Q: What are your board participation policies (i.e., attendance policies, speaking policies, and so forth)?

Q: What are your board participation policies (i.e., attendance policies, speaking policies, and so forth)?

NAA publishes a notice, Announce Your Candidacy for Office in 2005, for example, in our official association publication five months prior to the annual meeting and election. In this notice we stipulate "mandatory service of directors" in order to run for the various positions. In addition, candidates must submit specific information about themselves along with the minimum 75-word answer to seven industry-relevant questions. The answers are then published in a later issue of the association publication with the candidates' profiles and pictures. We ensure that each candidate knows exactly what is expected of him or her well in advance of being elected. As a result, volunteer leaders' participation is outstanding. We have had only one board member miss a meeting in the past five years. We have four board meetings each year and have 18 board members. They are active, engaged, and involved.

Robert A. Shively, CAE CEO, National Auctioneers Association, Overland Park, Kansas; [e-mail]

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We have no attendance policy and almost never have a board member miss a board meeting. Possibly this is because board members must run for election, so they take their roles very seriously and go out of their way to be responsible. We have a policy that only the president (chief elected officer) and executive director (chief staff executive) are permitted to speak for the association. We also have policies mandating the disclosure of conflicts of interest and mandating the disclosure of personal or professional actions that could adversely affect the association. We even have a policy on monitoring such adverse actions. These adverse actions might include a lawsuit filed against a board member or an accusation filed by the licensing board against a board member. The logic is that if and when such an action comes to light, it casts a negative impression of the association. Obviously, these policies come about as a result of undesirable or embarrassing situations.

Mary Riemersma, CAE Executive Director, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, San Diego; [e-mail]

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We appreciate as much board participation as possible in helping to define all of our clients' annual goals and strategic plans. As such, the majority of our client bylaws contain sections to ensure board participation. Specifically, the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association's bylaws state that a board member who does not participate in two consecutive meetings is considered to have resigned from the board. Of course there are procedures to follow when this situation occurs that include allowing the board member to indicate his or her reasons for not participating. All relevant information is provided to the entire board for their review and vote on whether to remove the board member for nonparticipation.

In addition, we discourage board members from getting involved in the nitty-gritty of everyday management, which keeps them motivated and enables them to use their industry expertise to benefit their associations.

Laura E. Shelton Vice President, Washington Policy Associates, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia; [e-mail]

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We take great precautions to ensure that board members do not cross the line with regard to personal business interests, receiving special benefits, and conflicts of interest. We want members to view the board as an autonomous body serving the membership, not an insider's club reaping special favors based on their position. For example, we will not contract with a board member or his or her company to provide services to the association such as planning facilitation, janitorial services, or Web site development. If a board member misses three consecutive meetings or more than half the meetings in a year, the member may be expelled by a majority vote of the board. If a board member is asked to speak at a conference, we typically waive registration fees and pay one night's lodging. We have asked individual board members to abstain from voting on matters that in any way could be perceived as accruing to their benefit. Members new to the board receive written policies and procedures outlining how each of these situations will be addressed.

Donnelly K. Eurich, CAE President, Eurich Management Services, LLC, Lansing, Michigan; [e-mail]

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