Bylaws at Braeside (Repost)

(Reposted with permission from the amazing Federation for Calgary Communities Get Engaged! newsletter)

In 2024 The Braeside Community Association board undertook a comprehensive review and replacement of our bylaws. It was our first bylaw rewrite in well over a decade! Some of our proposed changes were substantive and complex; we knew how critical it was to be thoughtful and collaborative throughout the process to ensure we had support of our members and the community.

After almost a year of work, we presented our proposed changes to the community at a special general meeting and were grateful to receive unanimous support.

As anyone who has worked on boards knows, getting a unanimous vote on anything is a lofty goal that comes down to careful, creative planning and communication.

Are you looking at making substantive governance changes? Wondering how to get your membership and community behind you?

Here are our top tips to get you there:

1. Evaluate what is working and what isn’t: Bylaws can seem intimidating, but they are there to support you and make your organization stronger. Your governance documents are a tool that should be helpful and not a hindrance. Take time to perform a thorough audit and be honest about the parts no one can understand!

2. Establish trust with the community: The BCA board has done amazing work over the last few years of engaging with the community and becoming a trusted voice for advocacy and information. To get buy-in for big changes, think about the long game of ensuring you have that social capital built up.

3. Bring key community members and leaders along: After we performed an internal audit, the BCA struck our first Governance Committee, led by me as a board member. I brought in key community members, experts like Paul Meunier from the Federation, and we invited anyone from the community who was interested to provide input. This ensured a variety of perspectives were brought to the table.

4. Tell a story: When it came to the big special general meeting day, I didn’t want to just go through edits and redlines in a document. I told a story of how the BCA had grown, where we had challenges, and what we needed to do to prepare for our future. Your bylaws are the foundation of your entire organization, the deep roots that will ensure you can grow and adapt. What a beautiful concept to celebrate together!