Nonprofit BYlaw Reviews
Discover how our Nonprofit Bylaw Review process will ensure your organization’s bylaws are up to date and in compliance with provincial and federal requirements.
WHY UPDATE YOUR BYLAWS?
Chances are your bylaws are outdated. They probably haven’t been reviewed in years, still reference outdated technology like fax machines, use the word ‘he’ throughout, and don’t reflect the latest provincial and federal requirements. That’s why it’s necessary to review and update your bylaws on a regular basis.
With a fully updated set of bylaws, your organization should be able to easily answer questions like “how do we remove a board member?”, “how often shall we meet as a board?”, “how do we deal with unexpected vacancies on the board?”, “what are best practices for terms of director positions?”, “how large or small should our board be?” among other necessities.
A well-executed bylaw review also removes outdated wording and procedures and implements a consistent tone and use of words throughout.
WHY NPOS CHOOSE AMC TO CONDUCT BYLAW REVIEWS?
Organizations engage AMC for Nonprofit Bylaw Reviews because we’re nonprofit specialists, having worked with over 450 organizations across Canada since 1987.
We update the bylaws of multiple nonprofits every year, so you can be sure that we’re up to date on the latest requirements, regulations and evolutions when it comes to bylaws.
Here are the top 4 reasons NPOs choose AMC:
- TRUSTED BY NPOS ACROSS INDUSTRIES
- HIGHLY QUALIFIED CONSULTANTS
- GOVERNANCE SPECIALISTS
The purpose of your nonprofit bylaws is to ensure you guide the board’s actions and decisions in a meaningful and valuable way.
Bylaws are put in place to protect the nonprofit organization’s future from potential issues by setting clear guidelines and rules about authority rights and expectations amongst the board and employees.
KNOW WHEN IT'S TIME TO UPDATE YOUR BYLAWS
Here are clear indicators it’s time to update your bylaws:
- Unsure if your bylaws comply with provincial and federal requirements
- Don’t know when your bylaws were last updated
- Bylaws still reference outdated technology or terminology
- Instead of being a helpful tool, they are getting in the way or holding your back
Although there is no official standard on reviewing your bylaws, every two years is the recommended benchmark for ensuring they accurately reflect the organization’s inner workings and remain relevant to what you’re trying to achieve.
ONCA COMPLIANT BYLAWS
With the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (“ONCA”) coming into affect, all nonprofits incorporated in Ontario, Canada need to comply by October 18, 2024. Have AMC update your bylaws to be ONCA compliant.
AMC'S BYLAW REVIEW PROCESS
To get the best results from a bylaw review, we start with a detailed consultation to understand the needs and current situation of the organization, then proceed to give our recommendations based on modern best practices and the latest compliance with provincial and federal regulations.
Intake Review & Audit
Our initial consultation is an audit. It allows us to understand the needs and advancements in your organization so we can help update the bylaws to reflect your current and growing needs.
At this stage, we’re looking to see if there’s anything that should or shouldn’t be included in your bylaws alongside the consistency of nomenclature, terms of office and much more.
Recommendations
Next, we offer our recommendations on how to update your bylaws. We do so by providing organizations with customized advice and support to implement changes.
Many organizations engage AMC because we’ve seen hundreds, if not thousands, of bylaws over the last 35 years – so we know precisely what they should include.
Final Report
Lastly, we deliver a final report with recommendations for updating bylaws for modernization and compliance in an easy to follow format that allows board members to see and approve the changes we recommend.
Consultants across Canada
AMC proudly serves the Canadian nonprofit community with nonprofit consultants across Canada in all major cities like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton as well as small towns in all provinces. Our nonprofit consultants range in expertise from indigenous council to charities and associations and we have facilitators that speak English and French. Our team is here to support and empower nonprofits with the knowledge, expertise, and resources necessary to elevate them to the next level.
OUR CLIENTS
update your organization's bylaws to meet governing standards
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