Annual Business Meeting: General Order Of Business #

• Call to Order
• Establishment of Quorum
• Approval of Conference Rules
• Approval of Annual Business Meeting Agenda
• Announcement of the AJLI Board & Governance Committee Elections
• President’s Address
• Finance Report
• Consideration of:
  • Proposed Amendments to the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws and the Operational Policies Approved by Junior Leagues (OPALs) as published in the Meeting Notice
  • Advisory Resolutions submitted per the Conference Rules
• Recognition of the Board of Directors, Governance Committee and Past AJLI Governance Members

Note: The final agenda for the Business Meeting will be distributed onsite as will the agenda for Governance Dialogue.

General Information #

AJLI Governance Office Hours #

To facilitate your ability to ask questions of the AJLI Board of Directors, submit topics for discussion with the Board of Directors and among the Junior Leagues at Association Governance Dialogue, or submit or sign onto Advisory Resolutions, the AJLI Board of Directors has established Governance Office hours as outlined on the conference app. Leagues also may schedule an appointment with AJLI’s parliamentarian during this time.

Governance Office Hours (Tentative) #

Important Deadlines #

Conference Rules #

The conference rules are based on information contained in the AJLI Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and Operational Policies Approved by the Junior Leagues. These documents and additional resources are available in the Governance Library section of ajli.org. If you have questions about procedures or the conference rules, please visit the Governance Office or contact a member of the AJLI Board of Directors.

Adoption/Suspension #

Conference Rules must be adopted by two-thirds of the votes cast by the Junior Leagues. The Conference Rules are amendable by a majority of the votes cast by the Junior Leagues while they are pending adoption. A motion to suspend a rule requires two-thirds of the votes cast by the Junior Leagues.

Parliamentary Authority #

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the conference in all cases to which they are applicable and are not inconsistent with relevant and applicable federal, state and local laws, the Bylaws of the Association and these Conference Rules.

The Rules #

1. Technical requirements and malfunctions: Each attendee is responsible for her electronic connection; no action shall be invalidated on the grounds that the loss, or poor quality, of a delegate’s individual connection prevented her from participating in the meeting or workshop; nor will a refund be granted.
2. Forced disconnections: The chair may cause or direct the disconnection or muting of an attendee’s connection if it is causing undue technical interference with the meeting.
3. Recordings: Attendees shall not record any portion either of Governance Dialogue or the Annual Business Meeting.
4. Wi-Fi Reception: To ensure reception quality for conducting business, only in-person Voting and Alternate Delegates may access Wi-Fi while in person at the Governance Dialogue and the Annual Business Meeting. All other in-person attendees are asked to place their devices on airplane mode/disable Wi-Fi.
5. Quorum: The presence of a quorum shall be established and announced by the chair or tech team. Thereafter, the continued presence of a quorum shall be presumed unless the tech team notifies the chair of the lack of a quorum.
6. Minutes: The minutes of Annual Meeting will be approved by the Conference Rules Committee, appointed by the President, consisting of the Secretary and at least two other Board members.
7. Assignment of the floor: To seek recognition by the chair, delegates will go to a nearby microphone and notify the Teller of their request for recognition. The Teller will raise the appropriate card indicating:
8. the purpose for which recognition is being sought;
9. the intention to speak for or against the motion; or
10. the intention to make a motion or ask a question.
11. Recognition by the Chair: The Chair will refer to the Microphone # when recognizing a delegate and to the maximum extent possible, alternate between those speaking for and those speaking against.
12. Speeches: Speeches are limited to three minutes. Second speeches are not in order until everyone who wishes has had the opportunity to speak for the first time.
13. Priority Motions: Priority motions are parliamentary inquiry, point of order, and appeal. A request for information shall not be given priority.
14. Motions:
15. Main motions, amendments, and referrals to committee shall be submitted in writing via directed service prior to seeking recognition to speak. The Display Manager will prepare it for display to the extent feasible when the proposer is recognized.
16. Motions do not require a second.
17. The name of the maker of a main motion shall not be recorded in the minutes.
18. Debate: The total time of debate on any main motion shall be limited to thirty minutes, inclusive of subsidiary and incidental motions. A member may move to extend the time in increments of no more than five minutes.
19. Voting: Electronic voting, using the conference app, will be used for most motions introduced during Governance Dialogue and the Annual Business Meeting unless other methods are indicated by the chair. Voting by the conference app is a “counted vote;” therefore, a motion for division of assembly is not in order and all results will stand as reported.
20. Governance Dialogue:
21. Only two motions are in order during the governance dialogue: 1. Extend the limits of debate. Delegates may move to extend debate in increments of no more than five minutes on any item. 2. Request a straw poll (a non-binding vote to test the direction the assembly is leaning on a topic.) Any voting delegate or board members may request a straw poll.
22. To initiate dialogue and frame the issue, a member of the submitting group shall speak first and remain at the microphone or online to participate in the dialogue.

Business Meeting Agenda #

The final agenda, with times specified for discussion of each item, shall be composed by the Rules Committee and distributed to the delegates at the beginning of the Business Meeting.

