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FAQ - Functioning of the Board of Directors

This page, intended for candidates in the elections for the Board of Directors of the Club des Cent Cols (CA), describes and explains the terms of reference of the CA, its general operation (which may change if the new team so wishes) and attempts to answer the main questions that may be asked by candidates.

Attention tout de même : cette page document peut sembler très longue car elle fait un inventaire exhaustif des charges du CA. Néanmoins, en dehors des tâches statutaires spécifiques à certains postes (président, secrétaire, trésorier), une répartition des autres tâches aura lieu au sein de l’équipe en fonction des disponibilités et compétences de chacun.  La liste exhaustive de toutes les tâches peut permettre à certains de se présenter en faisant mention de leurs compétences pour en assumer certaines.

Devenir membre du CA est une décision importante; si vous êtes élu, le club comptera sur votre engagement et votre implication dans votre rôle pour les quatre prochaines années. Le Conseil d’administration se réunit statutairement au moins deux fois par an : dans l’hiver avant la sortie de la revue annuelle et à  l’automne  avant l’Assemblée générale. Outre les conditions de quorum, il est souhaitable que le maximum de membres élus participe aux réunions pour qu’elles soient productives. Dans l’intervalle, les membres communiquent généralement par courriel pour traiter des sujets divers relatifs à la vie de la Confrérie. Des réunions téléphoniques via un  logiciel de téléconférence (facile à prendre en main) peuvent être organisées pour les sujets nécessitant des discussions approfondies.

Being a board member is much more than just attending meetings. The vast majority of the work takes place behind the scenes, and requires a minimum level of skill in certain areas. First and foremost, a good understanding of and absolute respect for our Rules of the Game. The Board is the guarantor of the quality of our collar catalogues, and in the event of disputes within the national Working Groups (WGs), it is the Board that must make the final decision, which must be trustworthy and made within an acceptable timeframe. In addition, team spirit is essential. This means, among other things, that decisions are taken collegially.

Le CA assure de nombreuses tâches, certaines visibles et publiques, d’autres moins ou pas du tout, mais tout aussi importantes ; il faut donc laisser son égo à la porte. Le mot d’ordre est d’être au service des membres.

Également important est le temps disponible : bien remplir son rôle au CA peut être assez chronophage, ou, du moins, chronophage durant certaines époques de l’année, comme au moment de la revue ou de la préparation de l’Assemblée générale. L’essentiel de l’activité des dirigeants a lieu pendant l’hiver. Mai, Juin, Juillet et Août sont les mois les moins chargés.  C’est pourquoi la lecture de ce document est essentielle afin de se faire une idée sur la charge de travail impliquée.

En fait, bien que ce ne soit pas un prérequis statutaire, il faut disposer d’une connexion haut-débit adéquate et bien maîtriser les principaux outils informatiques : bureautique, en particulier Excel, Word (ou équivalents ouverts Open Office, Libre Office…), mail, web et si possible communications de groupe de type « Skype ». Les membres du CA étant, comme le reste des membres du club, très dispersés, il serait inconcevable de pouvoir être membre du CA sans être connecté via Internet.

We hope this document will help you make an informed decision, and we hope you enjoy reading it.

Board structure

The Board is currently limited to a maximum of eleven members.

Trois types de rôle existent :

• Three statutory posts appointed : Trois personnes formant le « bureau » : président, secrétaire et trésorier. Ces trois personnes, distinctes, sont requises par la réglementation régissant les associations « Loi 1901 »
• Two appointed but non-statutory posts Vice-Chairman and Deputy Secretary.
• Three untitled directorships.

Certaines tâches doivent être accomplies statutairement par des personnes précises ; par exemple il va sans dire que la comptabilité est du domaine du trésorier, la communication officielle des comptes-rendus de réunions et d’assemblées, celle du secrétaire, et la rédaction du rapport moral, celle du président. En dehors de ces tâches, le reste du travail est distribué à tous les membres du CA selon leurs compétences et  souhaits ; les membres du bureau participent à toutes les tâches communes au CA et font aussi d’autres travaux, non-statutaires, qu’ils se sont engagés à faire.

In some cases, if it does not have the resources, skills or time, the Board may call on the support of members from outside the Board. However, the Board remains responsible for the work done by these colleagues. The best-known example is that of the Regional and National Delegates, who are among the club's main linchpins, but whose work is still the responsibility of the Board.

