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The Committee Room

Kate Hartwig and Kate McPhee

Practical governance for volunteer committees and not-for-profit organisations. Hosted by governance consultants Kate Hartwig and Kate McPhee, each episode tackles one topic — clearly, honestly, and without the jargon. Short enough to finish before your coffee goes cold.

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#25
Monday · 17 min
Ep 25 Planning your Numbers
The Treasurer opens last year's budget, adds a little CPI to every line, and the committee approves it. It looks sensible. But nobody has actually budgeted for the year ahead — they've given last year's story a pay rise. In the final episode of the Financial Confidence series (for now), Kate Hartwig and Kate McPhee show how to build a budget that connects to what your organisation is planning to do, see the tight months coming, and plan for the big bills before they arrive. In this episode: The zombie budget, and why CPI is good at increasing numbers but not at planning Why budgeting is a job for the whole committee — and the three questions to ask first The finance subcommittee, and when the budget conversation needs to start Historic and zero-based budgeting, and when to use each Estimating expenses high and income low Why “we budget to break even” is a slow way to go broke — and how to plan a surplus on purpose Cash flow budgeting, because the timing matters as much as the total The Assets Register, sinking funds and asset management plans Finance leases, operating leases and what belongs on the register Comparing budget and actual figures every month Free Assets Register template from the Committee Companion. Full show notes and free download at thecommitteeroom.com.au
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#24
October 12 · 18 min
Ep 24 Reading the Numbers
Once upon a time, there was a committee that thought their finances were fine and dandy. The Treasurer read the numbers aloud. The surplus was healthy. Everyone nodded. Nobody looked at the Balance Sheet. Nobody noticed that current liabilities had been greater than current assets for three months in a row. The story the numbers were telling was right there — written in plain figures on every report. Nobody knew how to read it. In this Storybook Edition of The Committee Room, Kate H and Kate M take you through the three financial chapters that land on your committee table every month. In this episode: Cash vs accrual accounting — which edition of the book you're reading (with a mnemonic involving spotty dogs) Chapter 1: the Balance Sheet — the Foundations of the Kingdom. What the organisation owns, what it owes, and what it's worth on one day The four questions to ask every month — and why Question 3 is the one to underline The Balance Sheet heroes and villains — including the wolf in grandma's nightclothes Chapter 2: the Profit and Loss — the Chronicle of the Year — and the sneakiest villain of all: the poisoned apple Chapter 3: the Cash Flow Report — the Royal Coffers — and why a beautiful P&L can still hide a crisis What a happy ending actually looks like — and why woolly answers are a red flag in their own right Free Financial Reports Checklist in the show notes. Full show notes and free download at thecommitteeroom.com.au
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#23
October 5 · 18 min
23 Who Minds the Money?
Sam got backed into a corner and reluctantly said yes to being Treasurer, and everyone else at the table breathed a sigh of relief. The finances are in Sam's hands now. Except — that's not quite how it works. Every single committee member shares the same responsibility for the members' money. Nobody needs to be an accountant. But nobody gets to opt out either. In the first episode of the Financial Confidence series, Kate H and Kate M cover the financial side of governance from the ground up. In this episode: The myth of 'not-for-profit means no surplus' — why it's wrong and what it actually costs organisations Why 'we budget to break even' is just budgeting to fail — and why three months of operating costs in reserve is the minimum Every committee member is financially responsible — and approving a report you haven't read is not a defence The Treasurer's actual job: oversight, not bookkeeping — and the difference between a bookkeeper and an accountant The no-one-person rule and what to do when you don't have either a bookkeeper or an accountant The best Treasurer Kate 1 ever worked with and why The five governance structures that protect the organisation's money — and where to start if you don't have most of them Free Treasurer's Role Description Card in the show notes. Full show notes and free download at thecommitteeroom.com.au
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#22
September 28 · 24 min
Ep 22 Special Guest Interview
