Governance & Operations | Alumni Association of the University of Michigan                       

To function effectively, all clubs should adopt a set of bylaws and submit them to the Association for review. Club bylaws provide the basic rules for conducting the club's business and affairs (a "road map"); outline the expectations for club volunteers, including the duration of their terms on the club board; and legitimize that volunteers are working for the club in an official capacity for insurance and other purposes.

A club may also have articles of association, an instrument under which the club was organized, and the bylaws and articles may reference or incorporate each other.

Template: If your club has not yet adopted bylaws or is looking to revise its bylaws, the Association has developed model club bylaws (.doc) (.pdf) we recommend you use.

Leadership & Committee Descriptions: We recommend your club be led by at least four elected officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. If there are sufficient volunteers, we also recommend your club establish a board of directors and committees devoted to specific functions or tasks. Please see our model club bylaws (.doc) (.pdf) for sample club officer, director, and committee descriptions.

The Association strongly recommends each club's bylaws include provisions:

• Requiring all club board members and officers be dues-paying Association members during the tenure of their term; and
• Establishing term limits for club board members and officers, including that no president shall serve more than - at most - four (4) consecutive years.

Clubs are encouraged to review their bylaws on an annual basis to determine whether revisions are desirable or necessary.

If your club has its own 501(c)(3) designation, we suggest that someone with knowledge of that provision of the Internal Revenue Code review your club's bylaws to ensure they are in compliance with the laws, rules, and regulations governing non-profit organizations.

For all questions relating to your club's bylaws, including interpretation, enforcement, and revision of the bylaws, contact a member of the Association's global engagement team.