Le CA doit souvent voter sur des sujets précis. Chaque membre a une voix. Seule la voix du président est prépondérante en cas d’égalité. (NB : il n’y a jamais eu lieu d’appliquer cette mesure, la discussion ayant toujours permis de trancher les choses).

Any member of the Board, depending on their skills or wishes, can take part in projects such as designing permanent walks or joining a working group.

Statutory roles making up the bureau

Only certain tasks are statutory. The other tasks normally remain the responsibility of each of these roles, but may optionally be entrusted to other Board members.

These three members also share a number of other tasks, but their statutory tasks with legal status must remain the priority.

Chairman

The Chairman assumes moral, legal and financial responsibility for the association. He is responsible for coordinating the various bodies and players, in particular the regional coordinators, with a view to promoting regional meetings...

Ci-dessous la liste indicative des tâches :

• Communication with the General Secretary, Treasurer and IT Manager(s) on all matters within their remit before committing the Board and the Club,
• Working closely with the secretary, drawing up and proofreading meeting agendas and minutes,
• For the appointment of the Territorial Delegates (TD), after discussions within the Board, solicitation of members with the profile for this role. Management of departures and renewals of TDs. Day-to-day monitoring of messages on the TD mailing list and answering certain fundamental questions, in particular on the application of the Rules of the Game,
• Responses to suggestions and comments of a political or controversial nature made by members publicly or in private,
• Attendance at key meetings to give welcome and farewell speeches,
• Prior to the AGM, drafting of the annual report for Infos Cent Cols, as well as proofreading of all the reports, texts and content of this newsletter,
• At the General Meeting, the Annual Report is read out and any questions from members on the issues discussed are answered,
• Writing the magazine's editorial,
• Drafting newsletters for members,
• Vote on behalf of the club at federal level,
• Participation aux réunions de comité départemental et ligue FFCT, et si possible à l’AG de la FFCT,
• Maintaining relations with other brotherhoods and related associations,
• In some cases, responding to press interviews on behalf of the club,
• Contacts and invitations to local elected representatives, FFCT officials, etc. to the General Meeting and major meetings,
• In consultation with the other Board members, oversees the legal aspects of the club's activities (insurance, trips, intellectual property, etc.).

Secretary

Le Secrétaire est le point d’entrée principal pour tous les courriers généraux envoyés au club, c’est lui, également, qui répond au numéro de téléphone principal du club. Il redistribue les demandes qu’il ne traite pas lui-même aux personnes concernées : les courriers spécifiques, par exemple les textes et photos pour la revue, les demandes d’achat de catalogues et de vêtements sont traitées directement par les personnes qui s’occupent de ces activités. Leurs adresses se trouvent dans la revue, dans la rubrique Contacts du site web du club.

The secretary may be assisted in these tasks by assistant secretary(s).

