Meetings

Sample Meeting

Each chapter President adopts their own style for running a meeting but if you would like to attend a meeting at another chapter, read on. The meeting below is fictional but it is closely modeled on the meetings held by the South Central PA Chapter. They get together on the first Thursday of every month at a Bar & Grille from 7pm-8pm.

Two days before the meeting:

Ryan, the President, emails a meeting reminder to everyone in the club. He then emails the Meeting Agenda to the officers so they can add additional topics or remind him of topics from the last meeting that he missed.

Bob, the Treasurer, emails the Treasury Report to the other officers so the Secretary can copy it into the minutes later.

The day of the meeting:

The officers arrive early enough to greet people when they arrive. The Secretary places the Sign-in Sheet near the entrance. The Vice President puts business cards in the middle of each table. Members start arriving around 6pm to order food and socialize before the meeting. Someone passes around photos from last week's bar-B-Que.

Rick, the Vice President, keeps a lookout for new faces and .makes a point of talking to Todd and Tim since they are still somewhat new to the club. He sees Terry and Cindy arrive who joined several weeks ago. Rick had already emailed them a welcome letter but he gives Terry his membership patch and asks him if he had any problems getting on the forum.

When someone new walks in, Rick greets him and introduces him to the President. He then takes him to a table with an empty chair and introduces him to everyone at the table. He returns moments later and hands him a membership application and a pen.

Despite the rain, attendance is high. (This chapter voted to hold meetings in the evening separate from their scheduled  rides). 10-15 minutes before the meeting starts, a volunteer walks around and sells 50/50 tickets to everyone for $1.00 each. Exactly at 7pm, Ryan calls the meeting to order...

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NOTE: Side comments and funny quips from other members are a welcome part of any meeting but they have been omitted for the sake of brevity.

Ryan (President)

Alright people, it's that time. Thanks everyone for coming.

Welcome New Members

Ryan (President)

Before we get started, did everyone have a chance to meet Fred? Fred, why don't stand up and tell us about yourself - Where do you live? What do you ride? What do you do?

Fred introduces himself.

Rick (VP)

How did you hear about the club?

Fred (Guest)

Someone left a card on my seat at bike night last month

Ryan (President)

We're glad you found us. Welcome to the club Fred. If you decide to join, dues are $25.00 and you can pay Bob here after the meeting.

Approve Minutes

Ryan (President)

Did everyone get a copy of the minutes from last month?

Jerry

I didn't.

Tanya (Secretary)

Can you check the sign-in sheet before you leave and make sure your email address is correct?

Ryan (President)

Are there any corrections that need to be made to the minutes?

No answer so minutes are approved

Membership Report

Ryan (President)

OK...Rick, what's our membership look like?

Rick (VP)

Terry and Cindy just joined as full members [ points out Terry and Cindy ]... I see we didn't scare you off. Welcome back....And Vinnie joined as an Associate Member but I don't see him here tonight. That brings our membership to 15 full members and two Associate Members.

On a related note, we just had new business cards printed so if you don't have one in your wallet, please grab a few from the center of the table. If you run into someone riding a Vulcan, you can just give them our card since it has all of our information on it. Or you can just leave it on their seat like someone did with Fred.

Treasury Report

Ryan (President)

Thanks Rick. Bob, how much money is in the kitty?

Bob (Treasurer)

We had $360.81 at the last meeting. We spent $126.35 on the bar-B-Que party and $38.00 to order business cards. We made $50 in dues, $62 from T-shirt and patch sales and $8 from 50/50. The club now has a total of $316.46.

NOTE: Terry and Cindy bought T-shirts before the meeting started but this would not be reported until the next meeting.

News/Announcements

Ryan (President)

Thanks Bob. Alright, we have a few quick announcements. Cindy, passed her MSF last week. [ applause ] Congratulations Cindy…

(member)

What bike are you going to get?

Cindy

Terry is going to buy a Nomad and I'm going to ride his 800 Classic.

Ryan waits while everyone discusses Terry and Cindy's bikes before continuing

Ryan (President)

Also, Gary is selling a set of leather bags from his 1500 Classic. He'll sell them to a club member for $50 if anyone is interested. And finally, National created a new VRA Member Assistance Directory. If you or a VRA member runs out of gas or breaks down while you're on a trip, you can call someone on the directory for assistance. To add your name, go to the VRA Members Forum.

Open Floor (News/Annoucements)

Ryan (President)

That's all I have. Does anyone else have any quick news they'd like to share?

