Who Controls the Forms?

[JayW]

Our club is nationwide and meets twice a year, one of which meetings often lacks a quorum. As such, our Board is empowered to act for the society (there is some debate as to whether they're accountable to the membership, but that's a different matter!). The Bylaws allow the President to appoint committee chairs and the Board to dissolve committees. While the Bylaws mention standing committees, they do not actually list any. We don't have our Standing Rules collected in any one place, but we've had the same committees for at least the past 15 years so I'm going to assume that at some point they were designated standing committees.

 

One of these committees is membership. Recently the President developed descriptions of each committee's function/responsibilities, and this is what it says for membership:

"To supervise the membership application process, communicate with sponsors and applicants during the nomination process, and notify new members when approved."

 

This is a one-person committee, as far as the Board is concerned.

 

In December 2013, someone noticed that a new question was added to the membership application, about a controversial topic among club members. It was added without the knowledge or consent of the Board. The question was reworded somewhat in February 2014 -- not quite as invasive, but still irrelevant and controversial.

 

Nowhere in the minutes from any Board meeting, nor in the committee reports, are these changes to the membership application mentioned. The February 2014 Board minutes record a vote to place the application on the website, but that's it.

 

My feeling is that, since the committee description does not include managing the application itself, the committee chair has overstepped her bounds. While she is certainly free to suggest changes to the application, the proposed revisions should be included in her report and should be voted on by the Board.

 

Am I right about that?  If so, is it considered a continuing breach? We've already had new members apply using that application, and I suspect the Board would vote to approve the application as it is now regardless. I'm not crazy about it but there may be changes to other documents that would render those questions invalid, so I don't necessarily want to get into this too deeply, but I am curious about it. I'm also sending a letter to the Board with some suggestions for other changes, and want to mention this and at least point out that the committee chair does not have the right to change the application any way she sees fit, and the membership should have been informed of the changes (via the minutes/report) even if they were approved by the Board -- but I want to make sure I'm correct on those points before I do so.

[Richard Brown]

Based at least in part on the description of the duties of the membership committee (even though it's a committee of one), I think it is entirely reasonable that the committee would think it has the power to draft the application for membership.  I don't see any need for the committee to submit its application form to the membership (or board) for approval unless such a requirement is spelled out somewhere.

 

However, the society (and probably the board), as the superior body,  can direct the committee to change the membership application in any way that they want.   They could also  direct the committee to submit  all future changes in the application to the membership (or the board) for approval. 

[Kim Goldsworthy]

 

Recently the President developed descriptions of each committee's function/responsibilities, and this is what it says for membership:

"To supervise the membership application process,

communicate with sponsors and applicants during the nomination process,

and notify new members when approved."

 

This is a one-person committee, as far as the Board is concerned.

 

In December 2013, someone noticed that a new question was added to the membership application, about a controversial topic among club members.

It was added without the knowledge or consent of the Board.

The question was reworded somewhat in February 2014 -- not quite as invasive, but still irrelevant and controversial.

 

Nowhere in the minutes from any Board meeting, nor in the committee reports, are these changes to the membership application mentioned.

 

My feeling is that, since the committee description does not include managing the application itself, the committee chair has overstepped her bounds.

While she is certainly free to suggest changes to the application, the proposed revisions should be included in her report and should be voted on by the Board.

 

 

Observations:

 

1.) A president can draft all the "job descriptions" he pleases. But none of the job descriptions are valid until the organization itself validates the job descriptions by adopting a motion approving and authorizing the job description.

 

2.) Nothing in the (unauthorized) job description mentions the application form. Therefore, the one-person Membership Committee has no authority to change the form. I assume this because committees have no power, except those powers granted to the committee from a superior source (e.g., a board, a blyaw, etc.). No job description has been adopted, so the committee is powerless, except for those things the committee can always do: Research; Type a report: Advise on what action to take.

 

3.) Have your board adopt (finally) a better job description, laying out what kind of control over the membership form you want, for each party.

 

4.) Have your board take immediately control over the form, and have another party (another committee of one?) edit the form. And then have the form submitted for approval to the board. This last step is the most important step.

[JayW]

I'm a bit late,  but wanted to say thanks for the input and advice!