Annual General Meeting
Thursday, May 23, 2019, 7.30pm
The Board will be proposing a number of changes to the Bylaws, Schedule B at the AGM. As members of the Society, you have a right to review this information before the meeting. Please take a moment to review the proposed changes to Bylaws, Schedule B. A copy of the Bylaws, last updated at the 2015 AGM, can be found on our website at: https://colchesterhistoreum.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/01-17-CHS-Bylaws-B-1.pdf
Proposed Changes to Standing Committees – Section 46
In the fall of 2018, Board members reviewed the Society’s standing committees and with input from the staff have made the following recommendations for changes and additions to Section 46:
The removal of the Membership Committee because these responsibilities now fall under the job description of the Administrative/Fund Development Assistant
The addition of the Collections Committee with the following responsibilities:
The Collections Committee shall be responsible for the decision to acquire artefacts and archival records. The committee shall consist of at least three (3) people, including the Curator/Administrator or the Designate, and one (1) other person appointed by the committee chair. This committee may not include any individual offering an artefact or archival record to the Society.
The name of the Marketing Committee would be changed to the Communications Committee.
The name of the Programs Committee would be changed to the Events Committee. The Events Committee meet on March 15, 2019 and proposed the following responsibilities for the committee:
The Events Committee is responsible for providing logistical support to staff and standing committees for events.
The Fundraising Committee would be renamed the Fundraising and Major Gifts Committee and the responsibilities would be revised to the following:
The Fundraising and Major Gifts Committee works to identify, develop and assist in the execution of fundraising strategies and major gift solicitation in support of the work and financial capacity building of the Society.
The Heritage Committee would remain the same with “the built Heritage Awards Program” removed from its list of responsibilities.
Proposed Increase in Membership Fees – Section 7
The Board recommends a modest increase to the Society’s annual membership fees. The annual membership fees have not increased since January 1, 1999. The Board proposes the following increase to fees:
Individual membership: $25.00 (previously $20)
Family membership: $35.00 (previously $25)
Organization/Business: $50.00 (previously $30)
The Board recommends increasing the membership fees effective on June 1, 2019. This modest increase is a result of increasing financial demands on the institution.
Proposed Changes to the Society Membership Structure – Section 8
In 2016, the Historeum was subject to the Association of Nova Scotia Museums (ANSM) Museum Evaluation Program. The Museum Evaluation Report: Colchester Historeum identified the Society’s membership structure as an area that required improvement, stating “[the Society] should consider removing life memberships from its membership offerings. Analysis of membership programs has proven time and again that museums end up expending far more resources on lifetime members than the resources they receive in return from these members.”
The Board recommends the removal Life Membership from its paid membership offerings. In place of a paid Life Membership, an Honorary Life Membership category would be maintained. The updated definition of Honorary Life Membership would be:
This category shall be conferred by Board vote upon any person in recognition of an extraordinary contribution to the work or welfare of the Society.
Based on this recommendation, all existing Life Members would maintain their status but Life Memberships will no longer be for sale.
Housekeeping/Wording clarifications
- Change in Section 8 under Family. “children under the age of twenty-one (21) years old” was changed to children under the age of eighteen (18) years old”
- “or emailed” and “or email” was added to and “or delivered in person” was removed from Section 11
- “or email” was added to Section 12
- “nor more than twenty (20)” was changed to “nor more than fifteen (15)” in Section 25
- “Librarian” was removed from Archivist/Librarian title in Section 36
- “The President shall exercise supervisory responsibility for the Administrator” was added to Section 39 Duties of the President
There will be an Ice Cream-Sunday social that will following the proposed changes.