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Events

The way that a steering group or Trust run events and formal and informal meetings will be fundamental to its success. Events can either be important milestones in gaining commitment and making decisions, or frustrating and counter-productive.

It is possible to identify at least five different purposes for an event or meeting:

• Legal or formal: elections, receiving annual accounts
• Information giving
• Consultation and discussion
• Making decisions and problem solving
• Social

Although some of these purposes may overlap, each requires a different style. What's crucially important is to ensure that everyone concerned is clear about the purpose of the meeting and their role in it.

Difficulties arise if participants think that they have been invited to a meeting to make a decision when, for example, the steering group or Trust is seeking views.

Planning

The key to successful events and meetings is good planning. Consider:

• The terms of reference of the meeting. Why is the meeting being called? What is it expected to achieve? Who needs to be there?
• Whether there are requirements in the constitution for the meeting and the way that it is run: for example, annual general meetings.
• The roles and responsibilities. Who will convene and who will host the meeting? Is it appropriate to have a facilitator as well as a chairperson? Who will record what happens?
• Notices, agendas and minutes. What should be sent in advance? What can be circulated at the meeting? What will be circulated afterwards?

Start up events

During the start up process the steering group will need to run the following meetings or events:

• Meetings of the steering group and working groups
• Workshops for different interest groups
• One or more seminars
• Presentations to funders and potential supporters
• Social events

Steering group meetings

It may be productive for the steering group to run three types of meeting for itself:

• Formal sessions at which decisions are taken. It should be clear who is eligible to attend, and there should be an agenda, minutes and chairperson.
• Creative and problem solving sessions. The steering group may wish to use a facilitator to run a workshop session in which they brainstorm ideas, prioritise projects or run through the business planning exercise.

The steering group should at some stage take a day or more together to work through issues, preferably away from base. If possible make this an overnight stay so that people can get to know each other informally. Consider using a facilitator to plan and run the event.

• Smaller working groups, which may co-opt other people, to look at specific issues. These could be the fore-runners of sub-committees of the Board. Groups may, for example, be formed to look at the bid document or business plan, communication materials, constitution, specific projects or to plan an event. If that is done, it is important that a workshop session is run with the whole steering group to ensure that basic principles are agreed. Otherwise working groups may generate incompatible proposals. Do not make drawing up the constitution the lead group - instead concentrate first on the outline business plan.

Workshops

The start up process set out in this toolkit depends in part on running creative sessions for different interest groups at which they can put forward ideas for projects and the principles on which the Trust should be run.

These are not formal committee-style meetings, but events at which people work in groups and have more of a chance to have their say. It is essential that the development officer or some other person acts as facilitator.

Seminars

One or more seminars are suggested in the start up process.

Early in the process it may be helpful to run a seminar for potential steering group members and supporters to outline what a Development Trust is, what help may be available from the funders, and what is involved in the start up process.

Later it will be important to run a seminar at which those who have been to workshops and other meetings receive a report back, and receive a presentation on the proposed bid which they can then, hopefully, endorse.

In general avoid large conventional public meetings with a platform for the steering group and rows of chairs. They are ideal for confrontation and the self-confident speaker; extremely poor for giving everyone a chance to have a say and reaching consensus. Instead make a presentation, split people into groups with discussion tasks, and then have a report back session.

Presentations

At various points during the start up process it will be necessary for the steering group and development officer to present plans for the Trust formally to potential funders and supporters. Presentations serve a number of purposes:

• They oblige you to organise your thoughts in a way which will be understandable and appealing: they should help you see things from someone else's point of view
• They should also oblige you to develop consensus among the steering group
• The presentation event should provide you with valuable feedback

As with all events, plan presentations carefully. If possible do a 'dry-run' with someone outside your immediate group.

Use a flip chart or overhead projector to make the presentation, with notes as back-up. Not only will it be far clearer, it will force you to organise your thoughts in a logical sequence, and to be brief.

Social events

It is important to create opportunities for people to meet informally, particularly since people will be coming from different interest groups and may not have met before.