EFCL Resource Guide - Community League Operations

This agreement is generally referred to as the foundational agreement between the City of Edmonton and individual community leagues. The Tripartite Licence Agreement determines the rights and responsibilities of each party relative to the use of city parkland and any facilities constructed by community leagues on that parkland.

Following is a list of key points within the agreement:

How community leagues are able to use the land they have under licence with the City.

The manner in which they can use any facilities constructed on this land.

City obligations to provide utility services to these facilities.

Relative obligations of the City and the community league to maintain these lands.

Community league responsibilities to maintain any facilities on these lands and to pay for utilities.

Tax status of community leagues.

Ability of community leagues to take on debt.

Insurance requirements of community leagues.

Legal liability of each party.

Financial reporting requirements of community leagues.

Ownership of any and all facilities should the community leagues choose to abandon them or cease to operate.

A dispute resolution process.

Role of EFCL in helping resolve disputes.

The role EFCL plays in assuring ownership of league facilities should the community league choose to cease operation or abandon the facilities.

As of the spring 2009, this agreement was under review by the City of Edmonton, EFCL and individual community leagues. The review was completed in 2011 and approved at a May 17, 2011 Special General Meeting of the EFCL. We are awaiting City of Edmonton acceptance, and subsequent league acceptance and signing of the document.

Tripartite Agreement 2011 Archive: Tripartite Agreement 2000

City of Edmonton/EFCL Partnership Agreement

This agreement describes the manner in which the City will work with EFCL and its member leagues in providing services and amenities for the residents of Edmonton. It also describes the City’s obligation to consult with leagues on matters affecting their members and with EFCL on matters affecting leagues as a whole.

In addition, the agreement lays out the status, rights and responsibilities of EFCL to how information will be shared among all parties.

It also contains a dispute resolution process for matters involving EFCL, the City and the community leagues.

The agreement was signed in January 2004 and expires in June 2009. Work is underway on a new agreement.

Joint Use Agreement

Struck between the City of Edmonton and all of Edmonton’s school boards, this agreement determines how each party will share the use and maintenance of school playing fields and school buildings. It sets out rental rates and determines how these facilities will be booked. It also lays out maintenance responsibilities of each party and how the facilities will be maintained. As well, the agreement contains a dispute resolution process.

A committee of representatives from all groups oversees the agreement’s implementation. It was updated in 2008 and is in effect until the parties decide as a group to renegotiate it or until one of the parties decides to withdraw.

Activities accommodated under the agreement include:

· organized league sports,

· instructional recreation/sport activities, and

· casual sport/recreation use (drop-in and/or occasional use).

For more information on bookings, contact the City of Edmonton Community Services, Access to Recreation and Sport Booking Unit:

Phone: 311

Fax: 780-577-3527

E-mail: gymbookings@edmonton.ca

Assistance to Low Income Families

There are three ways community leagues can offer assistance to low income families to allow them to participate in league programs.

1. Leisure Access Program. This City of Edmonton program gives low income Edmontonians unlimited free admissions to City of Edmonton recreation facilities including leisure centres, Fort Edmonton Park, Valley Zoo, Muttart Conservatory and arenas. Cardholders are also eligible to register for a number of programs for both children and adults at a reduced cost.

For more information on eligibility and how to apply for this program, contact the Leisure Access Program coordinator at 311. Download the forms

2. Sport Central. This not-for-profit organization provides sport and recreation equipment for low income families on referral from a community league or a CRC. For more information, call 780-477-1166.

3. KidSport. 2011 marked KidSport Edmonton's most successful year to date as we helped 1,149 kids across 40 different sports and distributed more than $167,000 towards sport registration fees. Families in need can get a form to submit to this great program. Visit www.kidsport.ab.ca

4. Community league boards also have an option, through board policy, to offer financial assistance to low income member families.

Civic & Planning Issues

Edmonton neighbourhoods are the heart of our city – and the focus of the thousands of community league volunteers in every part of our city.

Cities are dynamic environments with change happening all the time. Sometimes the benefits of proposed changes are obvious. At other times, however, your league may see more disadvantage than advantage to the proposed changes.

