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Home > Accords > About local liquor accords  > Building an effective local liquor accord

Building an effective local liquor accord


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Addressing local problems
Accord strategies
Funding
Fundraising
In-kind support
Membership drives
Mandatory participation
Mandatory contributions
Checklist for creating and maintaining a successful accord

Running a liquor accord is all about building a quality forum where people come together to discuss problems and decide on appropriate actions. The best accords are run by the best people ?focused, collaborative, prepared to accept other people’s ideas and able to build agreement and compromise in order to move forward together.

Addressing local problems

There are four main steps in effectively dealing with problems.

IDENTIFY and analyse issues and decide on appropriate objectives and tasks. This is the most crucial aspect in the process. In order to implement appropriate strategies, you must first identify the problems and causes.

PLAN ?Prepare a strategy/project plan and sort out roles and responsibilities. Asking the following questions will allow you to plan better:

IMPLEMENT AND MONITOR - Monitoring your project is an important part of the process as it enables you to:

EVALUATE ?Evaluating your project is the final step in the process and is important because it answers the following questions:

PDF Download the strategy worksheet.

Strategies

Over the years, many accords have developed and implemented unique strategies to deal with local problems.

While many strategies deal with common themes and problems, they may have subtle differences in order to cater for the local environment in which they are being implemented.

Below is a list of examples for commonly-used strategies. This list is by no means definitive, and every day accords are coming up with new and unique ways of finding solutions to their local problems.

If you require more information on an accord strategy, or would like further advice or guidance, feel free to call the Liquor Accord Delivery Unit (LADU) on 02 9995 0312 for further assistance.

Education

Transport

Management

Security

Remember, once you have an accord strategy in place, let the community know about it! Send out press releases and invite the media to the launch. The LADU can assist in this area.

Funding

Many good ideas and projects can be turned into reality with funding support. The majority of accords will self-fund certain projects; however, larger projects will require additional funding in the form of a grant.

A funding submission must accurately describe the proposal and will be the basis on which the funding body considers your request. The difference between a poorly prepared funding proposal and a well-researched and thorough proposal will be the success in gaining funding.

Accords are advised to research the requirements of the funding body and be familiar with their goals and practices. Similarly, accords are encouraged to be clear in their own goals and what they are aiming to achieve. Remember that funding is highly competitive and that your application must not only meet the funding body criteria, but also show that it is value for money, sustainable and worth supporting.

When an accord has successfully gained funding, there will be reporting requirements and other conditions set by the funding body that must be satisfied. Requirements such as approval for artwork, use of logos and media releases may be conditions imposed on the grant. Accords that are not incorporated will require an auspicing body such as a council, to manage the funds on their behalf. Funding bodies also like to share in the success of their funded projects and need to be considered when planning for project launches and media articles.

A guide to writing funding submissions

1- Identify

Identify the need for funding ?is it to establish a new initiative, produce a resource, extend the lifespan of a current strategy or so on? Is this proposal supported by the accord’s business/action plan? Most funding bodies also want to know how the applicant will be contributing to the proposal, whether through a co-contribution or in-kind support. This needs to be considered before commencing the application process. Many funding bodies are not looking to support strategies that are unsustainable or one-off events.

2 - Plan

Plan your application ?speak to the funding body to clarify any issues. Many funding bodies have strict criteria that must all be met before an application can be considered. Check if there is an application template that must be used. Know what you are trying to achieve and how best to achieve it. Research the current best practice strategies, case studies, surveys or other supporting background information that applies to your issue.

3 - Compile

Compile the submission ?demonstrate the need for funding. Identify what the problem is, what has been done to date, how you plan to improve the situation, who will be involved and how you will measure its success. The goal is to convince the funding body that their funds will have value for the community and not duplicate something that is already available. Be clear and concise and do not use jargon, slang or abbreviations.

4 - Emphasise

Emphasise by using key headings ?if you are not restricted to an application template, use key headings to break the application into easy-to-read, manageable sections such as:

5 - Review

Review your submission ?have another person proof read your submission. Ask them 'Do you understand the request and what it proposes to do?' Most funding bodies require a covering letter with the submission that request that consideration be given to the submission and the details of the contact officer. Remember to attach any additional documents required such as letters of support, references, business plans, statistics, artwork and so on. Ensure that the submission is sent before the deadline date. If your application is successful, share your good news. If the application is unsuccessful, politely request the funding body to clarify the reasons why it was unsuccessful for future reference.

Fundraising

Fundraising events can provide another income stream for accords and also assist in raising community awareness of accord activities. Examples of fundraising events include, but are not limited to, sporting functions such as golf and/or bowls days and the more traditional sources such as raffles, chocolate wheels and other approved games of chance. Prior to commencing fundraising activities, the accord should register with our Charities Branch as a non-profit organisation. Registration forms can be downloaded from Home > Charitable fundraising > Forms, fact sheets and guidelines or can be obtained from the Charities Branch by phoning 02 9995 0666.

