Agenda for meeting on 12.15.10

[gipsie]

During a nice meal and a few beers at the Pic yesterday, Russ and I worked on the bylaws and on an agenda for Decembers meeting. I am posting the agenda here for all planning on coming to the meeting so you can be prepared in advance. If you have anything you would like to add, please let me know.

Agenda for 12.15.10

1 – Minutes. Reading and approval of last month’s minutes or the waiving of reading.

2 – Bylaws. Going over the amended bylaws, step by step for appprovsl by membership.

3 – “Officers”. Nominations and vote to fill the remaining positions, vice chair and membership secretary.

4 – Communication. The importance of having all pertinent contact information from our membership to keep an open line of communication and the filling out of membership applications.

5 – Name. Establishing a name for the group.

6 – Founding members. Discussion on the role of founding members.

7 – Logo. Ideas and suggestions on developing a logo for the organization.

8 – Terms of office. Decision on the term of service for the “officers” and governing committee.

9 – Nonprofit status. Need to decide if and how we should go about getting a tax ID, which would make it easier to get donations for projects.

10 – Media. How to handle the media when doing projects and holding cleanups.

11 – Apple Pie Hill vigil. Come up with a plan to stop the stuff going on at APH.

12 - Business cards and flyers.

13 - Open Discussion

[tneigel]

Great Work. We can see that you have been putting in much effort to form this club and get the initial organization needs going. It is much appreciated by all and we know its been a lot of work. Use what comments you think will help. Just thoughts.

Big Agenda topics. We will not be able to address all items with enough time to settle issues, especially at the first few meetings. Achieving a step forward or milestone on each is good, with emphasis on prominant items.

-Have an estimated meeting time frame - end time, generally. Uniform across all meetings (doesn't have to be rigid, but helpful for people to plan. This can develope... Be careful about late overrun when key members must leave. Meeting decisions must end, therefore a more official end time helps. One hour is minimum, 2 may be the max. A motion to end meeting, helps make it declaritive. Discussion can continue of course just like they would over the phone and in conversations through the month, -board decisions need be made during official meeting with board members.

-Estimate and monitor the time overall with a mental estimate on how long each subject will take and how much can be spent on each item. Moving items along, with priority items first in each category. Items not settled in the resonable period, could be assigned to a lead or volunteer, or parsed over several meetings as ongoing issues.

- Do items fit into a category, new and old, priority levels?

Take the end of the table

[tneigel]

As things progress, esp with a big board body projected, the exec officers and key folks are generally responsible for day to day running of the club and its operations, as it should be because there are many minor upkeep - ongoing tasks. All should be disclosed but some things merely need to be handled, with a status note at the board if requried. The board is for motions, issues, status, tasks, and funding approvals, etc. Then folks go about their business implementing things during the month, running committees, doing functions, etc. Its a combination that developes.

[jeepinjp]

Well said tneigel.....and great work gipsie

Too many meetings go on too long and get little accomplished.

Also it helps to use when appropriate a consent agenda.

A consent agenda can turn a board meeting into a meeting of the minds around the things that matter most. A consent agenda is a bundle of items that is voted on, without discussion, as a package. It differentiates between routine matters not needing explanation and more complex issues needing examination.

[bayberry]

A few off-the-cuff items:

Elections should be the last bit of business at the meeting.
Some of the agenda items, such as APH, should be delegated to a committee to research and present ideas at a later meeting.
Not-for-profit status is premature. First you have to incorporate. Then you go for NJ non-profit status, then for fed non-profit status. Knowing the steps, in order, and the costs, is important.
Tom is right, the Board does NOT run the organization's day to day operations. The Board's job is to keep the organization on track. Delegate, delegate, delegate!