Board & Committee Management

Can An Ex Officio Member Vote? Aye.

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A potentially problematic assumption many people make is that the status of being an ex officio member of a group limits that person’s voting rights. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ex officio only refers to the manner in which a person gains the position, generally by virtue of a position or office they hold. It is the the bylaws which dictate whether that person has any voting rights or not. In the absence of anything in the bylaws to the contrary, they have the same voting rights as any regular … Read more

Board Service, Within Limits

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Term limits for board members are a tricky subject. When you are first starting a non-profit organization, the board is often the sole source of labor until the organization gathers enough resources to hire staff. At that point, you may not even want to consider creating any rules that might force the departure of any of the dedicated people who share in your vision. Why Term Limits? In the long term though, it is going to be important to replenish the energy and ideas that the board brings to the organization. Members … Read more

Board Service. All About the Gs.

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The Old Gs I was recently very encouraged to read the idea “that [non-profit] boards must be packed with influential connectors” is becoming increasingly obsolete. Learning this was a relief to me, and probably a lot of people, who have worked in arts organizations where board membership was often defined by the narrow philosophy of “get, give or get off” – essentially, solicit donations, make a donation or get off the board. It might be forgiven then if you viewed the purpose of a board of directors to be fund raising. The … Read more