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Planning a Local League’s Annual Membership Meeting

Membership Meeting

An Annual Meeting of the Members is required to take place each year according to the local league’s constitution. The local league’s constitution outlines when the annual meeting will take place and what is required of the annual meeting, which typically includes the election of your league’s Board of Directors for the upcoming season.

It is appropriate and permitted to consider adapting the platform used to conduct the meeting. In-person gatherings are considered the most effective means for conducting this important meeting, but virtual or hybrid options are acceptable if all participants agree and are properly notified.

  • Determine whether your league will be able to have an in-person, virtual, or hybrid in-person/virtual meeting based on your state and current local guidance for holding gatherings.
    • When determining a platform for a virtual meeting, it’s encouraged to understand what technology solutions are the best fit for your volunteers. There are free options, such as Zoom, Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, etc., however many of these may require individuals to create an account (most often these accounts are free) and/or have limitations from a length-of-meeting standpoint.
    • If holding an in-person or hybrid meeting, make sure that the meeting room for those attending in-person is large enough to provide for social distancing (if required). Hybrid meetings should be held in a room that has appropriate audio/visual capabilities to interact with those in the room and those joining remotely.
  • Determine the date of the annual meeting. Reference your league’s constitution and take into consideration any requirements for specific dates/times for the annual meeting. Any changes to the annual meeting dates/times should be approved by the current board and communicated to the members in advance.
  • Send out meeting notice
    • As a reminder, the Annual Meeting is for your entire membership. You should reference the local league constitution for the definition of membership; and utilize email, phone, and other contact methods to ensure you have a quorum, also determined by your league constitution.
    • The notice should be sent on the number of days prior to the meeting as determined by your constitution. If you’re adapting to a virtual or hybrid meeting, you should issue that the notice is delivered an additional 10 days prior to what is outlined in your constitution.
    • Email Template Downloads:
      • Notice of Meeting: Allow for an additional 10 days beyond number of days outlined in constitution.
      • Nomination: Send out at the same time as Notice of Meeting.
      • Election: Allow for 72 hours (3 days) to collect ballots.
      • Election Results: Share after members of the new Board of Directors has been voted in and after the Board of Directors are in positions.
  • Prior to meeting, confirm if you have a copy of your constitution for the meeting in case any questions come up during the election process. If you don’t have a copy of your constitution, please contact your respective Regional Office.
  • Important resources to review before your annual meeting: