The Club Treasurer's Complete Handbook

You didn't volunteer for this. Or maybe you did, but only because the outgoing treasurer cornered you at the end-of-season barbecue when your defences were down, handed you a Woolworths bag containing three years of bank statements and a USB stick with "FINANCES" written on it in Sharpie, and said "it's really not that hard."

It might not be that hard. But nobody ever properly explains what the job actually involves, which is why so many club treasurers spend their first six months feeling like they're one mistake away from accidentally embezzling something.

Here's the truth: you don't need an accounting degree. You don't need to have done a bookkeeping course. You don't need to understand double-entry anything. What you need is to be organised, to be honest, and to care enough about the club to keep the money visible and the records clean. That's it. Everything else, you can learn - and that's what this handbook is for.

If you're also new to the broader committee role, the president's handbook and secretary's handbook are worth reading alongside this one. The three roles overlap more than people think.

The scariest committee role (and why it doesn't have to be)

People avoid the treasurer role for one reason: money carries consequences. If the secretary sends an email with a typo, nobody goes to jail. If the treasurer loses track of $5,000 in grant money, things get uncomfortable fast.

But here's what most new treasurers don't realise: the job isn't to be an accountant. It's to be the person who keeps the money organised, honest, and visible to the rest of the committee. You're not doing tax returns. You're not preparing consolidated financial statements. You're making sure money comes in, money goes out, and everyone can see what happened.

The actual day-to-day? It's paying invoices. It's banking cheques (yes, some clubs still get cheques). It's reconciling the bank account. It's writing a one-page report for the monthly committee meeting. It's lodging a BAS if your club is registered for GST. It's preparing the annual financial statements for the AGM.

That's it. That's the job. None of those tasks, individually, is difficult. What makes it feel overwhelming is when six months of tasks pile up because you've been putting them off - which brings us to the most important piece of advice in this entire handbook: do the small things monthly, and the big things will take care of themselves.

I've seen clubs where the treasurer hasn't reconciled the bank account in six months. By the time they sit down to sort it out, there are 140 transactions to categorise, three payments they can't identify, and a direct debit that's been charging $49.95 a month for software the club cancelled two years ago. That's not a treasurer problem. That's a procrastination problem. Twenty minutes a month prevents it entirely.

Setting up the bank account properly

If your club doesn't already have a bank account - or if the current one is in someone's personal name - fix this first. Everything else depends on it.

The rules

The bank account must be in the club's name. Not "John Smith - Football Club Account." Not a personal account that the treasurer informally uses for club business. The legal entity name, as it appears on your certificate of incorporation. If you're incorporated (and you should be), the account should be in the name of the incorporated association.

You need at least two signatories on the account, and ideally three. This isn't about trust - it's about governance. If one person has sole control of the club's money, you've created a single point of failure and a governance risk. Best practice is two signatories required for any payment or withdrawal. Most banks will set this up for clubs without drama.

Common signatory structure: the treasurer and the president, with the secretary as backup. When any of these people change at the AGM, update the bank signatories within two weeks. Do not let this slide. I've encountered clubs where the signatories haven't been updated in four years and the only person who can approve payments is someone who moved to Queensland.

Choosing a bank

Community clubs don't need fancy banking. You need a transaction account with low or no fees, internet banking with dual-authorisation capability, and a debit card for day-to-day purchases. Most of the big four and the major credit unions offer fee-free NFP accounts. Bendigo Bank has been popular with community clubs for years.

The cardinal rule

Never mix personal and club funds. Not "just this once because the eftpos machine is broken." Not "I'll put it on my card and claim it back." The moment personal and club money mix, your records become unreliable, your audit trail breaks, and if anyone ever questions a transaction, you can't prove cleanly that the money went where it was supposed to.

If a committee member needs to make a purchase, either give them the club debit card with an approved spending limit, or have them submit a reimbursement claim with a receipt. Both create a clean paper trail. Both protect the volunteer and the club.

Your budget - one page is enough

I've seen club budgets that run to 15 pages in Excel with colour-coded tabs, conditional formatting, and pivot tables. I've also seen clubs with no budget at all. Neither is right.

A club budget should fit on one page. It should answer three questions: how much money do we expect to come in, how much do we expect to go out, and do we end the year ahead or behind?

