Whitepapers

What is the secret formula that makes governance at some clubs so seamless, consistent and effective? Club Benchmarking has been searching for the factors that drive success via annual governance surveys since 2017.

Co-Authored by Michelle A. Riklan, ACRW, CPRW, CEIC, CJSS, Phil Newman & Ray Cronin

The catalyst for this whitepaper was a discussion amongst the authors about the general state of financial management in private clubs, and in particular the...

In a recently published report on proactive capital planning, Thinking Bigger Sooner, we referenced “zombie debt” as a by-product of inadequate and reactive capital planning. We committed to follow up with additional analysis and commentary and the...

Does the concept of “20 times current year depreciation” mean anything to you? As described below, that metric should be front and center as a discussion starter for your capital planning over the next 10 years. The key to proactive planning for...

Club Benchmarking has been conducting surveys related to club governance since 2017. Over the last several years, many respondents have expressed concern or uncertainty about the nomination and succession planning process at their club. Our 2024...

The purpose of our annual Club Governance Survey is to explore gaps in board education and alignment across the industry and report those findings in a way that will provoke thought, fuel productive discussions, and promote adoption of best...

This is a summary of our findings from the 2021 Club Benchmarking Governance Survey. Conducted annually since 2017, the Governance Survey grew out of the exchange of ideas by a group of club presidents, treasurers and managers representing a dozen...

Merriam-Webster defines a best practice as “a procedure that has been shown by research and experience to produce optimal results and that is established or proposed as a standard suitable for widespread adoption.” 

The board of a private club is a...

Experienced club managers are well acquainted with the metrics on their club’s income statement, and equally familiar with how intensely boards focus on those metrics in their monthly meetings. That focus on the income statement fuels frustrating...

Misconceptions related to food and beverage profit or loss are the private club industry’s most dangerous and pervasive issue. Too many clubs find themselves stuck in the F&B Trap which we define as rigid adherence to the belief that a club should...