When that happens, there are several things you can do:

Information gathering. Get as much factual information as you can from the developer or organization proposing the changes. Also, get in touch with the City of Edmonton Planning and Development Department to get whatever information they have on the matter. Get the facts; do not base your stance on assumptions.

Community input. Make sure you understand the views of your league members – and of the community at large. This is vitally important if you will be speaking on behalf of your members or the larger community either for or against a proposal.

Remember, your league officially represents only your members. When league representatives are making presentations before City Council or other groups, be clear about this point; if you want to include input gathered from the broader community, offer it – but be clear that your league is offering this view informally. Your league will be most effective if it serves as the vehicle for encouraging your members and your community residents to talk about issues – not to impose your own views on them.

See Community League Responsibilities on Page __ and Community League Operations (Engaging Your Community) for more information about the importance of understanding the views of your members and community.

Be objective. Consider as objectively as possible the likely changes the proposal will make on your community over time. While it’s human nature to resist change in the short term, consider the advantages and disadvantages as objectively as possible so current and future residents in the community can enjoy modern amenities and services. Consider the vision and courage that some changes in Edmonton required 50 or more years ago – and how much you and your community benefit from those changes today.

Discuss the issue with EFCL. EFCL staff may be able to advise you on procedures and sources of information.

Consider the power of working with – not against. Remember that your league can help influence some aspects of proposed changes in your community by working with developers. While their objectives and the objectives of your league may be different, there is usually some common ground that you can use to your advantage. Controversial proposals that stir up significant community opposition cost developers time and money.

P.S. Generally, developers are more than willing to give community representatives their time to listen to

counter proposals – assuming those counter proposals are well researched, well presented and put forward

in a spirit of working out compromises that benefit all parties.

NIMBY. Remember that the NIMBY – Not in My Back Yard – attitude is rarely helpful. Development and changes occur in every part of the city, and City Council is well aware of its responsibility to act on behalf of all Edmontonians as they consider the benefits and drawbacks of each proposal.

Preparation. If you choose to get involved, then be prepared to do your homework – within very short timeframes. Gather your facts, responsible input, understand the proposal and develop a presentation of counter proposals.

Fairness. If you know there are divergent opinions within your membership or the community, say so in any meetings or presentations, but explain why you’re taking the position you are.

EFCL Support

EFCL supports community leagues regarding civic and planning matters in two ways:

EFCL advocates on behalf of all community leagues when a civic and planning matter is city-wide or broadly based. To encourage informed feedback, EFCL attempts to make community leaders more aware of initiatives that would have a city-wide impact on local neighbourhoods. With this informed feedback, EFCL gives direction and advice to governments about the implications for community leagues and their residents. Examples of EFCL’s city-wide role include the promotion of new suburban neighbourhoods that foster a truly sustainable sense of community; support for compatible affordable housing; and recommended improvements to the Municipal Development Plan, Transportation Master Plan, Urban Parks Master Plan, housing infill guidelines, public use of school facilities, city-wide safety initiatives, recreation programming and the Public Involvement Policy (PIP).

EFCL advises community league executives on the detailed processes of how they get involved with local development issues. Getting directly involved in development issues, however, is only one option for community leagues – and one that must be taken only after the league decides the considerable investment of time and resources is warranted.

Generally, the City uses EFCL as the single voice representing all community leagues. For this reason, it is very important that EFCL understand the views of affected leagues on specific issues. Likewise, community leagues are the voice for their own members; therefore, it is important for community league executives to understand the views of their members. A new Community League Involvement Process (CLIP) is being developed to improve communication between EFCL and its member leagues so EFCL can best represent the interests and views of residents and the community league movement to various orders of government.

Community League Role in Civic and Planning Issues

The City does not need approval from affected community leagues before it approves planning and development initiatives. In other words, leagues have no right to control development.

Leagues, however, do have a powerful and legitimate role to fulfil in forwarding the views of the community, and they have a right to be informed about:

rezoning applications,
Development Permits for Variance, and
Development Permit Notices for Direct Control.