Income side

List every income stream your club has. For most community sports clubs, this is some combination of:

• Membership fees - your biggest line item. Number of expected members multiplied by the fee. Be conservative. If you had 180 members last year, budget for 165. Pleasant surprises are better than shortfalls.
• Registration/affiliation fees passed through - if your state body charges per-player registration, and you collect it on their behalf, include it as income and as an expense. It washes out but should be visible.
• Event income - gate takings, entry fees, competition fees. Again, be conservative.
• Canteen/bar revenue - if you run a canteen on game days, estimate based on last year minus 10%.
• Sponsorship - only include confirmed sponsors. If the local pub said they'd "probably" come on board, don't count it until the money's in.
• Grants - only include grants you've received or been formally approved for. Pending applications are not income.
• Fundraising - raffles, trivia nights, sausage sizzles. Estimate modestly.
• Interest - it's usually negligible, but include it.

Expense side

• Affiliation/registration fees - what you owe to your state or national body.
• Insurance - public liability, volunteer cover, potentially management liability. See the insurance section below.
• Ground/facility hire - if you don't own your ground, this is often your second-biggest expense.
• Equipment - balls, uniforms, training gear, goal posts, timing equipment, whatever your sport needs.
• Coaching - if you pay coaches, even modest stipends.
• Umpiring/officiating - many leagues require clubs to pay umpires.
• Events - trophies, presentation night, social events.
• Administration - software subscriptions, postage, printing, bank fees.
• Utilities - if you're responsible for power, water, or internet at your facility.
• Canteen/bar costs - stock purchases to offset against revenue.

The number that matters

Once you've estimated income and expenses, calculate your break-even membership count. Take your total expenses, subtract all non-membership income, and divide by the membership fee. That's how many financial members you need to keep the lights on. Write that number down. Put it on the whiteboard in the committee room. It's the single most important number in your club's finances.

If your break-even number is higher than your current membership, you've got a structural problem that no amount of sausage sizzles will fix. You either need more members, higher fees, more sponsorship, or lower costs. Better to know now than in March when the bills arrive.

For more on building a financial plan, our guide to managing club finances goes deeper on the budgeting side.

Managing membership fees and payments

Membership fees are the lifeblood of most clubs. If you get this right, 60-80% of your income takes care of itself. If you get it wrong, you'll spend half your weekends chasing people for money - and that's a terrible way to spend a volunteer role.

Set clear payment terms

Fees should be due on a specific date, communicated well in advance. "Fees are due by March 1" is clear. "Fees are due at the start of the season" is not - people will argue about when the season starts until May. Put the due date in writing, on the website, in the registration email, everywhere.

Offer online payments

This isn't optional any more. It's 2026. If your club is still asking people to bring cash to training or post a cheque, you're making it harder for people to pay you. Set up online payments through your membership platform. TidyHQ integrates directly with Stripe for payment processing - members pay online when they register, the money lands in your account, and the receipt is generated automatically. No chasing. No envelope of cash to count and bank. If you want to see how that works, we've got a step-by-step setup guide for Stripe payments.

Consider instalment plans

Not every family can drop $300 for a junior registration in one hit. Offering a payment plan - three monthly instalments, say - makes your club accessible to families who'd otherwise not join. It's a small administrative overhead for a meaningful inclusion outcome. Most modern membership platforms handle instalment schedules automatically.

Chase outstanding fees, but be human about it

Some people forget. Some people are waiting for payday. Some people are genuinely struggling. Send a reminder at the due date, a second reminder two weeks later, and then a personal message (not an automated one) at the four-week mark. If someone's in financial hardship, talk to them privately. Most clubs have a hardship provision in their constitution or can create one. Losing a member over $150 they can't afford right now is a bad outcome for everyone.

Issue receipts

Every payment should generate a receipt. If you're using a membership platform like TidyHQ, this happens automatically. If you're processing payments manually, issue a receipt from a numbered receipt book or a standard template. Members need receipts for their own records, and you need them for yours.

The monthly rhythm

Here's the secret the experienced treasurers know: if you do a small amount of work every month, the role is manageable. If you let it pile up, it becomes a nightmare. This is your monthly rhythm.

Week 1: Reconcile the bank account

Log into internet banking. Open your accounting software or spreadsheet. Match every transaction in the bank to a record in your books. If there's a transaction you don't recognise, find out what it is now, not in three months when you've forgotten.

Reconciliation should take 15-30 minutes for a typical community club. If it's taking longer, your record-keeping during the month needs work - make sure you're recording transactions as they happen, not trying to reconstruct them later.

