Information about legal compliance Societies Act for non-profits in British Columbia.
Electronic meetings are meetings where members use technology to participate in the meeting without being present in-person.
This includes telephone, internet video calls, and other methods of communication that allow all members to fully participate in the business of the meeting. Email, on the other hand, does not allow full participation.
Your non-profit's bylaws may state that members are only eligible to vote when certain conditions are met.
For example, people usually aren’t allowed to vote if their membership has expired. Some non-profits only let members vote if they’ve been members for at least 30 days, are in good standing, or have paid membership dues.
If your non-profit has more than one class of members, it must have at least one class that is voting members.
The best way to send AGM notices is the method that will be easy, flexible, and convenient.
For most non-profits, the most convenient method is email. However, your non-profit should give itself multiple options for more flexibility.
For non-profits with more than 3 members, it is also permitted (and may be easier) to post the AGM notice on its website. The best practice is to send an email and post on the website.
Your non-profit's bylaws can require the notice be sent between 7 and 60 days before the AGM. Many bylaws use 14 days.
However, if your non-profit's bylaws don’t say, the default in the Societies Act is between 14 and 60 days before the AGM.
A fiscal year is a one-year period of time that a non-profit uses for accounting purposes and preparation of its financial statements.
For example, some non-profits have their fiscal year aligned with the calendar year (January 1 to December 31) or government year end (March 31).
Other non-profits set their fiscal period to align with a natural break in their operations, such as a summer camp with a fiscal year of September 1 to August 31.
A fiscal year is a one-year period of time that a non-profit uses for accounting purposes and preparation of its financial statements.
For example, some non-profits have their fiscal year aligned with the calendar year (January 1 to December 31) or government year end (March 31).
Other non-profits set their fiscal period to align with a natural break in their operations, such as a summer camp with a fiscal year of September 1 to August 31.
Official records are the documents a non-profit must keep, either in digital or paper format, under sections 20(1) and 20(2) of the Societies Act.
The official records a non-profit must keep under section 20(1) are:
The statement of directors is an official record that must be kept in the non-profit's records, either digitally or in paper form; this is a requirement of section 20 of the Societies Act.
This is a statement that includes the names of the current directors of the non-profit and an address for each director. It also includes the registered address of the non-profit. The registered address is usually the place where your non-profit receives mail and where records can be accessed/located.
You can view the latest filed version of the information on your Statement of Directors and Registered Office on YCOR.