The highest level of award that DVA hands out is that of Life Membership. The appointment of such an award should not be taken lightly.
In order to be granted Life membership the following criteria should be considered by the nominator before nominating someone.
Has the person been an active member of the club for more than 10 years?
Has the person been actively involved in the running and growth of the club for a majority of that time?
Has the person done those tasks without a monetary reimbursement?
Has the person represented the membership and the club in a positive light during that time?
If the answer is yes to those questions the person may be a good person to consider for Life Membership, however it is not something that is automatically granted.
Process
• The nomination should be made by a third party, not the person being nominated. Ideally the person being nominated will be unaware of the nomination.
• Once received the secretary will send the nomination to the club president who will then put together a 4 person committee to assess the nomination. This committee will be made up of
President
Vice President
2 other prominent club members with historical knowledge of the person being nominated.
Effort must be made to make sure that none selected for the subcommittee have bias where possible in their opinion.
• The subcommittee must consider the nomination against the Life Membership criteria in light of the general principles. Each nomination must be considered on its merits. In considering the nomination, members of the subcommittee are not to be influenced by any personal relationship with the nominee and are not to make direct comparisons with other Life Members, nominees or persons not nominated. The subcommittee may request additional information from the nominator if that would assist its deliberations.
• The subcommittee must decide whether or not to grant the nominee Life Membership and provide its decision to the National Committee within three months of receipt of the nomination by the President. The subcommittee must provide a statement of reasons for the decision. The decision may address any other relevant aspects of the proposed Life Membership (eg method and timing of its granting and announcement).
• The DVA Committee will ratify the decision at its next meeting. It may, on motion of one, seconded by another and passed by a vote of 80% of those voting, veto the decision of the subcommittee on reasonable grounds. It may only do so at its first meeting after receipt of the decision. In such an event, the DVA Committee will discuss and determine a course of action.
General principles to consider in granting Life Membership
1.The granting of Life Membership is a great honour and should not be treated lightly. On average, one or less Life Memberships are likely to be able to be awarded every 3-5 years.
2.Life Membership should not be considered as a competitive matter and nominees must be considered individually and on their personal attributes and achievements and not in comparison with others. While it is inevitable that comparisons will be made for example against the types of achievements of past recipients, direct comparisons should not be made.
3.Granting Life Membership is a balancing exercise. Criteria are provided for guidance, but it is the overall contribution of the nominee that must be evaluated. There is necessarily some subjectivity in the granting of Life Membership. Nominees’ strengths against the various criteria will vary. Some nominees will be extremely strong in some criteria but weaker against others, others will be more rounded.
4.Life Membership is reserved for those whose contribution goes beyond the ordinary or even the excellent for an extended period of time, not just a few years.
Criteria to be considered in granting Life Membership
1.Length of active membership
To have contributed to the Club to the degree necessary for Life Membership, a nominee will almost necessarily have been a Member and involved for a significant time. While there is no ‘minimum’ period of membership, a period of 10 years’ active membership is an indicator of a long term commitment.
2.Positions held and length of time
The nominee should be able to demonstrate a significant contribution to the running of the Club over a majority of those years of membership. This may include:
1.significant contributions while holding positions on the Committee and/or a Regional Committee (bearing in mind that mere membership of such committees does not of its own mean a person has made significant contributions),
2.participating to a much greater extent than the average Member as a regular, consistent and reliable Volunteer
3.contributions that have been made in return for monetary compensation should not be considered as grounds for Life Membership.
For example.
Payments made for coaching
Payments made for supplying equipment or services
Payments made in an employment to the club.
3.History of organising
The nominee should be able to demonstrate active contribution to the core activity of the Club – archery – by being a regular and consistent organiser. It would be expected that a Life Member would normally have contributed significantly to the development and running of the club and in particular with events held at the club.
4.History of active participation
Life Members should be or have been active archers, participating regularly in events. Nominees should be able to demonstrate participation accomplishments. Ideally nominees not only have a long history of participating with the Club but continue to do so at the time of nomination (ie it would be appropriate to acknowledge their efforts while they are able to enjoy the honour).
In some cases purely volunteers will be considered, their services should be over a long duration.
Revocation
DVA Life members are expected to act with integrity and as responsible club members.
A DVA Life membership is subject to review, in the event where a Life Member is associated with any criminal activity.
Upon notification that a Life Member is associated with criminal activity, the Committee will form a subcommittee to lead an unbiased and objective investigation for the continuing of the Life Membership. The subcommittee will consist of 4 members, including the Club President and Vice president. To ensure the objectiveness of the subcommittee, the other 2 members must not be the same 2 members that were involved in the Life Member nomination subcommittee.
The subcommittee will then present its findings to at the next Committee meeting, which must be held at least 30 days following the initial notification. The offending Life Member must also be given the opportunity to defend their position as Life Member and present at the Committee meeting. The member must bring any property that belongs to the club, such as Door access pass.
After review of the report, the Committee will vote to retain or remove the Life Member.
Removal of the Life member will only pass with a 100% vote of the Full Committee. Absent Committee members are expected to nominate a Proxy vote.
Upon Revocation of Life Membership, the Committee will then decide whether the member is able to continue their membership as an Ordinary Member. This will motion will pass only if 100% of the Committee in attendance. If the member is deemed to be an unsuitable character for the club, they will surrender any property or equipment belonging to the club.
If the member is deemed to be able to continue their membership with the club, the member will be required to pay the fees due to the club for the current membership year.
The formation of the subcommittee does not need to be initiated in person. It can be initiated online or via telephone.
Upon the end of the meeting, the Secretary will provide Archery Victoria and Archery Australia the results of the subcommittee report, as well as the relevant votes for the member.
Approved by Committee – 13/4/2018
