Board Attendance Policy (Sample)

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    Board Attendance Policy (Sample)

    © Copyright Carter
    McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC
    . Also see Carter’s
    Board Blog (for for-profits and nonprofits).

    This policy is a sample that should be modified to suit
    the nature and needs of the corporation.

    Purpose
    This policy is intended to support full contribution of all board
    members. All board members receive a copy of this official policy.
    The policy is reviewed once a year and maintained in each member’s
    Board Manual. The policy has been reviewed and authorized by the
    board (see signature and date below).

    Definition of a Board Attendance Problem
    A board-attendance problem occurs if any of the following conditions
    exist in regard to a board member’s attendance to board meetings:
    1. The member has two un-notified absences in a row (“un-notified”
    means the member did not call ahead to a reasonable contact in
    the organization before the upcoming meeting to indicate they
    would be gone from the upcoming meeting).
    2. The member has three notified absences in a row.
    3. The member misses one third of the total number of board meetings
    in a twelve-month period.

    Suggested Response to a Board-Attendance Problem
    If a board-attendance problem exists regarding a member, the Board
    Chair will promptly contact the member to discuss the problem.
    The member’s response will promptly be shared by the Chair
    with the entire board at the next board meeting. In that meeting,
    the board will decide what actions to take regarding the board
    member’s future membership on the board. If the board decides
    to terminate the board member’s membership, termination will
    be conducted per this policy (or the process may specified in
    the organization’s bylaws). The board will promptly initiate
    a process to begin recruiting a new board member.

    (For example, the termination process might include that the
    Board Chair will call the member with the board-attendance problem
    and notify him or her of the board’s decision to terminate
    the member’s membership per the terms of the Board Attendance
    Policy. The Chair will request a letter of resignation from the
    member to be received within the next two weeks. The Chair will
    also request the member to return their board manual back to the
    agency by dropping it off at a specified location over the next
    two weeks. The board will vote regarding acceptance of the member’s
    resignation letter in the next board meeting.)

    Board Chair’s Signature Indicating Board Authorization
    _____________ Date _________

    (Board Policy Last Revised: [insert date!!])

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