Meetings for incorporated associations

As an incorporated association, you must hold meetings as part of your responsibilities.

Meetings are essential for managing your association's affairs and keeping members informed of activities.

Find out about other requirements for running an incorporated association.

Read below to find out more. You can also watch the video.

Get a printable fact sheet PDF (464.9 KB).

Before you begin

Check your constitution to find out:

about the:
- types of meetings you need to hold
- notice period for each type of meeting
- way the meeting will be carried out
whether the meeting is in person, over email, videoconference or other online platform
who is eligible to attend and vote
if proxy voting is allowed and how it's done
how often meetings need to happen
quorum requirements - the minimum number of people needed to hold the meeting.

When you host a virtual meeting, every member must have access to the same platform. Those attending virtually are:

considered to be present in person and
included in the quorum.

Types of meetings

You might hold some or all of these types of meetings:

Management committee

These meetings:

are usually, only attended by the management committee
may include external parties or general members by invitation
must be held as often as the constitution requires
determine applications for membership
confirm minutes from the last committee meeting
formalise any external committee decisions
fill any casual vacancies on the committee
receive sub-committee reports on association activities
receive and present all incoming and outgoing correspondence and financial matters.

Get the committee agenda and minutes template.

Special committee

These meetings are for emergency meetings of the committee and usually to attend to:

disputes or grievances
SGM requests
urgent association business.

General meeting

These meetings are for the whole association to attend.

General meetings include AGMs and SGMs. However, they can also be a regularly monthly or quarterly meeting of the members.

General meetings:

provide the membership with an opportunity to plan future functions
keep the membership up to date on the association's activities and financial situation
induct new members.

Annual general meeting

AGMs are for the following:

confirm minutes from the last AGM or any SGM held throughout the year
present the conflict of interest register
receive committee reports on association activities for the previous year
elect or appoint office bearers and committee positions
present the audited financial statement of accounts for the memberships approval
remove or appoint an auditor
vote on any special resolutions – eg. amendments to the constitution
conduct any general business.

Get the AGM agenda and minutes template.

Special general meeting

Special general meetings (SGMs) are for the following:

when requested by the minimum number of members in the constitution
vote on any special resolutions – eg. amendments to the constitution
present the audited financial statement of accounts for the memberships approval, if not approved or presented at the AGM
remove or appoint an auditor
to appeal action taken by the committee - eg. suspension or expulsion of a member.

Get the SGM agenda and minutes template.

Rules

Meetings must:

follow the constitution rules
have a set date, place and time
carry out business in the agenda
only proceed with a quorum.

Adjourning a meeting

The constitution determines how a meeting can be adjourned.

Meetings may be adjourned for the following reasons:

due to lack of quorum (members leaving during the meeting)
to seek clarification on a matter
due to conflict.

How to run meetings effectively

You should do all of the following:

hold your meetings at a similar time, location and day of the month
create an agenda
follow up on action items before the meeting and
- redistribute those action items if required
write or type up meeting minutes.

To record action items, use the action items register template.

Voting

To be able to vote, you must meet all of the following:

be at least 18 years old
be up to date with your membership fee or considered a 'financial member'
hold a membership type that has voting rights
follow your constitution to check if proxy voting is allowed
- if allowed, you can use the proxy voting form.

Special resolutions

Special resolutions are for a specific purpose and require a minimum of 21 days' notice to your members.

They can be carried out at any general, special or annual general meeting.

The notice must:

include the proposed resolution
be passed by three quarters of the votes.

Access to minutes

Unless otherwise stated in your rules:

all general meeting minutes are available to the whole membership
committee meeting minutes are only available to the committee - unless otherwise identified in the constitution.

Conflict of interest

Every member and committee member is required to disclose any interest whether perceived or actual.

For example, a committee member’s friend or partner is providing a quote for works.