New Quilt Guild - what makes your meetings successful?
I'm closing in on my 2nd year of quilting and it's been a blast!
About 10 months ago, there was a new local guild formed and I and several others who are 'new' joined. Us newbies have occasion to visit and we were thinking we'd get another 'look' at quilting, some skills, etc. and walk away from meetings feeling like we were learning, growing, etc. We've already seen meeting attendance fall about 30-35%. Our next closest guild is at least 70 miles away.
So here's my real question(s) -
1) what should the guild meetings 'be'? we follow Robert's Rules or Order, have a reading of the minutes from the last meeting, any new business discussion (mostly social at this point), and a 10 minute presentation by a guild member of something they're working on. We usually close up with a show & tell, which is typically the same 5-8 people each month. Interest is starting to wane as it feels to many that we're not 'achieving' anything at the meetings. Is there some defined 'process' new Guild's should follow?
2) what makes your guild (or group) meetings successful in your opinion?
Just so you know - I have lived my whole life under the concept that you don't bring up a problem without at least one option to make it better or to resolve it. I wouldn't mind being on the board or a committee, but I know working Fulltime at my paying job, working part time at my mom's LAQ shop, + all of my chores at home & a DH who has some medical issues, time doesn't really afford me the ability to do a volunteer position justice at this point.
I would love for our Guild to be vivacious, active, interesting and provide a service but I don't know how to get there with the constraints I, and we as a group, have.
If you have any observations, comments, questions, please toss them out here.
Thanks in advance -