Members rights

[Jay M]

Can any voting member in a not for profit organization ask  for  the finance reports? 

Thanks in advance

[Richard Brown]

On 9/29/2022 at 2:59 PM, Jay M said:

Can any voting member in a not for profit organization ask  for  the finance reports? 

Thanks in advance

Not exactly, per the rules in RONR.  A member can ASK for anything he wants to, but no rule in RONR requires the treasurer to respond to requests for financial information or reports from individual members. RONR does require the treasurer to provide periodic reports and an annual report to the membership, but, unlike the secretary, the treasurer is not required to make his books available to inspection by individual members.  However, having said that, if the organization is incorporated, there is a possibility that the state corporate code might grant members that right.  Such a provision would supersede the rules in RONR.  

I will add that if a member has questions about the treasurer's report after he presents his report at a meeting, he may ask the treasurer questions about the report.  The treasurer is not required to respond to such questions, but I imagine that most treasurers will respond to reasonable requests for information, whether made in a meeting or in private. It will not look good for the treasurer to refuse to respond to what other members consider reasonable requests for information, but the membership will likewise probably not look favorably on a member who appears to be acting unreasonably or just giving the treasurer a hard time.

If you provide us with more detail, we might be able to better answer your question.

[Jay M]

Thanks Richard for your response.