Before you set the date
- Read the meeting section of your bylaws: how many days of notice members must get, how it must be sent (email, post or both), and the quorum.
- Count back from the meeting date to find the last day the notice can go out. Send it a few days before that, not on it.
- If a bylaw change or a dues change is on the agenda, check whether the bylaws require its full wording in the notice. If they do, attach it.
- Ask for nominations early, so the slate can go out with the notice. The nomination form and ballot help.
- If your bylaws allow proxies, send the proxy form with the notice.
Notice of annual meeting
[Club name] annual meeting, [day and date]
Dear members,
The annual meeting of [Club name] will be held on [day, date] at [time], at [place, with the address]. [Or: online at (link), or both.]
At the meeting we will hear the reports of the president and the treasurer, and elect officers and board members for [year]. [We will also vote on the proposed change to bylaw (number), set out in full on the attached sheet.]
Only members whose dues are paid up may vote. If you are not sure whether yours are, write to [treasurer's email] before [date].
[If proxies are allowed:] If you cannot come, you may appoint another member to vote for you. The proxy form is attached and must reach the secretary by [date and time].
The agenda is below. Light refreshments from [time].
[Your name]
Secretary, [Club name]
The agenda
| Item | Led by | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Welcome, and the quorum confirmed | President | [time] |
| 2 | Apologies from members who cannot attend | Secretary | |
| 3 | Minutes of the last annual meeting, for approval | Secretary | |
| 4 | Matters arising from those minutes | President | |
| 5 | President's report on the year | President | |
| 6 | Treasurer's report and the year's accounts | Treasurer | |
| 7 | Report of the person who reviewed the accounts, if any | Reviewer | |
| 8 | Membership report: joined, renewed and left | Membership chair | |
| 9 | Dues for next year, if the bylaws give members the vote | Treasurer | |
| 10 | Bylaw changes, if notice was given | Secretary | |
| 11 | Election of officers and board | Elections chair | |
| 12 | Choosing who will review next year's accounts | President | |
| 13 | Other business, notified in advance | President | |
| 14 | Close | President | [time] |
On the day
- A sign in sheet, and a list of paid up members to check voters against.
- Printed copies of the agenda, last year's minutes and the treasurer's report.
- Ballot papers, if the elections are contested.
- Proxy forms received, checked against the paid up list.
- Someone taking minutes. The minutes template has a place for each vote.
Afterwards, the year in one document: the annual report template.
This is a sample. Your bylaws, and your state's law if the club is incorporated, decide the notice period, the quorum and who may vote. Where they differ from this sample, they win.