• Registration of new members : Vérification des listes de cols. Création d’une fiche de membre électronique et inscription de toutes les coordonnées et « score » sur cette fiche. Rédaction d’une lettre d’accueil avec éventuellement commentaires sur la liste si des cols ont été refusés. Confection d’un diplôme et mise sous enveloppes de la revue + lettre d’accueil + diplôme + médaille. Conservation des documents papier ou électroniques reçus du nouveau membre. En tant que de besoin, prise de contact avec le nouveau membre pour parfaire sa liste.
• Communication Reading and replying to letters sent to the secretariat. Receiving and processing a number of pass lists and annual subscriptions sent directly to the secretary,
• Sending reminder letters printed once a year for members in arrears,
• Medals Receiving orders. Engraving of medals and dispatch.
• Review : Envoi des revues aux membres existants qui cotisent en retard après l’envoi publiposté de la revue annuelle. Gestion du stock des revues anciennes et commercialisation éventuelle.
• Diplomas These include: ad hoc extractions from the THEL, in consultation with the TDs, Regional Coordinators and trip leaders to identify potential recipients, printing the diplomas for significant numbers of passes (500, 1000, 2000, etc.) which are given to members at gatherings, trips and at the General Meeting, updating an appropriate database. Finally, we prepare and send diplomas to members who expressly request them.
• Annual General Meeting Drafting of the annual report, the invitation to the meeting and publication via Info Cent Cols of the various annual reports put to the vote. Preparation of paper and electronic voting material. Receiving postal votes from members. Preparing the vote count (classifying envelopes in numerical order, recording proxies, etc.),
• Drafting the minutes report for the journal.
• Administrative relations avec les autorités préfectorales : il réalise avec la Préfecture de Haute- Savoie toutes les formalités légales auxquelles est assujetti le Club (déclarations diverses, enregistrement de documents, etc.)
• Statutory meetings de janvier et de septembre : invitation envoyée aux membres du CA + GT + DT + autres. Préparation de l’ordre du jour avec le président et après interrogation des différents intervenants invités. Préparation de la logistique.
• Drafting a report,
• Archives : Conservation of the club's official documents for the statutory period,
• Accounting : établissement de la comptabilité espèces et chèques qu’il reçoit (nouveaux membres, stands s’il y a lieu, et toute demande arrivée chez lui : cotisation annuelle, achat de catalogue etc.). Dépôt des chèques en banque et transmission de la comptabilité au trésorier.
• Cent Cols stands (Pâques en Provence, Semaine Fédérale, …). Relations avec la FFCT et les responsables locaux. Organisation générale, planification et pilotage, liaison avec ceux et celles qui seront sur ces stands selon zone géographique et disponibilité. Liaison avec les responsables du stock de vêtements et de papeterie (catalogues, guides Topo, etc.) pour avoir quelques articles à vendre sur ces stands. Pour cette activité, le secrétaire est épaulé depuis cette année par la personne en charge des boutiques (Bruno Litwin)
• Stocks. The Secretary is normally responsible for the club's physical stocks. In practice, clothing is managed by someone outside the Board (currently Helène Laixnaire) and paper stocks (catalogues, Topo guides, etc.) by Gérard Birelli. He also manages the stocks of medals (100 and 1000 bottles) and ensures that they are replenished.
• FFCT licence management Drafting the registration form with updated rates for publication in Info Cent Cols and on the website. Registration of licence applications. Sending cheques to the Treasurer. Registering members on the Féderation's computer system. Relations with the FFCT regarding licences. Receive licences from the FFCT. Sends out licences to interested parties (about a hundred licences a year).

Treasurer

• Accounting Receives invoices, makes payments, performs bank reconciliations, notifies interested parties of transfers received. Accounts for sales of clothing and stationery.
• Deposit cheques proceeds of sales to the Club's bank account,
• Management Checks the financial terms of draft orders and draft contracts.
• Verification and presentation Treasurer: prepares the club's financial statements, submits the accounting information required by the auditors, and drafts and presents the financial report for the Annual General Meeting.

Non-statutory "named" roles

Le Vice-Chairman peut remplacer le président en cas d’absence prolongée, ou si ce dernier est dans l’impossibilité de remplir ses fonctions. Il peut représenter le Président à certaines assemblées, mais ce remplacement est souvent dicté par la disponibilité et la géographie ;  le président peut donc désigner dans ces cas un représentant autre que le vice-président.

Le Assistant Secretary assists the secretary as required. He or she has the same access rights to computer files as the secretary.

For the rest of their work, the Vice-Chairman and Deputy Secretary are treated in the same way as other Board members with unnamed roles (see below).

Unnamed" roles

The other three members of the Board, together with the Vice-Chairman and the Deputy Secretary, share the majority of the tasks common to the whole Board, and also take on tasks that are specific to them. These are described below.

Joint or specific tasks within the Board of Directors

The Board appoints members of the working groups (GT) the auditors WGs, the Regional and national delegates (DT) and regional coordinators.

Des membres du CA peuvent représenter le club dans des instances ou groupes de travail externes avec rôle consultatif (exemple : travaux avec des commissions tourisme de conseils généraux…)

Votes on proposed collars

The national working groups (WGs) draw up the pass catalogues and manage the modifications (new passes, deletions, various changes) which come from the field or which are proposed within the WG. Each WG has a verifier who ensures that the work of the WG follows the rules of the game.

Un membre du CA est plus particulièrement chargé des relations et du suivi des travaux des GT :

• In the event of a dispute between the auditor and the majority of WG members, the auditor reports the matter to the Board. The Board must then vote to resolve the dispute.
• Voting must take place within acceptable time limits, so as not to slow down the WG's work, and in full compliance with the rules of the game.
• It informs the WGs of the Board's decisions and monitors the implementation of any additions.
• Les membres qui ont proposé des cols doivent pouvoir recevoir un accusé de réception et une information quant au traitement de leur demande.

