Congratulations, you have been elected or appointed to serve as your Temple or Synagogue Men’s Club or Brotherhood President. Depending on your Men’s Club or Brotherhood by-laws, either the President or Executive Vice President has responsibility to be Chairperson of your club’s General Membership meetings and Executive Board meetings. The Chair controls the meeting; all remarks are addressed through the Chair, members do not interrupt each other, members aim to reach a consensus, a vote is taken if consensus is not reached, the majority wins the vote and all members accept the majority decision. While no two meetings will have the exact same activities, a well run meeting will follow a predetermined agenda that sets out the list of items to be discussed at the meeting. Here is a general ten-step guide to conducting an effective and productive Men’s Club or Brotherhood business meeting:
Step 1 — Call to Order
Assuming there is a quorum present, then the meeting chairperson will call the meeting to order.
Step 2 — Roll Call of Officers
The meeting chair will ask the Recording Secretary to call the roll of officers in a clear voice, providing pauses for each officer’s response.
Step 3 — Reading of Minutes
Recording Secretary will read the minutes from the previous meeting in a loud, clear voice and inquire whether there any additions or corrections to the minutes. If there are corrections, then the meeting Chair will either ask for motion to approve the minutes as corrected or unanimous consent to approve the minutes as corrected.
Step 4 — Reading of Correspondence
If applicable, the Recording Secretary will read any relevant correspondence received since the last meeting along with any recommendations for action by the Board. The Recording Secretary should summarize any lengthy or routine letters.
Step 5 — Officer Reports
The President’s Report should include any actions taken by your Men’s Club or Brotherhood since its last meeting and review the agenda for this meeting. The Secretary-Treasurer’s Report should be distributed at the meeting so that it can be reviewed and discussed. Other officer reports may be provided by your Vice-President or Executive Board members who have responsibility for a particular activity. After each report the meeting chair will ask for a motion to accept the report.
Step 6 — Reports of Committees
Committee chairpersons should describe their committee’s activities and/or progress on a project. Committee reports may include a recommended action which the committee wishes the membership to take. After each report the meeting chair will inquire if there is a motion to accept the committee report.
Step 7 — Unfinished or Old Business
This includes any items left over or referred from a previous meeting which requires action by the membership. A motion from the floor can be made which addresses a specific topic.
Step 8 — New Business
This includes items raised at this meeting which were not necessarily on the agenda but which require membership action. A motion from the floor may be made addressing a specific issue.
Step 9 — Good and Welfare
Good and Welfare provides the members an opportunity to discuss matters or personal interest such as acknowledgments, updates on a member who is ill, etc.
Step 10 — Adjournment
The last of all motions is the motion to adjourn. The meeting Chair will ask for a motion to adjourn. Once there is a motion to adjourn and a second, then the meeting is over. A motion for adjournment is not debatable and if passed, concludes the membership meeting.
The Florida Region of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs has Regional Consultants that assist your Men’s Club or Brotherhood to establish procedures to run an effective and productive Men’s Club or Brotherhood business meeting. We are part of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs, a confederation of over 200 Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods representing over 20,000 members across the United States, Canada, Latin America, Mumbai, India and beyond. Learn more about how your Jewish Men’s Club or Brotherhood can affiliate with the FJMC at: https://www.fjmc.org/content/affiliating-fjmc.
The Florida Region of FJMC serves the needs of affiliated Men’s Club’s and Brotherhoods throughout the State of Florida. If you are not yet affiliated with the Federation, then today is the day to join us.
Get to know more about the Florida Region of FJMC and our growing network of dynamic Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods on our website www.FloridaRegionFJMC.org and please visit and LIKE our Facebook Group at www.facebook.com/FloridaRegionFJMC.
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