Non-profit organizations can live and die by their bylaws. It is important to ensure that these bylaws reflect the organization and keep it out of legal troubles.
Bylaws govern all non-profit organizations.
The bylaws direct their meetings, the topics of their meetings, and how to conduct their board meetings. Bylaws set the foundation for the policies and procedures of the organization. There is understandably a resistance to wholesale changes in bylaws because of the importance of continuity and tradition to a nonprofit organization. Nonetheless, few organizations can afford to remain static over the years and often find themselves with different needs than they had at their founding. It is important that nonprofit organizations have bylaws that are responsive to the organization's constiuents and its needs.