Hi Leigh!
I think it would mean that they, or anyone else, is a "Member" if they
are singing. And if someone is singing, they have to pay dues if they
can afford it. Russ and Anna would be no different from you or me.
Their presence on the Board should have no bearing on whether or not
they are Members.
Thus, there'd be nothing about "non-voting members" or any other kind
of members, in the actual by-laws.. I think my idea (which was inspired
by Russ) is that from the point of view of the by-laws, we don't have
any other status than "Member." If the Board wants to designate some
kind of special community recognition by having Friends of PC, or
Supporters of PC, or the Gold Circle, or whatever (!) that's just
something we do in the normal course of business. It doesn't need to be
spelled out in the by-laws, and in fact we're better off if we do not
spell out that stuff. So the answer to your question is Russ and/or
Anna or anybody else is either a Member or they aren't based on their
singing status, irrespective of whether they are on the Board
Now I know there is that issue -- what about someone who only sings
SOMETIMES?? Well, really, is that such a problem? Practicallyt the only
time the membership is going to vote on anything is at the annual
meeting when we elect the Board of Directors. On that day (or any other
day when we needed to take a vote as a body, like we wanted to change
the by-laws), the Members are those who are singing and paid up as of
THEN. All Members can vote. Period. Wouldn't that work?
Thanks.
Rory
On Fri, 14 Aug 2015 11:16:31 -0400, Leigh Mundhenk wrote:
Thanks, Rory. So I assume this means that Russ and Anna would be
non voting members? Or could they choose to be singing members, even if
they only sing with us occasionally?If do, do they have to pay dues
monthly, or just the month they are singing?
Leigh G. Mundhenk, PhD
WorkConcepts
mundhenk@xxxxxxxxx
(207) 772-2550
On Aug 14, 2015 10:06 AM, wrote:
Hi Folks,
I spoke with Russ on the phone. He thinks a lawyer looking at our
bylaws will reject anything that would allow us to lose control over
our organization. This is what he means:
Russ thinks ONLY singing members should be allowed to elect board
members. I.e., voting members MUST BE SINGERS. If we were to allow
ANYONE to vote so long as they paid dues (which was MY IDEA, and I see
now was a bad idea), then a group could easily come in and take over
just by paying their dues and overwhelming the rest of us when it came
time to elect the Board.
THEREFORE, let's make it clear that THE ONLY VOTING MEMBERS (i.e.
board electors) are Singing Members.
OK. So that's from Russ, and I agree if the rest of you do.
So the implication, it seems to me, is that we do not need to define
any other kind of member in the bylaws.
Sure, folks are encouraged to help us, and that includes financially --
either with money as they see fit, or even if they wish to make regular
payments. And we would thank them, and we could even call them "Friends
of Phoenix Chorale." But this is all something that can be decided by
the Board once we are incorporated. There is no need to put any of that
in the by-laws. The by-laws section on PC membership would simply state
that if you join as a singer, then you are a Member, you pay dues
(except for hardship/scholarship situations), and you get to vote in
the elections to the Board. Period. There's no need to formalize any
other relationship we have with folks. The Board can determine that
from time to time, and it may change as we go forward.
Wouldn't that really simplify the whole discussion about organizational
(as opposed to Board) membership?
Rory
