Quorum for membership meeting

[Guest Luann Spence]

Our bylaws are silent concerning the number of board members who have to be present at the monthly general membership meeting. The bylaws state any business that is transacted at the membership meeting needs to be approved by the majority of the members present. Recently there was not a quorum of the board(the bylaws say at least 5 have to be present to conduct any business at the board meeting) but do not indicate how many board members have to be present at the membership meeting. The membership meeting was canceled due to the lack of a quorum of the board members. Was this correct?

[hmtcastle]

Our bylaws are silent concerning the number of board members who have to be present at the monthly general membership meeting. The bylaws state any business that is transacted at the membership meeting needs to be approved by the majority of the members present. Recently there was not a quorum of the board(the bylaws say at least 5 have to be present to conduct any business at the board meeting) but do not indicate how many board members have to be present at the membership meeting. The membership meeting was canceled due to the lack of a quorum of the board members. Was this correct?

No. Nothing in RONR requires the presence of any board members at a meeting of the general membership.

Further, even without a quorum present, the meeting shouldn't (and can't) be canceled. It should be held, with minutes prepared, even though there's very little that could be done.

[Kim Goldsworthy]

Our bylaws are silent concerning the number of board members who have to be present at the monthly general membership meeting.

No wonder.

There is no such requirement, as far as Robert's Rules goes.

A general membership meeting can meet very well without any board members present.

It would be usual for an organization to specify that so-many board members must be present at a meeting of the general membership.

What does RONR say about one's default quorum? - The quorum is "the majority of the (voting) membership."

You exclude non-voting classes of members when calculating a quorum.

(The power is vote is what counts; not the fact that someone is voting, did vote, or will vote, or could have voted.)

Recently there was not a quorum of the board (the bylaws say at least 5 have to be present to conduct any business at the board meeting) but do not indicate how many board members have to be present at the [general] membership meeting.

The Book answer ("Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised" 10th ed. 2000) is: Zero. Nada. Zip. Null set.

The membership meeting was canceled due to the lack of a quorum of the board members. Was this correct?

No. See above for why.

[Trina]

Our bylaws are silent concerning the number of board members who have to be present at the monthly general membership meeting. ... Recently there was not a quorum of the board(the bylaws say at least 5 have to be present to conduct any business at the board meeting) but do not indicate how many board members have to be present at the membership meeting....

Are your bylaws totally silent on quorum for general membership meetings? If so, then (as Mr. Goldsworthy noted) the default quorum requirement is more than half of the general membership. If the board members are also general members, they are counted toward quorum along with everyone else, but that has nothing to do with their 'board member' status. There is no 'board' at a general membership meeting.