Quitting via Email

[Guest Jill Cottrell]

If during an email thread a director say they quit, is that accepted and they are no longer part of the board?  Or does it have to be taken to a board meeting?

[Richard Brown]

Unless your rules provide otherwise, a resignation must be submitted in writing or made orally in a meeting.  It is up to your organization to determine is a statement that "I quit" in an email  exchange is sufficient.  Such statements are often made impulsively in anger.

However, again, unless your rules provide otherwise, whether made in writing or orally in a meeting, a resignation is a request to be excused from a duty and does not become effective until accepted by the assembly (or whichever body is authorized to accept resignations.  Some organizations authorize the president to accept resignations and some organizations provide that a resignation is effective upon receipt.  But, if RONR is your parliamentary and you have no other rule on the subject, a resignation must be accepted.  Frequently the person who intended to resign has a change of heart, either on his own or because of pressure from other members, and wishes to rescind he resignation.  That is permissible as long as the assembly has not taken action on it.

[Josh Martin]

3 hours ago, Richard Brown said:

It is up to your organization to determine is a statement that "I quit" in an email  exchange is sufficient.  Such statements are often made impulsively in anger.

Provided that the email is submitted to the secretary or appointing power, I do not think there is any doubt that this is sufficient, in that the resignation has been validly submitted and may be accepted by the assembly if it wishes to do so. An email is in writing. I certainly agree, however, that the assembly is also free to hold off on accepting the resignation until the member’s wishes may be clarified.

[Chris Harrison]

Several years back I was a member of a Board that frequently would discuss things via email between meetings.  Our Vice President (and later just a member) often couldn't be bothered to attend meetings which was problematic because we had few members and his not attending often led to us not having a quorum.  Numerous times in the email exchange he would talk about not having time for the meetings and when asked for clarification he would specify that he was offering his resignation.  Of course, whenever this happened we would end up not having a quorum in order to accept his resignation or he would have a change of heart and state he was withdrawing his resignation (but still would not show up at the meeting).  I don't remember why we couldn't just remove him from the Board but there must have been a darn good reason or we would have done so.  Needless to say, when we were FINALLY successful in accepting that resignation there was much relief. 

In other words, if you want to accept this person's resignation do it when you have the chance.