You and Your League

The Board is the governing body of each League. It is an interdependent team responsible for planning the work of the League as a whole and for carrying out the mandate given it by the membership. It is the President’s job to oversee the discharge of this responsibility. The Board’s decisions should emerge as a synthesis of the contributions of the individual members – and decision by majority governs when unanimity is not possible.

The Board is responsible to the members for any action it takes. To ensure that Board decisions are representative of members’ wishes, it is important for Directors to be in touch with the membership. Members’ opinions can be solicited at membership meetings, through the committees that each Director has established, and through informal contacts, including by phone and e-mail. The Board should also make sure that Board decisions are communicated to the membership through the Bulletin, e-mail, and oral or written reports at meetings. As President, you should make sure that this two-way communication takes place.

Board meeting preparation and Board agendas should include the general plans of each director, but details are up to the committees and should not take up Board time.

Periodically, try to make time to review any priorities which the Board set at the beginning of the year. Schedule an evaluation of the “health” of your League.

The President is usually an ex-officio member of every committee (except Nominating), and therefore you should try to get to committee meetings whenever possible.

If you see a problem developing, bring the matter up at the next board meeting before the emergency arises if you can. In real emergencies you may have to poll your board members by phone and/or e-mail.

“The League shall not support or oppose any political party or any candidate.” ‑ Article II, Section 2, LWVUS Bylaws.

Local League bylaws must conform with the above National League bylaw, but each local League board is responsible for formulating its own guidelines to comply with the intent of the statement. This will include making rules on impartiality during candidate debates and forums, but it also has come to mean that each board must determine what limitations should be placed on board members’ partisan activities.

What limitations does your board think are essential to maintain the League's nonpartisanship?

If your board reviews its nonpartisanship policy annually, early in the League year, it will remind continuing board members of, and acquaint new ones with, their responsibilities regarding partisan political activities. The board can then determine whether the policy still meets its purpose and can make changes as it sees fit.

For a fuller discussion of non-partisanship policies, see Sec. 2 of In League: “Political Yet Non-partisan.” The following is an example of a valid non-partisanship policy, based in part on the policy of the LWV of Wilton, CT.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization and does not support or oppose any political party, candidate for elective office, or office holder. The League may, in the public interest, take action on proposed governmental measures and policies.

The League of Women Voters encourages its members to participate in the political process – whether by running for elected office, working in political campaigns, or taking positions on public issues. However, when members do so, they are acting as individual citizens and not as spokespersons of the League.

Additionally, the Board of the Hometown League has voted to set the following limits on the service of Board members involved in political activity:

1. The Board positions of President, Voter Service Chair, and Action Chair are considered sensitive and require resignation if the office holder chooses to participate in a political campaign for any Hometown position or for any state position directly representing any part of Hometown.

2. Any Board member who runs for partisan political office or who manages a campaign [for any Hometown position or for any state position directly representing any part of Hometown] must resign or seek a leave of absence from the board. The Board [by majority vote] will determine when it is appropriate for the member to return to her Board position.

3. The Board may determine whether any Board member’s involvement in political activities affects the League’s nonpartisan image. If the Board determines that it does, that Board member must resign or seek a leave of absence from the board.

1. The State President, VP-Public Issues, VP-Voter Service and board members with Voter Service portfolio shall not run for any elective office. Other Board members and employees shall not run for state-level elective office but may run for local office after consultation with the State Board and the President of the local League, if serving on the local League Board.

2. No State Board member or staff member shall be a member of the State Central Committee of any party.

3. State Board members other than the President and all Vice Presidents, and staff, may serve on Town Committees but not as a chair.

4. Board members are requested to consult with the Board when considering accepting a position on a state or local board. Staff members are requested to consult with the President or CIT Director as appropriate.

b. make contributions to any local, state or national political campaign or party; nor

6. The Vice President-Public Issues and the vice President-Voter Service and board members with Voter Service portfolios and CIT Director and staff may not:

7. All other Board members should use discretion in attending political fundraising events, making political contributions or making political endorsements.

Not every portfolio needs the same amount of time on the agenda every month. Some portfolios will probably need time every month; others will have brief reports (even if the report is “no new activity”) every month and long reports occasionally. So budget time according to need.

Ask board members to let you know in advance if they need time on the agenda for non-routine matters.

