Authority to sign documents

[DonW]

Can anyone other than an officer sign checks and legal documents for a 501©(3) corporation? Shouldn't it be an officer of the company - in particular the president and treasurer for checks and president and any other officer for a contract? Is this addressed in RONR?

[hmtcastle]

Can anyone other than an officer sign checks and legal documents for a 501©(3) corporation? Shouldn't it be an officer of the company - in particular the president and treasurer for checks and president and any other officer for a contract? Is this addressed in RONR?

Ask your bank who is authorized to sign your checks.

As for legal documents, ask an attorney.

[Guest Nancy N.]

Ask your bank who is authorized to sign your checks.

As for legal documents, ask an attorney.

[Guest Nancy N.]

I don't like talking to banks, so I haven't asked, but I wouldn't be surprised if the bank told DonDon that it is his organization, not the bank, who decides whoever is authorized to sign checks. (Er, perhaps Mr. Mt meant only to ask the bank to see who is on record with the bank as authorized to sign checks. But that would throw the question back to the organization, as to whom it had designated to sign checks.)

And no, this is not addressed in RONR. I wouldn't be surprised if it were addressed in Robert's Rules as interpreted by The Spirit, where, having not read it, one might reasonably expect some robust adventuresome adventuresomeness, but I bet that book is lamentably long out of print. An ongoing regret that I didn't buy it when it came out, 'cause I thought of it as a superciliously overpriced knockoff trading on the Will Eisner name. Although it would probably be in the landfill now with the rest .... gahhh.

[David A Foulkes]

Can anyone other than an officer sign checks and legal documents for a 501©(3) corporation? Shouldn't it be an officer of the company - in particular the president and treasurer for checks and president and any other officer for a contract? Is this addressed in RONR?

We have notations of this in our bylaws. Additionally, as we just elected a new Treasurer, the bank required not only signature cards of authorized persons who could access the account as well as sign checks, but we had to adopt a resolution to that affect (provided actually by the bank!) at a Board meeting, said resolution including that fact, indicating the date of the Board meeting as well.

Assuming your organization has had to follow similar procedures, and that it has in fact complied, the information you seek should not only be in your bylaws but available from your bank. It would be advised to follow up closely on this to make sure both records are correct, current, and "in cooperation."