Month by Month Plan Board Elections and Annual Meeting Logistics

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Month by Month Plan: Board Elections and Annual Meeting Logistics

Many thanks to Amy Crowe at CUNA Credit Union in Madison, Wisconsin for sharing her detailed planning document.

Be sure to base your own plan and timetable on the annual meeting requirements in your credit union’s bylaws.

November

Write January newsletter article - "A Call for Board Members"

A paragraph or two should explain that we have three volunteer board member positions open. They have three-year terms.
Time commitment for the board position.
One monthly board meeting 4:30 - 7 p.m.
Attendance at the annual meeting each year -- about 3 hours one night in April or May
Attendance at an organizational meeting, end of April or early May
Board planning session, once per year 1-1/2 days
Board members work on committees that meet either quarterly or monthly
A resume, photo, and an explanation in 40 words or less on why they want to be a board member should be sent to the nomination committee (specify address)
Cut off date for applications is Friday, Feb. 12

January

Renew the PO Box and permit used for ballots

Be sure we pay both the Business Reply Mail permit and the actual box rental itself ($300 + $44 in January of each year)
Get the key from the previous year’s Nomination Committee Chairperson The post office will make another key for a fee. (At election time, a nomination committee member picks up the ballots at the post office and brings them to the credit union for counting)

Annual Report

Select theme for the annual report and contact the graphic artist
President's report
Chairman's report
Treasure's Report
Statement of financial condition
Operating statement
Auditor's report
Mission statement and operating principles
Corporate information

Book location for annual meeting after date is set at the January Board of Directors meeting

5:00 p.m. registration, refreshments, and exhibit booths
5:30-6:30 p.m. business meeting
6:30-7:30 p.m. speaker, entertainment, bingo

Last Week Of January / Early February

Publicize the "Call For Board Members"

Contact board members running for re-election to get their quote and recent photo
Send flyers to SEGs regarding the Call for Board Members
Web site release
Table tents / posters for lobbies with take ones
Payday Press, SEG newsletters
E-mail CU staff and mention in Team Teach: Communicate we are looking for board members. Be sure they understand the time commitment, the deadline, and what is needed in an application. Tell them about publicity activities.

Mid February

Nominating Committee gets together for lunch or breakfast after cut off date (CU pays)

Review candidates (choose no more than 10)
Determine 100 signatures deadline date if applicable
Set deadline for ballot return, usually two weeks before annual meeting
Set date for next meeting to verify and count ballots, usually in those two weeks before the annual meeting (CU pays for dinner). CU staff can help count and verify ballots, tellers, marketing, etc. Non-eligible votes go into a separate pile.

Election committee chair contacts those going on the ballot and those needing 100 signatures (form letter). Ask for better photos if needed.

Send bondability request (CUNA Mutual) to make sure candidate is bondable.
After photos have been scanned, return them to candidates with form letter.

End of February

Arrange for stenographer at the meeting.

Announce annual meeting on Web site, VIP newsletter, lobby posters, payday press, interoffice flyer to SEGs, CUNA, Wisconsin State Journal community events section, etc.

Plan logistics and order equipment

Podium
Microphone
Projector / screen
Board of directors table, seating for 10
Registration table
Six 6-8 foot booth tables
Food tables

Meet with caterer about the food order for 150 people

Drinks: coffee, punch, soda
Cash bar w/ beer and wine, $30 per bartender
Communicate room set-up
Give diagram to caterer for event staff

Talk with department heads about booths

Each booth gets $25 to purchase a giveaway
Marketing will provide paper slips, pens, and a bowl for giveaway
Departments are in charge of bringing own brochures, and other marketing items
Marketing will help and bring nametags

March

Marketing sends annual report text to graphic artist the first week of March

Confirm cost of annual report, finalize cover and sections
President's report
Chairman's report
Treasure's Report
Graphs from Treasurer
Statement of financial condition
Operating statement
Auditor's report
Mission statement and operating principles
Corporate information

Election arrangements

Make sure Nomination Committee Chair has post office box key.
Check post office box before voting begins. Clear out old ballots.
Ballots should be picked up almost daily the first week after statements go out. (Starting second week of April). After that 2 times a week is fine.
Request ballot verification report from DP (need two copies). Primary member, 18 years old, member 3 months.
Staff can begin to verify ballots.
Send ballot boxes to branches. Call managers to put boxes up on April 1.
Keys for the boxes should be sent to the managers.
Only nomination committee members can take the ballots out of the boxes.
Send extra ballots to branches.
Posters should be up reminding members to vote.
Posters should be up regarding the annual meeting with take ones.
Nomination committee will get together to verify remaining ballots and count (dinner after on CUNA CU).
Nomination committee chair notifies (by phone) winners and losers (encourages losers to run again).

