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WOCCU: A Guide for Saccos in Planning Virtual AGM’s This platform, allows the host to have full control of the broadcast, including who is on camera, who can speak and what viewers are seeing on their screens at all times. In this case, it would be good to minimize the number of video feeds needed, to as few as possible, this will help minimize the bandwidth and avoid potential technical difficulties.
By June Njoroge
T
he Covid-19 Pandemic has caused unprecedented changes in the Cooperative movement. The ban on public gatherings led to the postponement and cancellation of Annual General Meetings(AGMs) in March; when only a handful of Saccos had held their AGMs. Consequently, this has led most businesses, leveraging on online platforms to hold virtual meetings, as remote working has been swiftly adopted, to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Co-operatives can as well hold virtual AGMs, following guidelines from the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU), which was able to successfully hold a one of a kind virtual AGM, in July, with over 90 delegates from around the globe in attendance. In light of this, WOCCU has developed a guide for Saccos, to address some of the considerations and strategies, needed to hold a successful virtual AGM.Sacco Times Magazine wishes to share key insights from the webinar conducted by the Senior Events Co-ordinator at World Council, Kassandra Schroeder.
Key Insights Both the normal in-person and virtual AGMs, address the same needs but differ in many ways. First, Saccos need to assess their needs guided by their respective by laws. The next step is finding a platform, that can support key elements or features, such as authentication of membership, ascertainment of a quorum, acceptance or rejection reports, acceptance or rejection motions, voting and members queries. Saccos need to decide on the meeting format; they can either opt for Web Conferencing or a Webinar Style format. If everyone needs to be seen and to speak, the Web Conferencing or video meeting platform is advisable, which allows every participant to appear on camera. This platform requires more preparation and there will be less control over the broadcast. However, if you utilize the Webinar Style format, it allows for a smooth, scripted meeting to operate, allowing for open communication with delegates or members, via chat, Q&A or the ‘raise hand’ feature.
Saccos can also enlist a production company, that can assist in managing the broadcast. In either scenario, Saccos should schedule a dry run of their webinar or video conference, with presenters beforehand, to help identify and diagnose any potential problems before going live. Sacco need to decide if the AGM will be a closed or open meeting. If its a closed meeting, then the Sacco can easily identify and establish its quorum, thus user authentication is not required, as only delegates receive an invite. Saccos can issue expectations to their delegates, that the link and login details are confidential and may not be shared, if they wish to send a proxy, then this information should be shared with the host in order to update the registry. If its an open meeting AGM, Saccos will need to establish a user authentication process and establish their quorum. In this case, the invite goes out to a voting and observing only audience. Most webinar platforms have a ‘waiting room,’ in which the host must permit each individual’s entry into the meeting. This allows for a more controlled and identified entrance to the meeting. However, in both cases preregistration will OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2020 | SACCO TIMES
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