Natural justice and procedural fairness sound like they belong in a courtroom. They show up in community clubs and volunteer organisations more often than most committees realise — and the obligation to follow them applies whether your Constitution mentions them or not. Ignorance is not a defence. In this special episode, Kate H and Kate M welcome their very first guest: recently retired South Australian Magistrate Maria, 23 years on the bench. She joins them for a plain-English conversation about what natural justice actually requires of committees — and what happens when they get it wrong. In this episode: What natural justice is — and why the process, not the outcome, determines whether you've done it right The two non-negotiable requirements: the person must know what they're accused of, and they must have a genuine opportunity to respond Impartiality in small organisations where everyone knows everyone — and what to do when there's nobody left who isn't conflicted When a matter is serious enough to call the police — and why you should never try to investigate criminal conduct yourself Record keeping as a natural justice tool — and whether formal hearings should be recorded Can you have a do-over? Yes — but the process for getting there must be correct When the organisation must get involved in a member dispute — and when it's entitled to say this is a personal matter The one thing Maria wishes every committee member understood: you're not there to run your personal fiefdom Show notes at thecommitteeroom.com.au
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#21
September 21 · 19 min
Ep 21 Compliance Basics
It's an ordinary committee meeting. Nothing about compliance on the agenda. Then the secretary goes looking for the public liability certificate of currency — and the policy lapsed four months ago. And then someone remembers Dave, coaching the Under 12s since March, was due for a new Working With Children Check when his expired in April. Nobody followed that up either. Two essential obligations, quietly unmet for months. The club only found out because someone outside the club happened to ask. Compliance doesn't have to be complicated. It just has to be tracked. In this episode of the Documents Done Right series, Kate H and Kate M cover what you have to do, to whom, and by when — and the two tools that make staying on the right side of the law manageable for any volunteer committee. In this episode: What compliance actually is — and why it's a stress reliever, not a burden The Compliance Register: your master list of obligations built around what you are and what you do The categories most committees overlook — fundraising, screening checks, events, staff, premises, privacy and photographs Where to get reliable advice on what applies to your organisation — not a guess, not a google, your peak body The Committee Calendar: the 'when' to the Register's 'what' — and why it belongs on every agenda as a standing item Paper or online? Not even a close decision Annual review: building it into the calendar so it's not something you have to remember to remember Free Compliance Register and Committee Calendar templates from the Committee Companion in the show notes. Full show notes and free downloads at thecommitteeroom.com.au
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#20
September 14 · 22 min
Ep 20 Changing the Rules
The committee knows the Constitution isn't working anymore. It describes an organisation they no longer are. Changing it feels too hard, too expensive, too complicated and too uncertain — so they work around it, work through it, ignore the bits that don't suit them, and keep going. Until one day they can't ignore it anymore. And by then, the problem they've been avoiding for years has become a constitutional crisis. The good news is that the process doesn't have to be as hard as people think. And already knowing what needs to change is half the job. In the second episode of the Documents Done Right series, Kate H and Kate M cover what happens when the Constitution needs to change — and the companion documents that mean it needs to change far less often than most committees think. In this episode: The difference between what the Act requires and what your organisation can choose — and why this changes everything The dot point method for working out what you want to change before touching any legal language How the amendment process actually works — notice period, approval threshold and registration Why 75% is the default but not the only option — and why you get to choose The four companion documents: Committee Charter, Code of Conduct, By-laws and Policies Document architecture — why getting this right means the committee can update operational detail by resolution, not by general meeting Future-proofing: how one sentence can cover video calls, phone-ins and whatever technology comes next Five husbands and what they have to do with change management — unlike husbands, constitutions can be improved without dividing up the furniture Free companion documents overview from the Committee Companion in the show notes. Full show notes and free download at thecommitteeroom.com.au
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#19
September 7 · 21 min
Ep 19 Your Founding Document
Does our Constitution allow us to do that? The room goes quiet. The Secretary looks at the President. The President looks at the Secretary. Eventually they find the Constitution in the shared drive — and there's nothing in it about employees at all. Your Constitution is binding on every member of your organisation whether they've read it or not. Ignorance is not a defence. And most committees are navigating on much shakier ground than they realise. In the first episode of the Documents Done Right series, Kate H and Kate M cover everything a committee needs to know about the most important document their organisation has. In this episode: Why incorporation gives members real protection — and what the Constitution has to do with it Why ignorance of your own Constitution is not a defence — and what the Duty of Obedience actually requires The three layers of what goes in a Constitution: mandatory elements, best practice and your own choices Why one size does not fit all — and why the model Constitution is a starting point, not a solution The mandatory elements every Constitution must cover — and the traps hiding in plain sight Membership and voting rights: why calling someone a Member gives them rights and obligations the Constitution must be clear about The amendment threshold: why 75% isn't actually required by law The plain English test — and a practical technique for rewriting your Constitution without getting overwhelmed by the legalese Free Essential Elements Checklist from the Committee Companion in the show notes. Full show notes and free download at thecommitteeroom.com.au
