Bylaws Update

In October, the PEAK board of directors approved changes to our bylaws in an effort to streamline language, ensure consistency, and best position PEAK for the future.

The board was empowered to make these changes after the membership in 2019 voted to allow our bylaws to be updated by the board, rather than the full membership, in 2019. Changes of note include

• allowing the staff leadership to determine the PEAK’s principal office location;
• adding in-depth language on conflicts of interest;
• establishing July 31 as the formal end date of board terms;
• permitting board members to participate, send notifications, and vote virtually;
• expanding membership eligibility to students, faculty, and staff at accredited universities or research institutions whose primary focus is philanthropy; and
• aligning board committee language in the bylaws with the language used in the committee charters.

The board also conveyed voting rights to Consultant Members. Consultants are valued thought partners, volunteers, and contributors to PEAK’s work, and have been paying member dues since 2019. However, as previously directed by our bylaws, consultants were not voting members and therefore unable to sit on our board of directors, be a chapter volunteer officer, or vote in our elections. As PEAK looks to design its next chapter, this felt like the ideal time to close this gap and ensure we’re supporting more contributors to this sector to be more active in our community.

On January 19, PEAK is hosting a Consultant Member Town Hall to invite feedback, discuss ways to best engage with the PEAK community as a Consultant Member, and brainstorm how we can continue to collectively embed the Principles for Peak Grantmaking in our shared work with members and clients.

Read our updated bylaws.

Read our revised committee charters, which include guidance on recruiting non-board members to committees.