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Features

Revision with Vision: Revising

our Governing Documents

By Beverly Hall-Maughan

As we approach our 100th anniversary, we are not just celebrating a century
of accomplishments—we are stepping boldly into the next century, ready to
continue our legacy of innovation, impact, and progress for the future. As
such, it is crucial to conduct a thorough review of our governing processes
to ensure they align with our evolving needs and strategic priorities. Such
a comprehensive review will involve examining our Constitution and
International Standing Rules. By evaluating our current governing processes,
we can identify outdated provisions, address potential gaps, and streamline
our governing documents.

The newly appointed Revision Task Force will oversee this comprehensive assessment and evaluation.
The international president appointed the Revision Task Force following the resolution adopted at the 2024
International Convention to revise our governing documents. The task force includes representatives from
various regions, two members of the 2024–2026 International Constitution Committee, the international
president, the executive director, and the DKG attorney.
As this review goes forth, members must understand various terms related to governing and operational
processes, especially the distinctions among constitution, rules, bylaws, guidelines, policies, and
procedures. All serve as essential elements of governance and management but have different functions.
Constitution. A constitution is the formal recognition of a nonprofit organization. It should remain
consistent with the articles of incorporation and charter and is intended to remain unchanged over time
(NAP, 2023).
Rules. Rules are separately adopted to facilitate the smooth functioning of an organization and
provide the basis for resolving questions of procedure (NAP, 2023).
Bylaws. Bylaws are the laws adopted by the organization for its own governance and are considered
so important that they cannot be changed without previous notice to members and the vote of a specific
number (NAP, 2023). Bylaws determine the rights and duties of membership and provide how the
organization is structured and governed. An organization’s bylaws contain its own basic rules or laws
relating principally to itself as an organization (RONR, 2020).

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