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AES Newsletter
Tuesday March 24, 2020
In the wake of COVID-19, many events across the world have been cancelled or postponed in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the virus. If your association or not-for-profit had its annual conference, member events, or training courses coming up, you have likely cancelled these events by now.
With many associations relying on the profits from their annual conference to deliver their services for next 12 months, the impact on both cashflow and an association’s bottom-line can be serious.
We spoke ...
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Tuesday March 24, 2020
Amid mounting concerns over the economic fall-out that will be caused by COVID-19, the Federal Government has announced several measures to help Australian businesses.
On Sunday 22 March, Prime Minister Morrison released a second $66.1 billion stimulus package designed to help boost income support payments, introduce changes to superannuation, and provide cash flow support payments of up to $100,000 for small business employers. Some of these measures are available to not-for-profit entities.
If your association is experiencing financial hardship, we encourage ...
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Tuesday March 24, 2020
On 23 March, the Government introduced the Coronavirus Economic Response Package Omnibus Bill 2020, which was fast-tracked through parliament in response to growing concerns around COVID-19.
The legislation is designed to help lessen the economic threats that otherwise healthy companies and entities are currently experiencing in a bid to reduce the closure of businesses, associations and charities alike. The Bill outlines measures such as temporary relief from insolvent trading liability, increased thresholds for winding up and bankruptcy procedures, and protections from ...
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Wednesday March 11, 2020
The spread of a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) is already proving to have huge global implications. As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve and develop, it is imperative that associations—as employers—take into careful consideration the legal obligations they have for their employees regarding work, health and safety, and risk mitigation.
In particular, employers must provide their staff with advice and management actions that are clear, relevant, timely and accurate in order to reduce panic and distress, minimise absenteeism and facilitate ...
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Wednesday March 11, 2020
As the novel coronavirus – COVID-19 – situation continues to develop and emerge, it is becoming increasingly apparent that it would be wise for businesses and associations to implement risk management plans in order to reduce business losses, minimise recovery time and generally improve business continuity.
Furthermore, according to Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws, workplaces are obliged to provide their employees with, within what is reasonably practicable, a risk-free work environment or take precautions to mitigate or eradicate risks.
When planning ...
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Wednesday March 11, 2020
In the wake of COVID-19, many events across the world are being cancelled or postponed in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the virus. If your association has an event coming up, you might be thinking about cancelling it or postponing it.
However, whether you decide to go ahead with the event or not, it is prudent to understand the implications of either decision. In particular, the legal implications associated with both proceeding with the event and cancelling it should ...
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Monday February 17, 2020
Association Executive Services (AES) is pleased to announce the launch of its 10 Areas of Best Practice for Associations Model. This Model will help associations attain the level of excellence they need to thrive.
Associations (and their members) come together to represent a specific purpose and to forward the interests of a specific group of people. More and more, members’ expectations of the services, support, advice and benefits delivered by their association are on the rise. As such, association leaders must ...
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Monday February 17, 2020
The rise of social media has ushered in a change in what members expect of their organisations. There have been undeniable benefits, including increased communication between members. However, a heavy reliance on social media has also resulted in some negatives, particularly around creating a real sense of belonging and making members feel special and engaged (and therefore more likely to remain association members long-term).
Are You Relying On Social Media To Increase Your Membership Numbers?
If you are relying on social media ...
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Tuesday January 21, 2020
Over the nine last years, Association Executive Services (AES) has captured information about the performance of associations in Australia. Using the AES Association Best Practice Self-Assessment tool, we have gathered data from over 450 association leaders. All these association leaders have self-assessed their organisation against 10 key areas:
Governance
Strategic Planning
Leadership
People
Systems and Procedures
Risk Management
Financial
Membership
Information Technology
Association leaders complete 66 questions covering all 10 of these criteria; the results enable them to benchmark their association’s performance against similar associations (that have also completed the ...
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Tuesday January 21, 2020
Over the last 12 months, we have seen a high turnover of association leaders throughout Australia. While some of this turnover may have been planned, in many cases, association leaders have resigned from their positions, suffering from high levels of anxiety. This anxiety often results in a number of personal issues.
As such, we have asked one of AES’s key advisors, Gavin Sharp, to contribute his thoughts on how to maximise your worth in a changing world. Gavin is a psychologist ...
