What Are Nonprofit Bylaws?
Nonprofit bylaws establish the direction a nonprofit will take in accomplishing its goals, and they describe how the nonprofit is organized. Bylaws are consulted in meetings and actions taken by the nonprofit. A nonprofit's actions can be made void if they break rules set out in the bylaws. Any number of members and directors might take part in writing the bylaws, and the directors will approve them.
Other People Are Reading
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Mission Statement
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After giving the organization's name, nonprofit bylaws state the organization's mission. People interested in what a nonprofit does might go to the organization's bylaws, which are usually posted on its website, and read the document's opening to find its mission defined. Sometimes an organization will grow or evolve beyond its initial mission. If this happens, officers must revisit the bylaws and amend them through an open process.
Officers and Directors
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Bylaws tell how many directors and officers the nonprofit will have. Besides the board of directors, many nonprofits will have a president, secretary and treasurer. The bylaws will tell how the officers and directors are chosen, and they describe the officers' duties and how long the term of office is for each. Sometimes the bylaws assign a particular duty, such as calling for a treasurer to correspond with the Internal Revenue Service or the secretary of state's office.
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Elections
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If directors are going to be elected, the bylaws will describe the election. An election can be ruled void if the bylaws are not adhered to exactly. Dates of elections will be given that make sense for every year; for example, the third Tuesday in March rather than March 16, which could fall on a Sunday some years. This makes the bylaws appropriate to every year. The bylaws will also look ahead to problems that might occur, such as the death of a director, and will state how or if the position will be filled.
Meetings
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The dates of meetings will be in the bylaws. These will be written in a style similar to election dates --- the last Thursday of each month, for example. Bylaws state when the meeting agenda will come out and how it will be distributed. Stating meeting dates in the bylaws makes it easier for new members and donors to be involved. How and for what reasons special meetings are called will also be in the bylaws. Members of the nonprofit and the public will have more respect for a nonprofit that adheres to its bylaws and has meetings at the stated time.
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References
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