How Our Club Works: A New Member’s Guide
When you join a gliding club, you’re not just signing up to fly – you are becoming part of a shared endeavour. The club exists because of its members, and it runs on the energy, goodwill, and contribution of those members. That includes you.
Everyone has a role to play, even if it’s small to start with. Some members contribute time and effort on the ground, others take on leadership roles, and many simply show up, get involved, and help build the positive culture that makes a club feel like home. You don’t have to know everything, and you don’t have to be loud or long established to make a difference.
Elected to Serve, Supported to Lead
The Management Committee and Board of Directors are made up of volunteers, elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) by the membership to lead on behalf of the whole membership.
Their role is to make sure the club runs safely, fairly, and in a way that reflects members’ needs.
Leadership in a volunteer-run club can be demanding – it often relies on goodwill, long hours, and balancing strong opinions. That’s why one of the most valuable things members can do is support the leadership to lead well. That means communicating openly, offering help where possible, and engaging constructively with decisions and discussions.
Club leaders are glider pilots too and need time for their own flying. If it looks like they are at the club to fly, they will appreciate the time and space to focus on that. For flight safety reasons, club issues (often a major distraction) should never be discussed in the cockpit or the rigging area.
The Role of Club Members
As you joined, you signed some documents.
Firstly, there was the membership form, which forms the contract between you and the club. This is a two-way relationship and there were statements that you were agreeing to, which set out how club members are expected to behave in and around the club and other club members. This was backed up with the Code of Conduct, which goes into more detail.
These documents help set out the ‘how we do things round here’ nature of the club.
These social and safety agreements also lay the ground for speaking up if something doesn’t feel right, perhaps if another club member has spoken or behaved in a way that is upsetting or harmful to you or others. As a club member, you have a voice; speak to a relevant club leader whenever the need arises.
What being a club member means:
- You’re part of a cooperative, not a customer
- Your involvement helps shape the club culture
- You vote on key decisions at the AGM (and can raise motions)
- You can stand for election or volunteer for working groups
As a member, you have shared ownership and responsibility for the club’s assets – gliders, airfield, buildings, and equipment.
Which is important on a couple of fronts. Firstly, apart from a soaring hat, log book and water bottle, you don’t need to buy any specialist equipment to take part in gliding.
Secondly, whilst our club is not-for-profit, so you won’t get a slice of the proceeds of any sale, it means that all of us are jointly responsible for taking good care of our property, keeping it clean and well maintained and tidying up after ourselves.
We are also responsible for making good use of the kit, especially in the case of gliders. It costs the club pretty much the same for a club glider to be sitting on the ground as it does to have it flying about in the air. Even after you have gone solo and eventually bought a share in a privately owned glider, the club gliders will still be yours to fly too.
How is the club managed?
We have around 200 club members, and it wouldn’t be practical for everyone to manage the club directly, so each year at the AGM we elect the Committee and Board to manage the club on our behalf.
Their role is to make sure the club runs smoothly, safely, and fairly. They act according to the rules and powers they have, as set out in our club’s Articles of Association and Rules.
These are the leadership roles at our club:
- Chair: leadership and strategy (chair@camgliding.uk)
- Treasurer: finances (treasurer@camgliding.uk)
- Secretary: communication and records (secretary@camgliding.uk)
- Chief Flying Instructor (CFI): flying standards and training (cfi@camgliding.uk)
- Child Protection officer/Technical Officer/Young Person Scheme coordinator, Safety Officers, etc. – all detailed on the members’ website.
For the current list and names, photos and bios check the website and board in the club house.
Decision-Making and Accountability
Decisions about flying operations are made by people in operational roles: CFI & instructor team; technical officer and engineers; and the club safety officer.
Club management decisions at our club are made in a range of ways, depending on the type of decision, such as:
| Day-to-Day (Management) | Strategic |
|---|---|
| Approving a repair to a winch | Creating a long-term equipment maintenance plan |
| Scheduling duty rotas | Reviewing volunteer workload and support |
| Ordering tea bags for the kitchen | Setting a 5-year facilities improvement plan |
| Responding to a member concern | Reviewing the club’s code of conduct or governance |
Most of the decisions, both day-to-day and strategic are made in the background by the Management Committee, because that’s their role. They will publish what they are up to via the minutes of their meetings, club newsletters and the members’ website. Club members support the club leadership by taking an interest in what they’re doing on our behalf, whilst also trusting them to carry out their roles.
Occasionally they can’t make the decision themselves and will need to refer to all members, particularly if they are considering a strategic decision. They might ask for additional information by asking a question via email or circulating a survey. They might come and ask us in person.
