Case Study: GetQuorum helps the OCSTA run a successful virtual Annual General Meeting

Inspired by the Gospel, the Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association provides the provincial voice, leadership and service for elected Catholic school trustees to promote and protect publicly funded Catholic education in Ontario.

The Challenge

For the Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association (OCSTA), their Annual General Meeting is not only a governance procedure required by their bylaws, it's also an opportunity to bring their board and members together for networking, professional development, and more.

That's why when news of the Covid-19 pandemic arose, and restrictions on social gatherings were implemented, the OCSTA team postponed their Annual General Meeting in hopes they'd be able to host their in-person event later on in the year.

However, with the reschedule date for the meeting quickly approaching and unable to push the meeting back any further, it became clear to the OCSTA team that they would not be able to host their meeting in-person in 2020.

After weighing their options, the team concluded that conducting their Annual General Meeting virtually would be the best course of action.

With a reschedule date confirmed and a course of action decided, the OCSTA team began looking for a platform to conduct their virtual Annual General Meeting.

The Solution

The OCSTA team quickly recognized that they required more than just a platform with a user-friendly UI to conduct a successful Annual General Meeting.

A majority of the OCSTA's organizers and members had little to no experience conducting meetings, elections, and other key components of their Annual General Meeting through electronic means. This meant that for the meeting to be a success, they would need a full-service solution that would not only provide the platform but, more importantly, the support and guidance they needed to conduct their virtual Annual General Meeting successfully.

Eager to find the right solution for their meeting, Margaret Binns, Director of Administrative Services at the OCSTA, decided to reach out to some of her trusted partners in the education sector to see if anyone had any leads on a full-service, meeting solutions provider. During her outreach, she was introduced to GetQuorum. Intrigued by what she heard, Margaret and the rest of the OCSTA team decided to contact GetQuorum to learn more about their Hosted Virtual Meeting solution.

After conducting the initial platform and procedures walkthrough with GetQuorum, the OCSTA team instantly recognized the true value of working with GetQuorum and the vital role they would have in their Annual General Meeting's success.

While the team members were pleased with the immediate sense of comfort with the security and ease of use of the GetQourm platform, what truly stood out was the approach GetQuorum took to a full-service solution, the responsiveness of the team and the customer-first mentality they demonstrated throughout their encounters.

While the GetQuorum team members are experts in conducting virtual meetings, they understood that was not the case for the OCSTA board and their members. They also understood that no matter how user-friendly the platform was, just the idea of holding your first-ever virtual Annual General Meeting can be overwhelming for some.

That's why the GetQourum team was more than happy to explain and walk the OCSTA team through each step of the virtual meeting process. They answered every question and concern the OCSTA team had to ensure they clearly understood the process and were comfortable going into their first-ever virtual Annual General Meeting.

With a clear understanding of the platform and processes, paired with the fact that GetQuorum would be readily available to assist them when needed, any worries the OCSTA team had about hosting their meeting virtually subsided, and they, in fact, felt confident heading into their first-ever virtual Annual General Meeting.

The Result

Overall, the meeting couldn't have gone better. GetQuorum's full-service approach and their user-friendly platform made the process of holding a virtual Annual General Meeting simple for the OCSTA’s organizers, board and members.

The meeting ran smoothly, board member elections were conducted efficiently, and all other items on the meeting agenda were executed seamlessly.

In addition to executing the meeting agenda successfully while complying with public health guidelines and ensuring their members' well-being; the OCSTA team also saw additional benefits from holding their meeting virtually, such as increased accessibility and improved efficiency.

"The GetQuorum team was extremely professional, service-oriented, and a pleasure to deal with," said Margaret Binns, Director of Administrative Services, OCSTA. "The high level of support and their devotion to making our first-ever virtual event a success was truly comforting and made for an excellent and productive partnership."

Looking ahead, OCSTA will be using GetQuorum's virtual Hosted Meeting solution to conduct their 2021 Annual General Meeting virtually and plan to do so for the foreseeable future. The improved accessibility and increase in efficiency is something the OCSTA team and members want to see in future Annual General Meetings, whether conducted in the form of a virtual or hybrid meeting.

If you're interested in learning more about running your next Annual General Meeting with GetQuorum, contact us today.