Board Votes to Amend National Bylaws

Five years ago, the Guild expanded the national Board of Directors from four Officers to nine. Our next evolution, in 2018, includes even more national leaders by reorganizing our National Council of Chapters into a 15-person advisory board and allowing the Board of Directors to appoint its Officers. This new model, we’re calling Governance 3.0, is based on a number of shared values.

Collaborative Leadership. The first value moves us from competitive to collaborative leadership. Every year, our election process leaves good leaders on the sidelines by running one against another for one position. Now, top candidates run for open Board seats and top vote earners move onto the Board, while other candidates may be asked to serve on committees or other officer positions. We shouldn’t turn good people away from volunteering based on popularity!

Increased Accountability. Members will elect Directors to the Board, and then Directors will select Officers annually and hold those Officers accountable. The Board can dismiss an Officer in case of controversy or involvement in a sensitive or complex issue, and the Board may now suspend member privileges during an investigation into inappropriate conduct.

Continuity of Leadership. The new model will establish 3-year leadership terms (from 2-year) to recruit leaders who will focus on long-term success rather than short-term issues. The Board will turn over one-third at a time, so the majority of Directors will always have at least one year of experience and help put a stop to the “brain drain” we experience every two years.

Open Process. Governance 3.0 started with the recognition of “Planning for the Future” as a primary Board objective in early 2017. A nonprofit leadership facilitator then led us through a planning session with chapter leaders at the 2017 National Leadership Conference. There, we learned Chapter Leaders wanted more structure to achieve greater success. The Board advanced a discussion draft of the bylaws at the January 2018 Board Retreat and shared the new organizational model with all Chapter Leaders in February 2018. Live discussions were held at Regional Conferences in April and May. Chapter Leaders received the final draft of national Bylaws in July, and the amendment was adopted on August 10, 2018.

Summary. The 5 biggest changes to the National Bylaws are:

• The Board of Directors will elect and hold national Officers accountable
• The National Council of Chapters has been reorganized as a formal advisory board representing chapter interests
• Three elected Regional Council Representatives per region will replace the Regional Vice Presidents, and Regional Councils are formally recognized to support the needs of chapter leaders
• Board will turn over one-third (1/3) each year Membership privileges can be suspended during investigations

Read the new Bylaws and Executive Summary of the Amendments here:

Link to new Bylaws and Summary of Changes