From a governance point of view, they may need the whole membership to come together to make the decision. In which case they will research the options, make some proposals and then call an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) so that we, the members, decide. The meeting date is given in good time and papers are circulated, setting out the motions to be discussed, together with any supporting information. If you can’t make a general meeting, there will be provisions for voting by proxy.
If they don’t like what the board/committee are up to, a group of members can call an EGM – the club’s governing document sets out how. Hopefully we won’t need to do this at our club, but the provision exists as a form of safeguard, should the board/committee not be running the club in our best interests.
As a club member you can also propose a motion to be considered at a general meeting.
How you can contribute ideas or raise concerns
You can contact the relevant club officer or send them a message. Most will prefer to be brought solutions rather than problems, but they are there to listen to both.
You can also contribute ideas by responding to requests for information.
These are volunteers putting in many hours behind the scenes on behalf of others; words of appreciation rarely go amiss.
When not to…
When the person you are talking to is rigging a glider or preparing to fly – cockpits should be committee-free and conversation-free zones.
Getting More Involved (If and When You Want To)
Nothing happens around here without people doing things, even if it looks like magic! Gliding is so much more than just the flying and there are many things to get involved with. You have probably already been helping to launch and retrieve gliders, and hopefully you will have been washing up your coffee mugs and teaspoons. Some tasks need skills and experience (which can be learned) and others really don’t.
Options for volunteering:
- Joining subcommittees or project teams
- Volunteering and helping out in informal ways first (e.g. events, working parties)
- Standing for committee roles in the future
- Training and qualifying as an instructor, official observer or aircraft engineer
- General DIY jobs to maintain buildings and airfield
Top tip for getting involved quickly – come gliding when the weather isn’t good enough for flying, something will be going on. It might not be a fun activity in itself, but as with so many other things in gliding, the camaraderie is what makes it.
If you haven’t already done so, have a chat with the volunteer coordinator to discuss your skills and interests and to see if there are any specific projects you can get involved with. But don’t worry if learning to fly and helping out around the launchpoint is your limit for now – we all go through phases of life when we can do more or less and it all balances out over time. There is no hierarchy of contribution, doing what you can is the perfect amount.
How We Stay Transparent and Fair
The club is managed according to the Articles of Association and Rules. Board/committee decisions are communicated formally to the membership when the minutes are published on the website, but also informally through a ‘News from the Committee’ email sent to the CGC-News distribution list.
We also have local rules, codes of conduct, policies and procedures. These include procedures for making complaints and appealing decisions made as part of complaints & disciplinary processes.
Hopefully we won’t need to use them but together all the rules, policies & procedures act as a framework to support our club culture and ‘how we do things round here’. You can find all the policy documents on the members’ website.
The British Gliding Association (BGA)
You are a member of our club, and our club is a member of the BGA, the sport’s national governing body.
The way that gliding is structured, each member club is a separate legal entity. There are some aspects of gliding (mainly to do with airworthiness and training) where the BGA tells us the standards, but in other respects the BGA cannot get involved with the internal management of a club.
We make good use of resources and guidance that the BGA provides. They support us in many ways, including via the work of their various sub-committees which specialise in the various aspects of gliding.
The BGA also processes badge claims, pilot licences and glider ownership paperwork, so in due course you will be making contact with their office in Leicester.
The BGA publishes ‘Sailplane & Gliding’, a bi-monthly magazine.
The BGA sporting conference with talks, exhibitors and many other glider pilots takes place in February each year and is well worth attending.
Where to Go with Questions
It’s OK not to know how everything works – we’re all learning as we go! Please ask questions as and when you need to. Here’s a rough guide about who to contact about what:
| Topic or Question | Who to Ask | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| How the club is run / governance | Club Secretary or Chair | Questions about rules, AGMs, or committee processes |
| Membership enquiries | Secretary | Joining, fees, membership types |
| Learning to fly / training pathway | Chief Flying Instructor (CFI) | Or ask any instructor—they’ll point you in the right direction |
| Bookings or duty rota | Office | |
| Safety concerns | Safety Officer or CFI | Can also be raised in confidence if needed |
| Child Safety | Child Protection Officer | We have a club policy and follow the BGA CP Policy & Procedures |
| Want to get involved / volunteer | Any committee member | We welcome offers of help! |
| Not sure who to ask | Your “mentor” or any friendly face | Don’t worry—everyone was new once |
Finally, a quick reminder:
You Are the Club!
As a member, you’re not just a participant – you are part of the organisation. The club exists because of its members, and it’s run by members, for members.
That means you have a voice, and a role, even if you’re just starting out.
(If you would like to dive in to all the other detailed “Getting started” information on this site, please start at the index page, here.)