Roy

I am officially a grandpa as of last week.

Congratulations are made along with several jokes about Roy being old

Recent Rides/Events

Ryan (President)

OK, as you all know, last week we had our summer bar-B-Que party. Thank you Jerry, Eric and Tom for putting together a great party for us. [clapping]

Everyone shares highlights of the event for the members who could not attend.

Ryan (President)

Any comments about Rick's breakfast ride to the Waffle House in Mt Union?

Members joke about Jerry spilling his ice cream

Jim (Events Coordinator)

Can we move the POT time back a little on rides? I'm 45 minutes away so I have to leave pretty early to make an 8:00 POT.

Ryan could choose to address Jim's request when they get to "New Business" but he decides to address it now…

Ryan (President)

Hey everyone, Jim suggested moving the POT time back a little. What do you think?

Group discusses. At least one other person agrees, i.e. the motion is seconded, so the motion is put to a vote...

Ryan (President)

All in favor of moving the POT to 8:30 raise your hand...[ 9 hands raise ]. All in favor of keeping it at 8:00am... [ 5 hands raise ]. Alright, from now on, the POT time for the breakfast rides will be 8:30am.

Eric (Webmaster)

Everyone, please make sure you send me your pictures from the bar-B-Que and the ride so I can post them on the website..

Todd

Hey, maybe we should print a photo album to bring to the Open House events.

Ryan could choose to address Todd's suggestion when they get to "New Business" but he decides to address it now…

Ryan (President)

Are you volunteering Todd?

Todd

No, I just thought it would be a cool idea.

Ryan (President)

Would anyone like to volunteer to create a photo album for the club?…anyone? [no response] Tanya, can you put that in the minutes so we can bring it up again at the next meeting?

Upcoming Rides/Events

Ryan (President)

Jim, what rides are going on this month?

Jim was appointed the Events Coordinator to track the club's scheduled rides and events, keep tabs on when the dealers are having their open house events, and post member-submitted rides and events going on in the area...

Jim (Events Coordinator)

Gary is leading a breakfast ride this Sunday to Anne's diner. Jerry's ride to the Moutain Top is on the 20th, and we have the overnight ride to the Falls next month. Also, if anyone's interested, Hooligan’s is having a bike night with 25 cent wings this Saturday. Oh! And we need someone else to lead the August ride because Mike can’t do it.

Jerry

The Southern Cruisers are also holding a poker run on the 21st to benefit the Children's Hospital

Jim (Events Coordinator)

Jerry, can you email me the information so I can put it on the calendar?

Ryan (President)

OK, we need a volunteer to lead the August club ride. Anyone?...[silence] Does anyone have a suggestion on where to go?

Tim

We could do the ride up to the outer banks again. That was fun.

Ryan (President)

Would you be willing to lead it? The last ride you led was great.

Tim

Sure.

Ryan (President)

Thanks man. [ repeats to Secretary ] Tim Huffman is leading the August ride to the outer banks.

Tanya (Secretary)

[ writing ] What’s the date?

Jim (Events Coordinator)

[ looks at calendar ] …The second Saturday is the 12th of August.

Ryan (President)

Gary, do you want to tell us about your breakfast ride this Sunday?

Gary describes POT route and destination.

Jim (Events Coordinator)

[ to Gary ] Can you please post something on the forum and remind people that the POT has been changed to 8:30? Thanks.

Old Business

Ryan (President)

Eric, do you have anything to add about the overnight ride to the Falls next month?

Eric (Committee Chair)

Describes new information about the ride. Everyone starts talking.

Ryan (President)

Listen up…the overnight ride is posted on the forum. Please post if you plan to go.The last topic before we get to new business is the Open House at Dave's Kawasaki next month.

Ryan and Rick were in charge of the event so Rick gives details..

Rick (VP)

Dave gave us nice door prizes for the Bar-B-Que so it would be nice to show support for his event. It not only puts us in good with Dave, it helps us find new members. He is providing the table and chairs and we'll have our new business cards plus our flyers... [ etc. etc. ]

Ryan and Rick find more volunteers to attend the Open House

New Business

Ryan (President)

At the bar-B-Que, someone suggested that the club should have a Christmas Party…

Group agrees to having a Christmas party and discusses the idea at length. Due to limited funds, the group decides to go out to dinner as a group in early December. Ryan finds 3 volunteers to be on a committee to choose the restaurant and plan the evening.

