New Club Presidents Guide

A Guide for Club Presidents

Click here to view a pdf on the benefits of your club belonging to the Colorado Federation of Garden Clubs.

Download a pdf of the below information.

Dear Club President,
Congratulations on being elected President of your garden club! Leading and guiding your garden club activities and projects can be a fun and rewarding experience. It is a team effort with everyone on the team contributing.
To help you in your job as President, this booklet contains information and resources that you may need – to help you conduct the business meeting, to give you background information that you may not know, or to help guide you in finding resources for education and projects.
Below is a “creative” list of duties for a Club President:

  • Communicate with all members and officers
  • Learn from the district, state, and national publications and SHARE them with members
  • Understand the power of personally inviting someone to attend or join the club
  • Bylaws – are they member-friendly and inclusive?
  • Preside at club meetings with an agenda
  • Represent the club at District and State meetings
  • Encourage participation; emphasize educational programs
  • Select chairmen and support new ideas
  • Identify why you exist as a group; do you need a new purpose or focus?
  • Decide on a goal or theme
  • Enjoy each other, gardening, and flowers
  • New ways to do things
  • The treasurer is a key player in the club

My best wishes for a successful administration,

Victoria Schmidt,
President, Colorado Federation of Garden Clubs

INFORMATION AND IDEAS

General Information

1. All the information you need to know is in your district, state, and national publications and on their websites.
2. Notify your District President and CFGC Asst. Treasurer when the Club President changes. Send the contact information as soon as possible so the president will receive all the pertinent publications.
3. Use Member Services of National Garden Clubs to order ribbons for Flower Shows, a pin for the club president, books, videos, etc. (See page 20.)
4. Encourage members to attend District meetings, State Conventions, and Schools (Flower Show School, Landscape Design School, Gardening School and Environmental School) for further educational information.
5. Apply for District, State, Region, and NGC awards for the work the club is doing. The monetary award can add funds to the project. The recognition for a job well done serves as a source of ideas for other clubs.
6. Invite the District Director and State President to special events of the club, such as anniversaries, flower shows, etc.

Financial

1. The club’s bank account should have the EIN (Employer Identification Number) obtained by the club, not the Social Security Number of an individual member in the club. An EIN can be obtained from the IRS using Form SS-4, which can be found on the IRS website, www.irs.gov. Application can be made by phone, fax, online, or by mail.
2. Donations to your club are tax deductions to the donor only if the club has IRS 501 (c)(3) status that has been obtained by the club from the IRS or the club is a subordinate in the IRS Group Exemption through the State Garden Club organization. Any other questions about non-profit organizations can be found at http://www.lRS.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Charitable­Orqanizations. Be sure to check out the IRS 1023 – EZ streamline process for applying for tax-exempt status.
3. Being tax-exempt means the club is exempt from paying federal income tax. It does not mean the club does not have to pay state sales tax unless the club has acquired an exemption from the state government to not pay sales tax.
4. If your club is sponsoring an event in a location that requires liability insurance, check with your state organization to see if they provide that coverage for the clubs in the state. If not, the club will need to acquire its own policy.

Ideas

1. Use a club newsletter by email or regular mail to better communicate with all members and/or shorten the business portion of the club meeting by putting some chairmen’s reports in it.
2. Honor a club member with a Life Membership in ____ . This $_ contribution goes to _________. The donation should be sent to ______.
3. The sale of NGC Vision of Beauty Calendars is used by some clubs as a fundraiser.
4. Meeting ideas that will save the club paying for a speaker for a meeting:

  • Let the District meeting be one of your club’s meetings.
  • Join with other club/clubs for a monthly program.
  • Visit gardens or flower shows for a monthly meeting.

SAMPLE AGENDA

As President, you should always have a written AGENDA, or ORDER OF BUSINESS, for each meeting. It should include the following:

1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER– Opening exercises, such as invocation or pledge of allegiance (optional)

2. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
Read by the Recording Secretary.
After any additions or corrections by a member, say “APPROVED AS READ (OR AS CORRECTED),” usually by general consent. No motion or vote is needed to approve.
Minutes are the written record of the proceedings and should include:

  • Date and Time
  • Place of meeting
  • Presence of the president and secretary or their substitutes
  • Approval of minutes of the previous meeting
  • Treasurer’s Financial Report
  • Record of actions taken, including all main motions whether adopted or lost (but not if withdrawn); name of maker (but not seconder) of the main motions
  • Time of adjournment
  • Signature of Recording Secretary

3. TREASURER’S REPORT

  • Read by the Treasurer.
  • After any questions or corrections, say “THE REPORT WILL BE FILED.”
  • No motion or vote is needed to accept report.
  • Example of a brief form for Treasurer’s monthly report:

Balance on hand ( date of last report)    $_________

Receipts (for current month)                      _________

TOTAL                                                             _________
Expenses (for current month)                 – __________

