Meeting notice on social media

[Guest Stephanie]

Can a special meeting called with notice given only on social media?  There was a special meeting called and the only notice provided was a facebook post in an "unofficial" school facebook group.  I understand the rules for written notice and that e-notice is allowed but not recommended.  Please direct me to a rule if there is one regarding posting notice on social media.  

[Atul Kapur]

I don't know where you got the idea that "e-notice is allowed but not recommended."

RONR (12th ed.) 9:5 says

Quote

When notice is required to be sent, unless a different standard is specified that requirement is met if written notice is sent to each member either:

a) by postal mail to the member’s last known address; or
b) by a form of electronic communication, such as e-mail or fax, by which the
    member has agreed to receive notice.

 

[Alicia Percell, PRP]

Presuming that your organization's bylaws allow special meetings, RONR (12th ed.) 9:13 requires that, "Notice of the time, place, and purpose of the meeting, clearly and specifically describing the subject matter of the motions or items of business to be brought up, must be sent to all members a reasonable number of days in advance."  (emphasis added)

The entire membership be given notice, and social media doesn't necessarily get the notice to all members.  Unless you have a custom rule that allows a social media post in an unofficial group to suffice for special meeting notice, then it likely doesn't suffice.

Please post a verbatim copy of any rule your organization has adopted about what is required to call a special meeting and anything that is said about how notice can be provided.

[Josh Martin]

On 2/26/2023 at 9:47 PM, Guest Stephanie said:

Can a special meeting called with notice given only on social media? 

Only if the bylaws authorize providing notice in this manner or if all members have agreed to receive notice in this manner.

What, if anything, do your bylaws say regarding notice?

On 2/26/2023 at 9:47 PM, Guest Stephanie said:

There was a special meeting called and the only notice provided was a facebook post in an "unofficial" school facebook group.

Based upon these additional facts, I would go further and suggest that this notice is valid only if authorized in the bylaws, since a general post in a group to which members have access is not a notice sent to each member.

On 2/26/2023 at 9:47 PM, Guest Stephanie said:

  I understand the rules for written notice and that e-notice is allowed but not recommended.

I wouldn’t say that electronic notices generally are “not recommended.”

I do think that the particular notice described here is not recommended - or even allowed, unless provided for in your bylaws. There is a difference between a notice posted to a website or social media group to which all members have access and a notice individually sent to all members, such as email.

On 2/26/2023 at 9:47 PM, Guest Stephanie said:

Please direct me to a rule if there is one regarding posting notice on social media.  

The rule does not address social media directly, but the rules are generally applicable regardless of the service used. A post to a group is not sent to all members. An individual direct message sent to all members via social media would be acceptable, if members have agreed to receive notice by that method.

Edited February 27, 2023 at 01:34 PM by Josh Martin