Can a Chairperson of a small board of a non-profit limit who attends board meetings?

[rogerp]

Our Non profit board is 13 members and at time small groups want to attend the board meeting, as drop ins.  Does the current chairperson have the authority to set a guideling for board attendee’s ie. member of group and notify chair before meeting?

[Bruce Lages]

Nothing in RONR gives the chairperson alone the authority to decide who may or may not attend board meetings. RONR does say that attending meetings is a fundamental right of membership, but that applies specifically to members of whatever assembly is meeting. For example, general members have an absolute right to attend general membership meetings, but no such right to attend board meetings unless that person is a member of the board.

The right to determine whether non-members may attend a board meeting rests with the board itself, by a majority vote. Note though that even invited non-members may be excluded from the remainder of a meeting by the chair alone if they become disruptive to the meeting.

It is also possible that your organization may have its own rules as to attendance by non-members. Any such rules would most likely override the rules in RONR.

[Gary Novosielski]

If the rules in RONR apply, the chair does not have this authority, but the board itself (by majority vote) does.  So the chair would need the approval of the board for any non-board-member guests to attend.

But check your bylaws for possible local rules.