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Membership Requirement in Club Activities


Guest HoldingCourt

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We are a non-profit social club and our activities consist of monthly meeting, luncheons, games etc. to participate (play games) you must be a member, if you are eligible to be a member you may attend two (2) functions prior to payment of membership dues. Most of the games are played in members homes, if game requires say 8 to play and only 7 members show up, then a non-member may Sub to make the 8 but according to the rules that same Sub can only play twice before becoming a member..

A small number of members have not paid their dues and are effectively no longer members as of July1, the Board has decided to check the membership status of all game players and requested a list of players names from the game Chairs, they want to see if any non-members are playing games. Now what can they do, hold the Chairs responsible for non-members playing, hold court...

Thank you for your advise.

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We are a non-profit social club and our activities consist of monthly meeting, luncheons, games etc. to participate (play games) you must be a member, if you are eligible to be a member you may attend two (2) functions prior to payment of membership dues. Most of the games are played in members homes, if game requires say 8 to play and only 7 members show up, then a non-member may Sub to make the 8 but according to the rules that same Sub can only play twice before becoming a member..

A small number of members have not paid their dues and are effectively no longer members as of July1, the Board has decided to check the membership status of all game players and requested a list of players names from the game Chairs, they want to see if any non-members are playing games. Now what can they do, hold the Chairs responsible for non-members playing, hold court...

Thank you for your advise.

Check the bylaws to see what power the board has been given.

Since the club holds monthly meetings, this would probably best be handled by the assembly at one of those meetings, by way of a member proposing a specific action to be taken on the matter.

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Check the bylaws to see what power the board has been given.

Since the club holds monthly meetings, this would probably best be handled by the assembly at one of those meetings, by way of a member proposing a specific action to be taken on the matter.

Good idea, will do this at next meeting. I checked the By-Laws on Membership and its vague at best ie Co-Chairpersons of Membership: "Will be in charge of membership" greet members and guests, collect dues, nametags - that's it. The Constitution says "pay your dues, no refunds, delinquent member will be dropped from mailing list and the Membership. The Constitution says "Anyone elegible to be a member may attend only two (2) functions prior to payment of membership dues and Participants in club Activities must be members" it then lists 'Activities' which include Games and 'Couples Club', the Board is only targeting the Games players to check their membership status and not the 'Couple Club' -husbands can attend as many functions/activities as they wish and never be required to become a member. Should not the rules apply to all. There is nothing in the Constitution or the By-Laws that gives the board any authority to police games or take any action on non-members. Thank you.

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.... The Constitution says "Anyone elegible to be a member may attend only two (2) functions prior to payment of membership dues and Participants in club Activities must be members" it then lists 'Activities' which include Games and 'Couples Club', the Board is only targeting the Games players to check their membership status and not the 'Couple Club' -husbands can attend as many functions/activities as they wish and never be required to become a member....

It looks to me more the case that husbands are required to become members, but this rule is not being enforced.

But I'm losing track of what the question is, especially since the board's authority is still unknown here -- are we talking about 8th-player substitutes playing more than two games without paying dues; or husbands somehow sneaking around with the connivance of their wives; or what the board should do about these, if anything (if I understood Tim Wynn's suggestion, it was to have the board leave such matters to the membership), or something (or somethings) else?

5 !!

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My

It looks to me more the case that husbands are required to become members, but this rule is not being enforced.

But I'm losing track of what the question is, especially since the board's authority is still unknown here -- are we talking about 8th-player substitutes playing more than two games without paying dues; or husbands somehow sneaking around with the connivance of their wives; or what the board should do about these, if anything (if I understood Tim Wynn's suggestion, it was to have the board leave such matters to the membership), or something (or somethings) else?

5 !!

Sorry if I'm confusing you so here goes again:

Delinquent Members: per the Constitution the only action the board can take is to drop them from the mailing list and the membership. The Board has decided to weed out those delinquent members who are still participating in activities - we have a total of 11 different activities and they have only gone after one -the games. To achieve this they have requested from the Chairs of Games a list of all players and subs so they can check the names against the paid membership list, what action they intend to take if they find any is not known at this time. They are going after the non-member players same way. There is nothing in the constitution or by-laws to address those breaking the rule.

My Question is:

1: I believe the Board should not be taken these actions against delinquent members as the Constitution says they can only drop them from the mailing list and the membership.

2: The rule should apply to all participants in all Activities,

ie: if the husbands can play poker in the Couple's Group they should be subject to the rule -play two(2) times or pay membership, same with golf, tennis, travel etc.

3: Any actions the board can take against non-members playing more than two (2) times is not in the constitution and by-laws so the board should not be taking any against them.

Delinquent members and non-members participating in activities is an ongoing issue and never gets resolved from one board to the next.

Thank you

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First a little housecleaning: Guest Guest (posts 3 and 5 -- the same Guest Guest?), if, as seems likely, you are the original poster, Guest HoldingCourt, then please, please, stick with the first choice, HoldingCourt. There are just too many anonymous Guest Guests rolling around. (If you choose to stick around this forum, registering, and you feel like re-thinking that name, no one would likely mind.)

So to business. Did you (any of you, or just you) get to Tim Wynn's first piece of advice? That's pivotal. (Yes, I see your Item 3.)

1. As far as I can see, all the board did was request something of the chairs of games. Your board can request the keys to my silver Porche, too, but guess what. So the board is requesting lists, and the board might get the lists, and it might not.

2. Sure, that's a nice sentiment. But there's only 168 hours in a week, and board members usually have other things to do with their time, and aren't paid. If the board thinks it can only concentrate on games for the time being, disregarding couples and wayward husbands, then so far that's up to the board itself. Apparently the board has no teeth -- but HoldingCourt, you're the one with a copy of your bylaws, not us on the Internet. (Please don't post them here -- that's not what this forum is for.) If, as is usual, your board is subordinate to your membership, then as Mr Wynn said, you can promptly address these issues at your next membership meeting: How to address non-members playing after their two free games; how to address husbands doing the same; what you want your board to do; what you want your board not to do; establish a committee, maybe even hire security, to let the violators know that this will not be tolerated; etc. Depending on thee general sentiment of the members, you might be tilting at windmills; at least, do some convincing of your associates between meetings.

(Perhaps I have digressed some about Guest Guest #2's Point #2.)

3. As I said, maybe the board has no teeth. (Check your bylaws for broad statements like "The board shall have full power and authority ..." or just "general authority ..." RONR 11th Ed., p. 588 and 578 respectively, though the pages are not in that order in the book, at least not in my copy.)

And if your gamers are having trouble getting eligible non-member eighth players, maybe considering amending the bylaws to relax the rule. If the rule is properly enforced, who suffers? The seven legitimate players, no?

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...3. As I said, maybe the board has no teeth. (Check your bylaws for broad statements like "The board shall have full power and authority ..." or just "general authority ..."; RONR 11th Ed., p. 588 and 578 respectively, though the pages are not in that order in the book, at least not in my copy.)

Ehh, that should have been "general supervision," and p. 586.

(Darn, I wish I could fix that Edit function.)

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Ehh, that should have been "general supervision," and p. 586.

(Darn, I wish I could fix that Edit function.)

By-laws say "General Supervision" but you have given me a good idea, bring it up at a meeting and have the members siggest actions that the board should take for delinquest members and non-member participation. Thanks you for all the info.

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