Have you tried to start a Guild, but are not sure how to structure it? Here are some useful suggestions from the Western New York NOBS Guild

For those of you out there who are wondering how to get started (or jump-started as the case may be!), perhaps you'll find the following interest areas helpful in getting organized. (Even if you don't have enough people to staff all these committees, perhaps just looking over the list will help you focus on what's most important to your group. And what's most important might change. Maybe this list could be used as a guide for a different area to pay attention to each month or quarter.)

SET: Story Selection and Exegesis Team
- What stories do we want to tell?
- Should we select based on liturgical season (i.e. Advent, Lent), themes (i.e. faith, love), or purpose (healing, teaching, preaching, etc.)?

CAT: Children's Activities Team
- Create contents of specialized boxes for children, or activities to be included in workshop boxes.
- Possibilities: coloring sheets, puzzles, hand puppets, craft supplies to make masks, props, hats, etc.

CAP: Costumes and Props
- Nothing elaborate: scarves, robes, belts, ropes, coins
- Coordinate with CAT, SET

WIT: Workshop Design, Implementation Team
- Based on stories selected by SET, design workshops for various sizes and types of groups (see proposal, below).
- Coordinate with CAT and CAP for needs, wants.
- Design workshop travel kits.
- Prepare training materials for workshop leaders.
- Train workshop leaders.

POT: Publicity, Outreach Team
- Determine how to, when, and what to do with media, flyers, denominational contacts, coordination between churches and workshop leaders, book workshops.
- Membership building and contacts.

WAM: Ways and Means
- How much should we charge for workshops?
- How else can we fund what we need? Grants, Conferences, Membership fees? Volunteers?
- Treasurer: Keep track of income and expenses; handle checkbook.
- Personnel: Keep track of volunteer hours spent (we'll use it later for grant writing).

MIT: Membership Interaction Team
- When: Schedule for the entire year?
- Leadership Program: Agenda for each meeting such as tellings, educational sessions, workshop practice, sub-committee work

Proposed Action Plan

STARTING A GUILD | LEADING A WORKSHOP