Another Annual General Meeting - frequently asked questions...

Given that every scout group is a charity and many register with the Charity Commission all scout groups must have an annual general meeting (each year). It is the responsibility of your group executive committee, as the charity trustees, to ensure this happens.

Your group council's. Which leads to the next question...

Membership of your group scout council is open to:

• Group Scout Leader
• Assistant Group Scout Leader
• Section Leaders
• Assistant Section Leaders
• Group Scout Active Support members 
• Skills Instructors
• Officers of the Group Executive Committee
• Members of the Group Executive Committee   
• Sub-committee members   
• Administrators
• Advisers 
• Patrol Leaders 
• all parents of Beavers, Cubs and Scouts 
• the Sponsoring Authority or nominee (if applicable) 
• any other supporters including former scouts and their parents who may be admitted by the Group Scout Leader, the Group Executive Committee or the Group Scout Council 
• Explorer Scout Leaders (if stated in the partnership agreement)

The right to attend:

• District Commissioner
• District Chair

These are listed in the policy, organisation & rules of The Scout Association and thereby often lies a snag as some Group Secretary/Group Administrators do not have a copy of our rules. If this is the case the chances are that the Group Chairman and Treasurer do not have copies either.

Such Groups depend on traditional practise which often provides the wrong answer. How many groups invite the Patrol Leaders to attend? They are members of the Group Council. We talk a great deal about the need for young people to be part of our management structure and fail to offer the realistic opportunities which have been around for years!

Two outstanding reasons:

1. For the group executive committee, as the charity trustees, to report on group activities during the past year.
2. To allow the group council to appoint the group's officers and trustees for the year ahead.

Those two reasons are not unique to scouting. All charities local and national are required to have an annual general meeting to receive an annual report and end of year accounts and to appoint a management committee.

By producing an annual report in accordance with our own rules (POR). There are three very important parts of the annual report:

1. A list of names of the group executive committee members for the past year.
2. A statement of the main activities of each section of the group to include both the scouting programme and the work of the group executive committee during the past year.
3. The annual accounts prepared in accordance with SORP and POR.

The group executive committee will need to approve the end of year accounts before the annual general meeting as they represent the stewardship of the group finances by the committee.

Send it out in advance of the annual general meeting to all members of the group council and to any guests who are to be invited.

The agm alone is often insufficient to enthuse your guests. Many groups successfully hold a open evening and display scouting activities of the past year or invite a guest speaker for after the business has been concluded. Including your members in some form of entertainment ensures the attendance of their parents.