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#18
August 31 · 28 min
Episode 18 Your Questions Answered 2
The questions keep coming — and so do the Kates. In this second Your Questions Answered special, Kate H and Kate M work through eight more real situations from committee members across Australia. Questions covered in this episode: A committee member has been sharing confidential information outside the committee room — what are the committee's options? The AGM has only enough nominees to fill the committee positions with no contested election — is that a valid AGM? The manager has been signing contracts with suppliers without committee approval, and the chairperson says he's seen them and that's enough — should the rest of the committee be concerned? A committee member was elected through a disputed process, hardly ever turns up and contributes nothing — what can the committee do? f a vote of no confidence is carried, do committee members have to resign? The paid manager wants committee members to sign a non-disclosure agreement — can they refuse? Members want to amend a proposed new constitution at the AGM — but the amendment wasn't in the notice of motion How do you decide whether a committee role is right for you? Plus: Kate H and Kate M announce the Constitution Composer — a new tool from Fresh Allsorts for associations that need to review or replace their constitution. Five simple steps, from questionnaire to registration. Find out more at freshallsorts.com.au. Full show notes at thecommitteeroom.com.au
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#17
August 24 · 13 min
Ep 17 When Members Call the Meeting
The AGM was three weeks ago. A requisition arrives on the Secretary's desk — twenty-two financial members requesting a Special General Meeting to discuss financial management, a cancelled program, and the future of the current committee. The President's first instinct is to ignore it. The Secretary's first instinct is to panic. Neither is the right move. An SGM called by members is uncomfortable. It is not the end of the world. How the committee responds in the next twenty-one days will determine whether it stays uncomfortable or becomes something much worse. In this episode Kate H and Kate M cover everything committees need to know about Special General Meetings — using the Widget Traders Federation as a case study in exactly what not to do. In this episode: What an SGM actually is — and when a committee should call one itself When members can requisition an SGM and what the rules are Why you can't ignore a valid requisition — and what happens if you try How to respond well when an SGM lands on your desk — tone, process and preparation What a motion of no confidence actually means — and what it doesn't How to handle the meeting itself with transparency and dignity Full show notes at thecommitteeroom.com.au
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#16
August 17 · 19 min
Ep 16 The Big Night
The curtain goes up. The Secretary pulls out the only known copy of the constitution and blows off the dust. There is a long pause, then a shoulder shrug. Nominations are taken from the floor and twenty minutes later they're still trying to find someone willing to be Treasurer. Other Business opens. The questions start. And go on. And on. Two and a half hours after the curtain went up, the audience files out. Quietly. Nobody's smiling. Nobody's clapping. Every organisation gets one grand performance a year. This one bombed. But it didn't have to. In this episode Kate H and Kate M use the theatrical metaphor to walk through everything that needs to happen before Show Night — and on it. The governance content is completely serious. The framing is a lot of fun. In this episode: The production schedule — why five months goes faster than you think and why great AGMs start the moment the financial year closes The Production Manager (your Treasurer) — prescribed association status, mandatory audit thresholds and why the AGM is not where the hard questions get asked for the first time The Stage Manager (your Secretary) — the constitution as production bible, and what happens when the legal logistics go wrong The Programme (your Annual Report) — the centrepiece the audience takes home and why it deserves better than two pages of dense text Nominations from the floor — why they're a recipe for chaos and how to close the loophole Other Business — not an agenda item, not a thing, and a good chair doesn't put it on the agenda, ask for it, or allow it What a five-star review looks like — and why bad reviews last Free AGM Preparation Checklist from the Committee Companion in the show notes — a production schedule you can work backwards from your AGM date. Full show notes and free download at thecommitteeroom.com.au
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#15
August 10 · 16 min
Ep 15 Writing it Down
