Membership Vote on SfN’s Governing Documents
Over the last year, SfN Council has been reviewing how the Society could evolve its membership program to better meet the progressing needs of the field. Part of this review included the appointment of a Working Group on SfN Individual Membership, co-chaired by two members of Council. At its Summer 2024 meeting, Council considered the recommendations of the Working Group and conducted a series of votes to change parts of SfN’s membership structure. Some of these recommended changes require modification to SfN’s governing documents. As a result, Council is recommending a proposed amendment to Article 5 of the Articles of Incorporation and revisions to the SfN Bylaws. This amendment and the corresponding revisions are intended to allow SfN to more easily adapt to ongoing changes in the field, streamline and modernize governance practices, and improve membership processes.
The SfN Bylaws require that any bylaw revisions be approved by the eligible voters of the membership. The proposed bylaw changes define membership categories that are different from the current membership categories in SfN’s Articles of Incorporation. For legal compliance, the Articles must also be amended to be consistent with the Bylaws. SfN is a Washington, D.C. corporation and D.C. law requires that amendments to the Articles of Incorporation of a not-for-profit membership organization be approved by the organization’s eligible voting members. On Monday, October 7 at the Members Business Meeting, the SfN president introduced the proposed changes to the membership and informed the audience of this upcoming vote.
SfN has partnered with Survey & Ballot Systems (SBS) to administer this member vote. On Monday, December 2, eligible voters will receive a ballot via email and voting will remain open until Thursday, December 12, 5 p.m. EST.
SfN and its members have been at the center of the organization since launching in 1969. This important vote updates our governing documents and sets SfN up to respond more nimbly in its second 50 years and to ensure it continues to be the premier society serving the field of neuroscience.
Thank you in advance for your participation in this important action and your continued support of SfN. Please reach out to governance@sfn.org with any questions.
