Ann Macfarlane

Who’s responsible for the money?

By Ann Macfarlane / April 17, 2015 / Comments Off on Who’s responsible for the money?

Some time ago Andrew Estep presented “I’ve Just Been Elected Treasurer – HELP!” at the Washington State Nonprofit Governance conference in Tacoma. One attendee requested assistance on how to explain board responsibility to the board of directors itself. Her comment stayed with me: “When things start to go wrong, people are kind of surprised at how…

Read More

My board is too nice

By Ann Macfarlane / April 17, 2015 / Comments Off on My board is too nice

At a recent family party, as we enjoyed summer pasta salad and delicious cheeses, a guest and I chatted about Jurassic Parliament. We were discussing boards of directors when she made this off-hand comment: “My board is too nice.”

Read More

Which Robert’s Rules should I buy?

By Ann Macfarlane / April 17, 2015 / Comments Off on Which Robert’s Rules should I buy?

Updated July 15, 2021 When I first became interested in Robert’s Rules of Order and parliamentary procedure, I toddled off to the bookstore to get myself the book. A thin volume with a purple and green art nouveau cover, proffering Robert’s Rules for the current century, looked like a good bet. I handed over my…

Read More

What are Robert’s Rules and why should we care about them?

By Ann Macfarlane / April 14, 2015 / Comments Off on What are Robert’s Rules and why should we care about them?
photo of Robert impersonator

Updated November 19, 2022 Henry Martyn Robert, an officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, published the original Robert’s Rules of Order in 1876. He wanted to help people who were working together in voluntary groups to run good meetings. Over a century later we still have problems running good meetings. Robert’s Rules and…

Read More