How To Run A Great AGM For Your Club

I don’t know about you, but to me, Annual General Meetings (AGMs) feel like the sort of thing that big businesses and publicly traded companies should be doing rather than something clubs do. My feeling this way probably wasn’t helped by the fact that in my research for this article, I saw one AGM template that suggested starting your AGM with your apologies for the last year, which feels like such a corporation thing.  

 

 

However, despite my preconceptions, running an AGM for your club is a really good idea. It is a great way to get you, all your administrators and members on the same page as you head into the new financial year. 

So, with that in mind, let’s have a look at what an AGM involves, why you should run one and how to run a great one. 

Why Your Club Should Run An AGM

Well, for the majority of you reading this right now, running an AGM will be legally required. Charities and incorporated associations will likely have legal requirements to hold AGMs. That said, this does vary slightly depending on the state. For more information about your legal requirements when it comes to AGMs, please see Annual General Meetings on the Australian Government website. 

 

There are many good reasons to hold AGMs besides simple legal requirements, so let’s examine them now.

An Annual General Meeting is important for a club because it helps ensure everything is transparent and the leaders are accountable. During the AGM, the club leaders can show detailed financial reports, update people on the club's status, and give updates on what the club has been up to. Helping to make sure everyone knows what is happening within the club. It's also a great way to start getting members interested in the behind-the-scenes of your club, which is great for both member engagement and a great step towards getting more members interested in volunteering to be on your club's committee. 

If you want to make your AGM more accessible for your members, consider making it an event they can join online via Zoom or something similar, or even just record it and publish the video alongside your meeting notes after the AGM. 

AGMs provide a great opportunity to do some introspection, gather all of your data, and see what has been successful for your club over the last year and what hasn’t. Now, technically, you could sit alone in your dark office and pour over data to achieve the same thing. This introspective is typically run by the President (strangely called the President's Report), where they also thank all of the people who actually do the job of running the club.

 

 

But there is something to be said for doing it with your admins and any interested members. It brings new perspectives, outlooks, and ideas you might not get if you didn’t include them. 

Once you have all this data, you can examine how the last year has gone and decide what you will keep doing and what you will change. Also, if you are going to hold votes on what changes are to be made in the coming year, your AGM is the perfect time to do so. 

Lastly, the AGM is a good forum for problem-solving and conflict resolution that may need to happen within your club. Open discussions allow for addressing any concerns or conflicts within the club, providing a structured environment for problem-solving and building bridges over past issues. This ensures that decisions have wide support and contribute positively to the club’s environment. 

Basically, AGMs are spring cleaning for your club. You can revisit and air out anything that has happened over the past year and plan out your plan of attack for the year to come to ensure you start the new financial year off in fine form. 

What Should Your Club’s AGM Involve?  

When talking about what your club’s AGM should contain, I will break it down into three sections: 

1. Pre-AGM Preparations 
2. AGM Agenda 
3. Post-AGM Follow Up

Pre-AGM Preparations

Before your AGM, there are a few things that you need to do to ensure that it is as effective as possible and that you adequately cover everything you need to.

Club Reports For AGM

First, you need to prepare the reports that will be presented at the AGM. These reports should be prepared by the members of your club’s committee who work most closely in those fields. For example, you want your membership officer to write up the report on member gains and losses over the past year.

Which reports you will need to write up will depend on the size of your club and the range of activities you take part in. As a rough guide, here are a few reports that you will probably need: 

• Financial Report - Income, expenses, budget, etc. 
• Membership Report - Members gained and lost, feedback from members, etc.  
• Event Report - Events held, successful and unsuccessful events, etc.
• Committee Report - Any updates on committee and personal changes, etc. 

You may not need all of these, or you may need more than just these, but that will depend on your club and how it is subdivided. For example, club sponsors might be included in the financial report or have their own separate report.  

As far as length and included details are concerned, that is something I cannot help with. It will be between you and your members to determine how detailed your club’s reports need to be. 

Club Votes At AGM

If you are going to hold any votes at your AGM, whether for new committee members or for actions you want to take in the next year, you need to organise them. You need to work out what will be voted on, how voting will be conducted and who will be eligible to vote.  

One way you can use the Member Jungle system to assist in holding votes is by using the Poll Module. The Poll Module is a really easy way to allow all of your members to vote on your club’s proposals. It may or may not be what you need for your AGM, but it is a great tool to have in your back pocket. 

If you want to know more about how to use the Poll Module, check out How To Get The Most Out Of Your Poll Module.

Notify the Members

Most clubs have in their constitution or rules, that members have to be notified about the AGM a set time before it occurs. Often, this will be 30 days, but check what are the requirements for your club.

Without notifying the members in time, the whole meeting could be null and void, and you will have to start all over again. When letting the members know, include a brief version of the agenda, details about how to vote, and any other relevant information. 

Club AGM Agenda 

Like pretty much everything else we have discussed here today, the agenda of your AGM will depend on your club. Some clubs will have long, detailed, regimented agendas, while others will have more relaxed, less structured agendas. It all comes down to what best fits your club's vibe and style. 

 

 

Below, I have written a sample agenda for an AGM. This is by no means the be-all and end-all of AGM agendas, the recipe for the perfect AGM that cannot be deviated from. This is just an example of how to get your AGM planning off on the right foot. Also, click on the agenda image. It will open up in Canva as a template, meaning that you can edit the agenda to suit your needs and then download it as an image or a PDF. You can also just get it here.

 

 

As I said above, you may not want or need to do all of the things on this sample agenda, but it is certainly a good guide to get you started on building your own AGM agenda that works for your club. 

Post AGM Tasks

Once your AGM is over, you need to review a few final things to ensure the best possible results. 

AGM Meeting Minutes

Firstly, you need to review and finalise your meeting notes, make sure all of your committee members approve of them, and then make them available to your members. Ensuring your members have access to your AGM meeting notes is a great way to keep them informed about what is going on in your club and help make them feel included and valued.

For some tips on taking better meeting minutes, check out How To Take Better Meeting Minutes For Your Club (+ Free Template).

If you recorded the AGM for members, now is also a good time to publish it on your website so any interested members can view it. 

Implement AGM Decisions & Changes 

If any decisions or changes were agreed upon in the AGM, you should now take the time to implement them or ensure the people whose job it is to implement them are on it. If you have new committee members taking over roles, ensure they are given the proper access in the back end of the system and consider signing them up for new committee training with Member Jungle. 

For more information on giving new committee members the proper access to your Member Jungle system, see 3 Easy Steps To Take When Your Club Has A Site Administrator Change.

How To Ensure Your AGM Is As Good As Possible

That’s about all you need to know about why AGMs are important, why your club should run one and what an AGM involves. 

If you want to learn more about how to run the best meeting possible, read How to Run More Effective Club Meetings.

I mentioned it in passing above, but it’s also worth having a look at 5 Simple Ways To Get More Members Involved In Your Club’s Committee.