OLD RES YACHT CLUB

OPERATIONAL PRACTICES AND GUIDELINES

Revised May, 2023

Page 1 of 3
1.0 MEMBERSHIP

1.1 Suggest three categories of membership: active, active away and dues paying;
inactive and non dues paying. If you are active or active away, you receive hard
copy mailings and email mailings regarding upcoming social events and/or club
activities. Active away members live at least half the year outside Massachusetts
and pay dues. If you are inactive, you can still access the web site to catch up on
ORYC news.
1.2 Active and active away members can sign up to join the various clubs on sign up
sheets provided at the Annual Meeting. If member does not attend, they will
have access (via an email from the President) to the email address/or telephone
number of the club chairperson and therefore be able to sign up online.
1.3 Active members should commit to and sign up for one of the three socials, again
at the Annual Meeting. Active away members may sign up to help plan a social
but are not required to do so. Following the Annual Meeting, the President(s)
will email the entire membership to remind those not present at the meeting to
request a certain assignment. Otherwise, they will be assigned by the
President(s) prior to the updating of the website which lists the socials along
with who is on which committee.
1.4 If a member has passed, the ORYC will donate $100 towards a charity of the
surviving family’s choosing or will send a flower arrangement as well as a
sympathy card. The specific details around this can be overseen by the Vice
President(s) and Treasurer(s). If an inactive member has passed, it is up to the
Steering Committee’s discretion (IE longevity of previous membership) to make
a determination regarding a donation.
1.5 Members and inactive members should contact the Secretary and the Treasurer
in a timely fashion regarding address, email, telephone changes.

2.0 SOCIALS

2.1 Suggest three socials for the year: Fall, Winter, and Spring. The socials should
be headed up by the Secretary(ies), Treasurer(s), and Vice President(s). The
President(s) will oversee the annual meeting part of the Social (i.e. election of
officers, Treasurer’s report, any discussions regarding Bylaws, practices and
protocols that need to be reviewed).
2.2 Once an official headcount has been reported to a vendor or service provider for a
social event, a member who has purchased a ticket can not be reimbursed. They
can try to sell the ticket to another member.

OLD RES YACHT CLUB

OPERATIONAL PRACTICES AND GUIDELINES

Revised May, 2023

Page 2 of 3

2.3 There is both a hard copy and spread sheet that contains a record of past social
events in order to give committees ideas going forward. This can be updated by
the President and kept in the binder/folder.
2.4 After a Social event is held, the event Chairperson should fill out a Social Report
(a word document) to record costs, feedback, lessons learned and provide it to
the President to be placed in the binder/folder.
2.5 If a social is in someone’s home, suggest paying for a cleaning service after the
event; approximately $100. In addition, it should be understood that members
who were assigned to that event stay after to clean up.
2.6 Socials are supposed to be self funded. We plan events for which headcount is
unknown, so fixed costs should be avoided or minimized.
a) Try to avoid venues that insist on minimum costs regardless of
headcount.
b) Try to avoid venues whose contracts aren’t flexible about weather or other
unpredictable causes for cancellation.
c) Have a cash bar versus including cost of beer and wine in cost of ticket
d) Chairs should request that committee members get an okay before
spending
e) If the committee anticipates it will be in the red for expenses, the
Chairperson should consult with the Treasurer
f) Committees should feel comfortable negotiating for best prices. Venues
and service providers are competing and will likely be flexible to attract an event
with 40-50 people
g) In figuring the cost per person, suggest dividing total by a count of 40-45
people attending
2.7 Cost, location, etc of events has become an increasing challenge. There has been
an unwritten limit of $50 to $55 per person. Yet, when most folks go out to
dinner, especially if entertainment is involved, they typically would spend more
than $60 per person. Because we are rarely using people’s homes, we are
incurring higher costs at restaurants and halls. Suggest that, if warranted, costs
can go as high as $60 per person. Since Covid, costs have been significantly
higher.
2.8 Flyers for socials should inquire about members’ food allergies if food is served at
the event.
2.9 Flyers for socials should state that checks be made out to ORYC.
2.10 Religious holidays should be avoided when setting dates for socials.
2.11 Sign up for being on a specific social planning committee is on a first come basis
and the President(s) will balance out the committees as outlined in the Bylaws.

OLD RES YACHT CLUB

OPERATIONAL PRACTICES AND GUIDELINES

Revised May, 2023

Page 3 of 3

3.0 STEERING COMMITTEE

3.1 In practice, the Steering Committee has become the nominating committee
versus a separate appointed committee for that purpose. As such, it is
recommended that the Steering Committee meets after the first of the year, and
well before the annual meeting to put together a list of nominees for the two roles
that are to be transitioned. The President can then call prospective candidates.
3.2 Recommend 2 meetings per year: one prior to the annual meeting (February
time frame) and one after the annual meeting (May, June time frame) to welcome
the two new sets of officers. Typically these meetings are at the Presidents’
residence and the May/June meeting has been a dinner put together by the
current President.
3.3 Suggest that the President keep and add to a binder/file holder (to be handed
over to next President) that would contain sections on updated bylaws, history of
board members, history of past social events, copies of the Social Reports that
the Chairperson has filled out after each event. This becomes helpful in defining
roles, in knowing who has served on the board in the past (to help with
nominations of new officers), lessons learned from past socials, recommended
caterers (and ones not recommended): all in the service of not reinventing the
wheel every time. In addition, the binder/folder can be made available to the
chairs of the socials.
3.4 The practice has been to present gifts to the two outgoing officers: approximately
$25 gift certificates.