I assume this is not a "management" board but one that delegates to paid
staff (or even volunteer committees):

1:  Membership growth seems helpful, does it not?  If there are only 50
members in the society, it seems the board should be encouraged to increase
that number.  Therefore, the larger the board, the better.  I'd say 15 is a
good number, on rotating terms of three years each, but that's my view.

2.  Proxy voting is not allowed in our bylaws.  I have never known it to
work anywhere else, at least beneficially.  It is a "power thing."

3.  Bylaws should provide for an executive committee (officers alone) with
authority to act on behalf of the board (between meetings, etc.)  Is there a
reason why the board meets monthly instead of quarterly, or every other
month?  The executive committee should have the job of discouraging personal
agendas and other fractious things that always arise.  If the statement of
purpose (usually in bylaws) is clear, and there is a plan to carry it out,
anything else belongs on the back burner for consideration at another time.

Just my reaction, from a regional museum located in a community of 5,000

Ross Weeks Jr.
Historic Crab Orchard Museum & Pioneer Park
Tazewell, Va.
http://histcrab.netscope.net

----- Original Message -----
From: "Lauraine Armstrong" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, July 26, 2002 4:08 PM
Subject: writing new bylaws - anything you'd avoid or include?


> We are about to undertake the writing of new bylaws for the society that
> governs our museum. Two board members are the committee and I have been
> directed to draft new bylaws for them to review.
>
> I have our existing bylaws, sample bylaws, guidelines for museum
> trustees, governance websites, a couple of books of parliamentary
> procedure... but I'd welcome some words of experience.
>
> 1- How many directors on the board? We started with 5 thirty years ago,
> officially have 11 now, but sort of have 14 because of some ambiguity in
> the wording of our bylaws. The local population is about 2,500 (yes, two
> thousand five hundred) and membership in the society has rarely exceeded
> 50 people. In reviewing old minutes, it looks like 7 to 9 was good and
> after that they had trouble getting everyone out to monthly meetings.
>
> 2 - Do you allow proxy voting, either at general meetings or at board
> meetings? If yes, is there a limit on how many proxy votes one
> individual can "bring" to the meeting and if Sally (a board member)
> comes to the meeting with a proxy vote does she count as 1 person or 2
> for quorum purposes?
>
> 3 - Dealing with a fractious board or board members who seem intent on
> thwarting the work of the society (that won't land me in prison).
>
> Many thanks in advance
>
> --
> Lauraine Armstrong
> Curator of Collections
>
> Northern Life Museum   tel: 867-872-2859
> PO Box 420    fax: 867-872-5808
> Fort Smith NT X0E 0P0
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> "If people concentrated on the really important things in life - there'd
> be a shortage of fishing poles." Doug Larson
>
> =========================================================
> Important Subscriber Information:
>
> The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message
to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help"
(without the quotes).
>
> If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
[log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff
Museum-L" (without the quotes).

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).