Rick (VP)

Since we're on the subject of planning a club dinner, I wanted to bring something up. The reason for having this club is to make friends and have fun. Our common interest is riding but if anyone ever has a suggestion for doing something else like going out to a comedy club or attending an open Mic night, don't be afraid to speak up.

Open Floor (New Business)

Ryan (President)

Good point Rick. We don't have a lot of time left but does anyone have anything else that they’d like to bring up?

Todd

Since there isn't enough money in the Treasury for a Christmas party, should we think about doing some sort of fundraiser for the club?

Ryan (President)

The officers recently had a discussion about that. Once we have around 40 members, the club will make a thousand dollars each year from dues. That should be more than enough to meet our needs. We'd probably be better off putting our efforts into finding new members rather than selling chilli or something. We can discuss it more at the next meeting.

Anyone else? [ silence ]  Alright Bob, how much is the 50/50 worth tonight?

 50/50 Drawing

Bob (Treasurer)

The winner gets $15

The total was $29.00 so $14.00 goes to the club Treasury

50/50 Volunteer

Cindy, since you're our newest member, you can draw the winning ticket. [ Cindy draws a random ticket from a hat ].....and the winning number is 5…4….7.

Roy

Woohoo! Right here! [ clapping and fake booing ]

Ryan (President)

Thanks everyone for coming. We'll see you on Gary’s ride next Sunday.

Everyone gets up to leave / mingle

Tanya (Secretary)

Please check your name off on the sign-in sheet before you go.

Rick (VP)

...and remember to tip your waitress.

 

 

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After the meeting:

Using her notes from the meeting, the Sign-in Sheet, and Bob's Treasury Report , Tanya writes a summary of the meeting (see below) and emails it to everyone in the club. 

When Rick receives the minutes, he sees Fred's email address and follows up with an email thanking him for coming and asks him if he has any questions.

Page 1:

Page 2:

Meeting Agenda

A simple agenda helps the President keep the meeting on track and avoid forgetting topics. The sample provided below is a suggested list of topics to cover. Be sure to share the agenda with the other officers before the meeting starts so they can add additional items.

When members socialize before the meeting, not everyone is included in the discussion. When an officer overhears an interesting topic being discussed, let the President know so that he or she can bring it up during News/Announcements. This allows the story to be shared with everyone.

NOTE: The topic called Open Floor (News/Announcements) is intended as an opportunity for members to share something personal - a new motorcyle, a new job, a new house, a recent bike trip, a fun weekend or anniversary, etc. One or two personal stories help keep the meetings personal and promotes members getting to know one another better. If no one volunteers, call on someone who is typically quiet and ask them what they did last month.

MeetingAgenda.doc

Below is a plain-text version of the document above.

• Welcome New Members
• Approve Minutes
• Membership Report
• Treasury Report
• News/Announcements
• Cindy passed MSF
• Gary selling leather saddlebags for $50
• New VRA Chapter in Somewhere, WV
• VRA Member Assistance Directory
• Open Floor (News/Announcements)
• Recent Rides/Events
• Summer Bar-B-Que Party - Jerry, Erica & Tom
• Breakfast ride to Waffle House - Rick
• Upcoming Rides/Events - Events Coordinator
• Old Business
• Business Cards – Rick
• Overnight Ride to the Falls - Eric
• Open House at Dave's Kawasaki – Ryan & Rick
• New Business
• Club Christmas Party
• Open Floor (New Business)
• 50/50 Drawing

Treasury Report

The Treasurer needs to maintain a General Ledger but the members should be kept aware of the club's current balance as well as recent income and expenses. Consider using the format below.

This report can be created easily using the template below. Change the Previous Balance amount and replace the amounts and descriptions on the right with the new amounts. (The rest is calculated automatically)

NOTE: Petty Cash is included with the bank balance in the Previous Balance amount.

TreasuryReport.xls

The Treasurer can either read a summary of the report at the meeting or email it to all of the members prior to the meeting. 

At minimum, the minutes should reflect the club's current balance, however, by emailing the atttached spreadsheet to the Secretary each month, the Secretary can copy and paste the full report into the minutes.

When the Treasury Report is printed (shown below), it includes a notes area at the bottom for recording transactions at the meeting. (When several people are trying to buy T-shirts and pay dues at once, it's easy to lose track of who paid how much for what).

Meeting Minutes

The minutes are used as a record of decisions made by the club. They also serve as a record of the club's Treasury and expenditures, membership growth, meeting attendance, committee members, scheduled rides, etc.