Week 2: Review outstanding payments

Who owes the club money? Are there membership fees overdue? Has a sponsor's payment come in? Is a grant instalment due? Look at your receivables and follow up on anything that's late.

Week 3: Review upcoming expenses

What bills are coming in the next month? Are there any large expenses the committee needs to approve? Is there anything unusual on the horizon - end-of-season trophies, insurance renewal, affiliation fees?

Week 4: Prepare the committee report

Before each committee meeting, prepare a treasurer's report. It doesn't need to be complicated. One page is enough:

• Opening balance (start of month)
• Total income (with a brief breakdown of major items)
• Total expenses (with a brief breakdown of major items)
• Closing balance (end of month)
• Upcoming large expenses
• Any issues or decisions needed

Present it at the meeting. Answer questions. Get it minuted. That's it. The committee can't govern what it can't see, and a monthly treasurer's report is the window. If you want to see how this fits into the broader meeting structure, have a look at the AGM guide - it covers reporting expectations in detail.

Cash handling at events

If your club takes cash at events - gate, canteen, bar, raffles - you need a cash-handling procedure. It doesn't need to be military-grade, but it does need to exist.

The basics: start with a known float (say $100 in mixed notes and coins). At the end of the event, count the takings with two people present. Record the total. Subtract the float. Bank the remainder within 48 hours. Keep the count sheet.

Two people. Always two people. This isn't because you don't trust your volunteers. It's because having two people count the cash protects them. If there's ever a discrepancy, the person who counted alone has no witness. The person who counted with a partner does.

Where possible, move to cashless. A Square terminal, a tap-and-go reader, even a QR code to a payment page. Cash creates handling risk, counting risk, and banking hassle. Cashless creates a clean digital record that reconciles itself.

GST, BAS, and the ATO

This is the section that terrifies new treasurers. It shouldn't. The vast majority of small community clubs have very simple tax obligations - and many have almost none.

The basics

In Australia, not-for-profit organisations aren't automatically exempt from everything. Your tax obligations depend on your structure, your size, and what you do.

Income tax: Most community sporting clubs are exempt from income tax under the principle of mutuality - money collected from members and spent on member activities isn't taxable income. But if your club earns significant commercial income (a bar open to the public, venue hire to non-members), that income may be taxable. The ATO's NFP guidance is the starting point.

GST: If your club's annual turnover is $150,000 or more, you must register for GST. Below that, registration is optional. Most small community clubs with fewer than 200 members don't hit this threshold. If you're close, get professional advice - the consequences of getting it wrong include having to pay GST you haven't collected.

ABN: Your club should have an Australian Business Number regardless of size. It's free, it's easy to get, and you need it for receiving grants, dealing with suppliers, and issuing tax invoices.

TFN: Your club should also have a Tax File Number. Without one, banks will withhold tax on any interest earned in your accounts.

If you are registered for GST

You need to lodge a Business Activity Statement - a BAS. Most small clubs lodge quarterly. The BAS reports GST collected on income and GST paid on expenses, and you remit the difference to the ATO (or get a refund if you've paid more GST than you've collected).

This sounds complicated but with decent bookkeeping software it's mostly automated. Xero, MYOB, and QuickBooks all handle BAS preparation. You record your transactions with the correct GST treatment during the month, and at the end of the quarter the software calculates what you owe.

Quarterly BAS due dates:

• July–September: due 28 October
• October–December: due 28 February
• January–March: due 28 April
• April–June: due 28 July

Miss a deadline and the ATO charges interest. Set a calendar reminder. Better yet, set three - one a month before, one a week before, one on the day.

For UK clubs

The equivalent of GST is VAT. The registration threshold is £90,000 (as of April 2025). Most community sports clubs in the UK fall below this, but clubs with significant bar revenue or facility hire income can tip over. HMRC's guidance for charities and community amateur sports clubs (CASCs) covers the specifics. If your club has CASC status, there are additional tax reliefs available - the UK Charity Commission's reporting guidance covers what's required.

For NZ clubs

GST registration is compulsory if your club's turnover exceeds NZ$60,000. The rate is 15%. Sport NZ's financial management resources are a good starting point for understanding obligations.

When to get professional help

If your club is registered for GST, if you have commercial income, if you're applying for or have received DGR (deductible gift recipient) status, or if you just feel out of your depth - get an accountant. More on this in the "Working with an accountant" section below.

