N.Y. Not-for-Profit Corporation Law Section 603
Meetings of members

* (a) Meetings of members may be held at such place, within or without this state, as may be fixed by or under the by-laws or, if not so fixed, as determined by the board of directors. For the duration of the state disaster emergency declared by executive order two hundred two that began on March seventh, two thousand twenty, or until December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-one, whichever is later, the board of directors may, in its sole discretion, determine that meetings of members be held partially or solely by means of electronic communication, the electronic service and/or platform by which the meeting is held shall be the place of the meeting for purposes of this article if a meeting is held solely by means of electronic communication. Meetings conducted partially or solely by means of electronic communications in reliance upon this paragraph and any member’s electronic participation in such meetings shall be subject to those guidelines and procedures as the board adopts, provided the board shall implement reasonable measures to:

(1)

verify that each person participating electronically is a member or a proxy of a member;

(2)

provide each member participating electronically with a reasonable opportunity to participate in the meeting, including an opportunity to propose, object to, and vote upon a specific action to be taken by the members, and to see, read or hear the proceedings of the meeting substantially concurrently with those proceedings; and

(3)

record and maintain a record of any votes or other actions taken by electronic communication at the meeting. * NB Separately amended; cannot be put together * (a) Meetings of members may be held at such place, within or without this state, as may be fixed by or under the by-laws or, if not so fixed, as determined by the board of directors. The board of directors may, unless otherwise restricted by the certificate of incorporation or the by-laws, in its sole discretion, determine that meetings of members be held partially or solely by means of electronic communication, the electronic service and/or platform by which the meeting is held shall be the place of the meeting for purposes of this article if a meeting is held solely by means of electronic communication. Meetings conducted partially or solely by means of electronic communications in reliance upon this paragraph and any member’s electronic participation in such meetings shall be subject to those guidelines and procedures as the board adopts, provided the board shall implement reasonable measures to:

(1)

verify that each person participating electronically is a member or a proxy of a member;

(2)

provide each member participating electronically with a reasonable opportunity to participate in the meeting, including an opportunity to propose, object to, and vote upon a specific action to be taken by the members, and to see, read or hear the proceedings of the meeting substantially concurrently with those proceedings; and

(3)

record and maintain a record of any votes or other actions taken by electronic communication at the meeting. * NB Separately amended; cannot be put together (b) A meeting of the members shall be held annually for the election of directors and the transaction of other business on a date fixed by or under the by-laws. Failure to hold the annual meeting on the date so fixed or to elect a sufficient number of directors to conduct the business of the corporation shall not work a forfeiture or give cause for dissolution of the corporation, except as provided in paragraph (a) of section 1102 (Judicial dissolution; petition by directors or members; petition in case of deadlock among directors or members).

(c)

Special meetings of the members may be called by the board and by such person or persons as may be authorized by the certificate of incorporation or the by-laws. In any case, such meetings may be convened by the members entitled to cast ten per cent of the total number of votes entitled to be cast at such meeting, who may, in writing, demand the call of a special meeting specifying the date and month thereof, which shall not be less than two nor more than three months from the date of such written demand. The secretary of the corporation upon receiving the written demand shall promptly give notice of such meeting, or if he fails to do so within five business days thereafter, any member signing such demand may give such notice. The meeting shall be held at the place fixed in the by-laws or, if not so fixed, at the office of the corporation.

(d)

A corporation may provide in its certificate of incorporation or by-laws adopted by the members for the election of representatives or delegates, who, when assembled within or without the state as directed by the certificate of incorporation or the by-laws, shall have and may exercise all of the powers, rights and privileges of members at an annual meeting. When so exercising the powers, rights and privileges of members, such representatives or delegates shall be subject in all respects to the provisions of this chapter governing members.

Source: Section 603 — Meetings of members, https://www.­nysenate.­gov/legislation/laws/NPC/603 (updated Nov. 12, 2021; accessed Apr. 26, 2025).

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Accessed:
Apr. 26, 2025

Last modified:
Nov. 12, 2021

§ 603’s source at nysenate​.gov

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