County Farm Bureau annual meetings are a great time to bring together county members, prospective members, and other members of the community to celebrate the work of Farm Bureau and the importance of agriculture at the county level.
Even though planning your annual meeting may seem daunting, they aren’t that hard to pull off effectively.
“As long as county leaders take a bit of extra time to plan, county annual meetings are really easy to pull off,” says Jayde Van Cleave, the Senior Director of Membership and County Development at Colorado Farm Bureau. “If you take the time to get the little things right, the rest of the event will fall into place. Planning is the key.”
While the purpose of an Annual Meeting is to finalize official business for the county organization, Van Cleave says leaders should look for ways to use the event to raise awareness of Farm Bureau and what it does for the industry and the local community.
“Board members should think about how the event can provide value to the industry and the community at large. Make the meeting a fun event the community can take part in. The business of the organization can be done at another time.”
He says county Farm Bureaus can conduct the official part of the meeting with the board before the start of the program or even conduct the board election and other business another day.
THE BOTTOM LINE is “your annual meeting should be FUN! It should provide value,” says Van Cleave. “People should leave with more than they came in with.”
In addition to focusing on early planning and providing a fun and informative event for the community, Van Cleave has a few other top tips and ideas to help county volunteer leaders host the best meeting with the least amount of labor possible:
