PRINCIPAL DUTIES PRESIDENT BLUE MOUNTAIN PROBUS Responsibilities:

Principal executive officer of the Blue Mountain PROBUS Club charged with generally overseeing the business and affairs of the Club. Preside at meetings of the Management Committee and General Meetings Represent the Club in the community and with other clubs as necessary. Tasks:

Prepare monthly agendas for Management Committee and General Club meetings. Prepare a monthly President’s message to be included in the newsletter. Act as Chair/Emcee for Management Committee and General meetings. Monitor overall operations of the Club to ensure functions related to the management of the Club are being completed and that Club’s By-laws and policies are being followed. Organize ad hoc committees or engage additional volunteers to address specific needs that may arise. Assist members of the Management Committee in the completion of their tasks, as necessary. Arrange as needed additional meetings to address issues that may arise from time to time. Provide recommendations or direction to the Management Committee on issues or matters that should be considered to ensure successful operation of the Club. Assist in recruiting volunteers to assume roles within the Management Committee to replace retiring members. Best Practices:

Send the monthly President’s message to the Newsletter Coordinator approximately 10 days before the monthly PROBUS Club meeting Send the agendas for the monthly Management Committee and the General meetings to the members of the Management Committee approximately 7 days prior to the meetings. Assist (if necessary) the Guest Speaker Chair in recruiting a member to introduce the guest speaker at the General meeting. Bring and present a gift (more than one where there is more than one speaker) for the guest speaker at the General meeting. Ensure there is an adequate supply of gifts and bags for those gifts for the guest speakers, in the Blue Mountain PROBUS box.

The primary responsibility of the Vice President is to attend all management committee meetings and to support the President as required.

If the President is unable to attend a management or regular meeting the Vice President should chair the meeting.

Also the Vice President is responsible to recruit and schedule new club members to present their personal profile at a regular club meetings. Prospective profilers should be sent the guidelines for presenting a profile, in particular emphasizing the length of time allowed for a profile presentation.

In addition the VP should assist in the creating a Power Point deck to be used with each meeting and assist the member responsible for Audio & Visual set up and operation at each meeting.

Generally the club Vice President should act as a fall back resource for assistance with any problems at club meetings or as requested by the President of the Club.

Treasure

• Collect membership fees
• Prepare annual budget
• Help organizers of club events prepare a budget so that they don't lose money
• Help organizers collect payments for events over $30
• Inform organizers of additional costs they may not be aware of. Such as bank fees for collecting card payments or refunds.
• Pay bills for monthly meetings. Such as facility rentals and speaker fees.
• Prepare monthly reports for Management Committee.
• Pay National Dues
• Prepare annual reports for Annual Meeting

DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY OF THE PROBUS BLUE MOUNTAIN (“PBM”) MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

• a. Be responsible for ensuring the preservation of PBM’s archival material, and the maintenance of the Management Committee’s current files.

• b. Ensure the recording of the proceedings of the Management Committee. 

• c. Ensure the distribution of the Minutes of Management Committee meetings to each member of the Committee.

• d. Assist the Management Committee in the preparation for and conduct of Annual General Meetings including preparing a slate of officers, a notice of meeting, proxy forms and such other documents as the Management Committee may direct.

• e. Perform such other tasks and duties as may from time to time be assigned by Bylaw or the Management Committee.

PR0BUS BEREAVMENT NOTICES

• Subscribe to funeral homes, etc.
• Fawcett (Collingwood and Creemore)
• Chatterson (Collingwood)
• Carruthers, Davidson (Wasaga & Stayner)
• Collingwood Today ($)
• Echovita (Obit sharing) … must designate
• Ferguson (Thornbury & Meaford) no subscriptions

The Support matches the deceased member with the Club’s “Members Directory”. (Some Members have no “enrolled date?)

If the Support finds a match he sends a copy of the deceased member’s Obituary to all members of the Management Committee.

The Support sends a sympathy card to the spouse/family with a few words of comfort. (the return address should be that of the Support)

The Support communicates a written cumulate bereavement report by email and verbally at a Management Committee meeting.

__ the Support’s duties end here _____

The Memborship Chair removes deceased from the “Membership Directory”.

The Treasurer sends a donation to the charity as requested in the obituary. If the “Hospital or Hospice” are noted as an option by the family of the deceased, The B M Probus Club will select one of the two.

The Newsletter Editor inserts the bereavement photo and a few lines in the next issue, or eBlast.

The Webmaster posts the full obituary and photo in the “Members of Memoriam”.

From the podium at a General Meeting, the President includes a few tributes and requests a minute of silence.

