Know the rules

Last weekend my family sat down to play a new game,  Cleopatra And The Society of Architects. In general, I hate games. (I have a terrible time waiting for my turn.)  But this one was pretty cool. It has some interesting strategy twists.
What’s that have to do with bylaws?
My daughter had played the game [...]

Regarding consensus

Over the last hundred years or so, people have been trying to run their meetings using Robert’s Rules of Order. They are designed to efficiently run a meeting but not necessarily to facilitate the making of decisions. They can be cumbersome, so many groups often don’t adhere closely to them.
And, perhaps worse, sometimes people spend [...]

How do I find out what my state requires to form a nonprofit?

I know bylaws. But I don’t know the rules in every state. I just found this great book that has—among other great things—an appendix that lists, state by state, what is required to form a nonprofit organization.
It’s possible that some stuff may be slightly out of date, but at least it tells you where [...]

More on electronic voting

Check out this article by Gene Takagi over at NonProfit Law Blog about board actions by email. While the article is focused on California law, I think the notion of what constitutes a legal digital signature is useful for all.
According to California law, a  digital signature must have all of the following in order to [...]