How to explain a fee increase at your AGM

Members accept a fee increase when they can see where the money goes. Start with the costs that have changed, show what each squad costs to run, explain the options the committee considered, and say clearly what help is available for families who will struggle. A fee rise announced as a bare number invites suspicion. The same rise explained with figures usually passes with little argument.

Before the meeting

Check who decides. Many club constitutions give the committee the power to set fees, with the AGM receiving the accounts and the budget. Others require a members' vote. Read yours before you plan the meeting.

Gather the cost changes: the pool's new hire rates, changes to coaching hours or rates, affiliation and insurance. Have the letters or invoices to hand. Specific figures from named suppliers are more persuasive than "costs have gone up".

Work out the squad picture. If you can show income against pool and coaching costs for each squad, members see why their squad's fee is what it is. See how to set squad fees.

At the meeting

1. Lead with what has changed

Open with the cost changes, in pounds, with their source. Keep it short. The aim is for members to reach the conclusion before you state it.

2. Show the options the committee considered

A fee increase is rarely the only option. Fewer pool hours, larger squads, less coaching, cancelled events, drawing on reserves. Say which ones you considered and why you rejected them. Members trust a decision more when they can see the alternatives were weighed.

3. State the increase in terms families recognise

Give the monthly figure, and then what it means per session. An illustrative example: an extra £4 a month for a squad that trains three times a week works out at about 31p a session. Both figures are true. The second is the one a parent can weigh against what their child gets.

4. Be open about cross-subsidy

If some squads are kept affordable at the expense of others, say so and say why. Members can accept a deliberate choice. They react badly to discovering one later.

5. Explain the support available

Sibling discounts, hardship arrangements, flexible payment. Make it easy for a family to ask privately, and name who they should speak to.

6. Give notice

Announce the change well before it starts, and in writing as well as at the meeting.

Questions to prepare for

• Why not raise money through fundraising instead?
• Why does my child's squad pay more than another?
• How much does the club hold in reserves, and what are they for?
• Are coaches being paid more?
• What happens if we cannot afford it?

Have a plain answer for each. If you do not know, say you will come back with it, and do.

After the meeting

Send every member a short written summary: what is changing, from when, why, and who to talk to about support. Many members will not have attended.

Why the evidence matters

Committees are volunteers asked to make financial decisions on behalf of families they know. The hardest part is not the arithmetic. It is defending the decision in a room. A committee that can show squad-level figures, rather than a single club-wide total, is having a different conversation. Olympus Swim shows each squad's income against its pool and coaching costs, live, from the club's own records. Read about squad finance.

Common questions

Do members have to vote on a fee increase? It depends on your club's constitution. Many give the committee power to set fees; some require a members' vote. Check yours before the AGM.

How much notice should we give? Enough for families to plan. Announce it in writing well before the new fee starts, not only at the meeting.

How do we justify different fees for different squads? Show each squad's costs: the pool time, the type of water and the coaching it uses. Fees that follow costs are easier to explain than one flat fee that hides cross-subsidy.

Written by Joel Knight, swimming coach and founder of Olympus Swim (about).