Consistent board meeting attendance is vital for ensuring effective governance and informed decision-making. Here's a sample board attendance policy you can use to develop your own.
Purpose
This policy was developed with the recognition that Board membership is voluntary and that individual members contribute their time and energy in different ways. However, because Board meetings are the only forum during which the Board can discuss and vote on major organizational policies and decisions, attendance at these meetings carries a special importance. All Board members will receive a copy of this policy to ensure that everyone is properly informed about the expectations for Board attendance.
Definitions
“Notified” Absence: For an absence to be a “notified” absence, a Board member must notify the person running the meeting (usually the Chair or Vice-Chair) by 12:00 pm the day of the meeting that he/she will be absent.
“Un-notified” Absence: For an absence to be an “un-notified” absence, a Board member failed to notify the person running the meeting (usually the Chair or Vice-Chair) by 12:00 pm the day of the meeting that he/she will be absent.
Board Attendance Problem
If any of the following conditions exist, it is considered a Board attendance problem:
- The member has two “un-notified” absences in a row.
- The member has two “notified” absences in a row.
- The member misses one-quarter of the total number of Board meetings during one of their term years.
Remote Participation
Board members are allowed to participate remotely with prior permission of the chair. Such participation is not considered attendance for the purposes of this policy and remote participants shall not be allowed to vote.
Process for Responding to a Board Attendance Problem
The Board Secretary will keep track of Board member attendance through the Board meeting minutes and will provide this information to the Chair. The Chair will directly contact a Board member who is at risk of potentially violating the policy to issue both a verbal and written warning as well as discuss the problem. If a Board member does violate the policy, the Chair will bring this to the attention of the Board for discussion, after which point a majority vote will be held to determine possible termination from the Board.
Updated