Table of Contents

• What does it mean to be "incorporated?"
• Why is being incorporated important for councils?
• How do I have my council incorporated?
• How do we obtain 501(c)(3) designation (tax-exempt status)?
• What guidelines should I follow to be sure my council operates efficiently?
• What type of information should be included in my council's bylaws?
• Sample bylaws

• I have just been elected president -- now what?
• What can I do to become a more effective leader?
• What are common responsibilities and duties of council officers?
• What records should council maintain? Who keeps them? Where? For how long?
• How do I run a meeting?
• How can I reduce the possibility of conflict during my meetings?
• Can I be an effective leader? What are my strengths? Weaknesses? (A worksheet)

• How many and what types of businesses are located in my neighborhood?
• How many and what types of schools, religious institutions, and social services agencies are here?
• What types of services or charitable activities do they provide to area residents?
• What do the residents of my neighborhood look like?
• What do they want and need?
• Who among them are potential council members and/or volunteers?
• How do we organize groups in my neighborhood?
• What are some points we should know before going door-to-door?
• What are Block watch groups? How are they formed?

This section includes a community-produced directory of important neighborhood contacts and resources, as well as a brochure and booklet listing key information about county and state departments and county-wide elected representatives. Also included is a segment devoted to special programs sponsored by the City of Cincinnati.

• What is the Grants Resource Center?
• How do I get started writing a grant proposal?
• How do I determine who to ask for funds?
• What are some do's and don'ts of grant writing?
• What is an RFP? How do I use it to prepare my proposal?
• What are my responsibilities if I get funded?
• Who can apply for an Invest Merit Grant?

Leadership Manual

Leadership and Governance

   TRANSITION: The Changing of the Guard
   NEW PRESIDENT POINTERS
   LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM GEESE
   DUTIES OF OFFICERS
   HOW TO RUN A MEETING
   MEETING TIPS
   RECORD-KEEPING PRACTICES

HOW TO RUN A MEETING

The president starts by calling the meeting to order; that is, formally announcing that the meeting will begin. Before any business can take place, a quorum must be present. A quorum is a specific number and combination of members required in order to transact the organization's business. This information should be in the organization's constitution and/or bylaws.

If there is no quorum, the only activities allowed are: (1) pre-determining a time to adjourn the meeting; (2) attempting to establish a quorum before that time elapses; and, if no quorum has been established by the pre-determined time, (3) adjourning.

• Assuming a quorum is present, the meeting should begin with the approval of an agenda which lists the topics to be covered during that meeting. Except in special cases, items may be added or deleted from the agenda at this time. At meetings during which the presiding officer expects rowdiness and/or chaos, rules governing the conduct of business at the meeting (how long and how often someone may speak on a topic, directions on obtaining the right to speak, etc.) may also need to be read and approved.
• The minutes, which are an official stating of the proceedings from the previous meeting, are read and approved, with corrections as needed. The first paragraph of the minutes should include the name of the organization, the kind of meeting, the date, time, and location of the meeting, the fact that the regular presiding officer and secretary were present or the names of those who substituted for them, and whether the minutes from the previous meeting were read and approved as read or as corrected. The body of the minutes must include the exact wording and disposition of all main motions, secondary motions, notices of motions, points of order, and appeals, along with the reasons given by the chair for his or her ruling. The minutes must also include the names of the maker of the motion but not the seconder, unless required by the body. The last paragraph should indicate the time the meeting ended.
• Reports from various officers and committee chairs -- their responsibilities and the hierarchy of command should be described in the organization's bylaws -- are given next. There is no requirement that every officer and/or committee chair report at every meeting. Only officers and/or committee chairs who have activity to report should do so.
• Unfinished business -- questions which were carried over from a previous meeting because the earlier meeting adjourned without completing its business -- is the heading for the next set of items on the agenda. Often there will not be unfinished business.
• New business -- questions or topics which have not previously been brought before the group -- is the next set of items. This is the section where any information which may have been received since the previous meeting and requiring consideration and/or a vote by the group may be addressed. It is also where added agenda items will usually be placed.
• Announcements of importance to the group are normally made following the completion of new business.
• Following announcements, a formal motion to adjourn is usually requested by the presiding officer. The motion is made, seconded, requires a simple majority vote, and the meeting is over. If the group has previously adopted a motion or a program setting a specific time to adjourn, or if the bylaws or some other governing rules prescribe it, a motion to adjourn is not required.

Fuller, more comprehensive descriptions of how to run meetings are included in any book on parliamentary procedure.

---»MEETING TIPS