Fellow members:
This post is to propose and request a serious vote of the membership. Respectfully hear me out.
A member has requested to have a formal list of the names of current members, and perhaps their email addresses as well. The stated purpose for this request seems benign, or perhaps may not, but that is not the point.
One would think this is an innocent and reasonable request, yes? Or is this YOUR personal information that we should protect? What do you say?
As your treasurer, per the bylaws, I have certain fiduciary responsibilities which I take very seriously. Our bylaws state that our organization keep current and correct records, which we strive to do. They further state that any member of the corporation has the specific right to examine and make copies of the records of accounts, minutes, and corporate records. Within the leadership, I have reviewed the text of the bylaws. In my reading, the bylaws do not provide guidance to explicitly allow or deny disclosure of the membership names and personal information. I see this as an error of omission that requires correction.
Past consideration within the leadership to publicly post such information has been overruled by privacy considerations; even though the meeting minutes and mailing list posts already reveal some of this information for some members. It has been suggested that formally withholding this information seems petty, like we are a secret organization, which we are not.
Therefore, this post is to address this question by requesting a vote of the membership for one of two choices, A or B.
Choice A - The membership votes to explicitly authorize release of the list of ALL current member names and email contact information upon the formal request of any member. The liability waiver form is to be edited to reflect that this information can be released upon a member request. The bylaws are to be edited to this effect.
Choice B - The membership votes to implement a general policy to respect the privacy rights of individual members. The liability waiver form is to be edited to include a personal privacy clause. The signer/member must check a box and sign to OPT-IN and override the general privacy policy. Checking the box authorizes the release of their individual name and email address in response to a member request. For members who do not check the box to OPT-IN, their personal information will be redacted in any released information in response to member requests. The bylaws are to be edited to this effect.
Since the current liability waiver will be updated in either case, current members shall be required to re-affirm their membership by signing the updated form and then signing the in-effect form on an annual basis to keep their membership current and in good standing. This A/B vote is to be conducted in a special meeting, requiring a quorum of 50% of total membership. The meeting shall take place on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 at 7:30 pm.
Thank you for thoughtfully considering this requested vote.
Jim Dallam
Treasurer and Registered Agent
Sad Bee, Inc. d.b.a. Hive13