[snowdrops]

Just chaired my first AGM as our garden clubs Chairperson/woman. It seemed to go ok at least there were no hecklers & my 2 dear friends said I did very well ( & they would tell the truth  , no really they would) . We managed to get over the fact that the secretary hadn’t done an agenda or printed out any previous minutes & thankfully the members declined the offer of reading them out. I’ve only been chair since January hence me not knowing the order of service etc as it were.
Are any of you on the committee of a garden club or anything else & have any tips to offer? I did look it up online & 1 tip I adopted was not to take my place until the appointed time & I suggested the rest of the committee did the same, it had the effect of quietening everyone down so we could start.

[sunshineband]

Well done, Snowy. It can be a bit nerve wracking chairing meetings!

Now you know about circulating previous minutes and an agenda before the meeting, I expect this will happen next year. I found emailing them where possible about a week before hand, along with any financial information, and asking for any "matters arising" to be passed to you before the meeting iteself saves a bit of that "unknown".

We always had a committee meeting about a month prior to the AGM, firstly to ensure the agenda had everyhting on it anyone wanted, and econdly to make sure anything we had said would be odne the previous year aactually had been, or if not, we knew why not

And a glass of water each is always helpful.

I assume your secretary takes the minutes, not you?

[Christine]

You have a secretary that you need to chat with about her duties. Agenda and minutes should be out the week before. If she can't take minutes then a minutes secretary might be helpful. You should be able to send these out a week before the actual meeting so that people have no excuse for not having read them, not knowing what is going on. 'Snot the job of the chair to do minutes. Perhaps some time at a meeting could be taken up with setting out duties for who does what. I get all sorts via email - mind the others get all sorts as well (specially the letting officer not keeping the names on the waiting list up to date  )

But after a year as secretary my lot are trained and the chair has an easy life. 

[mrs bouquet]

Well done you, it is daunting at first.  I am on several committees, and my maxim has always been "delegate"
and as the Chair you can do that  .   So my advice is to enjoy your status, even flaunt it,   and the entire Club should be very grateful to have you.    regards,   Mrs Bouquet

[snowdrops]

Thanks all, seen a long standing member & once committee member today & asked him how he thought it had gone. He said he & another chap discussed it in the bar & both agreed it was good, probably the best we’d had & that I had done very well, & he calls a spade a spade.😀, so that’s a boost to my confidence.
Yes Christine I agree the secretary does need to do more than she does. She does type the minutes & takes notes(she does shorthand) in.
Sunny, I had thought last night that we should have met a few weeks before to discuss specifically the AGM, particularly in view of me being ‘new’. I shall introduce that for next year since our normal committee meeting is the 3rd week of January.
As to minutes of the last AGM, they get sent out in the next newsletter & then there are normally copies for most people to reread.
I’ve got a good few ideas(that I’ve even written down😉) of things to discuss & introduce.
So thank you for your ideas & keep them coming.

[grinling]

When I stood in for sec, the chairman had me type up the minutes, then used red pen to be more specific, so I could retype. When happy I distributed to all members. This was within a week.

[sunshineband]

Gad it didn't put you off. Without people volunteering for such duties., these organisations fall away, and this is always a great loss imho.

Sounds as though you have the measure of it now, and best of all, that people appreciate your efforts too 

[snowdrops]

When I stood in for sec, the chairman had me type up the minutes, then used red pen to be more specific, so I could retype. When happy I distributed to all members. This was within a week.

Ooh, was he a teacher by any chance, that’s not my style at all lol, but thanks I might resort to it 😂

[sunshineband]

When I stood in for sec, the chairman had me type up the minutes, then used red pen to be more specific, so I could retype. When happy I distributed to all members. This was within a week.

Ooh, was he a teacher by any chance, that’s not my style at all lol, but thanks I might resort to it 😂