The charity and not-for-profit sector has been affected by the
COVID-19 pandemic as much as the rest of society. In some
provinces, there has been a Declaration of Emergency, and people
are prohibited from assembling together. Some charities, such as
those which operate places of worship, have been explicitly singled
out. Even without those governmental prohibitions, most
not-for-profit organizations (NFPs) have heeded the call to avoid
public meetings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Electronic meetings or simple conference telephone calls are now
already commonplace.
Unfortunately, the quickness of the onset of social distancing
and the timing of this pandemic raise a real problem for many NFPs.
Some organizations will need to call emergency meetings of their
members or will be obligated to hold a members meeting in the near
future. Many NFPs' organizational by-laws or rules require, or
at least contemplate their members meeting together physically.
