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

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

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