Yes, I belong to ours here in Pittsburg, Ks. We have about 100 members; not all active, by any means.
The structure is that we have the business mtg. first, then show and tell, then a break. After that, we usually have a guest speaker. They are to not go over 1 hr..
We meet from 7p.m., and it is supposed to end at 9:00..
We have a workday to work on Community Quilts;;shelters, children abandoned at the fire station, police station, the Ronald McDonald House in Joplin, The Cancer Center at the local hospital, the Dialysis Center here in town. The list goes on and on.
Some get quite "clickey" and don't think they can speak to anyone but their certain friends. I don't think it is that big of a deal, but they seem to. Some who are outstanding quilters get the same attitude. Some quilt from sun-up to sun-down, and of course you can tell they are extra good at it.
I am in it to learn, see what others are doing, get ideas, make new friends. We don't really learn much at the meetings. If you want to learn certain techniques, you would need to go to the class the day of the meeting. The night speaker will give a presentation on a new pattern, new technique, ect...Those are $30.00, lunch included, plus the pattern and fabric. I don't take many classes, as you end up with a UFO, and I have plenty of those already.
It is worth the $25.00 yearly dues. We have a guild library, which I use just to see the pictures in the books, but don't really have the time to read any.
Mariah