Leadership Succession Plan: A good leader is always preparing for their departure, whether it is planned or sudden. Their legacy is passing the baton to the next leader who will use their skills to lead and grow the organization in a way they couldn’t. Guilds can ensure a smooth transition between leaders by developing a succession plan. To do this, let’s discuss what should be included in the succession plan. If you are leaving a leadership position, what information do you need to share and how do you share it? If you are going to be new to a leadership position, what kind of information do you want to know? How do we transfer knowledge effectively within the organization?

Do We Need Board Committees: All boards need structure to handle the work required of them in an efficient, organized, and productive fashion. For many guilds, that means organizing one or more committees to tackle specific tasks, such as these common “standing” committees for regular or ongoing activities: membership, programs/workshops, exhibits, philanthropy, guild show/sale, communications, nominating, social media, library, etc. To be effective, committees need to be more than a committee of one person. They also need to have a task. Sometimes guilds have committees that don’t have any work to do. Let’s discuss what committees your guild has. Do you have too many or not enough? Which committees should be standing committees and which ones should only be formed when there is a project and then disbanded when the project is finished? How can we engage our volunteers and run productive committees?

Finding New Members & Engaging the Ones You’ve Got: So often guilds expect new members to find them and join because we are wonderful people doing amazing things and we have fun sharing our hobbies. This works sometimes, but to grow and diversify your guild, you must actively seek new members. What actions has your guild taken to grow membership and to keep your members engaged? Where have you been successful? Where have you been challenged? Do you spend money on advertising? Do you host a table at events? Have you collaborated or partnered with other organizations? What are the barriers for members to be active in your guild… money, supplies, the timing of your meeting, the location, traffic? Let’s discuss what is and isn’t working and maybe we can help each other come up with ideas to overcome our challenges.

Fiber – Art or Craft: There is a debate between some on whether fiber art is a craft or art or both. What is your guild’s perspective? What are you doing to influence the perspective in your community? Does your perspective influence your programming and who you partner with? In this discussion let’s share ideas on how we define the artform and use that definition to expand its reach.