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Meetings without the Minutes


devisqueowl

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I am concerned about the non-profit organization meetings has been running for several years without the minutes. The president and treasurer refused to cooperate by abiding the Robert Rules of Order by having the minutes written in every meetings. What will happen to the non-profit organization if it has no minutes for several years? Who will be able to enforce the non-profit organization to write the minutes? 

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It is up to the secretary to draft the minutes; the president to call for their reading, correction, and approval; and the assembled members to see that the task is accomplished. If no members care to maintain the minutes then they will not be maintained, which is terrible way to run an organization, especially if they are spending any money.

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Following Robert's Rules of Order (RONR) is something that an organization agrees to do; it's not required by law or anyone external. In fact, lots of organizations never adopt a parliamentary authority (although this is not advisable can lead to problems like this one).

If your organization has agreed to follow RONR but the officers refuse to carry out their duties, then the organization can put up with it or else fire their officers and choose new ones who will carry out their duties faithfully. Most organizations have governing documents (constitution, bylaws, articles, rules, policies, etc) that lay out how this can be done.  If the organization fires an officer but they refuse to "hand over the keys", then you usually have to resort to settling the matter in court. If the former officers doesn't follow what the court says, eventually the court will send men with guns to enforce its ruling. If the former officer doesn't cooperate with the men with guns, they'll eventually get shot.

However, taking minutes may be required by law depending on the corporate structure of your organization, type of nonprofit status, and what state it is in. If the officers or organization refuse to take minutes but the law requires them to, then the officers and/or the organization could be held liable by a court and get a fine or get sent to jail. You would have to consult with a lawyer about your specific situation.  

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