Termination of Membership

Discipline and Termination

Occasionally a club’s positive and supportive environment may be disrupted by the actions of one of its members. Often when the disruption continues, the club suffers. The positive, enjoyable environment disappears. Members’ progress is slowed. Some members may even drop out. When this happens, your club may wish to take action.

First, the club president and/or other members of the executive committee should discuss the problem privately with the disruptive member and encourage him or her to help maintain the club’s positive atmosphere. The club should try to rectify the situation before taking steps to discipline or terminate the membership of a member. If the member’s behavior doesn’t improve, your club may wish to ask the person to resign or to proceed with disciplinary action, including terminating the person’s membership.

The procedure can be handled by either the club executive committee or by the entire club membership. The club executive committee should determine, by majority vote, if the disciplinary procedure will take place at the club executive committee level or at the club membership level. Even if your club hasn’t voted a member in (which is a requirement of the Club Constitution), it can still vote a member out or discipline a member by following the procedure outlined below.

If handled by the club executive committee, this procedure should be followed:

  1. Recommendation of membership discipline/termination by a majority vote of the club executive committee.
  2. Written notice of the proposed action and reason(s) therefore to the member.
  3. Opportunity for the member to respond, orally or in writing, to the charges within 15 days after notification. If requested by the member, the club executive committee will give the member an opportunity to appear before the committee to discuss the issue. If the member chooses to appear, he or she will be notified of the date and place of the meeting.
  4. Distribution of copies of the charges, and any response from the member, to the members of the club executive committee.
  5. After the 15 day response time, a vote by the club executive committee on the proposed discipline/termination with:
        1. reasonable notice to the club executive committee of the agenda item.
        2. a quorum present (majority).
        3. two-thirds of those present and voting supporting discipline/termination.
  6. Notification to the club member of the action being taken and the right of appeal to the club within 15 days of date of notice.
  7. Notification to the entire club membership of the action taken.

If the procedure takes place at the club level, this procedure should be followed:

  1. Recommendation of membership discipline termination to the club members by a majority vote of the club executive committee.
  2. Written notice of the proposed action and reason therefore to the member.
  3. Opportunity for the member to respond, orally or in writing, to the charges within 15 days after notification.If requested by the member, the club will give the member an opportunity to appear before the club to discuss the issue. If the member chooses to appear, he or she will be notified of the date and place of the meeting.
  4. Distribution of copies of the charges, and any response from the member, to the club membership.
  5. After the 15 day response time, a vote by the club membership on the proposed discipline/termination with:
        1. reasonable notice to the membership of the agenda item;
        2. a quorum present (majority of active members); and
        3. two-thirds of those present and voting supporting discipline/termination.

If the member appeals the decision of the executive committee, the club will follow the same procedure as outlined in c, d, and e above, with the understanding that the member’s 15 day response time begins when he or she is notified of his or her right to appeal. There is no appeal of the decision of the club. These procedures also apply to club proceedings to not renew, suspend, or take other disciplinary action regarding the membership of an individual member.

To be fair and reasonable, here are some important things that you will want to consider:

  1. Because discipline/termination is a personal matter, through the entire process do the best you can to keep the issue confidential within the club.
  2. Ordinarily, no person outside the club should be involved or attend any meeting of the club at which disciplinary action is discussed. It is best to excuse any guests or other people, such as district officers, from this portion of the meeting.
  3. Discussion leading up to the vote on termination or other disciplinary action should be limited to only those items which the member has been told are reasons for the proposed action.
  4. Any deviations from this process need to be justified by the circumstances, (e.g., threats to personal safety), and must be fair and reasonable. Each club is ultimately responsible for making its own interpretation of these procedures.

Discipline or termination of someone’s membership can be a sensitive and emotional event. Club’s should exhaust all methods of resolution before taking the final step of termination. Any actions taken must be fair and reasonable, giving the club and the member adequate opportunity to respond to the concerns. Each club has complete autonomy as to who will join the club. Therefore, it is solely the responsibility of the club to deal with disciplinary action or termination. Neither the district nor World Headquarters can adjudicate these issues. However, if your club has procedural issues, you can contact the Volunteer Support Services Department at World Headquarters.