Free kit · Board and governance
Nonprofit Bylaws Template: free bylaws template in Word, Excel and PDF
Write or revise your bylaws with every choice marked: board size, terms and term limits, the executive director's seat, officers, quorum, committees and amendment. Settle the choices on one worksheet, draft from an annotated template, adopt charters for the executive and finance committees, and track every term on one roster.
Word, Excel and PDF · 15 pages · For board chairs, governance committees and executive directors
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What is inside
- Bylaws choices worksheet. What your bylaws say today and what the board proposes for each choice, plus the state rules to look up.
- Annotated bylaws template. Twelve articles, from name and purpose to dissolution, with each choice in brackets and a note explaining it.
- Executive committee charter. When the executive committee may act between meetings, what it may not decide, and a log of its actions.
- Finance committee charter. What the finance committee reviews and recommends, its limits and its year.
- Board terms and officer roster. Each director's class, term and last eligible term, and each officer's term and successor.
- Bylaws review and amendment checklist. A yearly check that practice matches the bylaws, and the steps for an amendment.
How to use it
- Before drafting: start from your articles of incorporation and look up three state rules (Form A).
- Decide: the board chair or governance committee settles each choice on Form A with the executive director.
- Draft: fill in the brackets in Form B, read the notes, delete them and send the draft to an attorney licensed in your state.
- Adopt: the board adopts the bylaws with the two committee charters (Forms C and D).
- Every year: update the roster after the annual meeting (Form E) and run the review checklist (Form F).
Not legal advice. This is a template. Your state's nonprofit corporation law, your articles of incorporation and your tax-exempt status decide what your bylaws must and may say, and several rules differ from state to state: the minimum number of directors, the lowest quorum allowed, and whether the board may act by email. Have an attorney licensed in your state review your draft before the board adopts it.
Questions
Is the kit free?
Yes. Enter your name, email and organization once, and every kit in the library opens on this browser.
Can I edit it?
Yes. The Word and Excel files are fully editable: replace each bracketed choice with your board's decision and delete the italic notes before your attorney reviews the draft.
Does it work in Google Docs?
Yes. Upload the Word file to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs; the tables and ruled lines carry over.
Can I share it inside my organization?
Yes. Copy it, adapt it and share it with your board and staff.
Read the guide
- Nonprofit Governance Best Practices: A Board's Working Checklist
- Board Chair Responsibilities: Role, Duties and the Partnership With the Executive Director
- Executive Director vs CEO: Is There a Difference?
- Nonprofit Treasurer Duties and the Executive Director Partnership
- Nonprofit Leadership Roles Explained: Who Does What, From the Board to Program Leads
More kits for boards
Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes KitAn agenda with a consent agenda, the packet, the executive director's report, minutes and a year of meetings
Conflict of Interest Policy and Disclosure FormA policy based on the IRS sample, an annual disclosure statement and the minutes for a member who steps out
Board Recruitment KitA composition matrix, job and officer descriptions, a board member agreement and the candidate conversation
With bylaws, the template is rarely where it goes wrong. The conversations are: telling a founding member that term limits apply to them too, and settling whether the executive director keeps a vote. A coach helps you prepare for them; the wording stays with the board and its attorney.
Six sessions of executive coaching: $300, $400 or $600, set by your organization's yearly operating expenses.
