Amending AJLI Core Documents #

As stewards of the Association, the Junior Leagues have the joint authority to amend, through their voting delegate:

• The Association’s Mission
• The Association’s Vision
• The Association’s Certificate of Incorporation
• The Association’s Bylaws
• The Association’s Operational Policies
• The Association’s External Policies

Bringing Forward an Amendment to the Bylaws or OPALs #

If a League wishes to bring forward an amendment to the Bylaws or OPALs it must gain the support of at least four (4) other Leagues (five (5) Leagues total) and each Junior League must obtain majority approval of either its Board of Directors or its membership. Together they must then submit to the President and Secretary of the Association a written copy of the proposed amendment at least 60 days prior to the meeting at which action on such amendment is to be taken.

The following materials should be sent to the Association President and Secretary (in care of AJLI Headquarters) no later than 60 days prior to the Annual/Special Business Meeting at which they wish to make the proposal:

• List of all Leagues and contact information for each President/PE (or League Members assigned as the contact person) proposing the Amendment(s) along with the topic of the Amendment(s).
• Copy of minutes from each League showing Board or membership approval to propose the Amendment(s)
• Written Amendment(s) and rationale(s) following the sample below. Note that new language is bold and underlined and language to be removed is left in place but struck through.

Propose an Advisory Resolution or Dialogue Topic #

Any Junior League or the AJLI Board of Directors may propose an Advisory Resolution for consideration by the Junior Leagues at any Annual or Special Meeting of the Association. Submissions may be included with the official notice materials for the meeting or at the meeting according to submission deadlines published in the Call to Conference.

Any Junior League, as well as the AJLI Board of Directors, may also propose a topic or issue for discussion at Association Governance Dialogue held at any Annual or Special Meeting of the Association. This would be done following the instructions and submission deadlines published in the Call to Conference.

Communicating Your Needs, Ideas and Concerns #

The AJLI Board of Directors encourages interested member League(s) to identify ideas, issues, and needs and to participate in the Association governing process.

Advisory Resolutions communicate areas of interest or concern regarding the Association by member Junior League(s) to the AJLI Board of Directors. These resolutions are advisory in nature and suggest possible action to the Board. If approved, the Board will direct the CEO or a Board Committee to facilitate action for the implementation of the Advisory Resolution.

Procedures for Advisory Resolutions #

Advisory Resolutions are developed within the following framework:

• Advisory Resolutions may be brought to the Annual Meeting or a Special Meeting for consideration by a/some Junior League(s). Such resolutions shall be adopted by a majority vote cast by the member Leagues. They are referrals for study and are advisory. Advisory resolutions are not binding on the AJLI Board of Directors.
  • Any Junior League wishing to present such a resolution at the Annual Meeting or Special Meeting under New Business must submit that resolution to the Governance Office per a time frame established in the Call to Conference.
  • The President appoints a Rules Committee made up of members of the Board of Directors to offer guidance to Leagues wishing to present Advisory Resolutions, to establish, before the meeting, whether or not such resolutions are in order, and to determine the order in which such resolutions shall be brought to the floor.
  • Advisory Resolutions will be considered under the appropriate agenda items.
• Once an Advisory Resolution is passed by the Leagues, the Board will review the suggestions brought forward in the Advisory Resolution at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board following the Annual or Special Meeting.
• The AJLI Board will then send a letter within five (5) days of the adjournment of the Board Meeting to the Junior Leagues indicating whether action will or will not be taken on the issues raised in the Advisory Resolution with an explanation for their decisions.

Guidelines for Writing An Advisory Resolution #

A resolution is an original main motion introducing a substantive subject, which is put in resolution form because of its importance, length or complexity. The following suggestions have been prepared to simplify the process for you. The examples that follow illustrate the correct punctuation and a suggested format to use when writing resolutions.

A resolution may be presented in a single paragraph:

If more than one proposal is presented on the same subject, additional paragraphs may be added:

If the reasons for the resolution(s) are given, they must be stated in the “Preamble.” The Preamble serves as the introduction to the resolution(s) and begins with the word “Whereas.” There are as many “Whereas” paragraphs as there are reasons for presenting the resolution(s). Use of the “Whereas” paragraph(s) enables the rationale for the resolution(s) to be presented concisely.

