When does a 'resignation' become effective?

[Watson]

Far too often 'resignations' are 'announced' by word-of-mouth, chronic absenteeism or hearsay. Most of the members in our local organizations have never heard of the concepts of 'sending a letter to the secretary' or continuing to serve until a 'request to be excused from a duty' is approved by the appropriate body.

So what is reality? What kind of Special Rule of Order can be written to cover contingencies not covered by RONR?

[Tim Wynn]

What effect are you trying to obtain?

Do you want to make it easier for individuals to be dropped from a position?

As far as absenteeism goes, you could have a rule that drops a person from a position if he misses a certain number of meetings or consecutive meetings.

As for individuals not resigning in the proper fashion, this could be something that a little education could fix. It might be a good idea to have a little information sheet that is distributed to individuals serving in positions with duties, letting them know what is expected and what to do if they feel they can no longer serve. A proactive president might want to stay in contact with the individuals in such positions and actually ask them how they feel about the work.

[Guest Edgar]

So what is reality?

This is definitely the wrong forum for that kind of question.

[Chris Harrison]

Absent some rule regarding how to handle resignations I would say that the resigned stays in office until the resignation is officially approved by the body authorized to do so or when the vacancy gets filled. If the organization wants to change the process on how to handle resignations they should amend the bylaws to clearly spell out what needs to happen for the resignation to become officially accepted.

I would strongly recommend that a resignation be put in writing to avoid situations where there is a misunderstanding or otherwise. For example Officer A having a bad day mentions to another member that he is frustrated with the work the office requires and is considering resigning and then goes out of town missing the next meeting. Then that member being complained to misunderstands Officer A (or maybe not) and seeing that he isn't at the meeting informs the assembly that Officer A has said that he was resigning from his office and the assembly says "Okay" and accepts the resignation. Then at the next meeting (former) Officer A shows up and finds himself without a job. Having the resignation in writing should reduce the chances of someone saying "I didn't resign" since a letter can be produced saying "Oh yes you did."

[Rev Ed]

As far as absenteeism goes, you could have a rule that drops a person from a position if he misses a certain number of meetings or consecutive meetings.

I have seen, and support this option. Faililng that option - RONR Chapter XX allows for a Board member to be disciplined, which they could be for failing to attend meetings (which is a responsibility of being being a Board member.)

The wording for this option could be similar to this: "Should a Board member fail to attend three (3) or more Board meetings per calender year without a satisfactory explanation, that member may be removed from office by a majority vote of the Board of Directors." There would then be a vacancy, and would trigger the By-laws provisions for filling a vacancy.

As for individuals not resigning in the proper fashion, this could be something that a little education could fix. It might be a good idea to have a little information sheet that is distributed to individuals serving in positions with duties, letting them know what is expected and what to do if they feel they can no longer serve. A proactive president might want to stay in contact with the individuals in such positions and actually ask them how they feel about the work.

Great idea. Also, it might help to have an information meeting prior to the AGM to explain the Board's duties and responsibilities. That might help too.

[Josh Martin]

Far too often 'resignations' are 'announced' by word-of-mouth, chronic absenteeism or hearsay. Most of the members in our local organizations have never heard of the concepts of 'sending a letter to the secretary' or continuing to serve until a 'request to be excused from a duty' is approved by the appropriate body.

So what is reality? What kind of Special Rule of Order can be written to cover contingencies not covered by RONR?

You can generally adopt whatever special rules of order you want, provided they do not conflict with any higher rules (Bylaws, applicable law, etc.).

Based on what you've listed, I've certainly seen rules which provide that a member shall be dropped after X absences (this would actually require a Bylaws-level rule), and I've also seen rules which provide that a resignation shall be effective as soon as it is received. The main disadvantage of the former is that the situation is much more complex than it first appears (is there a difference between excused and unexcused and who decides, how much of a meeting can you miss and still be considered present, etc.). The disadvantage of the second is that a member can resign to escape disciplinary proceedings, which is the main reason the rule in RONR is the way it is.

I suppose you certainly could adopt rules which permit accepting resignations you receive through word-of-mouth or hearsay, but that just seems to be asking for trouble and I have not seen such rules. Note that RONR also provides for members to resign verbally at a meeting. The key is that there is some evidence (either in the form of a written letter or the other members as witnesses) that the member actually wishes to resign. Also, as others have noted, if an assembly votes to fill the vacancy caused by a resignation, this effectively means the assembly has accepted the resignation. The procedure is sloppy, but there's no need to worry about a member changing his mind months after the position was filled simply because the resignation was not formally accepted.

[Gary Novosielski]

In general, resignations should always be in writing, except that a resignation may be offered orally at an actual meeting. It can then be accepted immediately and notice given of intent to fill the vacancy.