P.S. Community leagues are responsible for arranging their own representation regarding development issues. EFCL will not arrange presentations at public hearings on behalf of a league.

Communication Between Leagues and the City

All City mailings to community leagues automatically go to the official community league address. These mailings name a specific City contact name and number. Such mailings include development permit notices as well as traffic notices (for road closures and major construction notices, etc.).

P.S. Check your league mailbox at least once a week to stay on top of issues and information.

Determine which Planning and Development staff members are most responsible for your neighbourhood. They are interested in your views, and you can help keep the community’s views in mind for them. Other City departments also have staff with a focus on your community.

Some individual Development Officers and other City employees may send individual mail to other individual league members who happen to be on their independent mail-out lists, but this should be considered an informal arrangement.

In fact, the City routinely goes beyond the minimum requirements for notifying leagues. The City has no legal requirement to give notice regarding right of way closures, plan amendments and, sometimes, new plans. The Community Services Department (CSD), however, has been notifying leagues for many years about substantive issues. The Planning and Development Department also has been offering notices for some time. The City is well aware of the benefits of keeping key organizations such as community leagues informed, and these consultation measures are now written into the City’s public involvement procedures.

If your league wants to get in touch with the City, you have a number of options for contacting your Ward Councillors, all members of City Council or appropriate members of the administration regarding your views on a particular issue. Your options range from writing a letter, sending an e-mail to making a formal presentation at a Council meeting or a public hearing. Keep in mind that members of Council receive an incredible amount of material – so be sure to make your points clearly and as briefly as possible. Do not revisit past grievances.

If you choose to make a formal presentation to the City, following are several tips to keep in mind:

Formulate a formal, unified position before you take any further action.
Divide your major points between several speakers. This shows Council members that your league is presenting a consistent stance.
Have each speaker say, very briefly, that he or she endorses the comments of his colleagues – and then quickly articulate what perspective the current speaker represents.
Choose your speakers very carefully! Don’t just take the first people to volunteer. You need speakers who are knowledgeable, rational and articulate – and who have no personal vendettas.

For more information on these options:

· Refer to the City of Edmonton (Interacting with Council) section

· Visit www.edmonton.ca and search for “public involvement.”

· For zoning bylaw questions, call Planning & Development at 311.

Development Notices

Leagues may contact EFCL’s Community Planning Advisor if they want help interpreting a Notice of Development or advice on the development process.

Notice of Rezoning Application

The Edmonton Zoning Bylaw controls the use and development of all lands in the city. The Zoning Bylaw applies one of more than 60 different “zones” to every parcel of land. It specifies different permitted and discretionary use opportunities and development regulations for each type of zone. If property owners wish to undertake a development that is not allowed under the existing zoning of the property, they have a right to apply for rezoning. Rezoning can only be approved by City Council after a public hearing.

Property owners within 60 metres of the proposed development and community leagues are given written notification of a rezoning application and notice of the public hearing date. The public is notified through a newspaper advertisement and sometimes a sign on the property.

All individuals, organizations or community leagues wishing to speak in favour or against the rezoning at the public hearing must register beforehand with the Office of the City Clerk. Do your research. Get information from the developer and City planner ahead of time, and if time permits, speak with City Councillors. Read Neighbourhood Plans for your area, if they exist, and evaluate whether the proposed new zoning is consistent with the goals of the plan. Be prepared to discuss the impact of the new development on the neighbourhood and adjacent properties.

Notice of Development Permit for Variances

This is the most common notice. Property owners within 60 metres of a proposed development and community leagues receive a mailed Notice of Development if the proposed development is Class B (discretionary or requires a variance – a relaxation of rules). The City notifies the public through newspaper advertising.

If any party – individual, community league or other organization – chooses to appeal a development permit, the appeal must be made to the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board (SDAB) through the Office of the City Clerk within 14 calendar days of the date the permit was issued.

If your league chooses to appeal, you should consider the following:

· Cost to issue an appeal is $37 or $72/appeal (2009) depending on the zoning.

· The league has a maximum of 30 days to prepare for appeal hearing.

· In that time, you are strongly encouraged to gather as much input as possible from your members and from the community at large.