Exercising a Collective Voice #

The Junior Leagues may adopt External Policies, which are statements on a social or public policy issue that constitute an area of interest to the Junior Leagues. All External Policies must be compatible with the stated purposes of the Association and must be consistent with the Bylaws of the Association and with all applicable laws and regulations.

A Junior League, group of Junior Leagues, State Public Affairs Committees (SPACs), the Canadian Federation of Junior Leagues (CFJL), the AJLI Board of Directors, or any combination thereof, may develop and propose an External Policy. The submission process is managed by the AJLI Board of Directors, as detailed in the Operational Policies Approved by the Junior Leagues, which is available on the AJLI website.

Proposed External Policies are voted on at any Annual Meeting or a Special Meeting of the Association. For the proposal to be adopted, it must be approved by an 85% affirmative vote of the votes cast by the Junior Leagues. If adopted, any Junior League, group of Junior Leagues, State Public Affairs Committees (SPACs), the Canadian Federation of Junior Leagues (CFJL), the AJLI Board of Directors, or any combination thereof, may take action to pursue the outcomes of an AJLI External Policy. An 85% affirmative vote of the votes cast by the Junior Leagues is required to amend or rescind an approved External Policy.

It is highly recommended that any League or group considering proposing an External Policy Resolution review the External Policy Resolution Proposal Template as soon as possible.

Propose an External Statement #

The external statement process should take approximately two weeks, but can be shortened or take longer, depending on the issue. The process consists of the following steps:

• The external statement topic is proposed to the AJLI board using an online form
• The Board’s Issues Committee reviews the statement and makes recommendations
• AJLI shares the proposed statement with Junior Leagues to review
• Junior Leagues provide feedback
  • At least 50% of Junior Leagues should respond to the review of the proposed topic, of which at least two-thirds should indicate support for the proposed action
  • Final approval rests with the AJLI board of directors
• The AJLI Board uses a framework to evaluate proposals for external statements
• The Board votes on the external statement
• The Association implements the action recommended by the Board

Propose an External Policy #

A Junior League, group of Junior Leagues, State Public Affairs Committee (SPAC), the Canadian Federation of Junior Leagues, the AJLI Board of Directors, or any combination of these may propose an External Policy Resolution for adoption by the Junior Leagues. The AJLI Board of Directors will determine submission deadlines, rules on length and formatting for all External Policy Resolutions.

Procedures for External Policy Resolutions #

External Policy Resolutions are developed within the following framework:

• External Policy Resolutions may be proposed by a Junior League or groups as described above, at any time, and will be considered at an Annual or Special Meeting of the Association. Notification of the intent to propose an External Policy Resolution must be received via email by the AJLI President at AJLI Headquarters no less than 30 days prior to the submission of the proposed External Policy Resolution for review by the Board. The notification will identify the issue the proposed External Policy Resolution will address.

• The proposed External Policy Resolution, using the External Policy Resolution Proposal Template, must be submitted electronically to secretary@ajli.org for review.

• Within 45 days of receiving the External Policy Resolution, the AJLI Board of Directors will review the submission. Upon completion of the review, the AJLI Board of Directors will inform the proposer(s) whether the proposal meets the format and submission guidelines. If it does not, the Board will identify what additional information is required and the timeframe within which the proposer(s) will be expected to respond.

• Once the AJLI Board of Directors has determined that an External Policy Resolution meets the format and submission guidelines, it will inform the proposer(s) of the Annual or Special Meeting at which it will be considered.

• The AJLI Board of Directors is responsible for providing notice to the Junior Leagues of the pending External Policy Resolution.

• The proposer(s) are to be responsible for educating the Junior Leagues about the pending External Policy Resolution, including any communication with Leagues, organizing information sessions at the voting meetings, speaking at Association Governance Dialogue and voting meeting, and so forth. Any communication AJLI receives from Junior Leagues regarding the content and intent of the pending External Policy Resolution will be referred to the proposer(s).

• The Junior Leagues will then vote on the proposed External Policy at the specified Annual or Special Meeting. If adopted, Leagues and groups mentioned above may take action to pursue the outcomes of the new AJLI External Policy.