1. Guidelines Best Practice 2023

Best Practice
• Re-Confirm the room with the venue two days prior to the meeting.
• Is the temperature correct for the room?
• Is there plenty of water and glasses available on a table in the room?
• Are there enough chairs and are they set out correctly for your meeting? Chairs in a
circle/semi-circle as opposed to theatre style? Boardroom style around one large table so that
is included.
• Are extra chairs easily available if more people than expected arrive?
• Are paper and pens supplied – if needed?
• Is there a table for your display table and sample table in the room?
• If any technology was asked for – a projector/screen, is it present and set up?
• Is there a practice fire alarm scheduled during the time frame of the meeting that you need to
be aware of?
• Position the pop-up and display table in a prominent position with good space around it.
Displays
The display table and pop-up should be set up at every meeting of the group – this is to provide
information and samples to group members at every meeting for them to take as and when needed.
It also provides a visual focal point in the room to show that it is a support group meeting of the
charity – important for guest speakers to see who they are talking with and what the charity does.
Best Practice
• If permitted, have a poster up in the venue at an appropriate place to highlight that we meet
there (near front door area)
• The charity pop-up ‘Our Aims’ and display table should be in a prominent position in the
meeting room.
• Have patient & caregiver books, leaflets, samples and any info on the display table available
for each meeting.
• Encourage people to take as many samples as they need and to take posters and leaflets to
spread the word, group members and speakers may be able to display posters at work.
• You will have received a pack of leaflets, Swallows Book, leaflet holders and samples for
your launch meeting. It is advantageous to keep one of everything for reference, more can be
ordered from Sharon: info@theswallows.org.uk
• Please do not contact sample suppliers directly, this is done by the charity for all groups. If
you have any ideas of whom we could contact, please let the Sharon know.
• The donation box is placed on the table as group members may want to give or have held a
coffee morning or been given money from friends/family.
• If it is useful, take photos of your table so you can show it to new volunteers if they are setting
it up for the first time.
The table is a safe place for information for new attendees until they are comfortable to ask questions.
As before, it can be used to display, highlight events, fundraising targets any important information
relating to the charity and the group themselves.
Doc 1 *Updated: 12 th January 2023 cc
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