Topic: Allotment club meetings

[Steve.]

I dont think our new club is doing things correctly, and I would like your thoughts about this. We have had 4 meetings so far and I am the secretary.

1. General unchaired meeting of plot holders to decide "if we need/want a club". Answer was yes and a chairman/secretary was proposed.
2. First General meeting, Officers voted in Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, constitution decided and details for name and banking decided. I took the minutes for this meeting.
3 First Committee meeting (here is where to my mind it starts getting screwy) I was asked to read through the minutes for the first general meeting so they could be accepted (which I did as I'm new to this) I also took minutes for this committee meeting too.
4. Second General meeting and for the minutes acceptance I was asked to read out the minutes for the first committee meeting. I asked the chair that I was prepared with the minutes from the first general meeting, so the chair read through the committe meeting minutes instead, this to my mind was incorrect and it threw me a massive curve ball (as I said I'm new to this). The chairs reading of the incorrect minutes allowed much conversation among the group, so much so that it became the actual meeting itself, completely disregarding that meetings agenda...because of the thingy up...I was not taking notes for the minutes...subsequently no minutes where taken for the whole meeting.

When it came to the Secretarys report (my bit) the chair said "Ok, secretarys report....I think I've just read most of what he was going to say" and he moved on.

I was dumbfounded, slightly peeved and could not believe what had happened. After the meeting I questioned the chair and said that because the wrong minutes where read I was unprepared, and that the agenda was not followed, therefore I had no minutes to write, he said. "Just make some up"

Am I being a picky and it's just because I'm new to this or is the whole thing a complete shambles as I think?

Steve...:)

[saddad]

Shambles... watch him... you could end up carrying the can...  :-X

[Daipie]

Not an allotment aficionado but I have been a part of enough committee's in my time. Total shambles. Watch yourself there.

[Trevor_D]

General meetings and Committee meetings are two totally different things and must be kept separate.

The minutes taken at any meeting are only a proposal, until they are accepted as true at the next meeting and duly signed by the Chairman; the next item is matters arising from those minutes. But Committee meeting minutes are agreed by the following Committee meeting; minutes of the General meetings are agreed at the following General meeting.

The format for a Committee meeting is:
Apologies for absence
Minutes of the last meeting
Matters arising from those minutes
Chairman's report
Secretary's report
Treasurer's report
Any other officer's reports
Main items for discussion
Any other business (a chance for non-officers to bring up anything)
Date & purpose of next meeting

Depart from that at your peril!
And officers' reports are just that: a report to the Committee of what you have done since the last meeting.

In every case, the minutes of the previous meeting should be in paper or electronic format, and - where possible - circulated beforehand. I send an email to the Committee about a week before any meeting to remind them of date & time, and warning them of the main items for discussion; a few days before, they receive a draft copy of the previous minutes, to give them time to read them properly before the meeting. There are often minor details to be changed before they are accepted. The day after the meeting, the accepted minutes of the previous meeting go up on the notice boards on site and stay there until the next meeting.

We have our AGM this evening. The notice, with the agenda, went to all members just after Christmas (with the bill for 2012 fees and a four-page Newsletter). The minutes of the 2011 AGM were posted on the boards a few days later; I have enough copies printed off to put on chairs for this evening. The Treasurer has copies of her financial report.

And for the record, the agenda tonight is:
Apologies for absence
Minutes of the last meeting (to be agreed & signed; but no matters arising, due to the time gap)
Chairman's report for 2011
Treasurer's report for 2011
Election of Officers & Committee (We all stand down and are re-elected.)
Future business of the Society (i.e.. what do you want us to do in 2012?)
Any other business

[Steve.]

Thank you all for the response, I've emailed the Chairman and told him I will be stepping down unless things are better organised in future.

Tony, thanks for all the details you have typed out for me to view, it helps to see how things should be done.

If I understand it correctly, what has happened so far at my club, would that be deemed as illegal? (a friend suggested to me that it might be).

Steve...:)

[saddad]

Irregular... rather than illegal per se....  :-X

[elvis2003]

I had that one,our chairman completely read out my lovingly prepared secs report,not through malice,he was just doing his best,now our agendas are kept very basic

[Deb P]

Shambles... watch him... you could end up carrying the can...  :-X

Brings back fond memories eh David!.......I quit from our sites Committee last year, I quite like going to the lottie and just getting on with my plots and not having disgruntled plotters seeking me out! I do miss knowing the latest ins and outs and gossip though!

[Digeroo]

Looks like you are all on a learning curve, I would give it a bit longer before you throw in the towel.

As the secretary surely you are in a good position to send round the minutes and agendas as per Trevors listing, and gently try and insist the chair to stick to it.  IT is the job of the chair to insist you stick to the agenda.

I do think you should try a make some notes as soon as possible of the main points of the meeting.  Maybe one of the other committee members can help, my guess is the everyone will remember something different.  It is sometimes worth stopping people talking for brief periods of time for a bit of clarification.  I am sure the other committee member will be quick enough to point out anything which they said which has been missed..  Keep them brief.  If you cannot remember the gist of what has been said it is unlikely to be that important.  'A general discussion was held' on a certain topic covers a lot of hot air.   Minutes act as an aide memoire not a blow by blow account.

I think they are trying to establish a pecking order, as secretary you need to do some pecking and not be pecked too much yourself. 

Have you seen the film Grow your Own?

[BarriedaleNick]

As sec for my site I see it as my duty to organise all comms and to take minutes.  So I organise meetings, set the agenda with the Chairman and make sure everyone knows when and where they are supposed to be.  We have a good chairman but it is my job to make sure he is prepared and has minutes from previous meetings etc.
I record the committee meetings and transcribe later - then wipe the recording - that way I don't forget anything.

Occiasonally as a sec you may have to remind folks that even though the Chairs job is to run the meeting - it is your job to organise it.

[Trevor_D]

Don't forget that the Chairman is only in charge of the meeting - to make sure everyone gets a chance to say their bit, and no-one resorts to fisticuffs - but it's your job as Secretary to organise the meeting, set the agenda, take the minutes and report them back to the next meeting. In other words, the Secretary runs the place!

As for minutes, I've always tried to have a Minuting Secretary; not only does that free me up during the meetings, but it prevents a one-person slant on matters. We publish our minutes on the notice boards - but only when they've been verified by the next meeting - so we make a point of not mentioning what individuals have said, nor mentioning plot-holders by name (unless to thank them).

Interestingly, a received an email from a newish member the day after our AGM congratulating us on running such a well-organised meeting!

No, stick with it and make sure you're in charge. (Not by being bossy, but by having everything at your finger-tips!)

[lavenderlux]

I'm the minutes secretary for our field -and we find it works much better by having a specific 'minutes secretary'.   
I email the minutes to those committee members who are on email as soon as I have done them, usually a day or so after the meeting, the other members are told they can have a copy if they contact me and come to collect a copy - everyone gets a copy at the next committee meeting and they are signed off by the chairman.  A week or so before a committee meeting I will agree the agenda with the chairman and its circulated by email to the committee plus a copy available for everyone at the meeting.  We also put a notice on our notice board and send round a notice of the committee meeting to those of our plot holders who are on email (which is around 75% now) as plot holders can attend as 'visitors' any of our committee meetings.
For the agm - we send out an official notice of this a month before - asking for agenda items and nominations.  At the meeting the minutes from the previous year are printed and handed out and signed off