Sports associations: 13 essential aspects for planning your annual general meeting

Is your Annual General Meeting just around the corner? This event is the perfect time to take stock of the past year, but also to start planning for the next year of your sports association. That’s why it’s essential to be well prepared. Here are a few tips to help you plan your meeting and ensure it runs smoothly.

The members’ meeting is a very important one. It enables members to establish a clear picture of the situation, analyze the association’s performance and find out what has been achieved. It’s also a time for shareholders to question the Board of Directors, to get answers if performance is unsatisfactory, and to challenge them on the direction of the organization.

They can find out how their money is being invested, and what they intend to do with it. It’s also an opportunity to vote on the association’s decisions and to choose the Board of Directors for the coming year, or to fill vacancies on the Board.

The AGM is also a good time to take stock of the volunteer situation within the association. Should we plan to recruit new volunteers? Have we thanked our volunteers for their contribution over the past year?

1. Be sure to send the invitation at least 3 weeks in advance. That way, participants can prepare and attend. Also send out a clear agenda so that people can prepare their questions on the main topics to be discussed. This can be done by e-mail or through updates on the association’s website.
2. Make sure you have a suitable location that will be accessible to all members attending the meeting. Seating should be arranged appropriately to facilitate the movement of people who will be speaking in turn. Visit the venue before booking to make sure it has everything you need for the meeting.
3. Make sure you have all the equipment you need for the presentation, such as microphones, projector, screen, sound system, computer, presentation software, and so on.
4. Also consider the most appropriate delivery method for your members, depending on your budget (online, face-to-face, hybrid). In the case of hybrid or online presentations, think about camera rental and placement.
5. Set up a registration system to track the number of participants. It can be relatively simple to create a Google Forms.
6. Be sure to clearly establish the different responsibilities of the members involved. Tasks prior to the meeting should be allocated, as well as those to be carried out on the day.
7. After the meeting, gather feedback from participants to assess what went well and what could be improved.
8. You need to determine the nomination process that will be used to decide who will be on the Board of Directors. For example, there may be a nominations committee, or participants may make proposals for individuals at the members’ meeting. It’s important to clearly state the procedure so that members understand it. This will ensure that the meeting runs smoothly. In addition, if you need to vote on a resolution, you can ask a few people to distribute, collect and count the ballots during the AGM.
9. During the AGM, the treasurer’s annual report and the financial report should be presented. These are extremely important documents, as they give an accurate picture of your association’s performance and financial situation. All financial statements should be prepared and ready for the meeting, as they form an integral part of the agenda.
10. Discuss relationships with current and future partners. Take stock of your collaboration and the opportunities you have exploited.
11. Discuss training programs, athlete skills development and career support.
12. Discuss the association’s governance structure, including the roles and responsibilities of the Board of Directors and committees. Highlight any changes or improvements to the organizational structure.
13. Take stock of the various people in charge. These include referees, coaches, volunteers and so on. You can discuss the most important items with them.

This assessment can be carried out using an exercise to evaluate your practices. For example, you can start by assessing what you need to stop doing. This includes the missteps you’ve made during the year, and the things you’re doing where the effort is greater than the value created.

Next, you can analyze what you’re doing right. This includes best practices, good moves and anything else that brings value to your association. Then, you can evaluate what you’re not doing, but which should be done eventually. For example, opportunities with added value, practices that could improve certain processes, etc.