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Tuesday November 12, 2019
For many associations, the Annual General Meeting (AGM) is not the most popular meeting—it tends to be a very dry and formal process that does not allow for a lot of debate regarding the management of the association.
Despite this, all associations need to run AGMs. But what are the protocols to ensure the meeting is run effectively and is compliant with your association’s Constitution?
Critical Things You Need to Understand About AGMs
What is an AGM and why does your association need ...
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Tuesday November 12, 2019
In a recent meeting with a CEO of an AES member association, the issue of obtaining a quorum to run the Annual General Meeting (AGM) was discussed. At the member association's recent AGM, there were not enough members present to constitute a quorum because the association had adopted the Model Rules. The President was very anxious that the Model Rules allowed only members to attend, rather than a quorum, which he believed posed some risks to the association.
Do you have similar questions ...
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Wednesday October 09, 2019
AES members include both Board members and executives such as CEOs and Executive Officers, all of who may need to obtain legal advice at some stage. For the last 15 years, I have been a friend of John Crosby a very experienced Barrister and Solicitor and former General Council for Shell Australia. He has been my legal mentor since then and I would like to share in this newsletter some of what I have learnt when seeking legal advice.
Confidentiality
All communications between ...
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Wednesday October 09, 2019
The majority of associations produce some type of magazine, usually included as part of a member benefit package. And, unfortunately, for the majority of associations, the task of compiling their quarter magazine can be arduous, and seemingly without return.
Instead of viewing the next edition of your magazine as a chore, try to think of it as an opportunity; an opportunity to help your members, to connect with your members on a personal level, to tell the story of your association, ...
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Wednesday September 18, 2019
Associations can be very dynamic organisations. They can bring together like minded members to share information, ideas, and best practice processes within their industry or area of interest.
Modern society prospers as result of this type of collaboration; it has instigated breakthroughs in science, changed societies values, and influenced government policies. An effective member association can serve the community in any number of ways.
So then, what do dynamic, effective member associations have in common? Generally, they can demonstrate best practice in ...
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Monday August 19, 2019
Have you recently been appointed to a mangement position within an Australian association? Do you have questions about finance and tax? Not sure if you need to complete a self assessment? Don't understand the difference between an audit and a review? Or unsure as to how much surplus you should generate per annum?
Luckily, in the article below, Aaron Fitchett (Director and Tax Partner at Baumgartners) answers all these questions and more. Aaron is a Chartered Tax Adviser with 18 years’ experience advising private and ...
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Sunday August 18, 2019
Outdated rules and conditions—documented within an association’s constitution generations ago—are one of the major barriers for associations. Restrictive constitutions can stifle the activities of an association, preventing the organisation from becoming successful and vibrant, and meeting the needs of its members.
While we all know that Boards and Directors must adhere to an association’s constitution, the more prescriptive and outdated the constitution, the more difficult it can be to change the organisation, to make it more responsive to the modern-day needs ...
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Thursday August 08, 2019
The requirements for an association to have an audit or review will depend on a number of factors, including:
Is the association incorporated under the Corporations Act (as a Company Limited by Guarantee) or under State based legislation.
Size of the association
Whether the association has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status
Association’s constitution or other governing document
Companies Limited by Guarantee
A few years ago, the legislation was streamlined to reduce the compliance burden for many small and medium sized companies limited by guarantee, with some ...
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Wednesday August 07, 2019
There are over 25,000 associations in Australia, covering all types of human pursuits—there really is an association for just about everything. Most associations are classed as small businesses, employing less that 20 staff. Many of their administrative functions rely on a combination of full-time, part-time employees and volunteers managing the needs and expectations of members.
Over the last 20 years, we have seen significant changes in the structure of businesses, as well as in the management of associations. Technology has revolutionised how ...
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Tuesday July 16, 2019
Association leaders often want to know when and how to engage government. Any time is good, as long as you are prepared, but some times are better than others. Different stages in the political cycle provide different opportunities.
Pre-Election
The State and Territory Government elections in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Northern Territory and Queensland in 2020 provide a great opportunity to engage with governments and the opposition. Each is looking for policies that are going to appeal to voters, and you can help ...
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