Volunteering
Introduction
Many boat clubs expect and enforce a degree of members' contribution of effort as a condition of membership. RABC does not currently take that approach, leaving it to the goodwill of members. However, if not enough members contribute voluntarily then that approach may need to change.
Here are some ways that you, as a Member - particularly boat-owning members - can help.
The General Committee
The General Committee ('Committee') consist of 6 Officers plus up to 4 Members who are appointed annually at the AGM to manage the Club. Any Club Member may put themselves forward in advance of the AGM. If additional posts are required then the Committee may co-opt Members to fill vacancies. Membership involves attending the monthly meetings (held in Alnmouth) as often as possible.
Working Groups
Reporting to the committee are several sub-committees known as Working Groups, usually consisting of at least one Committee member plus two or three volunteer Members who meet in person, physically or virtually, from time to time. There is no need to attend Committee meetings so this is less of a commitment than being a Committee member. These Groups currently include:
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Events
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Moorings
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Boat Park
and more may be created as required.
Race Officials
Plan, coordinate and record the results of Club boat races. Usually fortnightly on Sunday afternoons.
Club Event Helpers
Some further roles are ad hoc such as helping with Club events. This covers everything from marshalling, surveying, admin and catering for public events (such as Volcano Night and the Regatta), skippering your own boat for others (e.g. for Push The Boat Out), making and serving cakes and teas for fund raising events (e.g. RNLI fundraising) to grass strimming, hedge trimming and the moving of boats (e.g. biannual Boat Park Clean-up).
Do Your Bit
If you feel that you can contribute as a Member in any way then look out for emails to the membership asking for specific event support or submit a Contact message on this Web site. We particularly welcome Members who may not yet feel skilled enough to fulfil a role just yet but are prepared to act as apprentices in the meantime.