Who accepts an elected officer resignation board or general membership

Resignation of an Elected Officer: Who Accepts It?

The General Rule

Under Robert's Rules, a resignation should be submitted to and acted upon by the body that elected the officer.

Under Robert's Rules, a resignation is treated as a request to be excused from a duty, and unless the bylaws provide otherwise it is acted on by the body that elected or appointed the officer.

Practical Application

If the officer was elected by...	Resignation goes to...
The general membership	The general membership (or board between meetings if authorized)
The board of directors	The board of directors
A committee	That committee

Important Nuances

1. The officer may resign even if the resignation is not accepted — Robert's Rules does not allow an organization to compel someone to remain in office against their will

2. Between membership meetings, if the bylaws authorize the board to act on behalf of the membership, the board may accept the resignation provisionally and then fill the vacancy per the bylaws

3. Effective date matters — a resignation can be effective immediately or at a future date, and that date may affect when it needs to be formally accepted

Key Recommendation

Check your bylaws — they may specifically state:

• Who accepts resignations
• How vacancies are filled
• Whether the board has authority to act between general meetings

Your bylaws control over the default Robert's Rules rules on this point.