Balance on hand (date of present report) __________

Treasurer Signature ________________________

4. REPORTS OF OFFICERS AND STANDING COMMITTEES
5. REPORTS OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES
6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
7. NEW BUSINESS
8. ANNOUNCEMENTS
9. ADJOURNMENT

SAMPLE CLUB BUDGET

(click image to view larger)

 

 

SAMPLE YEAR-END FINANCIAL REPORT

(click image to view larger)

 

SAMPLE BYLAWS

Composing Bylaws

• Bylaws may be drawn up by a committee appointed at the first organizational meeting. They are adopted by a majority vote.
• Bylaws should be as brief and unrestrictive as possible and no more detailed than necessary.
• The following outline includes articles that are generally included in bylaws and in the usual order in which they are found. Articles may be inserted or omitted as appropriate for individual organizations.
• Articles are usually designated with Roman numerals and sections with Arabic numerals.
• Refer to the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised for detailed instructions on compiling bylaws.

 

SUGGESTED OUTLINE FOR BYLAWS

BYLAWS OF THE
(Name of the Organization)

ARTICLE I. NAME
The full, exact, and properly punctuated name of the organization.

ARTICLE II. OBJECT
A brief general statement of purpose concisely expressed in a single sentence that sets the boundaries within which business may be introduced at the club’s meetings and the framework within which the organization functions.

ARTICLE Ill. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Classes of members such as “active”, “associate”.
Section 2. Qualifications or eligibility for membership.
Section 3. Application and acceptance procedure.
Method of reviewing and voting on applications.
Section 4. Fees and dues. Dates payable. Date delinquent with time and procedure for notification. Date member will be dropped for nonpayment of dues.
Section 5. Procedure for resigning and reinstatement.

ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS
Section 1. Officers titles listed according to rank.
Section 2. How elected or appointed.
Section 3. Term of office and number of terms permitted.
Section 4. Qualifications for office.
Section 5. Duties – When listing the duties of officers, care must be taken not to omit any duty. Conclude the section with the following statement, “Officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these bylaws and the adopted parliamentary authority”.
Section 6. Method of nominating officers. Procedure for election or appointment.
Section 7. How vacancies are filled.

ARTICLE V. MEETINGS
Section 1. Regular meetings. Day and month. (Hour or time specified in Standing Rules.

Section 2. Annual meeting. When, purpose or business conducted.
Section 3. Special or Called meetings. How and by whom called. Previous notice required.
Section 4. Quorums for meetings. (State number rather than a percent.)
Section 5. Provision for canceling meetings in an emergency.

ARTICLE VI. EXECUTIVE BOARD (or BOARD OF DIRECTORS)
Section 1. Composition
Section 2. Powers and duties are delegated to the board.
Section 3. When and how often to meet, by whom called.
Section 4. Quorum

ARTICLE VII. COMMITTEES
Section 1. List names of standing committees.
Section 2. Composition and duties of each. Include statement that chairmen shall conduct the work appropriate to the respective committees.
Section 3. Manner of selecting the chairman.
Section 4. Provision to permit additional standing and special committees by including the statement, “Such other committees, standing or special, shall be appointed by the president as deemed necessary to carry on the work of the club”.
Section 5. Include, “The President shall be an ex officio a member of all committees except the Nominating Committee.”

ARTICLE VIII. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

(Include as follows)
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the club in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws and any special rules of order the club may adopt.

ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENT
Section 1. Meetings at which Bylaws may be amended.
Section 2. Previous notice requirement.
Section 3. Vote required.

STANDING RULES

Standing rules govern the administration of the organization as opposed to rules regarding parliamentary procedure. The established standing rules policies aren’t usually related to parliamentary meeting procedures. The standing rules, would include items that would further explain the operation of the club, such as:

1. Duty of Officers.
2. Committees and their responsibility.
3. Member’s information about the standing committee and their obligation to the club.
4. New members; how to join, requirements and responsibility.
5. Any information that will benefit members and/or the club.

MEMBERSHIP

(A downloadable brochure containing this information can be found on the NGC website, www.gardenclub.org)

BE PROACTIVE ABOUT MEMBERSHIPS

Realize that most volunteer organizations are losing members, not just garden clubs.

Be proactive instead of reactive!
Proactive – Creating or controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than responding to it after it has happened.
Reactive – Responding to a situation

WE NEED TO LEARN THE 3 R’s OF MEMBERSHIP

-RECRUIT, RETAIN AND REVITALIZE!

1. RECRUITMENT

Are your Bylaws Member-Friendly?
• If there is a cap on membership, consider removing it.
• Voting on members – does it work in your area or with your club’s size? Do members have to leave for the vote? This might perpetuate a stereotype. Consider an application with automatic acceptance. If someone wants to join, why would we turn them down?
• How often do you meet per year?
• Do you have too many or too few officers?
• Are your dues too high or too low?
• Do you meet in private homes or in public places? Most visitors are more comfortable meeting in a public place.
• Is your club meeting only daytime or only evening? Most younger or working people cannot make a daytime meeting.