Membership Chairman – Principal Duties and Responsibilities¨

Manage the Membership Roster of current members including:

• Maintaining the Master Excel file of members and a file of the paper applications completed by all members.
• Update contact information as required due to changes of address, phone etc.
• Track and remove member names if they become non-members for whatever reasons.
• Provide customized data searches of the roster as may be required such as: generating a list who live outside of Collingwood, or members who have been active in the club for more than 5 years, or any other data searches as may be required from time-to-time.

Manage new member procedures:

• Maintain and update membership application forms.
• Process applications including obtaining approval by the club management committee.
• Order badges and approve payment for badges.
• Notify new members and induct new members with badge at the earliest possible regular club meeting.

Prepare monthly membership Report and distribute to Management Committee members prior to each monthly meeting. Include updated roster if appropriate.

Collect Annual Dues in conjunction with the Treasurer.

• Begin notification and collection at the August monthly meeting.
• Continue notification via announcement at meetings and beginning in October with personal email reminders to overdue members.
• Issue final notice to remaining overdue members in December and follow up by telephone.

Activities Co-ordinator Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of the Activity Co-ordinator are monitor and support clubs within the Blue Mountain probus club and to generate and co-ordinate outings. In addition:

• Attend and participate in monthly management meetings
• Attend monthly probus meetings and promote ongoing activities and clubs
• Generate communication “posters” (Microsoft Word format)for clubs and activities for:
  • Back of room during general meetings
  • The Webmaster for inclusion in the web
  • The newsletter editor for the monthly newsletter
  • The power point deck utilized during the general meeting

Outings are presentations provided by local businesses in and about the Collingwood area. In addition, there are regular scheduled outing events, some of which are exclusive (Collingwood Blues hockey games) to Blue Mountain Probus members, some of which are intended to include spouse/partner/guest (Kings Wharf) and the annual golf event. Events organized by probus clubs acting in collaboration with other probus clubs (ski legends, travel) are not included in the responsibilities of the Activities Co-ordinator.

There are currently two types of clubs within our probus club.

• Exclusive
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Hiking
• Canoeing/kayaking
• Biking

Shared

• Bridge
• Investment

Probus speaker procedures

Three person committee.

• Appoint one person to take notes and create a calendar of speakers.
• We meet once per month and throw out ideas for speakers and report back at next meeting successes and failures.
• Read local newspapers to find potential speakers.
• Keep your ears open for potential candidates. If they agree to speak find out the topic so we do not duplicate other speakers/topics.
• Let the speaker know what months are available and slot them into the schedule.
• One month prior to their scheduled speech contact them to remind and find out if they need A/V. If so give them the contact information of our A/V person.
• At the meeting one of the committee members will introduce. After their speech invite them to lunch.

Promoting a Club Activity/Club to the Probus Membership

Congratulations and thank you for volunteering to run an activity/club for Probus. Your contribution is greatly appreciated. Now, the challenge is to encourage members to participate in your activity.

We have approximately 230 members in our club, but less than 50% attend the monthly meeting. It’s therefore important that you use both in person, as well as electronic methods to promote attendance. The following outlines the best approach to maximizing attendance at your event. You’re free to do all or a subset of these steps, although please ensure that any reference on our website to your activity is accurate.

Step 1 – Create a poster. The first step involves creating a one-page poster that vividly describes your event. This poster will be posted on our website, featured in the monthly Newsletter, and serve as the cornerstone for all promotional activities. You can also distribute printed copies during meetings. Examples are available on our website from the following links https://probusblue.ca/resources/activity/skillet.pdf https://probusblue.ca/resources/activity/Base%20Borden%20Visit%20Poster.pdf https://probusblue.ca/resources/plasticRecycle.png https://probusblue.ca/resources/activity/MEDATech.Poster%20Nov9.pdf

The poster should be created in Word format and can include graphics, photos, and text. Describe the activity and remember that this is a tool to boost attendance, so don't be shy, use your imagination and be creative. The sky's the limit! Be sure to include all logistical information, such as the event name, location, date, costs, payment instructions, and the organizer's name and contact information.

Step 2 – Get your activity documented on the website. Visit the Activities page on our website and review the description of your activity. The description should be concise and generic, outlining your activity, its general timing, and your contact information. If you need to make any changes to the Activities area, please send them to our webmaster, Bill Booth, at bill@billbooth.ca."

Step 3 – Promote the monthly Newsletter. The Newsletter is sent via email to all members every month before our regular Thursday meeting. We strongly encourage activity leaders to promote their activities in the newsletter. To do so, please send your poster and any associated verbiage you want to include in the Newsletter to the Newsletter editor, David Eaman at davideaman@hotmail.com. Be sure to send this information at least two weeks before the monthly meeting to allow sufficient time for David and Bill to assemble it in the Newsletter and publish to our website . You can find samples of past newsletters at the following links https://probusblue.ca/News/newsSep23/ https://probusblue.ca/News/newsApr23/

Step 4 – Promote at the monthly meeting. The most effective way to promote an event is during the monthly meeting. Bring copies of your newly created poster and distribute one on each table. Additionally, consider setting up a table on the side where members can ask questions and sign up.

