contemporary clubs need to expand traditional offerings to include a broader range of amenities and facilities of interest to all potential members, regardless of gender, when evaluating current and future programs, services and capital plans,” she continued.
Desert Highlands Association tries to live up to the motto, “excellence doesn’t take a day off,” by appealing to both female and male members by virtue of a strong financial model, a formal strategic plan, a master plan and an excellent governance model; all of which are continually evaluated in order to appeal to ongoing trends.
“We should not lose sight of our professionalism to be indiscriminant,” Waldron added. “My success has been that I’ve never deviated from my core belief that it’s the profession I have focused on, and not that of being a woman.”
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
Those interviewed believe there is an obvious transformation taking place within the private club industry fueled by the overall acceptance, involvement and increase of women at all levels—on boards, committees, in club management and most importantly, within the membership rosters themselves. Research done by Catalyst, a group focused on women’s advancement to senior leadership, discovered that Fortune 500 companies with more women directors, on average, outperform those with fewer women board members on a range of financial indicators. Clearly, the successful clubs of the future will be those that reflect women leadership, not just on their boards, but in all facets of the club.
Clubs like the Union League Club and Jupiter Island Club are demonstrating success comes from an evolutionary, not a revolutionary process.
Kathy O’Neal, senior vice president of member experience at ClubCorp, has been in the club industry for more than 25 years. She is a published author, trainer and speaker and serves on the national board of the Executive Women’s Golf Association. She was the first woman invited by the Chinese Club Managers Association to present at their Club Business Management Institute in 2009 and 2010. She can be reached at [email protected].
SIDEBAR: JOAN CARTER – THE CITY CLUB PERSPECTIVE
By Laura Hayes
The Union League of Philadelphia recently celebrated its 150th birthday. In 2010, they celebrated for a different reason: The club had elected its very first woman to serve as president. Joan Carter, a prominent businesswoman with an entrepreneurial spirit, was also one of the first five women admitted to the club in 1986. Under her presidency, the Union League achieved the honor of being ranked the number one Platinum Club in the country.
Carter was pleasantly surprised to have been elected president and is confident that she was elected because of her professional background. She is co-founder and President of UM Holdings Ltd., a private company that has owned and operated a wide variety of businesses since its inception in 1973. UM Holdings Ltd. currently owns Cybex International, a manufacturer of commercial fitness equipment that manufactures in the USA and sells globally. She also served as chairwoman of the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
While she believes her expertise landed her the presidency, she was still surprised by the reaction she received. “I cannot tell you the number women who came up to me and said, you’ve really made us feel proud,” explained Carter. “We have arrived, they said.” She continued, “I had a lot of women coming in as new members who said it’s not that they wouldn’t have joined with a male president, but it alerted their radar when they found out the club had a female president. It changed their vision of the Union League.”
Carter feels, as a whole, private clubs are starting to reflect the change in women’s roles in general. The Union League, which first allowed women members 27 years ago, is now about 15-20 percent women, according to Carter, who adds that the club is taking in new women members at the rate of about 40 percent. “I think there should be a source of pride with women in general to see that clubs are now truly gender-blind,” she said.
“I think that this reflects the business community of today,” said Carter. “Free enterprise is one of the founding pillars of the club. As women get more involved in free enterprise, they find clubs like the Union League meet their needs.”
Given this evolving role of women in society and in clubs, Carter asks, isn’t it time we stop thinking of women as a “category” of the population? “Women are far less of a constituency than they were 20 years ago,” said Carter. “We should instead ask if an individual is in the business sector or the non-profit sector, as opposed to gender related questions.” Here, she added, that the Union League has been very fortunate to have a general manager who sees eye to eye on women’s role within the club, “Jeff McFadden is very cognizant of appealing to constituencies. He’s one of those men who are able to say, I’m not looking at a gender here; I’m looking at life interests.”
She went on to emphatically state that she believes women have reached equality in the workplace and in social settings such as a club. “Women have become the pillars holding up many organizations. It used to be that the CEO was always a man, while a woman headed up the auxiliary. This just isn’t true anymore, especially if you look at nonprofit institutions.” Women are being heard in private clubs, and Carter believes one of the biggest marks they’ve made is a push for more family programming. City and country clubs are offering ways for families to spend more time together, especially given the limited amount of leisure time busy Americans have today. A savvy businesswoman, Carter adds “as times get tight, a member is less likely to drop their membership if all family members have a stake in it.”
