AChristina

I'm president of a very small quilt guild, we average about 6 - 12 members at our monthly meetings and workshops. We held elections last November and this is the first time I've held office. Our VP, who has held that office for at least 3 years that I know of, said she would be willing to serve again, so she was re-elected. We've had 6 meetings/group activities since then and she hasn't attended any of them. We sold items at a craft show just before Christmas our members had made to raise funds for our guild, she didn't donate items or her time. We've made quilts for a local foster family, 27 in all, with fabric that was donated to the guild, she didn't finish her quilt. She hasn't attended regular meetings or workshops, but she's the first in line if she's at meeting where fabric has been donated to be used by the guild or if members had brought in unwanted fabric or sewing tools. She says she'll come to the next meeting, but the day of or before, she says she isn't up to it. We know she has health problems but how many meetings would you let her miss before you speak up? Our Treasurer, Secretary and I feel 2 more missed meetings and we need to replace her with someone who is willing to donate their time and skills. Any ideas on how to do this tactfully would be greatly appreciated.

Jan in VA

Meet to discuss by-law changes that would address contingencies like this. She likely won't be present, but if you have a quorum of officers you can then take it to the general membership for a vote. If her pattern holds, she won't be there for that either. Then you can address the issue with her in a letter or whatever, and make a change.

Jan in VA

joe'smom

Maybe she agreed to serve out of a sense of obligation even though her health is an obstacle, and she would be relieved to relinquish her post. Has anyone considered just mentioning it to her?

AChristina

We don't have any set by-laws that I know of I'll check though. We're very casual and to me, not very organized. The secretary and treasurer agree with me and I know there are some members who also agree. Like I said, we're a very small group, less than 12 active members at any given time. I don't think it was a sense of obligation either. She's done the same thing with her church. They didn't put her on a committee for the new year because of her attendance record, she complained and told them she wanted to be on the committee and they put her on it. She's also whined to her church that she needed a new bed and they bought it for her, now she doesn't even bother to attend services. Sounds like a pattern to me. Do you think it would be proper for us (me, the treasurer & secretary) to bring it up at the next meeting if she's not there? I'd hate to do it if she was there.

Onebyone

A VP really doesn't have that big of a job. I think she will show up when there is free stuff no matter if she is VP or not. We have several in our guild like this. If everyone thinks she is not doing her job then just tell her to let someone else have it that can come to the meetings. She sounds like a bully. Getting what she wants by demanding she wants it. Too many step out of her way and she expects it. Just ignore her and she will go away.

joe'smom

I think the decent thing would be for someone to give her a heads up by phone, that the subject of her non-attendance is going to be discussed at the next meeting. It would be awkward and humiliating to spring it on her in the group without warning, should she attend, and not really proper, imo, to discuss her in her absence if she's not been informed that her behavior is a matter of concern. Imagine how you'd like it handled if it were you being discussed, and use that as a guide.

toverly

If your Guild is very casual, I would just let it go and not expect anything out of her. Sometimes people want to be in name only. But make certain any duties of the VP get done with or without her.

JustAbitCrazy

She sounds very entitled. Not someone I'd want to be around. At all. I am hearing in what you say that most of you don't want her around, either. I think for now I'd just ignore her when she's there, which shouldn't be often. Since a VP doesn't really have anything to do (except fill in for a missing President and run a meeting), I think I'd let her finish out her term. But in the future if she wants to hold office, you should already have something in place in your by-laws preventing no-show members from holding offices. Generally someone has to make a motion to nominate a member for office anyway, and someone else has to second the nomination. If you run your meetings by Roberts Rules of Order, then she should never be able to hold office because none of you will nominate her or second the nomination. If it continues to irritate all of you that she's always there to take donated items, then you need to come up with another way of distributing the items. I would suggest you meet to sew charitable items with donated materials all together on site and that those donated materials stay on site instead of members taking them home. Is it possible for the guild to store guild-owned items like that where you meet, perhaps in a locking closet of your own? If not, maybe a member can store them at their home for group use only. You already know what she wants from belonging to your group, so just arrange things so she can't get what she wants unless she plays by the group rules, and she'll either shape up into the kind of member you want, or she'll just quit because she's unhappy. Either way it's a win for the rest of you Good luck. Apply liberal doses of chocolate and wine in the meantime.

Jan in VA

Your group sounds more like a bee than a guild, actually. That's not a problem, you just have to have someone to stand up and say "go" when you start, right? You all probably could keep on without her input or participation with no problem. Just let it go and plan to have something else in the works next time you all are ready to chose leaders. Nearly every group has a member or two like this.

Yankeegirl

I agree with toverly - just let it go for now. However make sure at your meetings that you figure out who will be VP next year so the problem will be solved lol.