How to Write a Petition to Remove a Board Member
Most organizations depend on volunteers to staff programs and activities. And most programs and activities are authorized and planned by a board of directors, trustees or managers. In most organizations, these people are also volunteers who have either been elected by the membership of the organization or have been appointed to the position. When one of these board members stops doing his job--or does things that displease a large portion of the membership--there may be a movement to replace him. One of the ways to recall (the first step to replacing) a board member is to present a petition to the board at large.
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Instructions
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Try to reason with the board member before taking the time-consuming and anxiety-producing step of beginning a recall petition. Many managing board members are volunteers who are not very familiar with what is expected of them when they are elected or accept appointment. Make sure there is no misunderstanding that can be cleared up before you take an adversarial position and start an unpleasant process that will weaken the organization in the present, even though it may benefit the organization in the long term.
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Read the by-laws. Most organizational by-laws or constitutions contain a procedure for removal of board members. Most require a certain number of signatures by current members of the organization. Many have time restrictions, meaning that there are certain times that recall petitions cannot be presented (usually within a certain distance from board elections).
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Decide why you want the board member removed. This is best done with a group of people who are in agreement that the board member should be removed. Reasons for removal should be based on the person's actions with regard to the organization, not on whether she's a nice person or her personal behavior. Obvious reasons for recall of an officer are negligence, incompetence or criminal actions affecting the organization. Actions that are contrary to the wishes of the membership are a little harder to justify unless the actions have injured the reputation or negatively affected the finances or viability (like loss of membership) of the organization.
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List the reasons you think that the board member should be removed in terms of actions he has taken or votes he has cast. Do not interpret or insert suspected motives in your list. Your interpretation or his motives are not relevant; only the actions and their observable or quantifiable effect on the organization matter. Get as many people to provide input into this list as possible--they are your first potential signers.
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Draft your petition. There should be a greeting (like "To the Board of Managers of Slippery Slope Homeowners Association"), and a statement of action you wish to be taken (as in "The following members request the recall of Beatrice Beansprout based on the following reasons"). The main portion of your petition will be the list of mistakes or offenses by the board member that make necessary the extreme step of removal from office. End your petition with a conclusion and an affirmative statement as to the identities of the signers (such as "A recall election is therefore requested by the following members, each of whom was a dues-paying member of Happy Shores Country Club at the time of signing").
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Add signature spaces. Check your by-laws for information needed from each signer. If you need, say, a name and address, make three columns (there should always be a space for the date the petition was signed) of signature lines. Add an "attest" at the bottom for the person circulating the petition (I,_______________ affirm that each person signing this petition is personally known to me and did so in my presence), to certify that the person who carried the petition actually got the signatures and knows that they are valid.
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Follow the rules. If there's a certain format your petition must follow, or a specific number of signatures (usually a percentage of a membership or number of electors) you need, use the format and exceed the number necessary. Turn in your petition on a timely basis and submit all signature sheets together.
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Tips & Warnings
Circulate your petition openly--you never know who your allies might be.
Always make a copy of your petition and have it notarized or certified by the receiving party (usually the secretary of the organization). It may not be legally binding, but it's convincing for publicity purposes.
Attend every board meeting until your petition is discussed. Be present to answer any questions, not to engage in bickering.
Be prepared for failure and realize that, if you're successful, everyone will expect you to be part of the solution to put things back on a positive track.
Recalling a manager or officer is always an unpleasant situation. Be sure that you're right before attempting to organize a recall.