Put ballot together for printing

Must send ballot to printer before March 15th.
Contact candidates for anything needed for the ballot.
Same information for all candidates: where candidates work, quotes, what they would want on ballot. Use the same number of lines within each one.
Put candidates in a hat and draw for space placement on ballot.
Ballot design information:
We need the ballot to be 7¼” with a 3/8” gripper.
Maximum length is 18 candidates or 16½ " long.
In 1999 we ordered 45,000 for statements + 2,000 for lobby ballots.
Printer sends ballots to statement processor before March 25, to be mailed in April's statements (we will be billed for this).

Marketing

Mail merge letters inviting members who returned ballots to annual meeting.
Call center inputs names in electronic spreadsheet.

Marketing gives artist the script for Progress and Innovations, including the annual meeting information.

Printer on March 15th
Statement processor on March 25th

April

Call branch managers to put out ballot boxes on April 1.

Add ballot and all scanned photos to the Web site on April 1.

72 DPI or screen resolution
Give date to remove information from the Web site. Should be last day to vote.

One Month before Event

Check meeting arrangements

Arrange for reader of Prayer of St. Francis.
Confirm the food.
Consult with the president, chairman, and treasurer as to what they need.
Check room logistics. Order final supplies and equipment
1. Black fabric background
2. Podium with microphone
3. 8 foot table w/ 10 seats for board of directors
4. TV / VCR (if applicable)
5. Projection screen for overhead and slide projector or power point presentation
6. Power or extension cord for PowerPoint presentation
7. Food and punch / coffee tables
8. Location of cash bar
9. (6) 6 to 8 foot long exhibit tables, registration table
10. Power for laptops
11. 8 foot table at entrance to the meeting room
12. Pad and pens for names of members
13. Slips, pens, bowls for drawings
14. Nametags
15. Giveaways
16. Minutes and handouts
17. Annual report
18. Table runners
19. Board of directors table: Place cards and nametags with board names on chairs with podium at end or middle of table.

One-two weeks before event

Final details

Interoffice flyer to SEGs (3,000)
Drive-through flyers (2,000)
Entertainment 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Assign bingo caller, locate game set
Assign someone to operate PowerPoint and projector
Camera, digital camera for group Board photo
Wisconsin State Journal
Board place cards + CEO (10 total at head table)
Agenda, copied and stapled to graphs
Chairman's script
Abridged minutes from last year's meeting (one-page, handout)
Review booth arrangements with staff. Confirm staffing and supplies at booths
Sign-in sheets, pens
Premium products and giveaways if any
Verify room layout

Giveaways for drawing and bingo

Two $25 restaurant gift certificates
Two CUNA CU logowear shirts (take assorted sizes and give one that fits)
$25 gift basket from credit union with pasta, etc.
Giveaways for bingo for 10 games
Golf ball and tee sets
$10 restaurant gift certificates
Candy jars
Mugs with cocoa or coffee

At the annual meeting

Registration table with CUNA CU table runner

Two staff members -- 1 to ask members to sign name for record, 1 to give handouts.
Pad of paper and pens for sign-in for minutes.
Slips of paper and pens for drawing.
At the annual meeting each attendee receives:
1. Annual report
2. Agenda
3. Minutes from last year’s meeting
4. Any handouts (graphs) typically requested by chairman or treasurer
5. Travel tags
6. Gold pens
7. CUNA CU logo bags

Program - 45 minutes to 1 hour

CEO, host
Prayer of St. Francis
Chairman's Report
Treasurer's Report
President's Report
Employee of the Year
Minutes from prior year’s annual meeting
Agenda for the annual meeting
Entertainment and giveaways