By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915
Most of us have heard of a subliminal message and its purpose. For a refresher, a subliminal message is one that is intended to be embedded in our subconscious mind without our conscious knowledge of what is happening. These messages are commonly used by television commercials and ads, which contain “trigger” words and continuous use of phrases undetectable to the conscious mind in order to influence us to buy their products. In this column, I will use the phrase “increase membership” at various times and embed the phrase in the topic we are discussing. Although it isn’t really the same as I described, it gives the reader a sense of what I am talking about.
We all know that our member numbers have decreased and at times (increase membership) many Granges do not have enough members present to hold a meeting. It disrupts the flow when a meeting is canceled (increase membership) and people begin to lose interest when this happens on a regular basis. Even to the most dedicated Granger, this is quite annoying and sometimes makes us question why do we bother. Our love and dedication to the (increase membership) order keep us chugging along. We don’t give up easily and our high energies motivate all our members. However, how long (increase membership) can this last? Even the Sun will run out of energy at some time. To avoid burnout, we need to make membership a top priority at every meeting. All members of our Granges are responsible (increase membership) to bring in new members; not a select few or only the State Membership Committee. It is up to YOU (increase membership) to be a part of the membership drive!
Read this message over a few times and let me know how effective this subliminal message has been or even better, read this message often and let the hidden message do its work.
Just to clarify, if we don’t have a quorum we can still meet, we just can’t vote or make any decisions that require a vote. Correct?🤔
The simple answer is that you cannot vote without a quorum, but the larger question of what you can do at a meeting without a quorum can be complicated. In the strictest sense, without a quorum, you cannot conduct business. What that means is subject to interpretation based on Robert’s Rules of Order and legal considerations, not just Grange Policy. At least one source suggests, “Members who participate in making decisions at a meeting without a quorum may face personal liability for their actions. This is because they acted without the proper authority of the organization.”