A well-organized committee that effectively communicates and is accountable for its assigned duties will accomplish great things as a team. Some common practices to make that happen are outlined below.
Communication
Communication outside of committee meetings can be challenging at times. Some volunteers are great at checking emails while others prefer texting, and some simply prefer a phone call. Regardless of which line of communication is used, the first step to stay organized as a communicator is to keep accurate contact information for each volunteer. Here are some added tips to improve communication:
- Pass around a signup sheet at the first committee meeting of each planning year and ask every volunteer for updated contact information.
- Ask volunteers to write down their preferred method of communication. Doing so will help you decide which optionis best for effective committee communication.
- This is also a good opportunity to get updated contact info (including email address) to add committee members into the Event Management System since RMEF requires an email address to distribute volunteer appreciation discounts.
Meetings
Meeting Agendas and Minutes: Communicating within a meeting and ensuring all topics are covered should be done using an agenda and committee meeting minutes, which can be kept year-to-year and help you in making sure all details are covered. Chapters do not need to start from scratch each year. Instead, leadership can use old agendas and minutes to build new agendas.
ZOOM: In-person meetings have traditionally been the preferred option for conducting chapter business. However, with developments in technology and video conference calls, more chapters have been using virtual meeting platforms. ZOOM is convenient to utilize when committee members are spread out. Using ZOOM cuts down on commute time to a centralized location. Time is valuable to team members and utilizing technology like ZOOM can help give time back to our volunteers.
In-person Meetings: When conducting in-person meetings, be sure to start on time and make sure your agenda and discussion topics are covered in a timely and orderly fashion. Meetings that get off topic are not relevant to chapter business leading to frustrated volunteers, including some that resign from committees. Stick to your agendas and allow for social conversations AFTER the meeting’s conclusion.
Accountability
Another important reason to use agendas and minutes is to hold team members accountable. If in an earlier meeting a team member said they would complete a task, it has been documented and should be an agenda item for the next meeting, thus encouraging team members to follow through and not leave loose ends. One common practice is to distribute the minutes from each meeting to all committee members after the meetings. Doing so reminds those who have outstanding tasks that action is needed and they become accountable to the entire committee.
Below are more tips, as shared by lead volunteers and staff:
- Utilize Google Docs to house and share chapter documentation. Anyone who is given access can see agendas, minutes, merchandise lists and more.
- Do not only rely on the chapter chair to distribute information. Ask committee members for help in taking minutes and sending them out. Have a volunteer reach out to those who did not make it to a meeting. Sometimes a more personal reminder can be the driving force to get people back and engaged.
- Encourage social conversations after chapter business is complete. Let the meeting finish and hang out afterwards to socialize with fellow volunteers.
- If a volunteer needs more direction on an assigned task, discuss specifics with him or her after the meeting, rather than forcing the entire committee to listen.
- Always ask if volunteers need an explanation or clarification on tasks or anything discussed. It is always best to know upfront if instructions are not clear.