First you must ask a few questions.

Who can join your guild?

-Anyone, regardless of their skills (someone who wants to learn)

-Experienced quilters only

-How many members would make up your guild

Why start a guild?

-Promote quilting

-Share books, tools, knowledge

-To socialize

Ok now the next steps are:

-Look for a meeting place, sometimes your city or church will let you have a room for free.

-Choose a schedule (once a week, once a month)

-Will it be an evening or day meeting

-Prepare a program for the next few months (what will you work on…community projects, bring in a teacher)

To organize your guild, now you need:

-A leader (president)

-A treasurer if you are to charge yearly member fees to cover your expenses (tea, coffee, rent)

-Someone to take over while the leader is absent

-Someone to take notes during the meetings

These people may be elected or volunteer. You may establish a term of one year in the beginning for the above duties.

Find a great name

-You could use your city or area’s name, “The ‘city/area’ quilters’ guild”

-You could come up with a name that describes what your group likes to do

-Look in our List of Guilds – click here for names already being used

Plan your meeting

-There may be business to discuss

-Show and tell

-Coffee break or lunch break

-Program

As soon as you become a Guild, keep records. Keep an up to date list of responsibilities and rules. These will become the basis of your bylaws or constitution. Whenever something doesn’t work, decide as a group how to proceed and keep records of it.

You are on your way to becoming a Guild – Good Luck!

Remember that Courtepointe Quebec is there to help you in any way we possibly can and that once your guild is up and running, fill out the Guild Registration Form – click here – at no cost to you – so we can promote your guild and your activities.

Example of a Charter if you should decide to have one

NAME OF GUILD

Objectives of this non-profit association:

1. To establish and maintain the art of quilting.
2. To encourage quilting activities in order to perpetuate the art of quilting.
3. To preserve the history of quilting and promote its artisans by holding meetings and sharing friendships.
4. To give back to the community by giving quilted items to people in need.

Membership:

1. Membership is open to anyone interested in quilting.
2. French and English are the two official languages of the association. Women and men are eligible.
3. Membership is limited to 60 active members subject to change.
4. Fees are fixed by the Executive annually and cover the period of September 1^st to August 31^st of each year. Fees after January will be half price.

Meetings:

1. The association meets at regular intervals set by the Executive Committee and accepted by the members.
2. The Executive must meet prior to any general meeting.
3. The annual meeting must be held on the first week of June, at which time the Executive will present their reports to be accepted by the members, followed by the election of vacated positions on the Executive.

Executive:
President, Vice-president, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer

Functions of the Executive members:

1. President: Presides over all meetings of the Executive, prepares the agenda with the secretary and guides the association during the mandate.
2. Vice-president: Seconds and executes all delegated charges from the President and assumes all the President’s functions in her or his absence.
3. Past President: Acts as a consultant to the Executive.
4. Secretary: Maintains all documents for the association, takes minutes of meetings, prepares reports, is responsible for correspondence, updates the membership list, prepares membership cards and presides meetings in the absence of the President and Vice-President.
5. Treasurer: Is in charge of the association’s budget, deposits and debits funds authorised by the Executive, prepares the report for the annual meeting in June, hands out registration forms and collects membership fees.

Elections:

1. An elections committee will be named by the Executive. This committee will receive and present nominees to the membership at the annual meeting, allowing the elections to follow.
2. Members to the Executive are elected for a mandate of two years.
3. No member of the Executive will hold the same position for more than two consecutive terms.

Finances:
Fiscal year covers the period of September 1^st to August 31^st of each year. All financial records of the current term must be made available to any member upon request.

Internal rules and regulations:

1. The quorum at meetings is 50% of active members.
2. Rules and regulations can be approved, changed or annulled by a vote of 2/3 of active members present at the annual meeting.
3. If a quorum is not obtained, the vote will be at the next meeting whenever it is held or by telephone in case of an emergency.
4. Special committees can be formed by the Executive when deemed necessary. They will be given a mandate to perform their required activities and will be under the direct guidance of the Executive.
5. In case of the resignation of an Executive member, the position will be offered to all active members. If a member wishes to apply for the position, the Executive will accept the applicant for the end of the mandate. If there is more than one applicant, an election will be required to fill the vacant position until the end of the mandate.
6. For an Executive meeting, the quorum is a minimum of 3 members. Each member has one vote. The President votes to break a tie.