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