Members take advantage of NCA’s seasoned experts by inviting them to speak to local chapters, board members, or other groups on topics of concern to clubs. Speakers will tailor presentations to your specific needs. To arrange for one of our speakers to present to your group, please call 800-625-6221.
Program Topics:
- Esssentials of Club Marketing: Successful Strategies for Long-Term Viability
- Reform or Enforcement? The Immigration Debate
- Trends and Issues for Private Clubs: A Future Outlook
- Government Matters: Legislative, Regulatory and Legal Update for the Club Industry
- Guidelines for Membership Marketing and the Admissions Process: A Balancing Act for the 21st Century Private Club
- Significant Others: How Should You Treat Unmarried Members?
- Nonprofit Governance & Financial Oversight: What Every Club Leader Should Know
- Private and Tax-Exempt Status 101
- Private Club Liability Issues: How to Avoid Being Sued
- Disaster Planning and Business Recovery
- How to Add Organizational Strength and Value to Clubs Through Effective Boards and Committees
- Club Leadership Under Fire: Are You and Your Board Adequately Protected From Claims?
Essentials of Club Marketing: Successful Strategies for Long-Term Viability
Many clubs feel some impact from the sluggish economy; at the same time, changing lifestyles are creating competing demands for individuals’ time and availability. The future outlook need not be gloomy: marketing experts see baby boomers as a major market force for many services offered by clubs. Focusing on effective membership development strategies and how they affect long-term stability can help clubs avoid membership attrition and dwindling capital reserves in years to come. This program addresses factors that could affect membership development, as well as best practices in member recruitment and retention among private clubs nationwide.
Reform or Enforcement? The Immigration Debate
The debate over immigration reform remains a heated and contentious topic in Congress. The implications of whatever policy is adopted will affect the club industry for years to come. Until Congress agrees on how to handle the status of the estimated 11 to 12 million undocumented workers in the United States, employers will be vulnerable to raids and potential liability for employing such workers. In fact, the government is already moving to step up enforcement and impose new requirements on employers. This presentation will cover the fast-paced change and politically charged environment with a focus on how your club can prepare for the future and protect itself today.
Trends and Issues for Private Clubs: A Future Outlook
Is your planning for the future based on information from the past? If so, your club leaders will want to attend this program on key current trends. Among the subjects covered: changing population demographics likely to affect the club’s membership and workforce; evolving lifestyles imposing new demands on club services, including food and beverage; developing services for key market segments, such as women and luxury markets; employment trends affecting the ability to maintain and manage a club’s workforce; and the growing impact of technology on the club and its operations.
Government Matters: Legislative, Regulatory and Legal Update for the Club Industry
We all scratch our heads and sigh when thinking about the decisions being made in our statehouses and by politicians in Washington, D.C. The process is often slow, the impact seems remote, and the potential benefits or harm unclear. But decisions are being made every day, by state and federal government officials who have a present and future impact on your club’s operations and governance. As the voice of clubs, NCA is actively engaged in promoting issues to benefit clubs and in defending our industry from its critics. This presentation is an insider's guide to what’s going on in Congress, the states, and the courts that will have a direct impact on clubs in the years ahead. It also will provide insights on how club owners can affect this process and protect their interests. The current debates involving immigration reform, significant others, and eminent domain are among the topics covered in this program.
Guidelines for Membership Marketing and the Admissions Process: A Balancing Act for the 21st Century Private Club
The admission of a new member is one of the most important decisions at a private club. Yet, the economic pressures many clubs face today lead them to consider policies and procedures that can undermine the legal protections that privacy affords. This program covers the broad spectrum of issues that can arise for the truly private club and offers some practical guidelines for addressing them. Specific areas covered include:
- The impact of nonmember business activities
- Guest policies and reciprocal arrangements
- The importance of selectivity in evaluating prospective members
- Bylaw provisions to protect private status
Significant Others: How Should You Treat Unmarried Members?
The debate over legal rights for domestic partners and significant others continues to fill courtrooms and statehouses across the country. Currently a handful of states grant legal rights to domestic partners, while other states have reserved the legal rights that go along with marriage to heterosexual couples. This issue evokes great passion on both sides. Cut through the rhetoric and get the facts. Is your club required to recognize domestic partners for spousal rights? Can an out-of-state couple force your club to recognize their home state legal relationship? How are other clubs across the country handling this issue? What is the best way to protect your club's autonomy in dealing with this issue? These questions and more will be addressed in NCA’s acclaimed presentation in this rapidly changing area of the law.
Nonprofit Governance & Financial Oversight: What Every Club Leader Should Know
Lapses in board oversight in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors have drawn attention to the important stewardship role boards play. At the same time, the American Competitiveness and Corporate Accountability Act, commonly referred to as “Sarbanes-Oxley,” was passed by Congress in 2002. This session outlines some of the act’s legal and governance implications for businesses, both for-profit and nonprofit, including steps club boards may need to take. It also addresses financial and internal control measures that are a critical aspect of new accounting audit standards, management responsibility, the safeguarding of assets, and sound club governance.
Private and Tax Exempt Status 101
What makes a club private, and how is this issue evolving? Legal cases, societal change, and economic pressures have made this a challenging issue for many clubs. Privacy concerns are as longstanding as private clubs themselves, yet they remain as germane today as ever. This program addresses key areas of privacy and how clubs are adapting. Specific areas covered include:
- The impact of nonmember business activities
- Guest policies and reciprocal arrangements
- The importance of selectivity in evaluating prospective members
- Bylaw provisions to protect private status
Private Club Liability Issues: How to Avoid Being Sued
Private clubs face a wide range of liability issues, ranging from the many areas of club operations to those which pertain to effective management and governance. This program examines the unique aspects and protections afforded to clubs that maintain private status, as well as risk management steps all clubs can pursue to address liability associated with employment practices and club operations.
Disaster Planning and Business Recovery
Every year, disasters take their toll on businesses, including clubs. Viability is threatened, and both lives and economic recovery can be impaired by a lack of preparedness. This session outlines some of the most important aspects of disaster planning, including:
- The disaster planning and recovery team
- Record protection and recovery
- Insurance considerations
- Developing and writing a plan
- Emergency contacts
- Working with club employees
How to Add Organizational Strength and Value to Clubs through Effective Boards and Committees
Boards and committees contribute to organizations in a wide variety of ways and bring an equally wide range of backgrounds and expertise. Knowing and understanding key characteristics of volunteers can help clubs encourage visionary leadership that contributes to the quality of the facility. Areas of focus of this program include: structure and practices of effective boards; enhancing leadership skills of volunteers; fostering a culture encouraging growth and creativity; and establishing clear boundaries between management and governance.
Club Leadership Under Fire: Are You and Your Board Adequately Protected From Claims?
Modern society is increasingly litigious and clubs, too, are experiencing a growing number of claims related to employment practices liability and membership policies. As in the corporate world, a club’s directors and officers can be held personally responsible for their actions, or lack thereof, in managing an organization. This program addresses steps a club can take to manage its risk and protect itself from potential lawsuits.
