Does Roberts rules apply to us

[Guest JO Ann]

I belong to a very small recreation committee of maybe 20 members in a mobile home park.no one but maybe 8 people come to meeting  ( if that) Where we talk about activities.( shuffleboard, Bingo, Parties)   we have no by-laws, no written rules, we vote on a President. VP, Treasurer and a secretary, by who wants to be an officer and you raise your hand. We have no ballots or anything official. 

Does Roberts rules apply to our organization ? Or do we have to vote them in?

I need understanding where do Roberts rules apply? we have no HOA either.

[Edgar Guest]

 we have no by-laws, no written rules, we vote on a President. VP, Treasurer and a secretary, by who wants to be an officer and you raise your hand. We have no ballots or anything official. Does Roberts rules apply to our organization ?

 

Well, I wouldn't say you have much of an "organization". I'm not even sure it's a committee (in the technical sense). Does it report to some higher authority?

 

In any event, if your small group can manage without bylaws you can probably manage without formally adopting RONR. If you do decide you want bylaws, that's when you should adopt RONR as your parliamentary authority. Click here for the details.

[jstackpo]

However...  in the sense that you (presumably, one can only hope) behave toward one another in a civilized manner, using common courtesy, common sense, and fair play in coming to your decisions you are already following RONR, in essence.

 

RONR is basically an "Emily Post" type description of how to behave in meetings (with some details about what to do when folks are not quite behaving properly).

 

RONR can be viewed as a book of etiquette, for people to use to see how to behave, but only if they WANT to behave.  If they don't want to behave, the book isn't going to help (with the possible exception of Chapter XX).

[Gary c Tesser]

Y'know, I'm reminded of a discussion thread we had here on the world's premiere Internet parliamentary forum, where this group of theatre-department college alumnae -- yes, a significantly large group of humans, who, surprise surprise, got along amicably and were able to organize and get stuff done without bylaws or Robert's Rules -- and, surprise surprise, not a Y-chromosome among any of the few dozen of them -- were able to function, actively, efficiently, effectively, as a group.  Just by cooperating.  But groups like that are few and far between:  it seems almost intrinsically alien to human nature. But if your group can, bravo.  It's rare and refreshing to see wondrousness and magic in the world.

 

Notwithstanding which, I vigorously encourage Guest_JO Ann to save up a few bucks and pick herself up a copy of RONR - In Brief, and take the hour or two it should take her to read it, unless she's a college graduate so her brains have tragically been turned into glutinous mush so it'll take her all night.  And she can hope to never have to us it, like the Glock she has in her shoulder holster, or me and my katana strapped over the shoulder -- frowned on by purists, I know, but at the belt, it bangs my knee constantly, like at the movies and I get harsh looks.

[Josh Martin]

I belong to a very small recreation committee of maybe 20 members in a mobile home park.no one but maybe 8 people come to meeting ( if that) Where we talk about activities.( shuffleboard, Bingo, Parties) we have no by-laws, no written rules, we vote on a President. VP, Treasurer and a secretary, by who wants to be an officer and you raise your hand. We have no ballots or anything official.

Does Roberts rules apply to our organization ? Or do we have to vote them in?

I need understanding where do Roberts rules apply? we have no HOA either.

If an assembly has not adopted any parliamentary authority, the group is bound by the common parliamentary law to the extent that there is agreement among the assembly's members about what that is. In such a case, a recognized manual on the common parliamentary law, such as RONR, may be cited as persuasive, but it is not binding on the assembly. If the assembly wishes to formally adopt RONR, see here for more information.

I'd also note that it may be advisable to consider adopting bylaws, even some very simple ones. The sample bylaws in RONR could be a good starting point.