Planning Chapter Meetings
Required all-member meetings
Chapters are required to have at least one Initiation and at least one all-member meeting each year to remain in
Good-Standing with the Society. Most chapters have a variety of meetings and activities throughout the year. There
is no required structure for chapter meetings or activities, though it is important that at least one all-member
meeting a year addresses important chapter functions such as holding elections, voting on chapter bylaws, and
recognizing member accomplishments or graduating members. Chapter meetings or activities may have professional
development, service or social components.
Meeting tips
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An all-member meeting is not the time for chapter officers to do planning and conduct business. Chapter
officers and committee members should meet separately to conduct chapter executive and committee
business and then report the progress or plans at an all-chapter meeting.
When planning a time for your chapter meetings, it is likely some members will have conflicts and can’t
attend (evening classes, student teaching, work schedule), be it for one meeting or a whole semester. Be
mindful of these conflicts especially if your chapter has attendance expectations for members.
Once you set a regular time, try to stick with it for the year, as schedules can change with each semester.
Be sure to schedule meeting space well in advance, and be consistent with time and location.
Start and stop on time.
Send timely reminders about upcoming meetings and activities (email, text, social media).
Offer opportunities to make up the meeting attendance requirements (KDP Webinars are excellent for this).
Use technology to allow more members to attend when needed, such as simulcasting meetings with Skype.
Make meetings fun
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Try using food and door prizes as incentives to attend.
Have an icebreaker to start. Encourage opportunities to socialize when possible.
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Sample Meeting Agenda
(Chapter Name) Chapter
Chapter Meeting Minutes
Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society
(Enter Date)
 Minutes
 State “ The minutes were approved (date of last meeting) as read” or “the minutes were approved (date of
last meeting) as corrected”
 Reports
 Chapter President
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 Vice President
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 Membership Chair
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 Treasurer
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 Counselor
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 Old Business
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 New Business Announcements
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 Meeting Adjourned
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Officer Roles for Chapter Meetings
President
 Be available to preside over the meeting. If not, then the Vice-President and Counselor should be notified as
soon as possible so that the meeting can proceed smoothly.
 Use Robert’s Rules of Order to maintain efficiency during the meeting. Review Robert’s Rules with chapter
members so that they have an understanding of meeting etiquette.
 Establish meeting etiquette and communicate what is appropriate to members in a nonabrasive manner.
 Be knowledgeable about the Constitution & Bylaws of the Society and the chapter bylaws, especially with
regard to chapter management.
 Include an open discussion or feedback time at the end of the meeting so that members may ask additional
questions.
 Determine an approximate timeframe.
o Most meetings last an hour. Some meetings are longer when held in conjunction with another
function or if the chapter meets only once during the semester and the agenda is long.
o Ideally, meetings should last no more than 1.5 to 2 hours if held in conjunction with another
function. Otherwise, plan a second meeting.
Vice-President
 After the year’s activities have been finalized by the Executive Committee, plan and distribute a chapter
calendar during the first meeting at the beginning of the school year.
 Be knowledgeable about the Constitution & Bylaws of the Society and the chapter bylaws, especially with
regard to chapter management.
 Be knowledgeable about Robert’s Rules of Order to maintain efficiency during the meeting.
 Preside over the meeting in the President’s absence.
 Provide updates and reminders about upcoming chapter activities and events.
Secretary
 Be knowledgeable about how to record effective chapter minutes.
 Send meeting e-mail notifications to chapter members at least 14 days in advance of the meeting. Invite
members to suggest topics for the meeting agenda.
 Compose the agenda prior to meeting. Send it to members or print hard copies to have at the meeting.
 If there will be a guest speaker or workshop during the meeting, include that information in the meeting
notification.
 If there is a pending vote, such as for the bylaws or an election, include that information in the meeting
notification.
 Record the most pertinent information from each meeting and distribute it to the chapter members within
one week after each meeting.
 Include an open discussion or feedback time at the end of the meeting so that members may ask additional
questions.
Additional Officer/Committee
 Meet prior to the meeting in order to prepare a short progress report on current initiatives.
 Congregate for a few minutes after the meeting to mingle and address members.
Membership Chair/Membership Committee
 Highlight a specific aspect of KDP’s international initiatives, such as membership benefits; individual
scholarships; chapter grants; teacher resources; publications; or conferences. You may use your own flyers,
brochures, or other marketing promotions, or materials available from KDP Headquarters.
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Greet members as they enter the meeting to make them feel welcomed.
Answer questions that members may have regarding benefits.
Foundation Representative/Fundraising Committee Responsibilities
 Showcase KDP and chapter spirit while creating a mini-fund-raiser by selling KDP merchandise at the
meeting. Refer to www.kdpstore.org for available items.
 Highlight upcoming scholarships and grants and encourage members to apply. Refer to the Scholarships
and Grants section of the website for more information.
Counselor/Associate Counselor Responsibilities
 Serve as advisors, if needed, during the meeting.
 Assist the President in maintaining order in the event of conflict during the meeting.
 Train and assist the President in clarifying Robert’s Rules of Order and other parliamentary procedures.
 Ensure that a clear agenda has been determined and ample notification of the meeting has been given to the
general membership and committees.
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