Votes on other business

Board members also have to vote on a number of administrative and "moral" issues, and on how to respond to members' suggestions and comments, etc.

Internal matters or those directly involving the Board are voted on by e-mail or other online tools. More complex matters, or those requiring the participation of other club volunteers, such as WGs or TDs, are generally discussed at a semi-annual meeting.

Annual review

The annual magazine is the club's flagship publication and the main channel of communication with all members, whether 'connected' or not.

The editor-in-chief of the magazine is a Board position, and the duties of this post keep the incumbent busy from December to the beginning of May, or even longer, to deal with returns and items that have not reached their addressees (new items, address corrections, etc.).

Deux grands domaines pour les tâches du rédacteur en chef de la revue :

1. Environment and general organisation
2. The actual composition of the magazine

This document describes the current process. As far as the composition of the magazine is concerned, the editor-in-chief has complete freedom to achieve the objective (IT tools, working methods, time invested), i.e. the production and delivery of documents.

1. Environment and general organisation
   • Lors de la première année d’exercice prospection préalable pour trouver un imprimeur : cahier des charges, demande de devis, et présentation des offres au CA pour le choix de l’imprimeur.Note As the magazine is compiled by a computer graphics designer, it is preferable for the editor-in-chief to be geographically close to the printer (or the computer graphics designer if he or she does not belong to the printing company), who will have to travel frequently to facilitate the delivery of data and its presentation in the magazine.
   • Composition of the reading committee and definition of working methods with the creation of a rating file shared via the Internet,
   • Définition précise du contenu des plis qui seront envoyé aux adhérents : revue + documents annexes (additifs de l’année, bulletins d’inscription et bons de commande divers),
   • Establishment of the printer's production schedule (computer graphics and printing of the magazine + printing of the various attachments) and choice of the latest dispatch date,
   • Via a customer account, drawing up direct mail contracts with La Poste (PRO branch) for the dispatch of 2,500 items in France and abroad, setting the delivery date and indicating the France/overseas breakdown,
   • Printing routing labels (in collaboration with the IT manager)
   • Once the printer has delivered the complete sealed envelopes, professional plastic crates are collected from the post office to transport the envelopes ready for mailing,
   • Organisation of a labelling group and labelling session (normally at the editor's home).
   • Printing of deposit slips sent by post,
   • Transport of the hundred or so filled crates to the post office (in the vehicles of the labelling group volunteers).
2. Composition of the magazine
   • The editor-in-chief receives text and photos from members by email and records them electronically, text on one side and photos on the other.
   • It enters the manuscripts (it can ask for help from volunteer members of the reading committee) and translates or arranges for the translation of texts into English, Italian or German.
   • It reads and makes an initial correction of the texts, and offers authors of very long texts a shorter version.
   • It sends the texts in batches to the reading committee, which it leads and solicits until the end of the process of selecting and classifying the articles, and selecting and wording the sections.
   • It receives the versions of texts proofread and corrected by the members of the reading committee and summarises the corrections and suggestions (extensive communication by e-mail for certain texts).
   • It ensures that all the members of the reading committee update the grading table, which will be used to classify the texts on the basis of content and form, and to define the section in which they will eventually be published.
   • Again in agreement with the editorial committee, and on the basis of the classification induced by the marks awarded to the texts, he draws up the table of contents of the magazine, which has until now been set at 80 pages, with certain texts therefore not being retained even though they have been examined with the same attention. The table of contents, which is the graphic designer's working tool, includes an estimate of the space that each of the texts will occupy.
   • He chooses the photos to accompany the articles (from among those sent by the authors of the texts if they are of sufficient quality or from among the thousands of photos sent by members, sorted and stored in the photo libraries that he sets up each year), communicates with the authors if necessary to send the photos in high definition.
   • For an initial layout work using the typesetting software, he sends the computer graphics designer, in the form of individualised and numbered directories according to the table of contents, each of the texts accompanied by the chosen and captioned photos.
   • He works at the printer's with the graphic designer (2 to 4 hours a day, 2 to 3 times a week over 4 weeks, from mid-March to mid-April) to perfect or redo the layout, balance the content of the sections and ensure a good balance between text and photos.
   • it retrieves the magazine in PDF format, forwards it to the Board and the Reading Committee for proofreading and corrections, and does so as many times as there are errors, without exceeding the deadline set with the printer for starting the printing process
   • They receive or create their own documents to accompany the magazine (roll of honour, statistics, holiday and AGM registration forms, various order forms), which they also print.
   • He gives the go-ahead for printing and collects the sealed envelopes within about ten days, starts labelling and delivers them to the post office in the first week of May.
   • It annually updates or recreates the clothing order form (front and back) with the various prices and the new models chosen, for publication with the Revue and on the website.

