The Agenda

It is funny that many people think that the Board or the President sets the agenda for a meeting. Neither of these is true unless the bylaws contain a provision saying so. So how does the agenda get set?

If the organization just follows the general order of business stated in Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised or in one of the other standard works, no agenda is needed. A clear order of business is established. But this is not enough for many organizations. They want a clear indication of when matters will come up.

If an agenda is needed or wanted, it is the meeting that establishes it. The appropriate officer, often in consultation with others, proposes an agenda. This isa main motion and can be amended by proposals. Most amendments are handled by unanimous consent. If there is not unanimous consent, the change is usually voted on. If a member is proposing to bring up an idea under New Business, no vote is needed. The assembly, often by unanimous consent, votes to accept the agenda.

So if somebody tells you that the officers set the agenda, just ask them where that rule is written down. If they cannot give an exact citation that you can check out, ignore them.