· You must also be clear on how your entire board should be involved if you are acting on behalf of your league. Are you required to get full endorsement from your board before you go forward, or has your board given you and your subcommittee authority to act on its behalf? Your bylaws should clearly define authority in these situations.

One model that has worked well because it allows prompt action while also keeping a clear channel of communication to the whole board is to have a subcommittee deal with the issue and advise the board of the situation and action taken but not have to get approval from the entire board. If your leagues favours this approach, your board must ensure it is reflected in your bylaws.

Rather than choosing the formal process of appeal, EFCL encourages leagues to consider mediation.Mediation can be very effective in working out solutions that benefit all parties because, often, the root of the conflict is based on misinformation or incomplete information. Mediation brings both parties to the table to share information and work toward the common ground.

P.S. EFCL has an agreement with the Mediation and Restorative Justice Centre to provide mediation services to community leagues free of charge.

You should be aware, however, that the 14-day timeframe to launch an appeal is still in effect even if the league agrees to participate in mediation.

Development Permit Notice for Direct Control

This permit is issued for projects that have a Direct Control designation. Each Direct Control project has “custom made” regulations. No one has the right to appeal these permits, but individuals or organizations can still ask for clarification on regulations or may question the interpretation used by the assigned Development Officer.

For example, assume a Development Permit Notice for Direct Control has been issued for a home-based business. You can view the DC2 application on the City’s website at www.edmonton.ca, or you can ask the Office of the City Clerk or the Planning and Development Department for details. The documents describe the business as a “major home-based business” and your league wants to know the interpretation of “major” for its implications of street traffic, parking, etc.

Interacting with Developers

Developers know their business very well – and deal with the related issues every day. On the other hand, your league likely deals with development and other civic issues quite infrequently.

Time for dealing with development issues is always short, so consider these points:

Be proactive in contacting the developer.
Take the correspondence or other updates to your board for discussion.
Seek further information as required from the developer. Be as specific as possible with your requests. Ask for cost figures, current and projected statistics of use, construction staging, traffic disruption and other numbers as appropriate.
Confirm all information from the developer in writing so there is no misunderstanding, or in formal documents (brochures, etc.). If your issues falls under the jurisdiction of a Development Permit Notice for Direct Control, get the specific wording written into the DC2. Standard zoning issues don’t offer this same opportunity, but it is still good practice to demand all information from the developer in writing.
Ask the City planners assigned to the file and other appropriate municipal staff (such as Transportation) to attend a board meeting to discuss the issue. (Depending on the issue and staff availability, EFCL planning staff may also be able to attend the meeting.)
Have the board take a position. Inform your members what action the board is taking, and why.
When the issue has been concluded, advise your members of the outcome.

Improving Your Effectiveness

Planning and development issues are complex and can be intimidating. To help community leagues be effective, EFCL’s guide “Community Consultation in the Planning and Development Process: A Guide for Edmonton.” is available at www.efcl.org.

Your league may want to consider enrolling a representative in the City of Edmonton’s Planning Academy, which offers a series of courses designed to provide a better understanding of the planning and development process in Edmonton and help participants better understand the roles, rights and interests of all parties involved in the process. EFCL has an Edo Nyland Scholarship Program which reimburses half of the tuition after graduation from the academy.

Core courses include:

land use planning: the big picture
getting a grip on land use planning
come plan with us: using your voice

The two elective courses are:

transportation and planning
urban design

For more information, call 311, visit www.edmonton.ca/planningacademy or e-mail planning.academy@edmonton.ca.

Smart Choices

“Smart Choices” is a City of Edmonton program to change the way Edmonton grows and redevelops so the city will be more fiscally and environmentally sustainable.

Smart Choices development involves:

accommodating a greater proportion of the city’s growth within our older neighbourhoods: on under-utilized commercial and industrial lands and around transit stations,
improving the overall quality of development in the city through greater attention to building and site designs (density with design),
providing a greater mix of land uses within neighbourhoods and across the city, rather than separating land uses,
revitalizing and reinvesting in older neighbourhoods, and creating more vibrant new communities (urban villages), and
providing more options in housing and in transportation with an emphasis on transit, walking and cycling in every neighbourhood.