Grants and sponsorship money

Free money! Except it's never actually free. Grant money comes with strings, and if you don't understand the strings before you accept the money, you're setting up a future headache.

Tied vs untied funding

Untied funding is money you can spend on whatever the club needs. Sponsorship is usually untied - the local real estate agent pays $2,000 for their logo on the back of your jerseys and doesn't care whether you spend the money on jerseys or on umpire fees.

Tied funding (also called acquittal-based or restricted funding) is money you must spend on a specific purpose. Government grants are almost always tied. If you received $15,000 from the state government to upgrade your change rooms, you spend it on change rooms. Not on anything else. Not even temporarily.

Acquittal requirements

Most grants require an acquittal - a report showing how you spent the money. This can range from a one-page summary with receipts attached to a detailed audited report with photographs of the completed project.

The time to understand acquittal requirements is before you accept the grant, not when the acquittal is due. Read the funding agreement. Know the deadline. Know what documentation you need to provide. Know whether you need to keep the grant money in a separate bank account (some grants require this).

Practical tip: open a separate savings account for grant money. It costs nothing and means you can always point to a specific account and say "here's the grant money, here's what went out of it." Mixing grant money into your general operating account is a recipe for confusion.

For more on finding and winning grants, our grant writing guide covers the application process in detail, and the sponsorship guide covers the commercial side.

Sponsorship income

Sponsorship is simpler than grants but still needs proper handling. Issue a tax invoice (or a receipt if you're not registered for GST). Record the income with a note of who the sponsor is and what they're receiving in return. If there's a sponsorship agreement - and there should be - keep a copy on file.

One trap: if your club is registered for GST, sponsorship income is generally subject to GST because you're providing something in return (advertising, signage, naming rights). That means 1/11th of every sponsorship dollar goes to the ATO. Budget for it.

Insurance

Nobody thinks about insurance until something goes wrong. Then it's the only thing anyone thinks about.

What you need

At minimum, most community sports clubs need:

Public liability insurance - covers the club if a member of the public is injured at your event or on your premises. If a spectator trips on a power cord at your registration day and breaks their wrist, this is what responds. Most venues and councils require you to have at least $10 million in public liability cover before they'll let you use their facilities.

Personal accident / volunteer cover - covers volunteers injured while doing club work. If your BBQ coordinator burns their arm at the sausage sizzle, this provides coverage for medical expenses and lost income. Check whether your state or national body's insurance already includes volunteer cover before buying it separately.

Management liability / directors and officers - covers committee members if they're personally sued for decisions made in their role. An employee claims unfair dismissal. A member claims unfair expulsion. Management liability insurance pays the legal costs.

Contents and equipment - covers club-owned equipment, uniforms, and assets stored at a facility against loss, damage, or theft. The facility owner's insurance almost never covers your stuff.

Where to get it

Many state sporting bodies offer insurance packages for affiliated clubs - often at rates significantly below what you'd pay commercially. Ask your state body first. If they don't offer it, organisations like Gow-Gates, V-Insurance, and AON have specialist NFP insurance products.

What it costs

Public liability for a small community club typically runs $500–$1,500 per year depending on the sport and member numbers. Higher-risk sports (equestrian, motorsport, martial arts) pay more. Management liability adds another $300–$800. Personal accident cover varies widely. Budget $1,000–$3,000 total for a typical club's insurance needs.

The one thing everyone forgets

Review your insurance annually. If your membership has grown, if you've started a new activity, if you've taken on a new venue - your cover needs to reflect the current reality, not last year's.

End-of-year financial statements

Every incorporated association in Australia is required to prepare financial statements at the end of its financial year and present them at the AGM. This is not optional. It's a legal obligation under your state or territory's incorporation act.

What "financial statements" actually means

For most small clubs, "financial statements" means three things:

1. An income and expenditure statement (also called a profit and loss statement) - showing all income received and all expenses paid during the year, with the surplus or deficit at the bottom.
2. A balance sheet (also called a statement of financial position) - showing what the club owns (assets: bank balances, equipment, prepaid expenses) and what it owes (liabilities: unpaid bills, grants received in advance, member deposits) at the end of the year.
3. Notes to the accounts - any additional explanation needed. For a small club this might just be the accounting policies used and a note on any significant items.

If your club uses cash-basis accounting (which most small clubs do), the income and expenditure statement is essentially a summary of your bank account - all the money in, all the money out, the difference. The balance sheet is your bank balance plus any other assets minus any money you owe.

