Meeting Guidelines
for
Good Neighbors of Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island
Board of Directors Meetings
Guideline 1: Use of Guidelines
(a) these Meeting Guidelines are to be used as the regular Board meeting methods for Good Neighbors of Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island
(b) these Guidelines may be further modified by concordance, or "substantial agreement" of the Board of Directors. (We define this as 75% of board members present.)
Guideline 2: Meeting Roles
(a) The President of the organization, or a member (S)he appoints will preside at the meeting and be called the Facilitator. (S)he will appoint a Timekeeper and a Notetaker.
(b) (S)he is responsible for conducting a focused meeting that supports all voices being heard according to the Communication Agreements.
(c) All participants will help create and be asked to uphold the meeting Communication Agreements. Participants will strive to reach a consensus agreement, but if it cannot be reached within a reasonable time, the final decision will be made by concordance.
(d) The Notetaker will take brief notes during the meeting. As "tangent topics" come up, (s)he will make a list for future discussion. (S)he will write a summary of the meeting and distribute it to the members within one week by e-mail.
(e) The Timekeeper will keep the Facilitator and the group aware of time. If the group has agreed upon a specified time limit for any individual to speak, the Timekeeper will give them a one-minute warning. At the end of the time, they will asked to stop.
Guideline 3: Meeting Agenda
(a) The President or Facilitator, with suggestions from the members of the group, will draft an Agenda. This will include the meeting purpose and the meeting objectives or intended results.
(b) There will be a stated expected start and end time, list of topics, estimated time limits in minutes for each topic, the name of the person leading each topic, and the desired outcomes of the discussion.
(c) Whenever possible, the Agenda and the pertinent material will be distributed in advance by e-mail.
Guideline 4: Quorum
(a) A quorum is not required to hold a meeting. However, no decisions can be made that obligate the whole group without a quorum present in person, or connected electronically. For this organization, a quorum is defined as 51% of board members.
(b) If a quorum is present at the beginning of the meeting (officially determined by the President) and the agenda includes items to be decided, the decision making can continue even if members leave and a quorum is no longer present. Effort will always be made to discuss important topics while a quorum is present. Members who are absent will be informed afterward of the discussion and decisions made.
Guideline 5: Electronic Meetings and Attendance
(a) Members who cannot conveniently attend a meeting due to distance or logistical problems may attend any meeting electronically as long as everyone can be heard clearly. A designated person will make the arrangements and the costs will be covered by the organization.
Guideline 6: Starting the Meeting
(a) The tone of the meeting will be informal and friendly. Members will be given a chance to relax, with social time preceding the meeting to allow a 15 minute transition period.
(b) There will be an opportunity in the beginning for everyone to check-in briefly and update the group on any personal news or to make announcements of interest to the group.
(c) The group will review the meeting purpose, objectives, and roles at the beginning of the meeting. Members will be give a chance to read and modify the agenda at that time. The group will reach concordance before proceeding.
Guideline 7: Discussion of Issues and Proposals
(a) Any Board member (or group of members) may present a verbal or written proposal to the Board for consideration.
(b) Members are encouraged to inform the President of any issues and proposals for the agenda prior to the meeting. However, any item may be discussed tht is on or added to the agenda prior to, at the beginning of, or during the meeting.
(c) The member(s) who presents a proposal for consideration should present it in the form of a simple (verbal) or structured (written) proposal. Proposals should address the problem and its causes before the solution. When possible, written structured proposals will be available for members to read in advance of the meeting.
(d) All members will be given an opportunity to speak or ask questions. When discussing a proposal, the President or Facilitator will structure the discussion to proceed from opening (idea generation) to narrowing (evaluating ideas) to closing (making decisions).
(e) The Facilitator will ensure that all points of view are heard and considered.
(f) Any member can suggest changes to a proposal. The proposal can be modified by group concordance. If the changes are not agreed up, another member my present a different proposal.
Guideline 8: Decision making
(a) All members will be given an opportunity to speak at least once on each proposal
(b) After a proposal has been present and thoroughly discussed, the Facilitator will ask if the group is in agreement with the proposal.
(c) If there is no concordance, the leader may call for a non-binding simple straw poll (show of hands) and further discussion. As a result of the discussion, the Facilitator may suggest or request modifications and check again for concordance.
(d) Following the modifications, the Facilitator will check again to determine if there is a concordance or lock of substantial agreement. The facilitator may use on or more of several strategies to move the group toward concordance (or consensus), including multiple choice polls, inviting concerns to be voiced, and asking for additional suggested modifications to the proposal.
(e) If there isn’t enough time or interest to continue discussing the issue, the group can “vote whether to vote.” A 51% majority approval is necessary to require a dual (yes/no) vote. When a dual vote is taken, a 75% majority (concordance or substantial agreement)is required to pass the proposal.
(f) Votes may be by show of hands, verbally, or by written ballot. Any member may request a written ballot.
(g) If more than one proposal is being considered, the group may decide to use a plurality vote and the proposal with the highest number of votes would be approved.
Guideline 9: Executive Session
(a) Every agenda will include time (at least 60 minutes) for an executive session toward the end of the meeting.
(b) The President will determine whether to use the time and who will be invited to participate in the executive session (other than board members). In general, the executive session will include board members and the President. Any Board member my request time without the President.
Guideline 10: Ending the Meeting
(a) There will be time on the agenda at the end of the meeting for the Facilitator to summarize the progress made at the meeting in relation to the outcomes stated on the agenda.
(b) The Notetaker will summarize the agreements made and the follow-up action steps agreed to by the group, clarifying the tasks, the person(s0) responsible, and their time limits
(c) The members will remark on their personal experience (meaning, learning, or impressions) of the meeting and make suggestions on what t continue doing or change to improve future meetings. The President or Facilitator will implement feasible ideas at the next meeting.
(d) When the agenda is complete, or the time established for the end of the meeting is reached, the Facilitator will close the meeting. The meeting can continue after the established time limit only if there is a substantial agreement to extend the meeting for a specific time period.
(e) The Notetaker will fill aa meeting summary and action plan and send it out ot he other members within a one-week time period.