Make Visitors Feel Welcome

• Are visitors greeted and made to feel at home? Consider assigning a greeter at each meeting who sits with a new person and explains things and makes them feel welcome.
• Are visitors introduced?
• Are visitors invited back?
• Are visitors given a club brochure explaining what your club is all about?
• Are visitors sent follow-up cards – “We’re glad to have met you, please come back”?
• Are potential members on your call/email list? Are they called and reminded of the meetings?

Advertise Your Club

• Donate magazines with your club’s information in it and place at doctor’s offices or other waiting rooms. Give your local library a copy of your state magazine and/or a gardening magazine subscription with your club’s information to be put inside each issue.
• Give articles on home landscaping to your local realtors to give to prospective buyers. Have contact information on it. Greet a new neighbor with an invitation to join.
• Volunteer to write a gardening article for your newspaper.
• Wear shirts with your Garden Club’s name on them when working in your community.
• List your Garden Club meetings in your newspaper in the community calendar.
• Donate magazines with your club’s information in it and place at doctor’s offices or other waiting rooms. Give your local library a copy of your state magazine and/or a gardening magazine subscription with your club’s information to be put inside each issue.
• Give articles on home landscaping to your local realtors to give to prospective buyers. Have contact information on it. Greet a new neighbor with an invitation to join.
• Volunteer to write a gardening article for your newspaper.
• Wear shirts with your Garden Club’s name on them when working in your community.
• List your Garden Club meetings in your newspaper in the community calendar.

Use Signage

• Use signage on your community gardening projects to show who created and/or maintains it.
• Consider a small magnetic logo or window sticker for your car if you don’t have a Garden Club license plate.
• Consider creating a club logo and use it.
• Use signage on town welcome signs that churches and civic organizations use.
• Have business cards printed with contact information and meeting days to pass out to potential members.
• Volunteer to do arrangements at Nursing Homes or other public places and leave informational tent cards.
• Adopt a roadside Wildflower Site with signage

Other proactive measures to think about

• Offer garden educational seminars to the public.
• Have booths in local fairs and festivals.
• Work cooperatively with other groups, including Master Gardeners, scouts, etc.
• Invite members from disbanded clubs to join your club.
• Think of creative meeting places – block parties, historic sites, public gardens

DON’T FORGET WORD OF MOUTH!

Be on the look-out for potential new members by noticing them in nurseries or working in their yards and invite them to your garden club meetings. Invite new neighbors. When you’re in a store line and notice someone purchasing plants or gardening magazines or books, start a conversation about gardening and invite them. Most people join a garden club by an oral invitation.

2. RETAINING MEMBERS

• Make sure every member is spoken to, especially newer members.
• Call club members who have stopped attending your meetings. Offer to pick them up and bring them to meetings.
• Listen to the needs of your members and implement and highlight their talents.
• Realize not all members can do the same work due to time restraints, physical restrictions or finances. Make sure every member serves on the committee, including older members as mentors.
• Offer fund raisers so that members aren’t constantly giving financially to projects
• Send cards for special accomplishments, etc. Make members feel special
• Avoid gossip
• KEEP MEETINGS SHORT!

Members and Clubs Need to See What They’re Receiving for Their Due

• Does your club, district or state offer scholarships to participate in state, region, and national conventions? Schools? Advertise ii!
• Does your nonprofit status allow clubs to benefit? Let clubs know this
• Make sure your state magazine is high quality and features the accomplishments of clubs and members.

We Need to Encourage Attendance and Participation

• Encourage members to take advantage of what NGC offers through your state: Landscape Design Schools, Flower Show Schools, Gardening Schools, Environmental Schools, Region meetings, District meetings and State conventions.
• Encourage attendance at our club’s activities and at the state, region and national levels.
• The more connected your club is to other clubs, districts, and states; the more vital your club will be.

3. REVITALIZE

Verb Definition: to impart new life or vigor to Synonyms – re-energize, boost, regenerate, resuscitate, refresh, stimulate, rejuvenate .. Got the picture???

We need to change our image from exclusively a women’s organization that wears white gloves and hats to an organization that is inclusive and wears gardening gloves and sun hats and have a strong presence in our community.

We need to embrace technology!

• We can use email, Skype or Facetime to contact members and cut down on meetings.
• Are you using social media to advertise our clubs and organization?
• Do we use text messaging to remind members of meetings?
• Are we using Power Point and other computer visual aids for programs?

Leaders Need to Set Example

• Get your hands dirty. If possible be a working garden club
• Occasionally have hands-on projects that members can take home.
• Take field trips to garden related places.

Respect the role of changing membership within our ranks. Diversity in membership is the key.

Try to think outside the box, and lastly, HAVE FUN!

For more information or to receive a downloadable, personalize brochure and/or an email Power Point presentation about membership, contact your NGC membership committee at NGCMEMBERSHIPS@GMAIL.COM