Last updated: September 20, 2019
Hosting a quarterly Calpaca Membership Meeting is a fun way to interact with your alpaca community, introduce members to your farm and animals, and a great opportunity to contribute to Calpaca. Learn more about hosting a meeting, think of what topics you would like to explore, and then submit the Interested in Hosting a Calpaca Meeting? form at the bottom of this page.
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The Calpaca Board of Directors has approved the following guidelines, and suggests that all meeting hosts or those considering hosting a meeting become familiar with these guidelines prior to committing to host a meeting. The Board will try to schedule meetings in different geographic areas in our general area of the state. The Board of Directors will also try to accommodate all farms wishing to host regardless of size.
SCHEDULING THE MEETING. Calpaca quarterly meetings are scheduled for the second Saturday in February, May, August and November. Consider the time of year and your facility. Hosts of winter meetings (November and February) may face inclement weather and indoor or, at least, covered facilities would be required. Summer meetings (May and August) may require sufficient shade to accommodate the meeting attendees. Be sure to think this through before scheduling your meeting.
FACILITIES. As Calpaca grows, the number of meeting attendees is increasing. Be sure that you will have sufficient space for the meeting and sufficient parking for the cars.
MEETING PROGRAM. The morning portion of the day, beginning at 10:00am, is reserved for the Calpaca Quarterly membership meeting. The agenda for this time period is set by the BOD. The only host responsibility for the time is to provide a welcome and housekeeping information. The business portion of the meeting typically concludes by noon when we break for lunch.
It is the responsibility of the meeting host to develop a program for the afternoon community learning portion of about 2 hours. We typically regroup after lunch at 1pm for the program. Arranging for guest speakers, providing the program yourself, or in collaboration with other member ranches is acceptable. The program must be educational in nature and should attempt to appeal or address the interest of our membership. Care should be taken NOT to make your meeting an "infomercial" for your or another ranch.
ADVERTISING THE MEETING. The meeting host will provide all necessary information on the program, directions, etc. to both the Calpaca Connection editor and the Calpaca.org webmaster for inclusion in these information outlets. Again, this is to inform the membership of the meeting and is NOT a commercial ad for your ranch or farm. The meeting advertisement for the Connection should be formatted for a cut-and-paste into the newsletter. Refer to previous issues for examples. If you have difficulty doing this, contact a board member for assistance. Also, please send this to the Connection Editor well before the deadline for the issue prior to your meeting.
FOOD AND BEVERAGES FOR THE MEETING. It is up to the host to decide what arrangements will be made for a meal at the meeting. Potluck lunch, "brown bag" lunch, desserts or hosted lunch are all acceptable; however, any costs will be the responsibility of the meeting host. The BOD will authorize an expenditure of up to $150 for non-alcoholic beverages (water, soda, juice and coffee, etc.) for the meeting.
NAME TAGS. The meeting host should provide name tags and marker pens. A sign should be placed by the name tags requesting that each attendee put their full name and ranch name on their tag, and the materials should be placed in a location to encourage all attendees to use a name tag.
OTHER EXPENDITURES. Other costs the meeting host may consider:
- Speakers(s): With prior approval, the BOD can authorize payment of a speaker fee and transportation and lodging to a maximum amount of $500. Click here for a copy of the Speakers Engagement Agreement.
- Audio/Visual Equipment: The BOD may authorize rental of any necessary A/V equipment required for the program.
- Other Rental Expenses: Renting of tents, awnings, tables, chairs or other equipment to accommodate the meeting attendees are specifically NOT authorized and WILL NOT be reimbursed by the BOD. If necessary, the host must accept responsibility for these items. Members are accustomed to bringing their own chairs for the meeting.
EVENTS THAT ARE COORDINATED WITH THE MEETING.If the host or ranch wishes to have an event that is coordinated with the Calpaca quarterly meeting, either the night before the meeting or the evening of the meeting, the costs for this meeting will be solely the responsibility of the event host or the ranch putting on the coordinated event.
If you wish to host a meeting, please complete and submit the form below.