Volunteer with your local beekeeping club to support beekeepers, honey bees and other pollinators

Meghan Milbrath<milbrat2@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Department of Entomology; Ana Heck<heckanar@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension; and Heather Chapman<milbrat2@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Department of Entomology -

Join a local beekeeping organization to contribute to organized efforts to support beekeepers, honey bees and other pollinators.

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Photo by jacoblund, iStock.com

Michigan beekeeping associations

You can help bees and beekeepers by getting involved with your local or state beekeeping association. In Michigan, dozens of local beekeeping clubs provide beekeeping education, connect beekeepers and support members. In most beekeeping clubs, meetings are open to everyone, including non-members and people who aren’t currently beekeepers. These clubs are important for sharing beekeeping education and promoting pollinator-supportive practices. In addition to supporting beekeepers and honey bees, many beekeeping associations also deliver education on wild bee species and advocate for practices that support all pollinators, such as increasing pollinator habitat.

Many policy changes are driven by industry needs, and your group may find opportunities to promote policies that support pollinators and the beekeeping industry in your state. Beekeeping clubs can gather signatures or work with local policymakers to encourage policies that promote the health of honey bees and other pollinators. If you are interested in promoting pollinator-supportive policy, you may find partners and collaborators at your local beekeeping club. Nonprofit boards can promote practices and programs that help pollinators. Boards interested in promoting policies and practices can review advocacy resources and understand legal considerations for boards.

You do not have to be an experienced beekeeper to be a useful volunteer to a beekeeping club.  Many clubs need volunteers to act as treasurers, secretaries and membership coordinators and to help with tasks like conference planning, running websites, etc. Many clubs are constantly short on volunteers and appreciate having new active members.

Running an effective beekeeping association

It is essential to have efficient meetings with your beekeeping club and board. When meetings are efficient, volunteer members are likely to feel the meetings are a good use of their time and may be more likely to stay involved. A well-run meeting normally has someone designated to record conclusions and action items so all members know what was decided and what the next steps will be.

Most beekeeping clubs are made up entirely of volunteers, many without official leadership or policy training. There are many resources on Michigan State University Extension’s Leadership, Engagement, and Diversity Network (LeadNet) webpage to help you get started being a better leader. The LeadNet team also offers training for improved effectiveness in several areas, including volunteer board development, meeting management, communicating through conflict, facilitation skills development and organizational strategic visioning and planning. The National Association of Parliamentarians and the Michigan Association of Parliamentarians provide resources on parliamentary procedure and effective group decision-making processes.

Many groups use Robert’s Rules of Order to lead an efficient meeting. Robert’s Rules of Order is a procedure that provides structure and clear rules for meetings.

The following articles by Michelle Colopy originally published in Bee Culture provide information on building better bee clubs with strong leadership.

Resources on nonprofit organizations and leadership

Many other resources on nonprofit organizations and leadership may benefit a beekeeping club’s organization and structure:

Whether you are new to a beekeeping club or a seasoned member, we hope the resources listed above help you better serve your club and fellow beekeepers to support honey bees and other pollinators.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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