It's three months after the meeting. There's disagreement about what was actually decided. Half the committee remembers it one way, half remember it another way. Someone pulls out the minutes. They say: "The committee discussed the matter and a decision was reached." That's it. That's the whole entry. The minutes are the legal record of your organisation's decisions. If they're not good enough to settle a disagreement three months later, they're not good enough. Full stop. In this episode Kate H and Kate M cover everything committees need to know about writing minutes that actually do their job — and a brief but important clarification on Iced Vovos and what it means to have "a Bex and a lie down." In this episode: What minutes actually are — a legal record, not a summary, not a newsletter, not a transcript Why "if it's not in the minutes, it didn't happen" is the most fundamental rule in the room The proper header every set of minutes needs — and why apologies and absences are not the same thing What the right level of detail looks like — with a good example and a bad example side by side What not to include — and why individual attribution chills debate The action list that turns good minutes into good governance Free minutes template in the show notes. Full show notes and free download at thecommitteeroom.com.au
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#14
August 3 · 12 min
Episode 14 Making The Call
The committee has been discussing the same issue for three months. Someone suggests leaving it for the next committee to decide. Someone else wants to table it until there's more information. Staff are frustrated. Members are confused. And the committee is going around in circles. Deferring is a decision too. It's usually the worst one available. In this episode Kate H and Kate M go deeper into decision-making — not the mechanics of motions and votes (that was Episode 13) but the harder questions: why committees avoid making decisions at all, and how to make good ones when they finally get there. In this episode: Why the committee keeps having the same discussion without reaching a resolution — and what's really driving it The difference between legitimate deferral and avoidance — and the one thing that separates them The five principles of good decision-making — and why answering yes to all five protects every committee member, even when a decision doesn't go according to plan Why documenting your decision-making process is your protection — not a perfect outcome Plus a decision-making checklist from the Committee Companion in the show notes. Full show notes and free download at thecommitteeroom.com.au
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#13
July 27 · 13 min
Episode 13 Running The Room
The meeting has been going for ninety minutes. The same three people have spoken on every agenda item. One of them is on his fourth lap of the same point. Two committee members have said nothing the entire meeting. One of them is the person with the most relevant expertise on the biggest item of the night. A well-chaired meeting is one of the most underrated governance tools there is — and in this episode Kate H and Kate M get into what good chairing actually looks like in practice. In this episode: Starting and finishing on time — why it's a form of respect, not just a preference The Chair's three jobs: drawing out the quiet voices, redirecting the loud ones, keeping focus on the issue not the personalities Purpose, process and pace — and why the Chair should never be focused on the content When to invoke the formal rules of debate — and why just knowing they exist is usually enough What makes a committee decision stick — and what happens when you miss one of the five steps Free plain-language rules of debate guide in the show notes. Full show notes at thecommitteeroom.com.au
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#12
July 20 · 18 min
Episode 12 Before You Sit Down
The papers went out two hours before the meeting. Nobody's read them. The treasurer is explaining the budget while everyone scrolls their phone. And then there's Dave. Dave hasn't read anything, has very strong opinions, and is not afraid to share them at length. Two and a half hours later, no decisions have been made. A great meeting is almost entirely built before anyone even sits down. In the first episode of the Smarter Meetings series, Kate H and Kate M cover the four-section agenda that puts important things where they belong, why general business needs to be deleted from your vocabulary, how reports should be structured so they're actually useful, and what every committee member needs to do before they walk in the room. Free agenda and report templates in the show notes. Show notes and free downloads at thecommitteeroom.com.au
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#11
July 13 · 14 min
Ep 11 Bastille Day Special
It's 1789. The committee has been in power for generations. No succession plan. No performance review. Louis XVI has been in the top job since he was 19. The membership hasn't been consulted on anything. The budget is a disaster. And when the members finally lose confidence in the committee, the feedback mechanism is extremely robust. In this Bastille Day special — recorded live from Central France — Kate M and Kate H use the French Revolution as a case study in what happens when an organisation completely fails at succession planning and performance review. They cover the skills matrix, the cautionary tale of Robespierre, how subcommittees work as a talent pipeline, and a simple three-part performance review process that any committee can use. The governance content is completely serious. The framing is not. Also covered in this episode: What succession planning is — and what it is absolutely not L'État, c'est moi — the fastest route to a committee that has lost touch with its members The Committee of Public Safety: 12 members, enormous powers, zero accountability — and what followed The question every long-serving committee member needs to ask themselves honestly And the compelling case for recruiting firefighters onto your committee 🚒