When constructing the agenda you can vary the order of directors' reports from month to month. For example, if the Voter Service Director reported first in September and October, in November you might prefer to schedule Program reports first. Put the most demanding business early in the meeting, or take a break halfway through.

Consult the minutes of the previous month(s). You should make sure that unfinished business is presented for board consideration. At the same time, try to stick to decisions already made: don’t rehash last month’s votes!

You can leave some time at the end of the agenda for possible second thoughts on or review of those decisions which have been difficult to reach. It is also helpful to plan time to recapitulate the Board’s decisions and make sure the responsibilities of each Director are clear. The secretary may be helpful here!

Schedule time to review all major correspondence (incoming and outgoing) with your board.

Stick to the agenda, but be flexible enough to interchange items and adjust times when necessary.

Start your meetings on time. Even if a quorum isn’t present, you can review the minutes, correspondence and/or reports that require no decision from the board.

Keep Moving: If your League sets time limits on the committee chairs’ reports, be sure all board members and committee chairs know those limits before the meeting starts. If you feel that one discussion is going on and on without getting anywhere, you can always postpone further discussion on that question until later in the meeting after some other necessary business has been taken care of.

The Board should follow simple parliamentary procedure so that the meeting progresses easily. Be fair and impartial. Guide discussion, making sure board members stick to the point, but don’t attempt to impose your views on the Board.

Do not permit side discussions. Insist that all remarks are addressed to the Chair so that there is a minimum of confusion.

Assist discussion by stating what, if any, decisions the Board needs to make and what the alternatives may be. As the board finishes each item of business, make it perfectly clear who has the responsibility for the next step and when to report to you or back to the board.

Time at the board meeting should be spent on substantive discussion and final decisions.

“Action Minutes”: Board Minutes are usually taken home by the secretary and are consequently not available to the president immediately following the meeting as a reminder of the jobs to be undertaken. It can help you if the board assigns someone the job of keeping notes of things to be done so that there is a record at the end of the meeting, leaving you free to conduct the session. However, if you don’t have a note-taker, do it yourself. It can be as simple as annotating a spare copy of your agenda with the initials of who’s to follow up on which items.

Send a written agenda and the minutes of the previous board meeting to board members before each board meeting. If possible, include background material on topics for board discussion.

If individual board members write a report before each board meeting, it can help them organize their thoughts, gives them a record, and helps the secretary. You can suggest this if your League doesn’t do it already.

Thorough board orientation gives new board members greater confidence in carrying out their portfolios, and minimizes problems for the board later on. Orientation meetings are most stimulating and effective when their format is original and applies to your local situation. However, certain fundamentals should be covered, including your board’s nonpartisanship policy and any other still-current policies your League may have enacted, board members’ responsibilities, and the role of your non-board League members. An outline for board orientation is available from the LWVCT’s Hamden office (203-288-7996 or lwvct@lwvct.org).

If you are planning a board orientation session, try to hold it as soon as possible after your new board is formed.

You may invite a member of the LWVCT board to attend. In some cases our LWVUS liaison, Carole Reimers, has been able to take a lead role in local board orientation.

Many local League boards feel the responsibility to do everything, but then feel frustrated and even guilty when everything is not done well. Setting priorities can give your board a feeling of greater control over its year’s activities. Picking a priority does not mean that your League will only do that and nothing else — it means that your board will concentrate efforts in the priority area and spend less time on other things. The idea is to focus energies on the critical aspects of a well-functioning League.

It is best to establish priorities as soon as your Board is organized and its members know their own portfolios and the general duties and the board’s responsibilities: possibly during calendar planning time, or early in the fall when the League year is becoming more active.

First, identify your League’s concerns (debates, advocacy/action, membership, finance?). Consider what areas need greater attention in the overall effort to make your League more dynamic and successful. The key elements of any priority setting are:

The President’s real job is to be the guide and coordinator for the entire League, to keep the League’s purpose and meaning before the members and create an atmosphere that is positive, that emphasizes the importance of League program and activities and that demonstrates that League work is exhilarating, challenging and enjoyable.

The basic rules that apply to running a Board meeting apply to running a general membership meeting, with only a few modifications. Specifically:

Send a call to the meeting to every member. If possible, send out a written agenda beforehand; if not possible, have an agenda printed and ready to distribute at the start of the meeting, along with copies of the minutes of the previous general meeting(s).

While it is useful to have a standard format/agenda for general meetings, it is not required. Under special circumstances you may choose to do any of the following:

etc. As long as your stay within your League’s bylaws, Robert’s Rules should be looked at as a guide, not as a straight-jacket.