Review vs audit

Most states have tiered requirements based on the size of the association:

• Small associations (turnover below a threshold, which varies by state - typically $250K–$500K) can have their accounts reviewed rather than audited. A review is less intensive and less expensive. It can often be done by a financially literate person who isn't a registered auditor - check your state's specific rules and your constitution.
• Large associations (above the threshold) typically require a formal audit by a registered auditor.

The thresholds and requirements differ by state. Justice Connect's guide to financial obligations has a state-by-state breakdown. For Victoria specifically, Consumer Affairs Victoria's guidance is clear and practical. NSW clubs should check NSW Fair Trading. Queensland clubs can refer to the Queensland Government's incorporated associations page.

Timing

Your financial statements need to be ready before the AGM. Since the AGM usually happens within five months of the financial year end (check your constitution), that means the statements need to be prepared, reviewed or audited, and available to members at least a couple of weeks before the meeting.

Don't leave this until the last minute. If you've been reconciling monthly and keeping good records all year, preparing the annual statements should take a day or two. If you haven't - well, this is where the procrastination chickens come home to roost. The AGM guide covers the meeting itself, but the financial preparation starts months earlier.

Working with an accountant

Not every club needs an accountant. But quite a few clubs need one more than they think.

When you definitely need one

• Your club is registered for GST and you're not confident preparing the BAS yourself.
• You're applying for (or already have) tax-exempt or DGR status and need to ensure compliance.
• Your club has employees - even one part-time coach creates PAYG withholding, superannuation, and workers' compensation obligations.
• You've received a large grant with complex acquittal requirements.
• Your constitution requires a formal audit.
• You've received a letter from the ATO that you don't fully understand.

When it's a good idea even if not strictly necessary

• The incoming treasurer has no bookkeeping experience and wants a professional to set up the books properly from the start.
• The club is growing and you're approaching the GST threshold.
• You're transitioning from a spreadsheet to accounting software and want it set up correctly.
• Something feels wrong and you can't identify it.

Finding the right one

You want an accountant who understands not-for-profit organisations. NFP accounting has quirks - grants, volunteer labour, donated assets, the mutuality principle - that a generalist may not be across. Ask your state sporting body or other clubs in your league for recommendations. CPA Australia and Chartered Accountants ANZ both have directories where you can filter for NFP experience.

What it costs

A small club with simple affairs might pay $500–$1,500 per year for an accountant to handle the annual statements and review. Add BAS preparation and it might be $2,000–$4,000. Some accountants do pro bono work for community organisations - it's worth asking.

Factor this into your budget. It's not a luxury. It's a governance cost, like insurance.

The handover

This is the section most treasurers skip, and it's arguably the most important one. Because you won't be treasurer forever - and what you hand over to your successor determines whether the club's finances stay clean or descend into chaos.

The handover file

When you finish your term, your successor should receive:

1. Access credentials - login details for internet banking, accounting software (Xero, MYOB, or whatever you're using), the ATO portal, your membership platform, and any other financial systems. Updated, tested, working.
2. Bank account details - account numbers, who the signatories are, the process for changing them.
3. The current budget - annotated with notes on what came in above or below expectations and why.
4. A list of recurring expenses - every direct debit, every subscription, every regular bill. What it's for, how much, when it comes out, and whether it's still needed.
5. Outstanding receivables - who owes the club money and how much.
6. Outstanding payables - who the club owes money to and when it's due.
7. Grant documentation - for any active grants: the funding agreement, the acquittal requirements, the deadline, and what's been spent so far.
8. Insurance details - policy numbers, renewal dates, what's covered, the broker's contact details.
9. Tax information - the club's ABN, TFN, whether it's registered for GST, the last BAS lodged, the next one due.
10. A calendar - month-by-month, what needs to happen when. BAS due dates, insurance renewals, affiliation payments, AGM preparation timeline.

The handover meeting

Don't just hand over a folder. Sit down with your successor for an hour. Walk them through the systems. Show them how to log in, how to reconcile, how to generate the reports. Answer their questions. Give them your phone number and tell them to call you when they're stuck.

The best handover I've ever seen was a treasurer who recorded a 30-minute screen-share walking through everything - the bank portal, Xero, the reconciliation process, where documents live. Their successor watched it three times in the first month.