In-kind support

Many accords receive in-kind support from licensed premises, local businesses, local authorities, community organisations and volunteers. In-kind support can come in a variety of forms including:

In-kind support enables accords to achieve far more than their financial position might allow.

Membership drives

The success of a liquor accord can be affected by the participation of stakeholders, or lack thereof. It is recommended that on a regular basis (at least annually) you make contact with non-members and invite them to participate in the accord.

Contained in the invitation letter should be the objectives and strategies of the accord, along with contact and meeting details. Don’t forget to include details of any recent success; for example, 'Last year the accord implemented the Smalltown Summer Bus scheme which transported more than 1000 patrons from the CBD area'. It may also be helpful to attach the liquor accord fact sheet.

The LADU can provide you with an up-to-date list of licensed premises in your accord area. This is available in Excel format, which you can then mail merge into an invitation letter.

PDF Download the invitation letter template.

Checklist for creating and maintaining a successful liquor accord

Clear objectives

Once your accord has identified its principles and signed up to enforcing agreed codes of behaviour, it is then up to members to abide by that commitment and to promote the accord objectives in their venues.

Effective action with measurable outcomes

All effective action starts with a good plan. The plan is a document outlining actions and responsibilities which are then developed in more detail on a project-by-project basis as specific strategies are adopted and implemented.

Continuous learning and improvement

Continually check our website - it will feature an expanded collection of templates, sample strategies and business plans which will be updated over time to help guide and inspire accords everywhere.

Communication

Clear and effective communication between accord members, government representatives, community groups and other liquor industry stakeholders is an important component in establishing a successful accord.

Accords, like many multi-stakeholder partnerships, rely upon the exchange of information through interpersonal relationships (networking). Accord members need to make sure that their forum promotes honest and open communication between everyone who has a direct interest in how the accord is working and the effect it is having on community behaviour.

Best practice accords open effective lines of communication in the following ways:

Stakeholders are people who have an interest in the activities of your accord. All accord members are stakeholders ?and because they are the most directly-involved people you could call them priority one stakeholders (licensees, police, local government and regulator representatives).

Priority two stakeholders may be those people who don’t have such a direct responsibility for implementing accord actions but who would be interested and important for the success of the accord and need to be kept in contact.

These priority two stakeholders might include the local mayor, local members of parliament and the local media.

Priority three stakeholders might include local teachers, doctors, and church leaders.

Setting a priority on groups of stakeholders does not mean that some are more important than others ?it just means that some ‘key?stakeholders will be interested in getting more detailed information more often about what you are doing. Others will be very interested and supportive but you may only need to update them on your plans once or twice a year.

As a community-based organisation, accords need to make sure that key community leaders know about your objectives and the steps being taken by the accord to achieve them. This can be done through face-to-face meetings, at the regular accord meeting or through the media.

Maintaining motivation

The best way to maintain motivation is to focus on results and make sure that your good standard communications keep everyone up-to-date with achievements, no matter how small. As well, you should consider communicating information on disappointments which are being addressed in constructive ways. Remember when you are developing your accord agendas to:

Processes for meeting management

Having processes to manage meetings is the secret to ongoing best practice performance. The chairs of the State’s biggest accords say that running their accords with hundreds of members, is 'just like running another business.' The task need not be so daunting for smaller regional accords but the emphasis on open reporting, good quality agendas, proper minutes and regular communication with members remains critically important. Your secretary and treasurer will need to keep computer records of minutes, budgets, and financial reconciliations in proper detail, particularly if your accord is an incorporated organisation. Templates are available for all the key areas involved in running an accord.

Dispute resolution through the conduct of fair and efficient meetings

A good meeting should be a forum for free and open discussion. The chairperson must be completely impartial and should ensure that the meeting is efficient and fair. Any person who wishes to speak on an issue should be able to do so. The chairperson may step aside from the chair for a particular meeting for example if there is a controversial issue on which the chairperson wishes to speak. Where issues become very controversial it may be best to agree to disagree, or to ‘park?an issue for further consideration at another time, and move on to a proposal which everyone can support and implement.

Mutual benefit for participants

Accord members need to understand why it is beneficial to them to participate. This is the only way that the accord can demonstrate to members that time and effort spent on the accord is worthwhile. This information is strongly focused on the need for good plans and regular reviews of strategy results and accord achievements. Every accord member needs to succeed at their ‘day job? Therefore:

The list goes on. The best accord strategies are those which build benefits for accord members ?one step at a time. Over the long-term your community should see a united benefit for all ?with everyone better off as a result.

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