Bylaws: The “Constitution” of Nonprofits – The Art and Science of Making Them Work

Bylaws: The “Constitution” of Nonprofits – The Art and Science of Making Them Work

Wednesday, January 15 | 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM | Webinar

Presented by: Don Kramer, Esq., Of Counsel, Montgomery McCracken, and Editor, Nonprofit Issues

Featuring as a Panelist: Tish Mogan, Standards for Excellence Consultant, PANO

Moderated by: Ashley Tobin, Standards for Excellence Director, PANO

Offered in Partnership with: Nonprofit Issues

*CPE & CLE credits are available for this program for accountants and lawyers; to receive credit you must REGISTER HERE via Nonprofit Issues website.

Very few people bother to look at their nonprofit bylaws – until they want to take some unusual action or there is a dispute.

And that’s when you need bylaws that work! Not bylaws that…

• Are open to several interpretations
• Describe the way things used to be done
• Fail to cover key power issues

Instead, your bylaws should set out clear roles and responsibilities so that people can understand how to proceed, without litigation.

There is both art and science in drafting nonprofit bylaws that work. Well-written bylaws help shape power relationships within a nonprofit organization, provide unambiguous procedures to prevent disputes, and reduce the risks of litigation. They are the “Constitution” of a nonprofit corporation. They should provide answers, not raise questions.

This webinar will answer your questions and leave you with confidence in being able to recognize a workable set of governing instruments, including:

• The relationship to articles of incorporation
• Whether you should be a “membership” organization
• Whether your bylaws answer the question: "whose organization, is it?
• How to deal with ex officio directors
• How to deal with term limits
• How to deal with board committees
• The critical issues in removal clauses

In a line-by-line review of sample articles of incorporation and bylaws, you will learn how to avoid aspirational language, inconsistent language, passive tense, and ambiguities. Participants can raise their questions for immediate answers.

You will take home our most popular Ready Reference Pages on articles of incorporation and bylaws, "annotated" with explanatory comments and sample forms that work! Plus, attendees of this program will be eligible for a discounted bylaw review session with Don Kramer.

*CPE & CLE credits are available for this program for accountants and lawyers; to receive credit you must REGISTER HERE via Nonprofit Issues website.

Single Login Cost:
$45 per person for PANO Members | $100 per person for Not-Yet Members

Terms of Participation
Your purchase entitles you to a single login. Please do not share the login information with others, as it may interfere with your ability to join. If multiple individuals from your organization would like to view the webinar, please purchase separate tickets for each person or consider a group screening ticket (below).

Group Screening Cost (4-10 individuals):
$150 per group for PANO Members | $333 per group for Not-Yet Members

Terms of Participation
If you have 4-10 individuals interested in viewing the webinar, please have one person register selecting the group ticket. You can then enter the names and email addresses of up to 10 individuals to add to your group ticket.

This option makes the most sense when you have 4-10 individuals interested in viewing the webinar. For fewer than 4 attendees, a single login ticket for each person is the most cost-effective option. For more than 10 attendees, please email Christina at christina@pano.org to discuss options.

Materials & Login/Call-In Instructions:
Materials (PowerPoint and other handouts), along with instructions on how to login and call-in, will be emailed to attendees a few days prior to the date of the webinar. PANO uses Zoom as our webinar platform; you can familiarize yourself with Zoom and/or join a test meeting prior to these sessions.

Can’t attend? All webinar registrants will receive a recording of the webinar following the live session!

What Past Participants Have to Say:

• Excellent, event for those who are Bylaws-savvy.
• I got what I needed to proceed with change and revisions.
• Well-paced. Excellent speaker and materials.
• The sample bylaws are SO helpful.
• I have been involved in revising our bylaws for the last year. I wish I had this [webinar] a year ago!
• Exactly what I hoped, with added emphasis on keeping it simple, non-detailed, and ‘timeless’.

About the Facilitators

Donald W. Kramer, Esq., Nonprofit Issues & Montgomery McCracken

Donald W. Kramer serves as chair of Montgomery McCracken’s Nonprofit practice group. Don has more than 45 years of experience dealing with the concerns of nonprofit organizations, not only as a lawyer, but also as a teacher, writer, publisher, and board member.

He has worked with nonprofits of all types and sizes, helping structure startup situations and restructure multiorganizational health and educational systems. He counsels on a wide range of nonprofit corporate structure and governance, private and community foundations, continuing care retirement communities, exempt organization taxation, low-income housing tax credit transactions, real estate, charitable giving, and other nonprofit issues.

Don serves as the editor and publisher of Don Kramer’s Nonprofit Issues®, a national newsletter of “Nonprofit Law You Need to Know,” which he founded in 1989.

Prior to joining Montgomery McCracken in 1972, Don served as deputy development coordinator and assistant to the mayor of Philadelphia. Learn more about Don here.