Planning the Meeting
Review the organization's rules. Before you set anything up, review the organization's rules and regulations regarding the AGM. While most organizations adhere to the same general structure, some details can vary. Details you may need to pay special attention to include the sort of notice you must provide members with regarding the meeting, the procedure for electing new board members, and the type of information that must be reviewed at each AGM. You should also check on how many people must be present for the meeting to be considered official and the manner in which new amendments to the organization's constitution should be presented and voted on.
Schedule the meeting early. Set the date and time of the AGM as early as possible. Notify key members immediately. Non-essential members should be informed once the details are finalized. Once everyone has been informed of the date, you should send out regular reminders to prevent anyone from forgetting.
Secure the venue. If you do not have your own venue, you will need to pick a venue that can hold your AGM and secure it as soon as possible. Even if you have your own facilities, holding the AGM at a separate venue may make the occasion seem more significant and, as such, may attract more attendees. Pick a venue that can accommodate everyone involved. Make sure that the room is large enough to hold everyone comfortably. If you have members or other attendees who need special accommodations (like wide doorways and ramps for wheelchair users), verify that the venue can match these needs before you book it. Once you decide on the right venue, book it as soon as you have the date and time set.
Prepare an agenda. The agenda is essentially a list or outline of the information that will be covered at the AGM. Prepare this agenda in advance. You may need to send it out to attendees with the notice of meeting, but even if you don't, you will need to have it ready to pass out at the actual meeting. List the topics of discussion in the order you expect to address them. Usually, listing the title of each topic is enough on an agenda. You probably don't need to provide any detail about each topic. A sample agenda might look something like: AGENDA 1) Welcome 2) Apologies for absence 3) Previous AGM minutes 4) Matters arising from minutes 5) Chair-person's annual report 6) Secretary's annual report 7) Treasurer's annual report 8) Election of officers 9) General business 10) Date of next meeting 11) Close of meeting
Take the necessary time to prepare documents and reports. It takes time to prepare all of the various statements, reports, and documents you will need for the AGM, so start early. Take care of all documents and reports you're in charge of as early as possible. Remind other committee members to prepare the information they're in charge of, as well. Documents you may need to prepare can include monthly financial reports and other financial statements, the previous AGM minutes, the president's report, the secretary's report, and the treasurer's report.
Communicate with members about leadership roles. If board elections will be discussed at the AGM, you should look for members who may fit the necessary roles before the meeting itself. Talk to the members you have your eye on and ask if they would be willing to take on the role. If extra training will be required, provide those members with the training they'll need.
Send the notice. You need to send a formal "Notice of Meeting" to all members. Follow the regulations set down in your organization's rules when determining when and how to do this. You may also need to invite sponsors, lifetime members and alumni, and other stakeholders or related parties. Typically, a notice of meeting must include the date, time, duration, and venue of the AGM. You will need to state that elections are being held when applicable. You may include the entire agenda of the meeting, or you may opt to mention one or two key items. Check the organization's constitution to determine the correct procedure.
Set up the space before the meeting. On the day of the AGM, arrive several hours early so that you can set up the room. Keep in mind that some attendees may arrive 30 minutes early or so. Try to have the all of the seats and refreshments set up before that happens.
Discussing the Agenda at the Meeting
Take minutes. The secretary is usually responsible for taking meeting minutes, but if this is not the case for your organization, you will need to appoint someone to record the contents of the AGM. Keep a record of any decisions made at the AGM, especially those regarding elections and changes to the organization's constitution. It can also be a wise idea to record the names and contact information of the attendees. You can do this by instructing the attendees to sign in as they arrive.
Welcome the attendees. Open the AGM with a formal greeting. During this greeting, make sure that the meeting agenda and annual reports are being distributed to the attendees. Declare the meeting to be open. As you do so, state the organization's full name and the current AGM number (the twenty-second Annual General Meeting, the thirty-nine Annual General Meeting, etc.). Welcome all members and name any special visitors.
Make any necessary apologies. If any officer or significant member is absent, you may want to briefly state the names of those absent after your welcome message. You may invite other present members to make apologies on behalf of additional absent attendees, as well. Make a formal motion to accept the apologies.
Review the previous meeting minutes. Verify that everyone has received a copy of the meetings from last year's AGM. Review these minutes and, when all issues are addressed, move to formally accept the minutes. If there are any amendments or corrections that need to be made, they must be made before the minutes are accepted. After voting to accept the minutes, the chairperson will need to sign off on them.
Introduce any new matters. Topics that are related to the minutes from your previous AGM should be addressed immediately after those minutes are accepted. Discuss the matters as needed. This is usually a time to present concerns and observations, so formal motions may not be necessary.
Review the reports. You will need to discuss the president's or chair-person's report, the secretary's report, and the treasurer's report. Read and discuss each report one by one. After each report has been reviewed thoroughly, you should make a formal motion to adopt that report. During the treasurer's report, you will need to present the attendees with a record of the previous year's finances. The treasurer can usually perform the task, but some organizations may require the use of an independent party.
Go through any elections. If new board members need to be elected at this year's AGM, you should hold those elections after the reports are delivered but before any general business has been addressed. Prepare the necessary materials in advance. Decide on the voting system before the meeting. Explain the system clearly before the votes are cast. A neutral party should count the votes. The minutes will need to show who was nominated, who proposed the nomination, and who seconded it. It should also list the number of votes each candidate had and who was elected for each position.
Discuss general business. General business is usually the last matter discussed at an AGM. This is a time for attendees to bring up issues and concerns not otherwise covered. Since this part of the meeting is somewhat informal, you probably won't take any motions or votes during this time.
Set a date for the next meeting. If you know the date and location of the next AGM, state it at the end of this meeting. Skip this step if no formal plans have been made yet.
Close the meeting. When everything has been covered, declare the AGM closed.
Making the Meeting Enjoyable
Post a greeter at the door. Appoint a member or two to stand at the door and greet people as they arrive. The use of greeters can make the atmosphere seem friendlier and more welcoming.
Provide refreshments. At minimum, try to provide water for the attendees, especially if the meeting will be a lengthy one. Offering a variety of refreshments is a better option. Consider providing both cold drinks (water, iced tea, and lemonade/punch) and hot drinks (coffee and hot tea). Depending on the time of day, it may also be appropriate to offer light snacks like cheese and crackers.
Invite a guest speaker. The guest speaker should talk on an unofficial issue of great importance to the members of your organization. Typically, the speaker will follow the presentation of general business but will come before the close of the actual meeting. If desired, though, you may ask the speaker to present after the official meeting closes.
Offer prizes. A door prize can encourage attendance. Raffles can encourage both attendance and financial support. Consider hosting a 50/50 raffle in which half the proceeds go to the winner and half go to the organization. Gift basket raffles are another option. Consider making attendance a requirement for claiming prizes.
Follow the meeting with a social. Encourage attendance by keeping the formal business part of the AGM as brief as possible. Follow it with a social where attendees can interact and enjoy themselves. If you have the budget, consider hosting a luncheon after the meeting ends. You can cut costs by making the luncheon a potluck. For organizations with lower budgets, an informal cocktail hour might be more realistic. Instead of providing refreshments during the meeting, wait until afterward and serve the snack food with a variety of non-alcoholic drinks and wine.
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