Planning a Post Meeting
A successful Post meeting meets these requirements
- Start on time
- Keep it short
- Make it interesting
- Make it informative
- Accomplish something
The meeting should also follow the Veterans of Foreign Wars Ritual and the general rules of parliamentary procedure.
The meeting’s success depends on the person with the gavel – the Commander. The Commander can control the start of the meeting by banging the gavel; the Commander can keep the meeting short by keeping it moving; the Commander can make it interesting and informative by a little planning; the Commander can make sure something is accomplished by knowing ahead of time just what they want to accomplish.
Commander, in preparation for the meeting:
- Meet with the Adjutant and Quartermaster prior to the meeting to make certain that their records are in order for their part in the meeting. This includes the roll call of officers, the reading and referring of membership applications, reading of minutes, reading of bills, Quartermaster’s report, reading of communications, etc.
- Talk to your committee chairmen before the meeting to make sure they are prepared and you know what’s coming.
- Know what unfinished business is left to transact. If it is not brought up be someone on the floor, bring it up yourself.
- Have a reminder list of the new business to be discussed.
- Turn over all mail and information pertaining to their activities to committee chairmen. This gives them time to review it and report on it during the meeting.
- If there is not much business to conduct, a meeting can be pepped up by inviting an interesting speaker to address the group.
- If you have a pre-meeting, this is a great time for the Trustees to get together with the Adjutant and Quartermaster to review the books.
CAUTION: There is no such thing as an “executive committee” in the VFW. The pre-meeting, if you have one, cannot make decisions. In the VFW the membership rules. All decisions must be made by the membership at the Post Membership meeting.
During the Meeting
- Start on time. Respect the people who are there. But also don’t start early as some people may not be able to be there early.
- This is a business meeting and the more business that is done, the better. Keep discussions on track. Stick with parliamentary procedure so that a motion is made before a subject is discussed. Keep the discussion focused on the motion.
- As the Commander, you are the boss during the meeting. Don’t be arbitrary, but if you have to make a decision, make it.
- Allow everyone to have their say but make them stick to the subject.
