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I belonged to a small non-profit (part of a much larger international body). We had regularly-scheduled general meetings every month. These meetings were supposed to last under one hour and they were supposed to have a set agenda. Nevertheless, our leadership would frequently neglect to set the agenda, and so any issue could be raised by anyone at any time during the meeting, making for absolute anarchy. Now on top of that, none of us properly understood Robert's Rules or Parliamentary procedure, so every issue raised would just result in endless controversy and back-and-forth debating with little resolution. When I became the leader, I was informed that we also needed to hold "Officers' Meetings" every month, just prior to the general meeting. The purpose of the Officers Meetings was to come to rough agreements on big issues, before they were put to a vote, and also to set the agenda for the upcoming General Meeting. With a set agenda on paper, we were much less likely to deviate from the action items listed therein. Unfortunately for me, it proved impossible to schedule Officers' Meetings, because of facilities considerations and nearly nonexistent turnout. I held some at my own home and one person would attend. It was wholly ineffective for the intended purpose. We also had trouble splitting off into Committees. If a significant event was planned, such as a breakfast, then it was logical to form a committee and then have them form up and communicate. This committee should be in touch via email/phone of course, but also hold planning meetings where details of the event could be hammered out. Unfortunately, due to low participation, these Committees never did their own thing, and instead were folded into the General Meetings, wasting everyone's time discussing things like bacon and napkin counts. I really tried. I tried to stick to the prescribed structure of the meetings; I tried to set an agenda and stick to it; I tried to redirect endless debate and discussion into more productive action. But as a first-time leader, I found out just how limited my power really was, and the sacrifices we make as servants, when the organization is dysfunctional and we're just trying to stay together as an informal family unit. |