Meetings provide a key way for CAN to maintain good working relationships with key organisations in our sector, particularly central government agencies and politicians. They are an essential advocacy tool, enabling CAN to get its messages across and to obtain important information and useful ideas.

The Meetings Co-ordinator helps to ensure that meetings with key stakeholders occur as often as needed, that meetings are minuted, and members informed of outcomes. The Co-ordinator may not actually attend these meetings, however.

The Meetings Co-ordinator is appointed by the Executive. It is not essential for the postholder to also be on the Executive.

Role:

• to ensure that CAN maintains regular face-to-face contact with key external stakeholders on current issues
• to organise appropriate CAN members to attend meetings with key external stakeholders

Duties:

• act as the contact point for CAN with regard to external meetings (a meetings [at] can [dot] org [dot] nz e-mail address has been set up which will be automatically redirected to the Co-ordinator)
• be a member of CAN Forum
• maintain an up-to-date contact list of CAN members prepared to attend meetings on behalf of CAN, together with their areas of expertise and contact details
• make decisions (in conjunction with Executive members) about the importance of issues requiring meetings
• maintain a prioritised list of external stakeholders, key contact people within those organisations, current issues requiring meetings, and dates of meetings
• liaise with the organisations concerned and with appropriate CAN members to organise meeting dates and venues
• where appropriate, seek financial assistance from organisations being met with to assist with travel costs and per diems, or organise for CAN to provide financial assistance for same
• ensure one of the CAN delegation will take notes and reach agreement with other attendees about how the notes are to be publicised (if appropriate)
• ensure that draft meeting notes are circulated to CAN attendees in the first instance and commented on within a reasonable timeframe after the meeting (e.g. a week)
• ensure that draft meeting notes from CAN are circulated to attendees from outside organisations and agreed within a reasonable timeframe (e.g. a week)
• ensure final versions of meeting notes are made available to the appropriate audience (see guidance notes below), which may include posting  on the CAN website
• summarise meetings held for ChainLinks and submit list to chainlinks [at] can [dot] org [dot] nz by the deadline for each issue
• let the Networking Project Manager know of meetings held for the purposes of compiling progress reports for NZTA

Desired qualities/experience:

• CAN member
• some knowledge of CAN's purpose and activities
• good at working to deadlines
• patience required in dealing with stakeholders and managing expectations within CAN
• Internet access

Accountabilities:

• CAN Executive

Time commitment:

• variable depending on timing of meetings, though may average 1-2 hours per week

Support/working relationships:

• the Executive can provide help and advice
• CAN member surveys may provide details of people interested in attending meetings
• CAN will find opportunties for training or mentoring if possible

Rewards:

• appropriate expenses paid (e.g. toll calls, paper, travel)
• modest honorarium ($50 gift voucher from a range of retailers, including CAN)
• furthering a good cause and working with great people

Guidance notes:

• some series of meetings (e.g. Getting There working groups, Bike Wise Advisory Committee) will be arranged directly with the CAN reps by the organisation convening the meeting. The Meetings Co-ordinator role in this instance would merely be to ensure CAN has a representative for these meetings, assisting in the filling of vacancies
• CAN members attending “Getting There” working group meetings are entitled to claim a per diem. Some may choose not to receive this money themselves, but to donate it to CAN instead. The Meetings Co-ordinator may need to claim this money from NZTA.
• in general it's desirable for meeting notes to be posted on the CAN website and summarised in ChainLinks (for ChainLinks, a basic list of meetings held with a link to the relevant part of the CAN website is sufficient)
• however, some meeting notes will have a more restricted audience (Exec and/or Staff, CAN Forum etc.), so the Meetings Co-ordinator should therefore check with meeting attendees before distributing them

[updated September 2008]