Standard Operating Guidelines

[Russ1409]

Our organization has six by-laws, followed by seven Standard Operating Guidelines.  The language for amending the by-laws is sloppy and I'm trying to clean it up.

Are standard operating guidelines considered standing rules, and thus amendable by a majority of members present? For purposes of this discussion, please assume the by-laws are silent on if an SOG is a by-law.

[Hieu H. Huynh]

What do the standard operating guidelines cover?

[Kim Goldsworthy]

10 minutes ago, Russ1409 said:

Are standard operating guidelines considered standing rules, and thus amendable by a majority of members present?

For purposes of this discussion, please assume the by-laws are silent on if an SOG is a by-law.

Two answers.

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If your bylaws are silent on Standard Operating Guidelines (more commonly called "standard operating procedures" or "SOP"), then I would assume that your organization publishes one document containing two kinds of distinct rules, namely, (a.) your bylaws and (b.) your SOG, and you do not (did not) intend to imply that the SOG are true bylaws.

Then the answer is "Yes," you amend SOG as if they were classified as "standing rules".

EXCEPTION:

If your SOG contain parliamentary rules, then the answer is "No."

You amend "special rules of order" with a different method of amendment, even if you list your special rules of order under the heading of "Standard Operating Guidelines".

You are to follow the method of amendment for special rules of order, for those.

[Russ1409]

Mr. Goldsworthy, thank you for the answer.  I am making the same assumption that you did.  None of the current members can give me a definitive answer as to why there are by-laws and also SOGs all in one document. The SOGs (I prefer SOP, but whatever) do not contain parliamentary rules.  Most of the bylaws are pretty standard, membership, elections, voting privileges, etc.  A few of them make references to the SOGs.  As an example, a bylaw states:

Active membership is open to anyone eighteen years of age or older who meets the requirements set forth in Standard Operating Guideline 1: Active Membership.

SOG 1 then goes on to define how an Active Member becomes an Active Member, how the member stays in good standing, what an Active Member does, etc.

Personally, I think the SOGs are more applicable as by-laws.  But perhaps the SOGs were created to make them easier to change, at least so far as the membership understands RROR, which is "not very well."

[Hieu H. Huynh]

Then they can be amended with a two-thirds vote, a majority vote with notice, or a vote of a majority of the entire membership.