Question: Standing Committees

I have read our bylaws a ton of times. As the president I have the ability to appoint standing committee chairs. Is there supposed to be something in the bylaws that gives them a right to vote? I want our board to be bigger than the typical 4-5 elected members. We need standing committees (fundraising, hospitality, newsletter, etc). How should the bylaws be written so they are part of the board & they have a vote. Our bylaws look very standard to what I have seen on this site. We are only 2 years old & are in very bad shape. I am hoping we can just start over this next year, but hopefully we can do it right this time.

Asked by troubledintx

Answers:

Community Advice

Parttimeparli writes:
If you want to have more positions to your board, your bylaws (or governing documents) need to explain 1)who there are and 2)how they get there. If it isn't in your bylaws anywhere, the place to put is where the composition of the board is explained. If "chairmen" is listed under members of the board, then they have a vote. Don't put it under the elections section because you want to have the president appoint them. Make sure that you have standing rules that name each committee chair (ie membership, fundraising, spring dance, etc) and a brief description of duties. The duties of the president should include "appoint chairmanships". It's always a good idea to add "with approval of the board" to that statement. The appointment of chairmen is not the same as the creation of a chairmanship. Somewhere in your bylaws you have to state that the board can create committees as necessary for the continuation or optimization of the organization. That should go under the section that enumerates the duties of the board. Even though so many on this site think that Roberts Rules of Order is total overkill, there is a chapter on bylaws that isn't hard to digest and well worth the read if you are about to amend your bylaws.