SPECIAL PREVILEDGES

[Guest CT-PA]

We are a Non Profit Organization for a youth organization. At our last board meeting a board member indicated that she paid for 1 child to participate but did not feel she had to pay for her other children as she has went into her pocket to purchase items for the organization and it totalled much more than the registration fees. She also indicated she spoke with the President and he agreed. There is nothing in our by-laws to address this - all other board members have to pay registration fees for their children to participate and all have gone in their pockets for donations to the organization. Does the President have the authority to exempt another board member from paying registration fees because of their voluntary monetary donations (which she chose to do on her own) if not, should he be brought up on disciplinary actions? - we do have a clause in our by-laws for this?

[hmtcastle]

Does the President have the authority to exempt another board member from paying registration fees because of their voluntary monetary donations (which she chose to do on her own) if not, should he be brought up on disciplinary actions? - we do have a clause in our by-laws for this?

It's doubtful that your president has the authority to do what he did but, if he does, he didn't get it from RONR.

[Chris Harrison]

Does the President have the authority to exempt another board member from paying registration fees because of their voluntary monetary donations (which she chose to do on her own)

The President only has the authority the bylaws give him (RONR p. 440).

if not, should he be brought up on disciplinary actions? - we do have a clause in our by-laws for this?

That is up to you all.

[Rob Elsman]

We are a Non Profit Organization for a youth organization. At our last board meeting a board member indicated that she paid for 1 child to participate but did not feel she had to pay for her other children as she has went into her pocket to purchase items for the organization and it totalled much more than the registration fees. She also indicated she spoke with the President and he agreed. There is nothing in our by-laws to address this - all other board members have to pay registration fees for their children to participate and all have gone in their pockets for donations to the organization. Does the President have the authority to exempt another board member from paying registration fees because of their voluntary monetary donations (which she chose to do on her own) if not, should he be brought up on disciplinary actions? - we do have a clause in our by-laws for this?

No rule in RONR gives the president the power to suspend registration fees of an individual member in lieu of voluntary contributions. If the president has usurped powers that rightly belong to the general assembly, he can, indeed, be subject to disciplinary action. See RONR (10th ed.), §61, pp. 624ff, especially pp. 642, 643.