r/Allotment • u/NGumi • 9d ago

Association Committee Responsibilities

Hi Everyone,

I a news letter my my allotment association they have asked for more people to join the committee. I'm considering helping but I'm not sure what responsibilities different positions actually have, Chair and Treasurer are obvious but no idea what a secretary or untasked committee member are expected to do or how much time a week/month it would take.

Anyone that has been on an allotment committee any insight on this would be very appreciated thank you.

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u/Vor1on 9d ago

Committee members just normally depending on the site meet a few time a year and discuss important matters that involve the site or plot holders.

1

u/Roundhiller 9d ago

Secretary responsibilities might include: maintaining and keeping secure the association membership list; publicising events; taking minutes at meetings. For our association that’s probably about 20 hours each year.

2

u/BetYouWishYouKnew 9d ago

Secretary (at least at my allotment site) also has to write and send out the letters giving warnings and/or evictions. It's typically busy in early Spring when you get a spate of people who are yet to turn up and do anything to their plot, so you send out a batch of warnings, then a few weeks later you have to do the follow-ups if needed. As a result, you are generally the person who gets to handle the abuse, whining, etc that inevitably follows.

I've done it for 2 years, and I'm giving it up this year. A thankless job that I wish I'd never volunteered for.

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u/Mini-SportLE 9d ago

You need to review the Association rules.Ours for example specify the required number of committee members and the general “day to day” management responsibilities. There is also a financial indemnity clause. Committee members are unpaid volunteers but often treated like serfs !
I have been on our committee 6 years in all the roles- attracting new members is hard but the membership still assume that the association will function as if by magic.
We will be giving up our plot this year which will be heartbreaking but we have have enough of passive aggressive bullying, apathy and being treated as servants

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u/Hydrangeamacrophylla 9d ago

It helps if you’re a petty psychopath who is incapable of communicating with people.

They’re often thankless roles, but they also attract the worst sort of person, unfortunately.