Niki Lynn

Thank you, Weldon!

If I even began to tell you the whole of it, you'd hang and shake your head in disbelief, sir. I'm trying my very best to serve the group at large, but have many hurdles, such as this, and the people who unknowingly created the madness.

The organization is very new as of Jan '19 and only had one election cycle before Covid precautions sidelined it for over a year (though it has historical iterations whose membership and basic purpose were virtually identical to the current-day organization's). I am the current Secretary and unofficial Parliamentarian, but my voice is often squelched and my expertise is often ignored. The precedence that was set during the first year was by naïve members who had no RONR experience, nor cared to listen to those who did, and therefore many benign issues were complicated and handled poorly, allowing for confusion, division, and disinterest to enter among the board and general membership, where there was already hesitancy to lead to begin with considering the nature of our organization has a very high-profile community affiliation which can already have a controversial tone to it to begin with. Where leadership was already hard to come by, it has now been basically depleted due to the fear of backlash and no one wanting to get involved with the politics–including me. I will do it if no one else will, but the commitment I can make to the role is very flimsy (ie: if it starts to affect my personal life, I'm out like a flash) and I feel the Presidency of this organization as it currently sits needs to have someone who can withstand some rough waters ahead and keep their hands on the wheel no matter what, until stability can be found on a beaten path. The flimsy commitment I might be able to make (have not yet decided) may be all we are left with in the end, but I foresee a high possibility that this office–as well as VP–will be left empty and that's why I am asking NOW as opposed to while we are in the middle of it, in order to best plan for possible outcomes. I really appreciate everyone's thoughtful input! That said, would any of you like to run for President of my group? 😆

Our Bylaws prevent write-in nominations, and from the floor.

I had considered this potential occurrence, and had tucked it away in the case we may need to employ a threat-soaked plea for someone to step forward.

Touché my friend, touché!

Background: Currently, our group's Board of Directors has 10 positions; 4 of them are officers and 6 of them are directors. The Bylaws outline the roles and responsibilities of the officers, but leave the 6 directors' roles unnamed and open-ended (referred to as "The 6 Directors" only) and defer to the PNPs for clarification on them, to allow for the flexing of the job titles and descriptions when necessary without having to amend Bylaws. Problem: What the Bylaws nor the PNPs outline is the MODE of ratifying these job titles and descriptions–nothing like "...appointed by President," "...must be approved of by 2/3 of general assembly," or "...requires Board notice and approval be given prior" is specified or even hinted at. Question: Where should the rules about who has the power to, and how can the Director roles be changed, live (Bylaws or PNPs?), and how do we go about legally addressing the need for these rules to be created and then followed? Currently, nowhere is it stated who can or how to amend the PNPs. SIDE NOTE: Of course I came across this discrepancy during our nominations season (Elections are in February) at a time when we desperately need to change the job title and description of one of the directorships, but have no idea how to do so within a proper protocol, and are now under time constraint to figure this out so that nominations can happen properly. I am hoping to have a solution by Tuesday Nov. 9th to present to the membership so that we can move forward with ensuring this unneeded position is replaced by one that will better serve our purpose.

NOOOOOOOOO 🤐 I can say with 99.99% certitude that no one is going to take up these offices. I can't imagine what to do then. Literally, there are only two things I can think of doing (and I am a brain-storming maniac): 1. Proceed with no Pres or VP and somehow allow the Board to figure out how to divvy up the responsibilities 2. Dissolve the organization Can these *really* be the only two options on the table? (Unless and until someone gives in somewhere down the road)?

A non-profit organization with 70 members on the roll, and about half that regularly participating in some capacity, has elections for 10 board positions coming up. No nominations for President or Vice President have been received and no one intends to run. Our bylaws state "or until another is appointed" for President, but this President plans to resign if no one gets elected. If no VP in place and a resignation in the office of President, how does the leadership proceed?

thank you both VERY much

Maybe I am a blockhead- but I cannot find the language there referring to this. Could I bother you to copy/paste the text if you access to an online version? Or attach a photo if it is a hard copy? No worries if you don't have time. Thanks so much!

Thank you. Do RONR speak to this anywhere officially? I am coming up against members who are demanding to know nomination originators as part of the nomination and election process, and I am trying to dispute not only the necessity, but also the legitimacy of such a practice. I'm looking to cite a source. Thanks!

Hi there- I cannot find any specific language about this topic: Is it ever appropriate to state the name of the nominating member when the nominations are announced to the membership? For example, if I nominate Suzy Q for President, should it ever be stated that "Suzy Q was nominated for President by Niki Lynn" or is it sufficient and appropriate to just state "Suzy Q has been nominated for President?" Thanks!

Thank you very much to everyone!

Thank you. Would you agree that in the event that an organization wants to memorialize the "Charter Members" of the document (though not necessary), that the list should include all members at that time, and not just the Board Members?

this would be great!