The minutes serve an important purpose to a variety of people for a variety of reasons:

• Everyone in the club uses the minutes as a record of decisions that were voted upon.
• Members who missed the meeting use the minutes to find out what happened at the meeting.
• Members refer to the minutes for details about upcoming rides and events.
• The President uses the minutes to remember what was discussed at the last meeting so he or she can plan the next meeting's agenda.
• The Treasurer refers to the minutes to double-check balances and track down errors.

After each meeting, the Secretary should write a brief summary about what was discussed and send it to everyone in the club. The sample below can be downloaded and used as template for your chapter's minutes.

Meeting Minutes.doc

So long as the minutes achieve the goals listed above, each Secretary should feel free to modify the format and write the minutes in their own style.

Member attendance is shown on Page 2 of the minutes (below). See the "Member List" tab for more information.

Each officer should mainain a copy of the club's previous minutes and add the minutes that are emailed each month. Maintaining multiple copies will protect against potential loss from viruses and hard drive failure.

Member List / Sign-In Sheet

In the template provided, the last page of the minutes serves as a current membership list, a record of attendance, and as a sign-in sheet at the meetings.

Sign-In Sheet (last page of the minutes)

Before each meeting, print out the member list from the previous month's minutes and use it at the meeting as a sign-in sheet. There are several advantages to using this format:

• Members can simply put a checkmark next to their name (or add their name if it's not listed).
• After the meeting, the Secretary can easily transfer the handwritten "X"s to the Word Document member list instead of manually typing a long list of names.
• The minutes will show a record of each member's attendance for the year
• The Secretary does not have to try and read people's handwriting.
• Members can add or update their own email address instead of notifying the Secretary.
• Everyone will always have a current membership list with up-to-date email addresses.

NOTES:

• Member numbers are abbreviated. This fictional chapter is 1-13 so the first member would actually be 1-13-001A and their spouse or child would be 1-13-001B. The second member would be 1-13-002A and their spouse or child would be 1-13-002B. (see bylaws)
  
  
• To add or delete a row in the table, left-click immediately to the left of the table row.  Once the table is selected, right click on the row and select "Insert Row" or "Delete Row" from the context menu.
  
  
• The table can be sorted by any column within Microsoft Word using either of the methods below:
  - Click on "Tables" from the dropdown menu and select "Sort"
  - Display the "Tables and Borders" toolbar ( View | Toolbars | Tables & Borders)
  
  

As an alternative to managing the membership list using a table in Microsoft Word, a spreadsheet has also been provided. When printed (shown below), it can also be used as a sign-in sheet.

Sign-In Sheet (as a separate spreadsheet)

Meeting Times and Locations

• Host a Meet-and-Greet once per month at the same date, time and location.
• As a guideline, limit meetings to one hour.
• Some chapters combine their meeting with their regularly scheduled weekend ride and socialize over breakfast or lunch. Some chapters hold their meetings separate from the rides and get together after work on a weeknight in the evening.
• Always start the meeting promptly at the designated time.
• Choose a central location with food and drinks where members can talk freely without disrupting other patrons. A Bar & Grille with a private room is ideal.
• Encourage members to come early to eat and socialize before the meeting starts.

General Guidelines & Tips

• Meetings (or "Meet and Greets") allow members to get to know one another better. Club business is just the excuse to get together. While it is important for meetings to be productive, it is more important that they are social and enjoyable.
• The success of a meeting should be measured by how enjoyable it was, not by how much was accomplished.
• Keep the meeting as informal as possible while still getting through the business at hand in the time allotted. A small group should be able to openly discuss ideas and reach a consensus without using Roberts Rules of Order.
• Disagreements should be expected but there should never be cause for an argument. Majority always rules. Give everyone a chance to present their viewpoint, put the issue to a vote and then move on.
• Avoid discussing club business (which can lead to arguments) on the club's forum. Use the forum for socializing and use meetings for discussing issues and making decisions.
• It's easy for the officers to monopolize the conversation.  The President should look for every opportunity to have other members talk. 
• Officers should make it a point to know everyone's name before the meeting starts.

Committees

• Create committees as needed to deliberate the details of a topic or initiative. Depending on their purpose, committees can be given complete authority or they can offer recommendations to be voted upon at the next meeting.
• When creating committees, designate a committee chairman to be responsible and then ask for volunteers to be a part of the committee.

Items to Bring: