General Meeting
The general meeting is the association’s highest authority and must be held at least once a year. The general meeting is also often called a members’ meeting, a plenary meeting, or an annual meeting.
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Bilde av Bence Szemerey
Why hold a general meeting?
Associations should have a democratic structure that allows for participation and influence for all members of the association. Through the general meeting, members are given the opportunity to vote in new board members and decide how the association will be run.
It is often the board that presents most of the issues, but all members with voting rights can submit issues they want to raise at the general meeting. See your articles of association for which issues will be raised at the general meeting.
Notice to members
It is important to plan the general meeting early, so that you can send out the notice in good time. The articles of association should state deadlines for notice, when in the year the meeting will be held, deadlines for submitting issues and preferably separate deadlines for amending the articles of association.
Here is an example of what the deadlines for a general meeting might look like:
- January 10: Date for the general meeting is set, added to the association's semester schedule
- March 25: Notice sent to all members
- April 5: Deadline for submitting matters to the general meeting + deadline for expressing interest in serving on the board
- April 7: Final agenda sent to all members
- April 14: General meeting
How do you hold a general meeting?
1. Find a venue
It is a good idea to choose a venue that is large enough and easy to find. It is possible for associations to book rooms and auditoriums at universities.
2. Choose a chairperson
This can be a member, or it can also be nice to have a person outside the group to fill this role. That way, the chairperson will not interfere with matters that are to be debated or be subjective in elections. Who will be the chairperson should be clear well in advance of the meeting.
3. Get a reporter
It is important that the general meeting is properly documented, to avoid uncertainties after the meeting. It can be useful to have a minutes/protocol template available, so that the format of the documentation is the same from year to year.
4. Choose a counting body
If there is an election of new board members and more than one candidate for the position(s), a counting body must be elected by the assembly. Their task is to count the number of votes cast in both elections and matters. Counting bodies cannot be active members with voting rights.
When voting for several candidates, we recommend holding a secret ballot. This is done, for example, by distributing and collecting ballots, and counting the votes. To make standing for election more pleasant, we also recommend only revealing who was elected, and not how many votes each candidate received.
A counting body can also be useful if there are major decisions for the association, such as changes to the statutes. Such votes can be more open, for example by those voting in favor raising their hands.
5. Choose signatories during the meeting
People to sign the minutes/protocol do not need to be prepared in advance, but can be chosen at the meeting itself. They must read through the minutes and sign that what is written matches what happened at the meeting.
6. Election of a new board
Elections can be carried out in different ways. Many associations appoint their own election committee to find good candidates, as well as nominate who they think is best for the positions. Note that in any case, it is the members who have the final say in the elections.
It is a good idea to talk to the board or election committee before the general meeting if you want to stand for election, but you can also decide right before the election takes place. This is called benching.
When all candidates have made themselves known, they should introduce themselves and answer questions from the audience. This should be done even if there is only one candidate for the position.
If there is more than one candidate, we recommend conducting a secret election, as described under "Counting Corps".
If there are no candidates for one of the positions, the members can decide that the board is authorized to supplement itself, i.e. find the last board member themselves.
7. Avoid serving alcohol
It is recommended to keep the discussions and elections sober, and preferably wait to serve alcohol until after the meeting. The chairman and those presenting the various matters should of course be sober.
After the general meeting
When the general meeting is over, it is important to ensure a good handover between the new and old boards.
