Club Meetings

Fun meetings are well-attended meetings!

For many members, especially younger ones, the monthly club meeting is their only connection to 4-H. Meetings must be fun, interesting and "hands on" to keep members attending. A 4-H educator will usually visit your first meeting to answer questions and to conduct a simulated meeting as a model for future meetings.

Here are some things to consider when planning 4-H club meetings:

Meeting Night - Choose a meeting night that suits you and a majority of the members and stick to it. Not having a regular meeting night is one of the most common reasons for club failure.

Reminder Calls - With busy school and family schedules, it's easy to forget a monthly meeting. Create a telephone tree by appointing a committee to make reminder calls. The committee chair, usually at the direction of the club president and/or the club organizational leader, calls three club members who have agreed to call three other members. For most clubs, everyone can be called with no one having to make more than three calls. Members making calls must continue trying until they've spoken to someone or left a recorded message.

90 Minutes - Most 4-H meetings last about 90 minutes. That's about as long as younger members will be able to sit still. And, since most clubs meet on a weeknight, during the school year it is important for them to get home at a reasonable hour. Most 4-H club meetings start at 6:30 or 7pm.

Business, Program, Fun and Food - A typical 4-H meeting has three main parts including a short business meeting, an educational program or activity and time for a game and refreshments.

Here's more information for each of the meeting parts:

The Business Meeting - When a club only meets once a month it can be difficult to cover everything in a half hour. Having a meeting agenda will help keep everyone focused. Ideally, the president and other key officers and one or more club leaders will meet in person or by phone a couple of days before the meeting to plan the agenda. Some clubs give members a printed agenda at the meeting, but most do not. The elected club officers should conduct the meeting with as little input from adults as possible. Younger and inexperienced club presidents may want to follow a "meeting script" available from the 4-H office. Having everyone sit in the front row by arranging chairs in a circle helps keep members engaged in the meeting. Younger members sitting in the back row tend to think they are invisible and not required to pay attention. Don't try to do everything during the meeting. Assign tasks that will take a long time to plan to a small committee (3 to 5 members). Ask them to work out the details and report back at the next meeting.

The Program - The program is the most important part of the meeting and should provide the members with useful information on a variety of topics they have helped select. The best way to assure your club has interesting programs with a good balance is to have an Annual Club Plan. How to make your plan will be covered more fully in a later section. At least half of your meetings should feature a speaker on a topic of interest to the members. It would be good if at least one of the programs related to each of the four H's - head, heart, hands and health. Having a variety of programs and activities will help keep members interested. Consider scheduling a craft (maybe related to a holiday) for a couple of meetings and maybe a field trip or a service-learning (community service) project. At meeting's end, telling members what program or activity to look forward to next month will often increase attendance.

Fun and Food - Don't overlook the importance of this part of the meeting. For many members, this is a time to socialize with friends and one of the main reasons they attend. At the previous meeting someone should be recruited to lead a game or activity and others to provide refreshments. All club members should have the opportunity to provide refreshments at least once during the year.

Safety Check! Make sure a responsible adult is present at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled starting time and until the last member has been picked up. Never leave a 4-Her unattended. Avoid being left alone with a child not your own.

Volunteer Quick Reference

Learning Check

The most important thing a new club leader can do is to plan and conduct successful meetings. Great 4-H meetings are interesting, fun and "hands on". Members can't wait until the next meeting night. But, when a club only meets once a month, it's easy to forget the meeting. This is especially true when the club does not have a set meeting night. It's difficult to hit a moving target! One of the major reasons clubs fail is because they don't have a regular meeting night. Find a night that works for you and the majority of the members and stick to it. How do you keep attendance high at your club meetings?

Ideally, 4-H meetings will be so interesting everyone, including adults, will want to get "in on the action". Adults need to understand the purpose of 4-H is to help young people grow and develop life skills. Conducting a meeting, giving a report or chairing a committee all help develop leadership. With good planning and practice, most club presidents can develop the skills to conduct a successful meeting with very little input from club leaders or other adults. What have you found works best to prepare your club's officers to conduct a successful 4-H meeting?

When a 4-H club only meets once a month it is often difficult to get all of the business discussed. Be careful to not let the business portion of the meeting take all of the time available. A good agenda will keep the business meeting on schedule. When possible, the president and other key officers should meet with the organizational leader a couple of days prior to plan the meeting. Some clubs provide a printed agenda for each meeting to all members but most clubs are not that formal. Does your club use a meeting agenda and if so, do you feel having one is helpful?

Younger members are the lifeblood of your club. Keep younger members interested by making sure there is always time for games and refreshments. This social time is often the most important part of the meeting for younger members. Does your club have a favorite game? Please share it with other volunteers.

Online Learning Community

Share your ideas with other volunteers by clicking Online Learning Community to post a message. You can respond to one of the above questions, ask your own or share a great idea. You must post a message to complete this lesson.

Password: 4-H Vol

Next Lesson

Click on Safety First to move to the next lesson after you've posted a message to the Online Learning Community in response to a Learning Check question/comment above. Thanks!

For more information, contact Lisa Dennis

Last updated: 06/14/2009