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Q&A for Visitors to our Board Meetings

We would like to thank you for coming to our board meeting in advance. We appreciate the opportunity to hear directly from our members and from other organizations in our community. Our visitors often bring us some of the best opportunities for us to serve our membership. This Q&A can help you prepare for your visit to the board meeting so as to make sure you get results.

Keep in mind that the primary purpose of the Oregon Bears is to create "social enjoyment and camaraderie" for our members. Our secondary purpose is to provide resources to charitable organizations, and we generally do that through social, fund raising events.

How can I prepare for my presentation?

It's always a good idea when speaking to a group to prepare your comments and make an outline. Plan on having 5 minutes to describe your proposal. Be concise and specific about what you want the Board to do. Your presentation should clearly answer the following questions:

• How will addressing my request serve the membership of the Oregon Bears?
• How will addressing my request support the primary purpose of the Oregon Bears?

Why am I being limited to five minutes?

While we hate to limit free expression, our board meetings are packed with issues to address. If you feel like your issue needs more than five minutes to present, options include providing the Board with a written summary in advance of the meeting or covering your issue over the course of a few meetings.

What can the Board and the Oregon Bears do for me?

Examples of actions that the board might take include:

• Organizing an event or program suggested by a member.
• Sponsoring a charity event that the board thinks would be of interest to our membership.
• Co-sponsoring a social event that would be of interest to our members.
• Addressing a concern or complaint about the club or a board member.

What kinds of actions are the Board unlikely or unable to take?

• Donate money directly to my charity. (In general, our donations are the result of fund-raising events that promote our primary purpose.)
• Advertise your event as an Oregon Bears event. (We have some ways to help you promote your event, but the club will not put it's name on an event it doesn't organize itself).
• Co-sponsor the event I'm throwing next week. (Even if your event is in line with our primary purpose, our experience has been that it takes four weeks to appropriately promote an event.)

Do I have to come to a board meeting to present a concern, suggestion or proposal?

You can always count on any of your Board Members to represent you. If you prefer, go over your issue with a Board Member and they can present your thoughts to the Board. That Board Member will contact you after the meeting to discuss the actions (or inactions) of the Board in response to your issue.