4th quarter membership enrollment

[Guest diane]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V5W8ewMErIwlZczkJG4zcY1O6W6te2Ka/view

Based on the above bylaws, what is the interpretation of Article IV Section 4. If someone pays after September 1, are they a member in good standing with the right to vote and run for office? Or are they not considered a member in good standing until the following year?

[Joshua Katz]

Interpretation of bylaws is something only your organization can do, through points of order and appeals, and is beyond the scope of this forum.

[Guest dianejif]

11 minutes ago, Joshua Katz said:

Interpretation of bylaws is something only your organization can do, through points of order and appeals, and is beyond the scope of this forum.

Surely there is a general understanding of what this means, though. It is included in the state and national bylaws as well with no other specifications.

 

[Hieu H. Huynh]

If the bylaws are ambiguous, they should be amended to remove the ambiguity.

[Richard Brown]

51 minutes ago, Guest diane said:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V5W8ewMErIwlZczkJG4zcY1O6W6te2Ka/view

Based on the above bylaws, what is the interpretation of Article IV Section 4. If someone pays after September 1, are they a member in good standing with the right to vote and run for office? Or are they not considered a member in good standing until the following year?

I agree with Joshua Katz that it is ultimately up to the members of your organization to interpret its bylaws. That is normally done by someone raising a point of order, the chair making a ruling on the point of order, and then the ruling being appealed to the assembly. It takes a majority vote to overturn the ruling of the chair. The vote of the assembly is final.

Now, as to your question of when a person who pays dues after September 1 becomes a member: I PERSONALLY am inclined to interpret the provision as meaning a person becomes a member when he pays his dues and complies with what other requirements exist for becoming a member, but he is simply not being charged dues for the last four months of the year. It is not unusual for organizations to prorate or waive dues for new members who join near the end of the membership year.

That is my own personal opinion having only read that one part of your bylaws. Others might well disagree. It is not based on anything in RONR. it is important that you keep in mind that that is my personal opinion only. There is no "general understanding" of what that provision means. Since I am not a member of your organization, my opinion is worth exactly what you are paying for it.

Mr. Katz is exactly right when he says it is ultimately up to your organization to interpret its own bylaws.

Mr. Huynh is correct when he says that you should amend your bylaws to remove the ambiguity if the meaning is not clear to your members.

Edited to add: I note that article 3 section 1 says that members in good standing are members whose dues are paid in full, or words to that effect. The way I view it, a member who joins between September 1st and December 31st and pays the dues for the coming year has paid all the  dues which the bylaws require her to pay. I would say such a member's dues are paid. All of the dues which are being charged have been paid.

Edited November 9, 2018 at 01:46 AM by Richard Brown
Added last paragraph

[Guest dianejif]

Thank you, everyone!