Having Meetings
Though not necessary, most groups will find it necessary to have regular organization meetings in order to carry out the purpose. Whether you meet weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, it's important that your meetings run smoothly. You don't want to waste your members' time and lose their confidence by having in-effective and disorganized meetings.
Tips for a good meeting
Meet at a regular time/place: This will help your members get into a habit of attending the meetings and not forget when/where the meetings are. Groups that try to identify their meeting time/place for the next meeting each time they meet usually have lower turnout. Also, keeping a night/time as your organization's meeting time will cause members to stop scheduling conflicting meetings and that night will be come our organization's time slot.
Use Parliamentary Procedure
Parliamentary Procedure can help meetings run quickly and smoothly. Most organizations use Robert's Rules of Order to facilitate their meetings. Robert's Rules of Order are designed to allow the majority to rule while protecting the rights of the minority while still allowing meetings to flow and the organization to accomplish what they need to accomplish.
Set an Agenda
Agendas help tell the members of the organization know what will be addressed during that particular meeting. It will help keep the focus of the members on the things that are important and tell them how much time they will want to spend on each topic. It can also be a way to prevent discussions of the group from straying to irrelevant topics.
Sample Agenda
I. Call to Order: The Chairperson says, “The meeting will please come to order.”
II. Roll Call: Members say “present” as their name is called by the Secretary.
III. Minutes: The Secretary reads a record of the last meeting.
IV. Officers’Reports: Officers give a report to group when called on, usually limited to a time if necessary.
V. Committee Reports: First come reports from “standing” or permanent committees, then “ad hoc” or special committees.
VI. Special Reports: Important business previously designated for consideration at this meeting.
VII. Unfinished Business: Items left over from previous meetings.
VIII. New Business: Introduction of new topics.
IX. Announcements: Informing the assembly of other subjects and events.
X. Adjournment: The meeting ends by a vote, or by general consent.