Passing motions outside meetings

[Guest James C]

I am the chair at a student society board of directors. We recently had a meeting and the next day a motion was submitted to me but because of the nature of the motion it would need to be passed before our next meeting. If this motion had been at the meeting I would expect that it would have passed unanimously.

I was told that Robert's Rules permits motions to be passed outside of meetings if I can get every director to sign on to it. Is this true?

[George Mervosh]

No, but if every board member signs onto it, the board will still have to ratify it's actions at a properly called meeting for it to become an official act of the board.

Ratification is a bit like russian roullete if members start to have a change of heart. See pp. 469-470 for the exact language of the rule in question.

[Kim Goldsworthy]

I was told that Robert's Rules permits motions to be passed outside of meetings if I can get every director to sign on to it.

Is this true?

It is FALSE.

There is no such rule in Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR 10th ed.).

However, outside of RONR, that process you describe might be "true."

Is is a popular law in many states to allow corporations' boards to make official decisions as you describe.

But, again, that is a legal resource, which you must look up and verify, and not anything from Robert's Rules.