Tepora Wright has asked the following question:

What is the difference between an ordinary meeting and a special meeting?

The best way to think of an ordinary meeting is one which you have regularly, like a monthly meeting held on the 2nd Monday of the month for instance. These meetings are where the general running of the organisation takes place.

A “Special Meeting” is usually one where there is an important issue to discuss which requires notice to be given to all the members. General  meetings are usually one of two types – an Annual General Meeting, or a Special General Meeting – here is where the term “Special meeting” comes from.

However, without wishing to rain on anyone’s parade, there is another possible interpretation. Some organisations may decide to hold a “special meeting” to discuss a particular issue, such as employing a staff member, or applying for a grant, or what to with some money the organisation has been given. They call this a special meeting simply because it outside the regular schedule. This type of meeting not a Special General Meeting.

The bottom line is, make sure you know whether it is just a special meeting or whether it is a Special General Meeting, because the latter is a “big deal!