The Grange is not the Meeting

I hear far too often that the meeting is the focus of a Grange. We worry about having a quorum to hold a meeting, we worry about the length of the meeting, and we worry about why members are not at the meeting. Maybe you're worrying about the wrong things?

Meetings are necessary and important, but not for themselves. The Grange is the reason for the meeting. The meeting is a tool to allow members to create action, to learn, and to socialize. The meeting isn't the important thing, it is the tool to do the important things.

The Grange is people, not a building and certainly not just a meeting. Our meetings and meeting structure are time-tested and generally the more you deviate from our normal process, the more time you use doing less.

Instead of worrying about a quorum, try worrying about why people would want to come to your meeting. Do you have fun at your meetings, do you laugh or smile a lot? Does a member who attends usually learn something new? Do your members go out of their way to make a new member or visitor feel welcome and part of your Grange?

Instead of worrying about the length of the meeting, how about worrying about the content of the meeting. Does the leadership of your Grange check to see if committees are going to have reports? Does your Grange have any unfinished or new business that has the members doing something? Remember business is where we create the action that will interest people. Are you skipping some of the orders of business to save time? If so, consider the possibility that someone is looking for that order of business.

Try worrying about the members who do attend before worrying about those who didn't show up. If those who come to the meeting get to leave the meeting with new information, a sense of accomplishment, and some good times they will share with others. The things that they will share will help create the public perception that Grange meetings are worthwhile, fun, and everyone is invited.

Take the time to look at the order of business and the meeting set up structure. You will find that it is one of the best ways to hold a meeting. Members looking at each other and with a clear plan to accomplish the variety of things that a grass-roots organization needs to do.

Remember that the meeting is not the reason for your Grange. The meeting is the tool that allows your Grange to do things. Make what you start at meetings and what you accomplish at meetings the focus of your Grange.