The Annual Meeting is the time to elect officers, adopt a budget and consider and vote on proposed bylaw amendments; for most Leagues, it is also the time to adopt a program. It is a time to review the accomplishments of the past year, recognize special individual and group efforts, and renew interest in future League activities.

Member participation is the key to a successful Annual Meeting. Through careful timing, planning and coordination, you and your Board can encourage member involvement and help to make the Annual Meeting one of the most productive and exciting meetings of the League year.

Remember that, procedurally, the Annual Meeting is a general meeting, and you have a great deal of leeway in how you organize it. (Sample agendas are included in Appendix C.)

Other Leagues include neighboring local Leagues and the State and National Leagues.

Determine board member responsibility towards State and National – deadlines, reports, minutes, local publications, bylaw changes, board lists, etc. (See the communications guide in Getting Started.) Meet deadlines.

Consider neighboring local Leagues for planning area-wide activity, speakers, joint program coverage, shared transportation to meetings.

Committees from several Leagues get together, share information, plan joint activity, dissolve when purpose is accomplished. No formal organization.

Leagues agree to join together for a common purpose, adopt a regional agreement with State Board approval, select a representative to serve on the Ad Hoc group. Ad Hoc group works on common project; special consensus might be asked for through local Leagues, cooperative action may be directed, Leagues may be assessed for funds needed to achieve purposes. Ad Hoc group selects a chairman, meetings are open to all members in Leagues, but direct member involvement not part of the organization plan.

Leagues in any region may agree to join together for common purpose. Establish some form of representation. Representative body conducts business of group acting as a board. Assess Leagues for purposes of need. Need authorization of majority of Leagues for any action.

Leagues agree to join together, propose formal bylaws (modeled after State bylaws) activate a nominating and bud-get committee, call a convention to adopt bylaws, budget and elect officers and directors. Depending on wishes of Leagues involved and formulation of bylaws, adopt program and coordinate activities in other areas ‑ finance, voters service, etc. This would be an organization of members as are local, state and national Leagues, not an organization of Leagues as the above are.

ILO's are authorized by the National bylaws ‑ Article IV, Sec. 3: Consent of National and State Board must be sought.

Every League has its own schedule. However, some things are relatively constant from League to League and from year to year. Some suggestions:

April, May, or June immediately following your election – Handover, Orientation and Planning the League Year:

Former officers and directors pass along their files to their successors. Every officer and board member should receive a file from her precursor. See that each board member gets her precursor’s file, current publications and communications pertinent to her portfolio, a calendar of important dates, etc. If possible, you should try to be present when a director passes along her files to her successor.

Read the LWVUS President’s Packet and the LWVCT’s Getting Started – if your former president didn’t hand them over to you, order or download new copies. Learn about the general contents of each director’s portfolio, and have some idea of what’s in your files.

Refer to the Communications Guide in Getting Started concerning material to be sent to the state office. Send or check to see that the LWVCT has received:

· Your list of new board members (and any off-board members who should be getting regular communications from the LWVCT office).

Work on preparations for your Annual Meeting according to your bylaw requirements. According to In League, the main emphasis of the Annual Meeting should be your local Program. However, some Leagues do their annual local program planning in a separate meeting and use the Annual Meeting primarily to adopt a budget, elect officers, and recognize the past year’s highlights. Whichever route your League takes, plan a lively presentation.

If your Annual Meeting is also your Program Planning Meeting, make plans for presenting the proposed local Program at the Annual Meeting. Assign Board members to present separate items. (A League must adopt a local Program every year even if it is the same one, unless otherwise stated in the bylaws.) Begin local Program planning. Discuss in your bulletin and at membership meetings how your local Program is chosen and the criteria for choosing, and request suggestions of items from your members. An ad hoc committee to explore Program suggestions can be very helpful.

Ask members through your bulletin and at meetings for suggested nominations. Indicate positions to be filled.

Select delegates to LWVUS Convention (even years) and/or to LWVCT Council (even years) or Convention (odd years).

Have your board consider any recommendations for local Program sent in by voting members and formulate a Program to be proposed.

Have your board discuss the budget committee’s recommendations and agree on the budget to propose to your membership. Discuss proposed bylaw changes. Send any proposed local bylaws changes to the LWVCT for comment, advice and approval.

