CACCN Annual General Meeting

Information for Chapters

CACCN National Office is pleased to provide the following information to assist you in running an effectiveAnnual General Meetingfor your chapter:

This information is available online at:

Constitution and Bylaws

October 2013 Update: CACCN has completedthe Continuance process for the new Not For Profit Act which will be in effect on April 1, 2014. Our request for Continuance has been granted by Corporations Canada.

  • Chapters are no longer required to implement their own Constitution and Bylaws. All chapters will fall under the CACCN National Association Constitution and Bylaws.
  • Chapters with current Constitution and Bylaws may continue to use these documents as the 'guiding' principle for the chapter, provided the Chapter C/B are not in conflict with theCACCN General Operating Bylaw No 1andCACCN Policies and Procedures.
  • Chapters may also convert their Constitution and Bylaws into Chapter Policy/Procedure documents.
  • Chapters are now covered under theChapter Policyapproved March 2013. Additional information relating to Chapters may be found on page 15 of the General Operating Bylaw No 1.

Annual General Meeting

​Preparing for the Annual General Meeting

Prior to the Annual General Meeting and provision of notice to members, the executive should meet to prepare the documentationrequired for the meeting.

It is always a good idea to prepare an AGM script for the executive team, outlining the flow of the meeting and time requirements for each item. Setting time allocations is a good practice, as you want to ensure the business of the Chapter is completed within the specified timeframe of the meeting:

  • Annual General Meeting Script Template
  • ​this is the script CACCN National uses for the National AGM
  • Chapters can fine tune this to your needs
  • Bourinot's Rules of Order, 4th edition
  • Financial Statements
  • Committee Reports
  • Previous year's draft Annual General Meeting Minutes
  • Votingbatons,initialed by the recording secretary (if using)
  • 3 inch strips of coloured paper (8 1/2" x 11" paper cut lengthwise) (sample)
  • ​Election Ballots (sample)
  • General Rules of Order(can be printed and provided to members)
  • Time Cards
  • Current copies ofmembership list of active members

​Bourinot's Rules of Order:

  • ​Bourinot's Rules of Order is the guiding principle used by CACCN and all Chapters
  • Bourinot's is based on parliamentary law and is used to maintain 'order' at the meeting
  • While at first glance it may seem daunting but...running a meeting under Bourinot's Rules of Order is not difficult
  • One way to ensure you have things covered is to go through your Bourinot's book and put tabs on items that for quick reference such as Elections, Motions, Amending a Motion, etc.
  • For more information on Bourinot's Rules of Order, we also provide the following links from a quick Google search:
  • ​Quick Guide to Bourinots(Ryerson)
  • ​helpful guide providing information on Duties, Motions and Amendments
  • ​Bourinot's for the Baffled(Thornhill Lutheran Church)
  • ​helpful article providing information on running a meeting
  • Bourinot's Rules at a Glance(University of Toronto, Student Life)
  • helpful chart on how to proceed with meeting items and whether a motion, etc is required
  • Bourinot's Rules of Governing(Trent Radio)
  • Bourinot's Summary(CUPE)
  • Appointment of a Parliamentarian
  • ​The parliamentarian will be the person who will settle any disputes with respect to rules of order at the meeting.
  • The parliamentarian should have the following information on hand at the meeting:
  • Cleancopy of theGeneral Operating Bylaw No 1
  • Clean copy of the Chapter's Policy/Procedures (previousconstitution and bylaws), if applicable
  • Copy ofBourinot's Rules of Order (each chapter should have a copy of Bourinot's. If you do not have a copy, please contact National Office)

Prior to the Meeting

  • Notice to Members
  • Notice of the Annual General Meeting to each member entitled to vote can be provided in the following manner and within the following timeframes:
  • by mail, courier or personal delivery - betweentwenty-one (21) and sixty (60) days prior to the meeting
  • by telephone, electronic or other communication facility - between twenty-one (21) and thirty-five (25) days prior to the meeting
  • Refer to page # 6 of theGeneral Operating Bylaw No 1
  • Provide themembership with the appropriateinformation or copies of the documents where voting will occur at the meeting (ie. monetary matters, nominations, etc).
  • Voting by Proxy:
  • Proxy Form Template
  • When sending the notice, provide members with a proxy vote form.
  • Members may appoint anyone to be their proxy - the proxy does not need to be a CACCN member.
  • Members may assign their proxy vote to the Chapter Secretary and/or President.
  • Proxy forms are dueseven days priorto the meeting.
  • Proxy forms may be accepted by mail, email or fax.
  • Proxy forms must be signed by the member.
  • Nominations for Executive Positions
  • May be completed through a nomination process prior to the meeting following theCACCN General Operating Bylaw # 1.
  • If you have more than one nominee - election by secret ballot is conducted
  • If you have one nominee - they are acclaimed to the position
  • If you have no nominees - you can accept nominations from the floor at the meeting or leave the position vacant
  • Appointment:
  • If you have no nominees and a member comes forward later on for the vacant position, the executive can elect to appoint the member into the position by motion at an executive meeting. The appointment is only effective until the next Annual General Meeting.
  • If a member is appointed, a notice to the members should be sent out advising of the appointment to the position.

On the Day of the Meeting

  • On the day of the meeting, have executive members or volunteersseated at a table outside of the meeting room with the membership lists.
  • As each member arrives at the meeting, they will visit the registration table,have their name checked on the list, pick up any information for the meeting and will receive their voting baton.
  • Only those members who arecurrent/activeCACCN membersshould receive a voting baton.
  • Those who are not members of the chapter or areAffiliates of the Associationmay attend the meeting, but may not vote.
  • Members holding proxy votes may receive one baton with the number of proxy votes clearly marked or may receive a baton for each proxy vote held.
  • ​​For example: Sharon has 6 proxy votes - she can receive one baton with "6" clearly marked or she can receive 6 batons.

Starting the Meeting

  • Quorum
  • ​Establish that you have a quorum in order to being the business of the meeting.
  • Quorum required: 2.5% of the Chapter's voting members must be physically present at the time the President/Chair calls the meeting to order.
  • Proxy votes and late arrivalsare not counted towards quorum.
  • Minute Taker
  • Appoint someone from the executive to take the minutes of the meeting
  • Late Arriving Members:
  • When the doors are closed and the meeting is called to order by the President/Chair, members who are late arriving may still enter the meeting, however theydo not have standing to voteat the meeting and do not receive a voting baton.
  • The member should be noted on the membership listing.
  • Motions:
  • ​all items requiring a decision by the membership - especially those requiring financial decisions -must be moved via a Motion
  • the Chair (i.e. President) of the meeting moves the motion, members at the meeting second and third the motion (see AGM script for wording)
  • Members must be given notice of information that will be voted on at the meeting
  • Motions can be amended by the membership
  • Motions concerning new business/items cannot be brought forth/acted on at the meeting unless ALL members of the chapter are present and agree to proceed. As it is unlikely all members will be present motions on new business/items cannot be addressed until notification is provided to all members

After the Meeting

  • Minute take prepares the minutes for the executive to review
  • The minutes are posted to the Chapter website as DRAFT minutes (approval of the minutes takes place at the next AGM)