then the divi paid doesnt tally but either way a better explanation of this income and expenditure should be given, even if the income source is a historical matter.
What does a development officer actually do- yes, I have read the job description but unless they get access to the details of everyone who signed up for a beginners course and then didnt bother taking up archery afterwards there is nothing to do that is actually related to the current membership but we are the ones paying..
Does it mean clubs will be told what to do rather than being asked what it is that a central organisation can do to help them retain interest?
My county association is led by a person who has given a lot to archery but receives little support. Some of the others involved struggle to make an impact and one or two seem to put off people wanting to advance or volunteer but no-one is brave enough to say anything adverse because it seems that you can only fill dead men's shoes rather than offer to help so everyone keeps their heads down..
At a club level it is difficult to motivate people to do anything other than what they do every week so that puts the county organisation at a disadvantage so the Development Officer wont actually get a picture of how things really are nor genuine potential rather than a theoreticel "we have these facilities therefore we can do x"
I cnat see clubs volunteering to widely circulate their current financial position either, those that have money in the bank will be worried they will be pressured to fund others activities and thsoe that are nearly broke may well lose members to nearby clubs whose position is more certain.
This is the bumf the new RDO for the Northern Counties sent with her letter to introduction:-
“
What is a Regional Development Officer (RDO)?
A RDO’s role is to help improve the offer of archery in the region through collaborative working with regional and county associations, clubs and other organisations or partners such as schools and local authorities. Partnerships with regions aim to help align priorities and improve the offer of archery for all in that area.
For the remainder of 2021, the main focus will be to facilitate restarting and rebuilding archery back and where possible, for the sport to be even stronger and healthier than before COVID. From then on, the future is open to identify joint priorities.
What might a Regional Development Officer help with?
• Workforce training – Providing information about opportunities for recruitment, training, and development of all volunteer roles including coaches, judges, safeguarding officers etc
• Planning for the future – Providing guidance on how to invest in the future, prioritisation, sustainability and future proofing
• Committee support – working through ideas, plans, goals, and troubleshooting difficulties
• ontarget – empowering clubs to reach their goals through the ontarget club development
programme, growing healthy clubs through the process
• Funding support – help locating funding, funding advice, providing backing for applications,
and checking applications before submission
• Competitions – supporting wherever possible, in preparations or being present at the event
• Facilities – Discussions and advice over how to improve facilities, working with partners and
aiding in locating new facilities when necessary
• Sharing Information – Promoting national initiatives and sharing good practice, that match
needs and aspirations, such as the Big Weekend, Volunteer Campaign, Learning Curve and other new projects. Sharing data and insight to help bring about progress through digital transformation
• Community engagement – ideas on how to engage with your local community to promote archery, recruit volunteers, increase membership and target different types of members e.g. juniors or women and girls
• Signposting to specialists and other areas of support or information.”
And this is part of her covering letter:
“
I have worked for Archery GB since 2012 working in Performance (Para and able bodied), Talent and competitions alongside additional project based work for the organisation. Please find attached more information around the support I can offer, but as this role is to help you and your club, please feel free to ask any questions and I will do my utmost to help.
Gayle Pink is Regional Lead for NCAS and the Midlands and we have discussed our roles and the support we can provide with the regional committee, who are on board. Through collaborative working we hope we can support archery to flourish in the region.
Helping clubs to re-open and rebuild is our top priority right now and a survey has been sent to all clubs, to find out more about their current and future club status. I have added the link below just in case you haven’t seen the survey. We would appreciate it if you could fill in the survey so we are able to help all clubs and provide follow up support where required.
I have also provided some information below about a couple of our initiatives, in case they are of interest.
The Big Reopening - 7-9 May
The aim is to reconnect with all of your members and to remind them, why they love archery. There is an
Expression of Interest Form link, please could you complete the form, to let us know your clubs own approach to the ‘Big Reopening’ weekend.
All clubs and groups are encouraged to take part and can choose which activities are right for them, and in accordance with government guidance. A support pack with information and ideas will be made available once you have completed the expression of interest form.
The Big Weekend - 9-11 July
Later in the year than usual, this weekend ties nicely in just before the Tokyo Games, and gives us the opportunity to join together to showcase our sport to the general public. How can your club best welcome new members to try archery?
Join hundreds of other clubs or County organisations start to plan to invite beginners to try the sport. We know we will all need to be flexible around the guidance this summer, but let us know you are hoping to run a Big Weekend, and we will support you to connect with your local community.
I hope you will find my new position as Regional Development Officer, of some use to you and your club, please don’t hesitate to contact me, my role is here to help and support.”
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Personally speaking it all seems a bit unnecessary though I suppose AGB thinks it has to appear to be doing something, even if it actually amounts to b*gger all and at an additional expense.