Volunteer Bartender
Policy Adopted February 13th, 2020
Revised February 17th, 2025
A - Qualifications
A.1 All bartenders must successfully complete at their own expense one of the following:
(a) the “Serve Right - It’s Good Business” certification offered by the N.S. Tourism Human Resource Council; or
(b) a similar program from a different Canadian province with board approval.
A.2 (Rescinded, May 11, 2022)
A.3 A volunteer bartender must have had a Full or Associate membership for at least one contiguous year immediately prior to becoming a volunteer bartender.
A.4 A bartender must remain in good standing with SMSC.
A.5 A bartender must be willing to submit to a criminal record check upon request.
A.6 The bartender candidates must be approved by the Vice Commodore, the Executive Committee, or the Board of Directors.
B - Termination and Retirement
B.1 Volunteer bartender privileges will be reviewed by March 1st annually.
B.2 A member may have their “volunteer bartender” status suspended for up to 30 days by the Director of Social Activities, Commodore or Rear-Commodore.
B.2 A member may have their “volunteer bartender” status suspended for up to 30 days by the Director of Social Activities, Commodore or Rear-Commodore.
B.3 The “volunteer bartender” status may be revoked by the Vice Commodore, the Executive Committee, or the Board of Directors.
B.4. A member must return all keys to a Board Member when they are no longer a volunteer bartender.
C - Security
C.1 The bar doors must remain closed when the bartender opens the bar for serving drinks.
C.2 Only signed-in bartender(s) may be present behind the bar, unless someone has been granted access by the bartender to provide brief technical assistance.
C.3 Only the bartender(s) scheduled to be on duty are permitted to operate the bar; all other individuals are not permitted to operate the bar and point-of-sales equipment, regardless of their qualification.
C.4 All volunteer bartenders will be issued necessary keys and codes to open the club and operate the bar.
C.5 The bar area will be continuously recorded by a video surveillance system.
D - Safety
D.1 If bartender suspects a member or guest is unable to get home safely as a result of consuming alcohol, the bartender should make an attempt to find the patron a safe way home. If the bartender is unable to find the patron a safe way home, then the bartender should call the Commodore, and then the Rear Commodore for further direction.
E - Club Availability and Notice
E.1 Either:
(a) With the exception of scheduled meetings and events, a minimum of 24 hours notice will be given to all members via e-mail and Facebook that the club will be open to members and their accompanied guests; or
(b) In lieu of notice, a sidewalk sign will indicate the bar is open to members and their accompanied guests outside the main club entrance.
E.2 The Club Manager must confirm that the opening will not conflict with any other scheduled events.
E.3 The confirmed events are subject to cancellation at anytime.
E.4 A volunteer bartender must open the bar to all members and their guests without fee.
E.5 A volunteer bartender may open the bar at their discretion, if it does not conflict with other scheduled events, and they have met the requirements for giving notice to members.
E.6 Liquor may only be dispensed between 10:00am to 12:00am.
E.7 All members must leave the club by 12:30am.
F - Tips
F.1 Volunteer bartenders must not accept tips. Collectively, tips will be allocated to one specific fundraiser with a specific monetary goal, which the Volunteer Bartenders will choose together and communicate to the board.
F.2 Volunteer Bartenders will hold a meeting requiring a quorum of 40% of the bartenders, where they will make tip fundraising decisions, which includes spending outstanding tip funds.
F.2 The specific fundraiser will be communicated to the Board by one of the Volunteer Bartenders present at the meeting.
F.3 The Board may deny the fundraiser, if it conflicts with any policies, bylaws, or strategic direction.
F.4 The Treasurer will post the fundraiser target goal, and its current state will be posted at the bar, and kept up-to-date.
G - Operations
G.1 Bartenders must follow the current procedures for opening, operating and closing the bar, and clubhouse.
G.2 Bartenders must follow the current procedures for reconciling the point of sales system upon closing the bar.
G.3 Bartenders must enter the opening and closing time of the bar into a ledger.
G.4 Bartenders must abide by the Nova Scotia Liquor Control Act.
G.5 A current list of members will be kept at the bar.
H - Reimbursement
H.1 If a member volunteering to become a volunteer bartender successfully completes their Serve Right Bartender certification on behalf of SMSC, they will be reimbursed the full expense of the certificate.
Current Roster
As of January 28, 2025, the following members have been approved by the Board of Directors to operate the bar as volunteers in accordance to this policy and have expressed interest in continuing to volunteer for the club in this capacity:
Michelle Adams
Werner Hofstätter
Renny Leskiw
Terri Mann
Sara Moffatt
Sarah Dyack
Matt Gregoire
Anson Lee-Pearn
Leigh Downey
Brenda Mailer
Matthew Hilchie