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#10
July 6 · 26 min
Your Questions Answered
Biased minutes. A chair ignoring a committee decision he disagrees with. A treasurer who resigned with no notice and took everything with them. A president who's been in the job for eleven years and nothing ever changes. Real questions from real committee members — and in this first Your Questions Answered special, Kate H and Kate M work through eleven of them in plain English. With the occasional Iced VoVo. Questions covered in this episode: Taking accurate minutes when the secretary is also the most argumentative person in the room? Whether you can require committee members to prepare for meetings? What happens when a chair refuses to act on a decision he disagrees with? Whether decisions made without a quorum are legally valid? What to do when a nominee won't supply a candidate statement? Handling a committee member who's breaching confidentiality? Whether your fundraising raffle needs a licence? Whether the committee can reject a nomination for personal reasons? What to do first when your treasurer resigns without notice and takes everything with them? How to move a club forward without offending the past? How to move on a long-serving president without causing a war? Got a question of your own? Submit it at thecommitteeroom.com.au — your question might shape a future episode. Full show notes and free downloads at The Committee Room
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#9
June 29 · 11 min
Who Can Do What?
One subcommittee signs a two-year venue contract nobody authorised. Another finds the perfect venue, waits for committee sign-off, and loses it while they're waiting. Both end badly. Both have the same cause: nobody wrote down who was actually allowed to do what. In this episode Kate H and Kate M make the case for the delegations register — not as dry governance paperwork but as one of the most practically useful documents a committee can have. They cover decision-making authority by role and function, how tiered financial authorities work in practice, who can enter binding contracts and under what circumstances, why listing what can't be delegated matters just as much as listing what can, and how to start from scratch if your committee has nothing written down. Full show notes and free download at The Committee Room.
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#8
June 21 · 15 min
Many hands make light work
Seven people trying to run every aspect of their organisation by themselves. Three-hour meetings. The same three people doing all the actual work. Burnout setting in. And meanwhile a significant chunk of the membership — talented, interested, willing to contribute — has never once been asked. In this episode Kate H and Kate M introduce three structures that fix this: portfolios, subcommittees and working groups. They cover how each one works, how to set them up properly, why delegation is not the same as abdication, how terms of reference protect everyone involved, and how to find the hidden gems in your membership who've been waiting to be asked. Free terms of reference template in the show notes. Show notes and free download at The Committee Room.
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#7
June 15 · 12 min
Bringing People In
You've just been elected to the committee. Someone slides a 100-page manual across the table and says, read through this when you get a chance. Three months later you're still not sure what your role is, who does what, or why half the things you're voting on are even necessary. In this episode Kate H and Kate M make the case that induction is a process, not a document — and that it starts well before anyone's been elected. They cover what goes in the manual and why each item is there, the nomination checklist that sets expectations before the election, the personal welcome letter that sets the tone, the pre-meeting coffee where induction really comes alive, and the dedicated induction meeting that gives the whole committee a useful annual reset. Free induction checklist and manual contents list in the show notes. Full show notes and free downloads at The Committee Room.
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#6
June 8 · 22 min
Questions are Gold
A $14,362 line item in miscellaneous expenses. Budget was $2,000. No explanation. Two committee members noticed it. Nobody said a word. The reports were approved and the meeting moved on. Six months later, the organisation discovered where the money had gone — and the paper trail led straight back to that meeting. In this episode Kate H and Kate M get into why people don't ask the hard questions — and why that silence is never neutral. They cover the four forces that keep committee members quiet, the baseline questions every committee member should feel comfortable asking across finance, risk and strategy, how to frame questions that get you information rather than defensiveness, and why the quiet meeting where nothing is questioned is a warning sign, not an efficiency win. Plus the elephant in the room, the good chairperson, and a free Questions Are Gold checklist in the show notes. Show notes and free download at The Committee Room.
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