When starting an association, you will no doubt want to attract members to join your worthy cause. You should, however, consider the criteria or eligibility for becoming a member, how a person becomes a member and importantly, how and under which circumstances membership ends. This should be considered right from the beginning. You may consider giving committee members the power to end the membership of those who behave in ways which are incongruent with the rules and/or values of your organisation.
All living things change, and you’ll want to make sure that your organisation is vibrant and lively. For that reason, you might need to have a process by which you or the committee can amend the rules. It might also be the case that, over time, the members themselves may see fit that the rules change, or that the organisation’s purpose is amended. Change is a good thing, but it needs to be carried out with caution and respect.
It can be particularly difficult to come to an agreement on how to change the purpose of an organisation if every member has to agree in order for the change to become effective. It should, therefore, be part of your organisation’s planning to see how future structure can be implemented. Giving a committee the right to make certain decisions or allowing a majority vote to make decisions in certain circumstances could be a place to start.
An annual general meeting might be a good idea, not just for morale and community spirit of the group, but to give your association the time to make important decisions. Meeting in person is always preferable, but it is also possible to have more frequent gatherings with all members thanks to online meeting software such as Skype or Zoom. These are an option where meeting in person is not.