For more information about Smart Choices, call Planning and Development at 311, e-mail smartchoices@edmonton.ca or visit www.edmonton.ca/smartchoices.

Engaging Your Community

Strong community leagues understand the need to continually reach out to the entire community to promote the mandate and work of the league and also to understand the needs and wishes of all community residents.

Our 21^st century world means most of our communities include a wide range of residents – young families, seniors, wealthy residents, low income families, individuals with disabilities, people who were born and raised in Edmonton and new Canadians. This mix of cultures, religions, customs and experiences makes our city richer – but it also points out the need to appreciate and accept individual differences and how they can all help make the community league successful.

EFCL is introducing cultural diversity throughout the community league network, working with the Edmonton Multicultural Coalition as a partner. EFCL anticipates getting identifying other multicultural partners on board as well to support the initiative.

Leagues are strongly encouraged to identify the different cultural groups in their communities, then work with representatives from those groups to:

learn about the specific needs of each ethnic group, and
explain the benefits of becoming a community league member.

Membership Drives

Benefits of membership include:

networking with your neighbours,
having direct access to community news,
free skating on outdoor, and some indoor, rinks,
admission discounts at any City of Edmonton sports and fitness facilities,
ticket discounts to some professional sports games,
option of playing sports on community league teams,
a voice and a vote on community issues, programs and services,
access to community social events,
the sense of belonging to your community,
the opportunity to help strengthen your community,
use of a variety of recreational facilities, including playgrounds and spray decks, and basketball and tennis courts, and
reduced rental rates for community league halls (where applicable).

P.S. Don’t wait until your annual membership drive to promote the benefits of membership! Include short messages about the benefits in newsletter, chats with neighbours, at social events, in e-mail signature blocks and on your website.

Following are the general steps involved in conducting a membership campaign:

The membership chairperson is elected.
The membership chairperson is responsible for all details of the membership drive. A committee should be formed to give assistance to the chairperson and train a future chairperson.
For future reference, prepare or provide a manual of how your league’s drive is conducted.
Organization of the annual membership campaign should include:
- Updating of records and maps
- Recruitment of canvassers (and area captains)
- Allocation of area captains to supervise the campaign in each area zone
- Ordering of supplies – maps, membership cards, door stickers, skate tags, callback cards, volunteer buttons, pamphlets, etc.
- Publicity, preparation of newsletter, flyer, etc.
- Preparation and completion of all organizational work before September each year so the league can participate in the city-wide drive
- Supervision of league campaign, ensuring that area captains and canvassers complete their job and finalize their returns
- Summarize results of community campaign – record names of current members
- Put all records back
- Estimate supplies for next year
- Turn in a report to the board
- Make an alphabetical list of entire membership

Tools for Conducting a Membership Campaign

Membership supplies. The following supplies are available through EFCL:

· Combined membership/receipt/activities card

· Skate tags

· Community league brochures

· Membership door stickers

· Membership information pamphlets

· Membership card storage box

· Membership sales sign - 14” x 20”

· Membership sales sign - 11” x 17”

· Membership spread sheet (Excel)

· EFCL volunteer buttons

· Volunteer ID tags with lanyard

Record keeping. There are three basic methods for keeping track of membership records. Choose the method that works best for your league – but make it a priority to keep your membership records updated!

1. Loose leaf binder with the list arranged either by addresses in areas and blocks, each block having a number, by membership number or in alphabetical order.

2. Card file, using the pre-printed membership cards arranged either numerically or alphabetically.

3. Computer file.

Maps.Each league may request a free map of their area from EFCL. As well, your CRC may be able to help you find a map.

Membership control sheets. You will need the following sheets for your membership drive:

1. Membership Sales Master Control Sheet

The first sheet filled out is the Master Control Sheet. This is the main control list kept by the membership chairperson. This document tracks the area captains’ allotment of membership cards or, if there are no area captains, it is used to record each individual canvasser and the membership cards issued to that person. This document is used twice: first when the cards are being given out and, second, for recording the cards returned and sold. Using this form ensures there is a written permanent record of the location of all membership cards distributed. Once the membership drive is complete, this form will make it possible to track the location of all membership cards and the number of dollars received from all individuals.

