Size and Election of National Board: Proposal Three

THESE PROPOSALS ARE TO DISCUSS CONCEPTS ONLY.  ACTUAL LANGUAGE WILL BE DRAFTED AT A LATER TIME.

Watch the webinar recording for Number of National Officers and Size & Election of National Board.  

We encourage you to use the PowerPoint presented at the webinar and the Structure Modernization Discussion Guide to help facilitate conversations in your networks.  

 Regional Directors as Steering Committee:

  • Keep existing 9 regions, but larger delegation from larger regions, for total of 27-40 board members. Keep affirmative action rules.
  • Steering Committee of Board = 9 regional directors
  • President may appoint up to 4 additional Steering Comm. members from Board to ensure racial / ethnic diversity
  • Board members elected at national conference
  • Whole Board meets at least once per year, sets annual strategic direction of NOW, presents plan for voting at National Conference
  • Steering Comm. of Board performs fiduciary responsibilities & fundraising, meets several times per year (in-person or online).

Posting Instructions

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7 thoughts on “Size and Election of National Board: Proposal Three”

  1. I find the suggestion to have voting of Board members at national conference to be “white privilege.” It allows those people who can afford to come to conference to have more opportunity.

    Marian Bradley
    NW Regional Director

    Liked by 1 person

    • Bravo, Marian. It’s not just “white privilege” though. A lot of us old white women can’t afford a trip to the Conference every year.

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  3. The current proposed by laws changes do not address what I see as the real problem—that a minority of the organization makes decisions for the whole. The proposal to have national board members chosen at national conferences, rather than at regional conferences, further concentrates power in the hands of those who can attend national conferences.

    Many veteran members have made enormous contributions to NOW and they make up a large proportion of attendees at national conferences. Because voting rights are linked to attendance at national conferences, younger members –who are less likely to have time and resources for travel– are not at the conferences at which officers are elected and major resolutions, such as the proposed by laws changes, are passed.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. I also think it’s a bad idea for the President to be allowed to appoint 4 more members to an elected body of 9 Steering Committee (regional directors), for a total of 13 members. Why not just allow the 4 largest regions to elect 1 more member each (to ensure racial / ethnic diversity in their regions)?

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  5. I don’t like this one. It gives populous states more influence on the board at the expense of the smaller states that may have different, and possibly even better, ideas.

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    • As long as there is a minimum number from each region, it’s only fair for the larger regions to have more representatives. They have more members. I am speaking from the perspective of a geographically large region with a small membership.

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