The Union League’s approach to family programming goes beyond merely accepting children on the premises. They offer family scavenger hunts and holiday parties, and are always thinking of how to engage all three generations of a family.
While Carter feels that her presidency was groundbreaking in Philadelphia, she doesn’t necessarily predict that city clubs of the future will be an even split of 50 percent men and 50 percent women, which, she explains, is the case more for biological reasons rather than societal ones. She does predict however that more and more women will continue to join clubs, giving the club world a boost. This extends to couples and women joining solo, a trend she has already started to see with junior members.
Carter looks back at her presidency with great fondness and pride. One could argue that she represents precisely her definition of good leadership: “Leadership means being able to inspire people to follow you. It’s about the ability to communicate your vision, inspire respect and motivate people.”
SIDEBAR: BARBARA CARR – THE COUNTRY CLUB PERSPECTIVE
By Laura Hayes
What makes a strong leader? Barbara Carr, president of Jupiter Island Club in Florida would tell you that a leader puts processes in place, is a skillful communicator and makes decisions based on shared goals rather than individual preferences. Carr fits the bill as someone poised to speak about leadership: She served as the president and chief executive officer of the Chicago Botanic Garden for more than a decade, and before that she served as president of the Lincoln Park Zoological Society.
She is now taking on a different form of leadership, serving as a club president for the first time. “Being president of a club is very different from anything I’ve done in the past,” said Carr. She continued, “A club is staff- driven, member-driven and board-driven. The ability to communicate complex and difficult decisions to large groups of people has been a fundamental quality.”
Carr is confident that her professional background was what landed her a spot on the board and later, the presidency. “The club wanted someone at the helm who brought experience managing large construction projects and who had experience in long-range planning of a multi-acre site,” she explained. “We knew we were approaching building projects, and my experience with large building programs undoubtedly helped make the group who put me in presidency comfortable.”
While at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Carr led a 10-year master plan and launched a capital campaign that saw 15,000 donors contribute $148 million. This drive led to construction and renovation of eight new gardens and the restoration of nearly six miles of shoreline.
Like Joan Carter (above), Carr received a warm response to being elected. Women at the club were pleased to feel represented. Carr feels that “Women are a terrific resource, a recently discovered resource, to take on tasks and leadership roles at levels that they weren’t thought of in the past.”
Carr described Jupiter Island Club as very open to women, and couldn’t name a single committee without female representation.
“I think every time a woman is successful, whether in leading a committee, taking on an ad hoc task, being a part of a working group in a club, or taking on an officer role, it makes it easier to look forward to the future when we no longer have to talk about the role of women in clubs,” said Carr.
Her view on the evolving role of women in clubs reflects this notion that women have arrived, much like Joan Carter’s assessment. “The role of women in private clubs today reflects the role of women in business and society today. Women have become very competent in being professionals and leaders,” said Carr. She continued, “It means that a world that was once dominated by men, such as the club world, has slowly but surely begun to open up to women as well.”
Clubs have decisions to make when it comes to wooing women members. Do they develop programs and facilities that specifically cater to women? Or, do they target women and men similarly and assume female members prefer to be treated no differently than their male counterparts? Carr would say it’s more about the here and now, not men versus women.
“I believe that a club’s offerings will always be a changing menu of what’s hot and what’s not,” she said. “Clubs should make sure that they’re offering activities that advance fellowship, providing a meeting place for new potential friends and are quick at picking up on trends outside of the club world and interpreting them within the club. It’s more about what’s trendy than what women want.”
As far as the future, Carr echoes her earlier sentiments that the role of women in private clubs will continue to mirror the advancements women make in society. “I don’t see any signs that would make me believe that it would be wise for a club not to continue to include women in governance, to take advantage of the professional skills a great many women have today,” she added.
It can be said generally, that women have specific skills that can sometimes set them apart as leaders, including listening abilities and conflict resolution. In closing Carr touched on this point: “Being in a leadership role of a club is one of the most interesting and challenging activities that I’ve ever taken on. I have found that it’s extremely important to be a good listener as well as a good leader. It’s terribly important to remember to represent all of the interests of the membership of the club, not just the vocal ones. I think this is a point of view that has evolved from being a woman.”