Membership reverse Board Decision

[Guest Jerry]

In a Non Profit Organization,we have an Annual Awards dinner for those who did outstanding during the year. This Organization is a NO profit and is incorporated. . This year, the Board voted to hold the event at a members restaurant where the club is given a small discount. It does still provide the member/owner a profit and in addition allows the owner to help keep an alcohol permit as teh State requires you sell so much food as a percentage of alcohol to keep your permit. Can the membership vote to not hold this event at the members restaurant as all the members are volunteers and none get any direct profit from the club. This would provide this one member with a profit and is it fair to the other members who work hard all year long for no compensation?

[Chris Harrison]

Maybe. See Official Interpretation 2006-13.

[Gary Novosielski]

Well, the members can do what they think is best. If it's a good restaurant and the group would vote to have an event there even if it were not owned by a member, then there's nothing inappropriate about having the event there.

About the only thing RONR would have to say on the matter is that the owner of the restaurant himself should abstain from voting on the matter, since he would have a personal or pecuniary interest in the outcome. But everybody else who does not own the restaurant is free to vote on the matter.

If it were my group, I'd be more concerned if the food is good than I would about how hard anyone worked during the year. In fact, if they worked hard, they deserve a good meal.

[George Mervosh]

Well, the members can do what they think is best.

Unless the Board has exclusive authority to determine the venue, which is why Chris refers to OI 2006-13.