· The proposed Local Program: Though not usually specified in bylaws, it is in the spirit of League procedure to include in your bulletin any items which have been suggested by members but have not been recommended by the board.

Slate and holdover members may meet prior to the Annual Meeting to make tentative decisions and assignments in the interest of keeping your League operating smoothly.

At your annual meeting: Vote for your Board and Officers. Adopt a budget for the year. If necessary, vote to adopt or reject proposed bylaws changes. If your League uses its Annual Meeting to complete its Program Planning, adopt a Program.

Action – Advocacy. Implementing League program positions or principles by writing letters, making public statements, lobbying legislators, litigation, monitoring, citizen education. A “Call to Action” is an alert that an important issue is at the point where action can be most effective.

Concurrence ‑ Agreement by League members or Boards with a position reached by another League, a resource committee or task force.

Consensus ‑ Member agreement reached through study and discussion of an issue. It describes both the process and the result.

Convention ‑ A biennial meeting at which League delegates elect officers, adopt a budget and choose study and action priorities. Conventions are held at the State level in even-numbered years and at the National level in odd-numbered years.

Council ‑ A biennial meeting of League delegates, held in years between conventions and with a more limited representation, to review program and adopt a budget.

ILO ‑ An Inter-League Organization coordinates the activities of a group of Leagues with shared interests within a county, metropolitan area or region. ILOS adopt bylaws, hold conventions, elect officers and directors, choose program and approve a budget.

MAL — A Member-at-Large is someone who is enrolled in and pays dues to the State and National Leagues, but can reside within a local League area. MALs receive selected publications, including the state and national VOTER.

Observer Corps ‑ League members who attend and report on meetings of local community Boards, Commissions and committees.

PMP ‑ The Per-Member-Payment is the amount which a local League pays to the State and National Leagues for each of its members to cover the cost of services to local Leagues and members. The PMP is set at the biennial Conventions.

Position ‑ The League’s point of view on a governmental issue. A position is determined through consensus, concurrence or application of the League’s principles.

Program ‑ Those issues chosen by the members for study and action at each level of the League.

Board Report ‑ The State Board Report is the major vehicle of communication between Officers and Directors of the LWVCT and their counterparts in local Leagues. It is e-mailed to local League Boards monthly, usually within a week of each state Board meeting.

SIR ‑ The LWVCT Symposium on International Relations, a conference usually held in March or April.

Total Board Responsibility ‑ The cooperative approach to board operation which requires the active participation of all board members in those key areas which will advance the League’s goals, such as policy oversight, membership recruitment and retention, program (voters service, study, action, education) and financing the organization.

Voters Service ‑ The activities which provide nonpartisan, factual information to citizens to make them politically aware and effective. This includes activities in connection with registration, voting, publication of community information, etc.

To Do This	You Say This	May You Interrupt Speaker?	Must You Be Seconded?	Is the Motion Debatable?	What Vote Is Required?
Adjourn the meeting	I move that we adjourn.	No	Yes	No	Majority
Recess the meeting	I move that we recess until ...	No	Yes	No	Majority
Complain about noise, room temperature, etc.	Point of privilege.	Yes	No	No	No Vote
Suspend further consideration of something	I move we table it.	No	Yes	No	Majority
End debate	I move that the previous question…	No	Yes	No	2/3 Vote
Postpone consideration of something	I move we postpone this matter until…	No	Yes	Yes	Majority
Have something studied further	I move we refer this to a committee.	No	Yes	Yes	Majority
Amend a motion	I move to amend this motion…	No	Yes	Yes	Majority
Introduce business (a primary motion)	I move that…	No	Yes	Yes	Majority
Object to procedure or to personal affront	Point of order.	Yes	No	No	No vote: Chair decides
Request information	Point of information.	Yes	No	No	No vote
Ask for a vote count to verify a voice vote	I call for a division of the house.	No	No	No	No vote
Object to considering some matter	I object to consideration of this.	Yes	No	No	2/3 vote
Take up a previously tabled…	I move to take from the table…	No	Yes	No	Majority
Reconsider something already disposed of	I move we reconsider action on...	Yes	Yes	Yes	Majority
Consider something not in scheduled order	I move we suspend the rules and…	No	Yes	No	2/3 vote
Vote on a ruling by the chair	I appeal the chair's decision.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Majority

Source: the “Building Better Boards” project, Colorado Mountain College, 1982.

You and Your League

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