Permanent cycle-tours

A manager from outside the Board is responsible for managing and monitoring registrations. He or she communicates with registrants or responds to requests for information and draws up an annual report, which is presented at the General Meeting.

Le  CA doit :

• Updating the route books to take account of new or withdrawn approved passes.
• Editer les différents documents : flyers, carnets de route. L’impression est faite par le biais du contrat avec l’atelier de reprographie cité plus haut,
• If necessary, prepare applications for FFCT certification of permanent tours

Frequently asked questions

These frequently asked questions may be added to as and when questions arise.

Workload and availability

Q Combien de temps faut-il consacrer par jour pour être membre du CA ?

R It all depends on the role and the tasks you agree to take on. Some jobs can keep you busy full-time for several hours a day for a few months, as in the Revue. Others are more spread out over the year. The important thing is that you are available throughout the year for votes and other activities involving the entire Board. Depending on the tasks you take on, you will need to be available at the times required to complete these tasks when they have a fixed timetable, such as holidays. For example, a trip leader could not be absent for several weeks in the run-up to a trip.

It is difficult to give a precise assessment of the workload of each individual. In essence, volunteering requires a certain amount of availability, but it is clear that some people are more available than others.

Q Est-il nécessaire pour tous les membres du CA de participer aux réunions semi-annuelles ?

R As far as possible, yes. Please note that article 8 of our Articles of Association states^bis any Board member who misses three consecutive meetings without good reason may be deemed to have resigned. Board members are reimbursed for their travel expenses for these meetings.

Q Si je suis en vacances ou en déplacement professionnel est-il nécessaire pour moi de rester disponible électroniquement ?

R No. Your activity on the Board (as part of any voluntary work) must remain a convivial and fun activity and not a constraint, except for the cases mentioned in the first question of this section where you must carry out the tasks for which you have committed yourself, your professional time and your free time are completely up to you.

Q Que faire si après un certain temps au CA je m’aperçois que la charge de travail est trop lourde ?

R The important thing is to get a good idea of the workload before applying. Read the terms of reference carefully, talk to members of the current Board, contact the Chairman, and get a clear idea of what skills you can bring to the table and how much free time you have.

Once the workload has been allocated, it is more difficult to make changes. If, however, you want to adjust your workload after a running-in period, there will normally be enough latitude and flexibility to make adjustments.

Q Dois-je participer à tous les séjours, à toutes les réunions, à toutes les AG ?

R For meetings, see above. As far as possible, all Board members should be able to attend the General Meeting, which is the most important statutory event in the life of the club. The International Summer Meeting is also a major event, which is usually attended by all Board members. But as with the statutory meetings, an absence can be excused.

Skills

Q Dois-je disposer d’un certain équipement informatique pour pouvoir être membre du CA ?

R Your choice of hardware, internet connection and software is entirely up to you. However, you need to be able to read, create and edit office documents such as those from Microsoft Office, Libre Office or Open Office.

Vous devez également avoir un accès internet haut-débit car de nombreux fichiers lourds sont fréquemment envoyés par mail ; vous devez disposer d’un navigateur récent, ainsi que d’un logiciel de messagerie pouvant traiter les fichiers lourds en pièces jointes.

Finally, as this software is used for audio conferences, you must have "Skype", or at least undertake to install it, in order to take part in telephone meetings of the Board. Skype is free software, and you can help a member to install it and get to grips with it.

Q Quelles autres compétences techniques dois-je avoir ?

R Ceci dépend naturellement des tâches auxquelles vous vous engagez. Le trésorier doit avoir des compétences basiques de comptabilité, bien qu’il ne soit pas nécessaire pour lui d’être expert-comptable dans la vie professionnelle (un atout, tout de même !).