Additional Delegate Instructions, including things to remember from the AJLI governing documents:

• Eligibility to Vote and Quorum: Every member Junior League in good standing has the right and authority to vote at the Business Meeting through representation in person or by proxy. As such, quorum is defined as a majority of Junior Leagues present in person or by proxy.
• How Delegates participate: A League’s Voting and Alternate Delegate may be considered in attendance in one of the following ways:
  • In Person: Both delegates are on site in Indianapolis
  • Proxy: The League has given its proxy either to another League or the AJLI Secretary who shall have the authority to vote on the League’s behalf
• Approval of Motions: Unless specified otherwise in the Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and Operational Policies Approved by the Junior Leagues, motions may be approved by the majority of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting by the member Junior Leagues present in person or by proxy.
• Approval of Amendments to the Bylaws and Operational Policies: Amendments to the Bylaws and Operational Policies Approved by the Junior Leagues require approval by two-thirds of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting by the member Junior Leagues present in person or by proxy.
• Defining Voting Delegates and Association Personnel: The voting delegate is the Junior League Member designated by her League to speak and act on its behalf. A League may also designate an Alternate Voting Delegate who is eligible to vote in the absence of the Voting Delegate. Association personnel include members of the AJLI Board of Directors, members of the Governance Committee and professional staff.
• Advisory Resolutions: Junior Leagues and the Board of Directors may submit Advisory Resolutions advising the Board through recommendations and/or topics for Board discussion or exploration. These resolutions may be included with the Call to Conference/Meeting notice materials and/or submitted and distributed onsite during the Conference/Meeting. The President, Secretary and members of the Board of Directors are available to offer guidance to Leagues wishing to submit a resolution. The Board has the authority to combine submissions and to establish whether or not such items are in order.
• Governance Dialogue: Governance Dialogue is designed for discussion on topics to be explored at the Annual Meeting as well as other topics relevant to the governance of the Association. See below under Procedures for Governance Dialogue for further details on Governance Dialogue.
• Technical Support:
  • Tech Team: There will be a tech team comprised of Microphone monitors (Tellers) and Mic Volume managers with responsibility to assure smooth operation of in-person voting.
  • Login time: The tech team shall provide the internet meeting service availability to begin no less than 20 minutes before the start of Governance Dialogue and the Annual Business Meeting.

Procedures For The Annual Business Meeting #

Seating At The Annual Business Meeting #

Delegates may sit at any table designated for delegates in the ballroom. If the Voting Delegate must step away, she will alert the monitor who will activate the Alternate Voting Delegate’s voting access. When the Voting Delegate returns, the Monitor will restore her voting access.

Proxies #

After the Call to Conference is made available, proxy forms and instructions will be made available for those Leagues that cannot attend the meeting. By assigning a proxy to another Voting Delegate or the AJLI Secretary, Voting Delegates are ensuring that their League’s vote will be counted in their absence. Once on site, proxy forms will be available in the Governance Office.

Speaking At The Business Meeting #

Only Voting Delegates and Association Personnel have the privilege of speaking during the business meeting. All Voting Delegates and AJLI Board members may propose and second motions.

Procedures For Governance Dialogue #

Seating And Speaking At Governance Dialogue #

All delegates may sit in the areas designated for delegates in the Ballroom.

Motions In Order During Governance Dialogue #

There are only two motions in order during Governance Dialogue:

1. Extending Time on an item

• Only the Voting Delegates may vote for extensions of time in increments of no more than five minutes for any item—it must pass by a two-thirds of all votes cast.

2. Requesting a Straw Poll on a topic (this is a non-binding vote to see how the voting-delegate body would like to approach an issue or to determine the general consensus on a topic)

• Any Voting Delegate or AJLI Board Member may request a straw poll on the topic being discussed.
• If any Voting Delegate objects to the taking of a straw poll, the Chair will put the matter before the Voting Delegates. A majority of all votes cast is required to adopt the request to take a straw poll.

Dialogue Topics #

Junior Leagues and the Board of Directors may submit Governance Dialogue Topics onsite during the Conference/Meeting. The President, Secretary and members of the Board of Directors are available to offer guidance to Leagues wishing to submit an item. The Board has the authority to combine submissions and to establish, before Governance Dialogue, whether or not such items are in order.

Procedure For Onsite Topic Submissions #

All items to be submitted must be received by the Secretary in the Governance Office by 5:00 PM EDT on Thursday evening prior to Dialogue. A Junior League wishing to add or remove its name from the list of submitting Junior Leagues on an item must do so in writing in the Governance Office by 5:00 PM EDT on Thursday evening prior to Dialogue. Dialogue Topic templates are available in the Call to Conference materials as well as in the onsite Governance Office.

Agenda For Governance Dialogue #

The final agenda, with times specified for discussion of each item, shall be composed by the Rules Committee and distributed to the delegates at Governance Dialogue.

Speaking For A Topic Submission #

To initiate the dialogue and frame the issue, a Member of the submitting group [as listed on the topic submission form] shall speak first and shall remain at a microphone to participate in the dialogue.