Varney Associates

WE WORK WITH YOU TO FIND HOSPITALITY AND CLUB SOLUTIONS -- over 30 years experience in membership organisations and leading london hotels

Safeguarding

We promote children’s wellbeing and safeguard them from harm

You may well have seen recent articles in the National Papers highlighting this and may have wondered if it will affect you. The reality is that it will and you will need to have a policy in place to address the ramifications. Everyone in golf has a part to play in safeguarding children when at the club. The Children Act 1989 and Working Together to Safeguard Children (DOH 2006) highlight the shared responsibility of organisations to promote children’s wellbeing and safeguard them from harm.

The new procedures come into effect from July 2010 and become mandatory from November 2010 but the legal requirement to report any suspected abuse of children, to the ISA, came into effect on 12 October 2009.

I have been working with a nationwide charity – Independent Age, to review and amend all their internal policies for the recruiting of their 1,500 volunteers and am now providing help to golf clubs to seamlessly start conforming to the new law.

To help you with this process I can give an individual briefing speciality tailored for golf clubs. At the end of this you will have :-

  • A clear understanding of how the new Act will affect your club
  • A safeguarding policy template for you to personalise
  • A guide of how to register individuals with the ISA
  • A procedure for identifying and reported any suspected abuse

All organisations will also a have a legal obligation to report to the ISA any suspected abuse of a vulnerable children. Failure to do this may result in a hefty fine or in certain cases imprisonment.

Testimonials

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Business Turn-Around

Varney & Associates provide a turn-around service to stabilise businesses which are under-performing or failing, and return them to profitability. We will identify weaknesses in the business and propose appropriate solutions using a detailed review and action plan. Provide consultancy and management services to Committees covering every aspect of the club business necessary to improve overall business performance.

Following a detailed and rigorous review of your club operation, our specialist team will produce tailored strategic recommendations, complemented by deliverable action plans that will address those areas of the business either found to be falling short of the Committee’s expectation or industry norm.

Areas of review and consequent action plans will primarily focus upon the following business areas:-

  • Expense management:
    Are all necessary Departmental expense controls in place? Who takes ownership? Are expenses controlled to Budget? Does an Energy Management plan exist? What level of expense consolidation can be implemented.
  • Payroll and Staffing Structure:
    Is the current payroll cost justifiable? Are Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) in place across all departments? Does the present staffing plan contain sufficient flexibility to be viable when revenues fall short.
  • Purchasing efficiencies:
    Whom do you buy from? Are prices charged the best for you or best for the supplier? Is purchasing power fully leveraged.
  • Operational day to day business management:
    Is Revenue and Surplus forecasting in place and accurate? Is cash flow being managed effectively? Are all Fire, Health and Safety Statutory obligations fully adhered to? Is there a positive culture of business ownership in place within the club team? Are management fully accountable? Are hospitality standards commensurate with members’ expectations? Are service standards consistent? The above questions are only some examples of what may be included in any business review. Each project we undertake is tailored to address the specific needs of the business and the Committee.
  • Sales, Marketing and Pricing Strategy:
    Is sufficient resource allocated to both reactive and proactive Sales? Is there a time bound Sales, Marketing and PR Plan in place and alive in the business? What is the extent of knowledge on the recognised Competitor Set? Is the business generating Fair Market Share? Is current Electronic Distribution efficient? Is there a steady inward flow of new members? Why do members leave.

Operational Continuity/Interim Service

Varney & Associates offers an interim service to clubs who suddenly find themselves without a Secretary/General Manager. This gives the Committee time to carry out a through search for a suitable replacement, a comfort in the knowledge that there is still an experienced professional at the helm.

Sales and Marketing

Success in sales and marketing starts with understanding the hospitality market-place as a whole, understanding your club, defining its current and desired position in the market-place, and building a product/service that will exceed the expectations of your members and customers.

Sometimes, the product may need fine-tuning to keep pace with a changing market-place. Other times, it may be a case of pursuing a more aggressive sales strategy, or building greater impact into marketing activities. Always, the two disciplines must be consistent, integrated and customer-focused. Consumers have never had so much choice, and there is no room for complacency. We analyse every aspect of the business, its positioning and the way that sales and marketing functions.

Typical sales and marketing activities:

  • Optimised Internet presence
  • Email campaigns
  • High impact literature
  • Monthly and yearly sales support
  • Proactive Public Relations activity

Purchasing and Stock Control

Varney & Associates provides consultancy and resource to enable you to maximise savings across your entire operation through more efficient and effective purchasing and stock control.

For many clients, a rigorous audit and review of suppliers and working practices can significantly improve profitability within a short timescale.

Our aim is always to produce a fully functional control system to suit your style of business. Varney & Associates can implement the controls, and also train your staff and management on how to use and get the best results from them.

Typical purchasing and stock control consultancy:

  • Audit of stocktaking practices and procedures
  • Implementation of control systems
  • Identification of cost-savings
  • Selective stock-takes and monitoring
  • Key supplier proposals
  • Introduction of weekly ‘flash’ food gross profit reports

Please note that all discounts negotiated with suppliers are always passed on to you.

Financial Management

In our experience, clear, realistic financial management is absolutely critical to the success of any business, clubs are no different. We use our professional expertise to control and forecast cash flow, enabling the Treasurer and Committee to take appropriate and timely decisions.

Typical financial management activities:

  • Budgeting and cash flow forecasting, weekly, monthly and quarterly
  • Financial analysis and control
  • Cost-centre management
  • Statutory and regulatory compliance
  • Optimisation of supplier terms

Reporting:

Objective reporting on all aspects of operational and financial performance is key to any successful approach to club management. Committees are kept informed at all times on a range of business performance indicators against which the club’s performance can be bench-marked.

Typical reporting activities:

  • Monthly management accounts for the Committee
  • Monthly sales report
  • Departmental management reports
  • Measurement against pre-set Key Performance Indicators
  • Monthly and quarterly meeting with shareholders

Club Feasibility Studies

If you are a property owner or an investor considering how to maximise return on your capital, Varney & Associates can provide expert services including feasibility studies to assess the potential profitability of a club.

We have strong relationships with practitioners in a range of related services such as architects, surveyors, designers, enabling us to develop concepts that are based on appropriate designs and sound operational and commercial foundations.

Varney & Associates can provide a complete development service, or you can choose from a range of services dependent on your specific requirements.

Typical Varney & Associates pre-opening support consultancy:

  • Sales and marketing
  • Recruitment
  • Financial management
  • Operations
  • Purchasing

The Role of the Club Secretary Manager

Let us help you prepare job descriptions for Club Secretaries/General Managers. We can work with you to update your staff contracts as well.

Club Constitution & Governance

Do you current Rules/Articles take into account the changes in EU Law on Human rights? Do they reflect the new changes to Table A in the Companies Act 2009, which came into effect on 1st October? Do your Officers and Committees have terms of reference? Are they aware of their corporate & legal obligations and the penalties if things go wrong?

Varney & Associates have all the answers for you and will carry out a complete audit of your constitution and recommend any amendments

Juniors/Minis Section

Do you have a ‘Junior/Minis’ section? Is the club and Committee fully compliant under the new laws introduced by the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006? These came into effect from 12th October and failure to comply with them can result in hefty fines.

Varney & Associates can provide you with the solutions.