Clean books

Before you hand over, reconcile everything up to the current date. Make sure there are no unexplained transactions, no missing receipts, no "I'll sort that out later" items. Your successor should inherit a clean set of books with nothing left to guess at. That's the gift.

The secretary's handbook covers the administrative side of role transitions. Read them together - the treasurer and secretary handovers often happen at the same time and overlap in practical terms.

Software and tools

Right. The practical question every treasurer asks: what should I actually use?

The answer depends on your club's size and complexity. There's no single right answer, but there are definitely wrong ones.

Spreadsheets (clubs with fewer than 50 members)

If your club is very small - under 50 members, no GST registration, simple income and expenses - a well-structured spreadsheet is genuinely fine. Google Sheets or Excel. One tab for income, one for expenses, one for the bank reconciliation, one for the budget. Don't let anyone tell you that small clubs need enterprise software. They don't.

The risk with spreadsheets: they depend entirely on the person who built them. If your spreadsheet was set up by someone who understood Excel formulas and you don't, you'll break it within a month. Keep it simple. No macros. No complex formulas. If you can't explain every cell, it's too complicated.

Accounting software (clubs registered for GST, or with 50+ members)

Once your club hits a certain size - roughly 50 members, or as soon as you register for GST - move to proper accounting software. The three main options for Australian clubs:

Xero - the most popular choice for Australian NFPs. Clean interface, excellent bank feed integration, handles GST and BAS preparation, good reporting. The "Starter" plan is usually sufficient for a community club. Around $29/month. If your club uses TidyHQ for membership management, the Xero integration means membership payments flow through automatically without re-keying.

MYOB - the old Australian stalwart. Some treasurers swear by it, others find the interface dated. Has a dedicated NFP product. If the outgoing treasurer used MYOB, the switching cost may not be worth it.

QuickBooks - a solid third option, particularly if you need multi-currency (for clubs with international members or events). Less common in the Australian club space but perfectly capable.

Any of these is vastly better than a spreadsheet once you're managing GST, multiple income streams, and regular reporting obligations.

Membership management platform

This is the layer above accounting. A platform like TidyHQ handles memberships, event registrations, payments, communications, and contact management. It's not a replacement for accounting software - it's a complement. TidyHQ handles the money coming in (membership fees, event payments, donations) and your accounting software handles the books.

For treasurers specifically, the value is in automation. When a member pays their fee online through TidyHQ, the payment is recorded, the receipt is issued, and (if you've connected Xero) the transaction flows into your accounting software. You're not re-keying 200 membership payments manually. That's hours of your life back.

What doesn't work

Shoebox of receipts. Personal bank account "kept separate." A WhatsApp group where people send photos of receipts. These aren't systems. They're entropy.

Whatever you use, make sure your successor can understand and access it. The best system is the one that survives you leaving.

Quick reference: the treasurer's year

Here's what a typical year looks like, assuming a calendar-year financial year and a winter sport season. Adjust to fit your club's rhythm.

January–February: Prepare the budget. Review last year's actuals. Set membership fees. Ensure insurance is renewed.

March: Registration opens. Money starts coming in. Chase early outstanding fees.

April: First quarterly BAS due (if GST-registered). Season underway. Cash handling begins.

May–June: Mid-season. Keep reconciling monthly. Grant applications often open - start preparing.

July: Second BAS lodgement. Mid-year financial check against budget.

August–September: Season wrapping up. Start end-of-year statements. Chase remaining outstanding fees.

October: Third BAS lodgement. Prepare draft financial statements. Book the reviewer/auditor.

November: Financial statements finalised. Distribute to members ahead of the AGM.

December: AGM. Present financials. If you're handing over, begin the handover process. Lodge annual return with your state regulator and ACNC (if registered).

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Being treasurer isn't glamorous. Nobody's going to name a grandstand after you for reconciling the bank account twelve months in a row. But here's what I know after watching hundreds of community clubs: the ones with a good treasurer - organised, honest, communicating regularly to the committee - are the ones that survive the hard years. When the membership dips, when the grant doesn't come through, when the roof leaks - it's the treasurer who knows whether the club can absorb it or not.

You don't need to be an accountant. You just need to care enough to do the small things regularly. That's the whole job.

And if the outgoing treasurer tries to hand you a Woolworths bag at the barbecue - ask them to sit down with you for an hour first. You've earned that much.

For more on running your club well, the president's handbook and secretary's handbook cover the rest of the committee leadership picture. And if you're staring down an AGM, the step-by-step AGM guide will get you through it.