2. Area Captain Membership Sales Control Sheet

Use of this sheet is recommended for large area communities. This form is very similar to the Master Control Sheet and is used when a community league divides its canvassers into different areas. Each area is assigned an area captain to deal with the canvassers in that section of the community. When this sheet is completed, the area captain returns it (with the canvasser’s sheet attached) to the membership chairperson who forwards the money collected to the Treasurer.

3. Membership Sales Canvasser Control Sheet

This sheet makes it easier to keep track of all membership cards received and sold. It records the card number sold, the family name, form of payment and total amount collected. When a canvasser completes his or her assigned area, the sheet is filled out using the membership stubs in his/her possession. The canvasser then forwards the membership stubs and money to the area captain or membership chairperson depending on the systems your league is using.

4. Location Specific Membership Sales Control Sheet

This sheet is used when memberships are being sold at a community league facility, such as the community hall or the skate building, on an ongoing basis to ensure there is a record of the purchases made and money collected at these locations.

5. Registration Night Membership Sales Control Sheet

This sheet is used at any program or sports registration night to ensure an accurate record of the membership cards purchased and money collected at these registration events.

See Pages __ to __ in the Appendices for templates of these five sheets that you can use as is, or adapt for your league’s specific circumstances.

Canvassers

Canvassers are often the first human contact potential members have with your community league. If your canvasser represents the league well on the doorstep, chances of recruiting a new member increase. If the canvasser, however, is not well prepared or does not relate well to the potential member, the effort likely won’t be successful.

P.S. The more well-trained, enthusiastic canvassers you have, the more successful your membership drive will be.

Each canvasser should receive training and information outlining:

the names and contact information of the membership chairperson, area captain and anyone else they may need to contact,
the basics of a community league,
the benefits of membership,
your community league boundaries and the specific area they should be selling in,
the membership kit of materials
how to complete the membership card and canvassing forms,
how to sell the product – your community league!
- know your league
- believe in your league
- know your market – understand your neighbours’ motivations
- be positive
- discuss, don’t defend
- be reasonable, sensitive and friendly
procedures for callback when no one is home,
how to handle instances when fees offered are less than the amount of the full membership fee (gratefully accepted, but with an explanation that the member will not enjoy full membership privileges (i.e.) voting privileges, holding an elected office and any specific stipulations of your community league bylaws.
how to identify themselves – wear a button and an identifiable piece of clothing – and how to make the introduction at the door,
the deadline for returning the completed membership materials to the membership chair or area captain.

Canvassers’ Membership Drive Kit

Consider including the following information in the canvassers’ kit:

1. Membership cards, skate tags, door stickers and callback cards.

2. Information sheet listing (ensure sufficient copies so this sheet can be left with prospective members if they show interest):

· general benefits of membership

· activities and initiatives your community league offers

o children and youth sports programs

o community hall

o skating rinks

o adult programs

o social activities

o community league wellness program

o parkland development projects

o free swim (if applicable)

o other

· contacts for each activity

· your community league’s boundaries

3. Map outlining the canvasser’s area of responsibility.

4. Copies of the pamphlet explaining what a community league is and the advantages of membership.

5. Information regarding other times and locations when memberships will be sold (i.e.) at the community hall or sports registrations

6. Information on when and where the community league board meets, with an invitation to attend a meeting to learn more about their community league.

7. Information sheet on money handling procedures:

· Members do not pay GST on the membership fee.

· The canvasser should give all monies (cash, cheques, money orders) only to designated individuals (area captain or membership chair). These monies, particularly cash, should be given to the designated person within 24 hours of collection.

· Encourage people to pay by cheque, but accept cash if the person wants to pay this way.

· The canvasser should turn in the top portion of the membership card to the designated individual with all monies received. The receipt portion, along with the membership card, should be given to the member.

· Collection, receipting and depositing of monies should be double checked by at least one other person, with all those checking the work initialing the appropriate control sheets.