Our Event Coordinator typically has a standing spot on the agenda to discuss activities in general. You have two options for promoting your activity: you can ask the Event Coordinator to highlight it during their slot, or you can request an agenda spot for yourself. Please get in touch with the Event Coordinator to discuss either scenario.(Chris Meleskie chris.meleskie@gmail.com).

Step 5 – Post Event Promotion Activity Leaders are encouraged to provide feedback, including photos of their event after it has been run. An example is available in the following link. To be included please send your information to the Newsletter Editor for inclusion in the Newsletter. https://probusblue.ca/golfphotos/#&gid=golf-tournament&pid=15

Step 6 – Ongoing communication to activity members. Activity leaders are encouraged to maintain email distribution lists of those members who have attended and/or expressed interest in attending the activity. This way, any updates or club information can be sent via email as needed.

Newsletter The Newsletter Chair

Our Newsletter function is very important in keeping the membership informed and up-to-date on the programs and functions of the club. Each month, he must collect both updates and plans for the various Groups in the club, and edit the information that is sent on to the Webmaster for publication.

This is a great way to keep in touch wilth the other Management Chairs as to Calendar entries, news stories, and planned outings.

The Chair should be familiar with Word, or other suitable application, but does not have to be able to code in HTML. Liaison is with Bill Booth (Webamster) bring the News all together.

Meeting Review Chair

This Chair writes up a review of the past meeting, especially to inform those members who may have missed. Each month, he must collect both updates and plans for the various Groups in the club, and edit the information that is sent on to the Webmaster for publication.

This is a great way to keep in touch wilth the other Management Chairs as to Calendar entries, news stories, and planned outings.

The Chair should be familiar with Word, or other suitable application, but does not have to be able to code in HTML. Liaison is with Bill Booth (Webamster) bring the News all together.

The primary function of the Webmaster is obviously to maintain the probusblue website.

Domain URL: https://probusblue.ca is owned by William Booth and is registered on GoDaddy.com The website files are Hosted on DreamHost.com The program used to produce the website is known as Stacks 5.

Weekly (at minimum) attention to the site is required to keep information up-to-date and accurate. Regular updates are made to: - Calendar - News Letter - Meeting Review - Membership changes.

The Membership Roster is maintained in a secure database called Sitelok. This database holds the name, address, email, phone data etc. for each member, as well as their internal group affiliations, such as cycling, investment clubs. Sitelok facilitates blasting emails to all members, select groups, or individuals. It also provides security - login requirements - for the MemberListing and Kultural Attaché pages.

Input is generally supplied by the various Management Committee chairs, usually by Word document email. The Webmaster is in close contact with the Newsletter chair who essentially writes the news and sends it in to be appropriately formatted for the internet.

Time is of the essence to keep members informed. Suggestions for new features or changes to existing information are always welcome.

50/50 Draws

Ticket Draw and Basket Storage: Draw tickets and the basket are stored in the Probus Blue Mountain box located in the lobby. This box is typically opened by the Membership Chairman.

Ticket Cost: Tickets cost $5 for three tickets.

Ticket Sales Location: Ticket sales take place at the back of the Legion room, where a table is set up on the left as members enter.

Sales Timing: Sales occur before the general meeting, starting at 9:30 AM, and during the mid-meeting coffee break.

Distribution of Proceeds: 50% of ticket sales go to the winners (either 2 or 3, depending on sales), and the other 50% goes to the Club's revenues, managed by the Club Treasurer.

Presence Requirement: Winners must be present at the meeting to claim their prize.

Proceeds Tabulation: After the coffee break, sellers tabulate the proceeds of sales and allocate 50% for winnings, delivering the other 50% to the Treasurer.

Number of Winners: The sellers will determine whether there will be 2 or 3 winners.

Draw Conduct: The draw will be conducted by the guest speaker after their presentation.

Responsibility for Future Sales: The current month's cash winners are responsible for next month's sales, and they should be informed of this when they receive their winnings.

Announcement and Documentation: The Newsletter Editor will take a photo of the winners and collect their names, which will be included in the meeting review.

This template is provided as a guideline when preparing to present a personal profile to a PROBUS club.

The profile should be from 3 to 5 minutes long to a maximum length of 6 minutes If a few interesting pictures are digitally available on a lap top they can be projected on the club owned projector.

The profile content should provide an overview of the members life, family, activities, achievements and hobbies.

A few things to mention in the profile should include:

Your name and how you came to join BM PROBUS

Your family and where you currently live and have resided

Why you joined BM PROBUS and who introduced you

A very brief history of your education and business career.

A few recent achievements of which you are proud.

A humorous story about you and your past

End with things that are important to you and what you are looking forward to as a BM PROBUS member.