Election Planning

The client

A multi-member nonprofit operating nationwide in a federated model.

The issue

Election-time. With a national office and geographically dispersed affiliates, that meant a complex process with numerous candidates spread over a wide area, all of whom expressed concerns that procedures be upheld and transparency observed.

The strategy

We stepped in to act as elections manager. In that capacity, we conducted preliminary parliamentarian coaching and proposed a set of rules, which were adapted, addressing such common election issues as nominating procedure, voting rules and how ballots should be counted.

The outcome

The election went off with much less than the usual amount of controversy. Our actions greatly reduced the concerns of candidates, so that even for those races that were challenged, the results held--an indication that the rules and procedures we had set in place worked.