How non-profit corporations work

Jane McGary via pbs pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net
Sat, 12 Aug 2023 18:31:32 PDT
Leo has correctly characterized the election of PBS officers, according 
to the Bylaws:

"_Section 4. _Officers shall be elected by the general membership.The 
terms of office shall be two years with the term beginning January 1 of 
each even-numbered year.If an officer cannot complete his/her term of 
office, the President, with the approval of the Board, shall appoint a 
replacement to complete the term."

The Bylaws do not, however, give any guidance as to how such an election 
takes place. The only point at which PBS is in contact with all current 
members is the Bulb Garden newsletter, which is printed and mailed. In 
order to present the slate of candidates to the entire membership, it 
would be necessary to announce it to members in the newsletter. It could 
not be announced on the email discussion list, nor on the website's 
forum, because not all current members have chosen to receive these 
communications, even though they have been encouraged to participate in 
the forum. We will discuss possible procedures at the main Board meeting 
on August 19.

Furthermore, the PBS Bylaws do not provide for a "general meeting," 
owing to the diffuse geographical nature of the membership. At one time 
the North American Rock Garden Society followed that pattern, conducting 
an election at the annual meeting; I'm not sure what they do now, 
although I have been a NARGS member since 1977 and have held various 
positions.

There are services available online which offer organizations the 
opportunity to conduct polls, and it seems that they might also work for 
an election. It would be the duty of the members to visit a specified 
site in order to vote. I don't know how many would bother, but I didn't 
get much help when I asked for feedback while editing the NARGS journal 
for ten years.

I still don't have anyone committed to participating in the nominating 
committee. Please contact me if you wish to help with this. Members of 
the nominating committee can recruit candidates themselves, or they can 
receive nominations from any current members. Nominations should be 
accompanied by the agreement of the nominee to serve, and a brief resume 
of her or his qualifications. If you are not willing to serve on the 
committee but wish to nominate someone else, please direct that to me 
<janemcgary@earthlink.net>, NOT TO THIS LIST. Both the nominator and the 
nominee must be current members.

To clarify the present situation, the "officers" are the president, vice 
president, secretary, and treasurer. The board also includes several 
"directors," who have been chosen to expand geographical coverage, and 
several "managers"; the managers are the people who run the various 
exchanges, the editor of the Bulb Garden, and the membership 
coordinator, myself. The only people on the board who receive any 
payment are the BG editor and the treasurer, and they don't get much. In 
addition to these people, there is a group that manages the website and 
the wonderful PBS wiki. Only the officers will be up for election this 
fall. The current vice president, secretary, and treasurer have 
indicated they are willing to run for a new term. The president is 
leaving and we need to identify a new candidate, or several candidates, 
for that position, which is a crucial one.

SIncerely, Jane McGary, Membership Coordinator



On 8/12/2023 1:06 PM, oooOIOooo via pbs wrote:
> Most organizations have various board members seek out people to run - the nominating committee. Because running a corporation is complex, laws must be followed, and individual board members are financially and legally responsible for ensuring it is run properly, it can be difficult to find people willing to devote the time and attention to doing so. That's why boards of established tax-exempt corporations generally like to vet candidates fully. The board is all in this together.
>
> The nominating committee usually presents its slate to the membership at a general meeting. Nominations are usually open from the general membership. Then the election is held.
>
> A nominating committee spends most of its time begging people to serve. It's not an insular clique; it's difficult to find people to run.
>
> Unfortunately my life is still too disrupted with work and family issues to consider serving on the board. I feel badly about this because I would like to give back.
>
> Leo Martin
> Phoenix Arizona USA
> Zone 9?
>
> Sent with Proton Mail secure email.
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