· Do not leave cash in someone’s mail box. Hand it specifically to that individual.

· Do not pay expenses directly from cash received.

See our templates for a membership canvasser instruction and information sheet. Use the template as is, or adapt it for your league’s specific circumstances.

Promoting Your Membership Drive

Following are some suggestions that have worked well in promoting your membership drive:

Prepare a newsletter and distribute before and during the membership drive.
Locate large posters or flyers throughout the community.
Hold a community membership event.
Put a specific membership message on a changeable text sign in a prominent location in the neighbourhood.
Insert advertising in your local elementary school’s take home package.
Talk about it!

Note: EFCL provides generic membership drive advertising during the week in local publications and through bridge banners placed throughout the city. It also hosts a promotional kick-off event.

See Appendices for the text for a sample pamphlet, or see EFCL's brochure that promotes league membership. You may wish to adapt this copy for your own membership drive.

Follow-up after the Drive

The membership chair and area captains have a number of steps to complete after all the canvassers have finished their areas.

1. Area captains check that all their canvasser control sheets balance. When they do, attach the canvasser control sheets to the area control sheet and return the sheets and all monies to the membership chair. (If the league does not use area captains, canvassers return their sheets and money directly to the membership chair.)

2. The membership chair ensures all control sheets balance.

3. The membership chair enters the results onto the Membership Sales Master Control Sheet.

4. Forward the area control sheets/canvasser control sheets and all money to the treasurer for deposit.

5. The treasurer will return the area control sheets/canvasser control sheets after he/she is finished with them. Attach these sheets to the Master Control Sheet and file them in a secure location.

6. The membership chair should table a full report of all memberships sold at the next league board meeting.

P.S. Remember, control sheets contain personal information about your members so care must be taken to protect this personal information and ensure it is not used for any purpose other than the membership list.

Fundraising

Keys to successful fundraising:

Know what motivates someone to donate – and then speak directly to that motivation when asking for a donation.
Know your project. Be aware of the project costs, benefits, timelines, etc. and how it supports the goals of the league.
Be aware of the wide range of potential sources of funding. Holding special events such as community garage sales, draws, etc. do raise funds, but also take a lot of volunteer time. Consider other options such as approaching local businesses. Before you approach individuals or businesses, be clear what benefits you can offer. Concentrate first on the most likely candidates for support.
Develop a strategy.
Be familiar with your own league’s operation.
Be aware of your organization’s image in the community.
Evaluate past fundraising efforts to determine successful strategies.
Ensure the membership is fully in support of the project.

Programs

City of Edmonton Programs

Capital City Clean Up

Graffiti Clean Up Kit

Front Yards in Bloom

Walkable Edmonton

Partners for Program Building

www.gettinginvolved.ca

www.OurSharedResources.org

RENT OUT YOUR HALL TO GREAT PROGRAMS AND PARTNERS

This new website sponsored by the City of Edmonton helps pair up partners with the space you might have available! www.edmontonspacefinder.ca

Fun Team Alberta has Easy to Run Events & Programs

FunTeam act as an umbrella organization and is designed to guide parents, community-minded individuals and even student volunteers in the organization and implementation of sport in their own neighbourhood or community. Groups can be as small as 8 and we even have some groups that have been around for years and have close to 125 members. Read more online in our Community Classifieds

HOW TO GET YOUR LEAGUE INVOLVED WITH RUNNING A GIRL GUIDES PROGRAM Plus get Cookies for your board meetings!

Today’s guiding continues to provide local opportunities for girls to meet other girls in their own neighbourhoods. Together, they learn to have respect and take responsibility for making their neighbourhood a better place to live. Through service projects, fieldtrips, special guests to their units, and taking on a leadership role, Guiding provides a safe and supportive environment where girls thrive. Guiding gives girls the tools and resources they need to achieve Greatness!

For the benefits of having Guiding Groups check out our online article in community classifieds

C.O.W. Classroom on Wheels

The Centre for Family Literacy runs the classroom on wheels, a free drop-in family literacy program for parents and their children from birth to 6 years old that helps support family learning. The bus comes to the community once per week. For more information call 780-421-7323.