President or Chairman?

[DonW]

I'm attempting to help a non-profit (501-c3) review and update their bylaws. Their existing bylaws state Chairman and Co-Chairman in lieu of President and Vice President. Which is correct or most appropriate or does it matter?

[George Mervosh]

In my view the two are not even closely related. RONR advises against "co-" titles. What does the society see as the duties of these two individuals?

[Tim Wynn]

I'm attempting to help a non-profit (501-c3) review and update their bylaws. Their existing bylaws state Chairman and Co-Chairman in lieu of President and Vice President. Which is correct or most appropriate or does it matter?

President and vice-president are more compatible with RONR.

[hmtcastle]

Their existing bylaws state Chairman and Co-Chairman in lieu of President and Vice President. Which is correct or most appropriate or does it matter?

The analogous positions would be chair and vice-chair. The term "co-chair" implies two equivalent positions.

You might also want to read p. 21.

[Tim Wynn]

The analogous positions would be chair and vice-chair. The term "co-chair" implies two equivalent positions.

I suspect the word "co-pilot" is responsible for this misconception.

[Guest dan]

President and vice-president are more compatible with RONR.

Actually, in the US today, I believe Chair (or Chairman) and Vice_Chair (or Vice-Chairman) tend to be more commonly used as titles for those who Lead (or Chair) a board or a similar role in an organization.

[hmtcastle]

Actually, in the US today, I believe Chair (or Chairman) and Vice_Chair (or Vice-Chairman) tend to be more commonly used as titles for those who Lead (or Chair) a board or a similar role in an organization.

But the presiding officer of the organization (which is presumably what we're talking about here) is typically called the president. Which helps to distinguish the office from the chair(man) of the board, especially in those instances where the same person fills both roles.