General Members absent for so many years

[Jay M]

In our nor for Profit organization we have 1400 and above  voting members. Only an average  of 100 members show up for general body meetings. I wonder  how do we make more  members to attend or get ride of long time absenting members?  Thanks in advance

 

[Josh Martin]

On 8/18/2023 at 12:46 PM, Jay M said:

In our nor for Profit organization we have 1400 and above  voting members. Only an average  of 100 members show up for general body meetings. I wonder  how do we make more  members to attend or get ride of long time absenting members?

How you make more members attend generally seems more like a question of psychology and event planning than a question of parliamentary procedure. Generally, I would suggest trying to figure out why members do not attend. Are the meetings too long? Uninteresting? Would food or guest speakers help? Are the meetings at a time or location which is inconvenient for members? You get the idea.

I suppose the one parliamentary solution to this would be to establish attendance requirements. I am not sure this would "make" members attend per se, but it could provide consequences for members who do not attend.

As to how to get rid of members who do not attend, the organization is free to adopt rules in its bylaws providing that members may be expelled based upon failure to meet certain attendance requirements, or perhaps even that members shall automatically be expelled in such circumstances (perhaps with an appeal/reinstatement process in that case). Such rules are not unusual.

In the absence of such rules, members may only be expelled through the disciplinary procedures in the bylaws or, if the bylaws are silent, through the formal disciplinary procedures in Ch. XX of RONR. Given the large volume of members at issue, those procedures are unlikely to be practical for handling this matter.

Of course, whether this is a problem is ultimately up to the organization. Some organizations could care less if members attend so long as they pay their dues and the organization can still meet its quorum requirement.

Edited August 18, 2023 at 06:53 PM by Josh Martin

[Jay M]

Thanks Josh. It is a great suggestion. We will try to come up with some rules if they fail to attend for  certain number of meetings their names will listed as non members. Also if we introduce a renewal fee with a valid amendment to the Bylaws   I hope we are okay.

Thanks again

 

[puzzling]

Why do you want membersto come to the meetings in the first place? Coming to meetings ia not the only way members can help the organisation. Maybe members meet at other events.

Maybe they see there membership fee as a donation for the cause the organisation promotes, or a fee for the use of the activities the organisation provides.

Try to find out why are they members in the first place.

[Guest Kama]

We send a membership renewal annually and those who do not respond are sent a second renewal. If no response to that, they receive a registered letter informing them that their membership has been terminated. 

[Gary Novosielski]

On 8/22/2023 at 10:23 AM, Guest Kama said:

We send a membership renewal annually and those who do not respond are sent a second renewal. If no response to that, they receive a registered letter informing them that their membership has been terminated. 

That's fine as long as it is supported by some rule in your bylaws allowing for automatic termination. Otherwise, it's not.

And you might save postage by using Certified Mail rather than Registered, if there is nothing of intrinsic value inside the mailpiece.