- Is it okay to not allow members to have a vote pertaining to the decisions of the homeschool board?
- Can the by-laws be set up to allow suggestions and recommendations from the members at the approval of the board?
- Also, is it legal to initially appoint a board without a vote and then fill vacancies at the discretion of the established board?
Misty,
You have asked several good questions. Your group is fortunate to have you as a co-director.
Yes, it is OK to not allow members to vote; I have been on several nonprofit boards that do not have members vote.
Yes, you can set up your bylaws to allow final approval of ideas to be a board responsibility. You may establish a practice of considering suggestions and recommendations; you may not need to formalize the practice in the bylaws.
Yes, you can appoint a board without a member vote. This is done quite frequently on nonprofit boards, especially fine arts boards (i.e., art museums, symphonies, ballets, etc). Many boards find their own members from interested members, volunteers or patrons.
As a guideline, your board should remember their fiduciary duty (duty of care and duty of loyalty) to manage the funds with the purpose/mission of the organization in mind and not for private gain or benefit.
The board’s job is
- “to provide for fiscal accountability,
- approve the budget, and
- formulate policies”
(from “Major Duties of Board of Directors),”
In other words, think first of what is best for the organization.
I hope that helps!
Carol Topp, CPA