Betty43 Posted November 25, 2011 at 10:08 PM Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 at 10:08 PM Our nonprofit organization has chapters in many states. Sometimes a chapter will host a gathering open to all members and the organization will provide some start-up money. The chapter submits a financial statement following the event, and the organization is repaid the start-up money and also gets a share of the profits. A member has asked to view all of the financial statements submitted by chapters for the past several years. Are we required to share these records? If so, in what form? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted November 25, 2011 at 10:25 PM Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 at 10:25 PM Those details should be located in the NPO's Governing Documents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Edgar Posted November 25, 2011 at 10:46 PM Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 at 10:46 PM Are we required to share these records?In RONR-Land all members are equal, so you might re-phrase the question and ask by what authority some members can prevent other members from viewing the association's records. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty43 Posted November 25, 2011 at 11:21 PM Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 at 11:21 PM Hmmm. Good point. However, my concern is whether we would be providing one chapter with another chapter's financial information (i.e., information on profit). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trina Posted November 25, 2011 at 11:54 PM Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 at 11:54 PM Our nonprofit organization has chapters in many states. Sometimes a chapter will host a gathering open to all members and the organization will provide some start-up money. The chapter submits a financial statement following the event, and the organization is repaid the start-up money and also gets a share of the profits. A member has asked to view all of the financial statements submitted by chapters for the past several years. Are we required to share these records? If so, in what form?I assume you are talking about financial records belonging to the (national) organization. Who (or what) are the members of that organization? Are the chapters your members, or are individual people members?When you say that a "member has asked to view all of the financial statements..." who exactly is making the request -- is it a member of the national organization; or a member of one of the chapters; or is the request coming from one of the chapters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty43 Posted November 26, 2011 at 12:14 AM Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2011 at 12:14 AM OK, individuals are members, and groups of member individuals may form a chapter and become a chapter of the national organization. The records belong to the national organization but were completed and submitted by the one chapter that put on the conference. The person who is asking for them is an individual member, a member of a chapter (but not of any of the chapters that put on the conferences), and a member of a national standing committee (but not on the Executive Board). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted November 26, 2011 at 12:34 AM Report Share Posted November 26, 2011 at 12:34 AM Okay, so there are individual members of the chapter. Are the Chapters as a whole members of the National organization (that would send delegates to represent them to National conventions) or do the individual members of the Chapter have any rights at the National level? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty43 Posted November 26, 2011 at 01:35 PM Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2011 at 01:35 PM Individual members have voting rights in elections. Individuals may attend national conferences and represent their chapters at general membership meetings. But an individual cannot go to a chapter to which he does not belong and demand to review that chapter's books. Should the financial relationship between a chapter and the national oranization be kept between them? That is, whether the national conference made money or lost money for the chapter, is that any other chapter's business? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Edgar Posted November 26, 2011 at 02:32 PM Report Share Posted November 26, 2011 at 02:32 PM Should the financial relationship between a chapter and the national oranization be kept between them? That is, whether the national conference made money or lost money for the chapter, is that any other chapter's business?RONR speaks in terms of members, not chapters. Any member of a particular chapter has as much right as any other member of that chapter to know what's going on with that chapter (barring any of your rules to the contrary). And any member of the national organization has as much right as any other member of the national organization. So, as Chris H. suggested at the top, it's up to your organization(s) to work out the details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty43 Posted November 26, 2011 at 03:29 PM Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2011 at 03:29 PM OK.....thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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