FAQ - ACC Governance Change
FAQ - ACC Governance Change
The Alpine Club of Canada Board has approved to move away from elections for selecting Board members.
Following a review and recommendation from the Governance Committee, The Alpine Club of Canada Board has approved to move away from elections for selecting Board members. Beginning with the next nomination cycle, the club will hold a full competency-based appointment process led by the Nominations Committee.
The current election process has been in place since 2013. Despite refinements over the years, it hasn’t delivered governance value beyond the previous model, and it comes with real practical problems: voter turnout has been consistently very low (for example, 4 to 7% of eligible members in the past two cycles), it’s difficult to recruit enough well-qualified candidates within the compressed annual timeline, and it’s a challenge to match candidates to the specific skills the Board needs in a given year.
A multi-year review process was conducted examining the current election process, its benefits, risks, and potential alternatives. As part of this review, the Governance Committee examined how comparable member-based organizations select their boards, evaluated several alternative models, and discussed accountability extensively with the Board and section representatives.
Over the coming months, the Governance Committee will continue to prepare the necessary bylaw amendments and supporting governance policies. We have also prepared Frequently Asked Questions (below) to explain the new process and the thinking behind these changes. In September, the Nominations Committee will provide practical information on how to apply for any of our volunteer committee and board positions, alongside a call for candidates.
The Board has approved a refinement to the final stage of the director selection process and approved a move away for elections for selecting Board members
Over the past several years, the Governance Committee has been working through a broad modernization of how the club governs itself, it started with the move to Directors-at-Large last summer, and the Section Administration and Section Requirements policies introduced at the Fall 2025 Forum. This next piece concerns how the club's national directors are chosen.
Going forward, the Nominations Committee will continue to recruit and evaluate candidates through a formal, competency-based process. The Committee's recommended slate will then be presented to the Board for appointment, rather than to the membership for election at the Annual General Meeting.
The Board believes this approach will strengthen the Club's governance by supporting a more deliberate and transparent recruitment process, improving succession planning, and ensuring the Board continues to recruit directors with the skills and experience needed to govern a national organization.
This change is about ensuring members influence the organization in ways that are more meaningful, more representative, and more effective than a voting process in which only a small percentage of members have historically participated (in the past two cycles between 4-7% of eligible members voted).
In reaching this decision, the Governance Committee reviewed how comparable member-based and nonprofit organizations select their boards, weighed several possible models with their advantages and drawbacks, and brought its analysis and proposed safeguards to the Board for discussion. The approach — and in particular how the Board stays accountable to members — was also discussed with Section leaders at the Section Forum before any decision was taken.
This change is part of a broader governance modernization initiative that also includes updating the ACC's bylaws to better reflect contemporary nonprofit governance practices.
No.
Members remain at the heart of the Alpine Club of Canada. The Board recognizes that members shape the Club in many ways - through Sections, volunteer leadership, committees, forums, surveys, consultations, and the Annual General Meeting. Volunteering with a Section and/or on a committee are some of the most direct and accessible of these: members contribute their skills to the Club's work at both the Section and national levels, and committee involvement is often where future leaders and directors first get involved.
The objective of this change is not to reduce member involvement. It is to strengthen Board recruitment while continuing to expand meaningful opportunities for members to help shape the future of the Club throughout the year.
The Board remains fully accountable to the membership.
Directors continue to owe fiduciary duties to the ACC and remain accountable through the Club's governing legislation, its bylaws, the Annual General Meeting, audited financial reporting, and regular engagement with members.
As part of this project, the Board is also strengthening governance policies and modernizing the bylaws to improve transparency and accountability. This is a significant change to the club’s Governance, and the Governance Committee has analyzed the risks and benefits and particularly the concerns of insularity and accountability. To address these concerns, the change comes with safeguards.
In practice this includes term limits, conflict-of-interest policies, and a regular review of Board performance — including individual director evaluation — alongside continued opportunities for Sections and members to suggest candidates.
No.
Appointments will continue to begin with the Nominations Committee, not the Board.
Recruitment is guided by an annual assessment of the skills and experience the Board needs (a competency matrix) and standardized role descriptions, and all directors complete mandatory governance training with ongoing evaluation and support.
The Nominations Committee will continue to recruit broadly, encourage qualified members to apply, assess candidates against objective criteria, and recommend a slate based on the skills and experience needed by the Board.
The Board's role is to consider those recommendations and make the final appointments. The goal is to ensure the Board reflects the skills, experience, diversity of perspectives, and leadership needed by the ACC.
This was an important consideration during the Board's discussions.
The Governance Committee is developing accountability measures that will be incorporated into the updated bylaws. These provisions are intended to ensure members continue to have appropriate protections and meaningful avenues of recourse should a future Board fail to fulfill its responsibilities.
Good governance requires not only a strong Board today, but safeguards for the future.
No.
The Board values the ACC's strong volunteer culture and wants to strengthen—not weaken—the pathway to Board service.
Members will continue to be encouraged to express interest in serving as directors, and the Nominations Committee will continue to recruit broadly from across the ACC community. The Governance Committee is also considering additional ways to strengthen the pipeline of future directors through volunteer and committee leadership.
No.
This decision relates only to the final step in the Board appointment process.
It does not change members' rights under the Club's governing legislation or bylaws, nor does it affect the many ways members participate in the governance and life of the ACC.
Members who wish to get involved in the governance of the ACC are encouraged to reach out to their section leadership, get involved in a national committee. Information on committee vacancies and the nomination process can be found on our website.
Yes.
One of the primary goals of this initiative is to increase transparency.
The Governance Committee will develop supporting governance policies that clearly describe how directors are recruited, evaluated, recommended, and appointed. Together with the updated bylaws, these policies will provide members with a clearer understanding of how Board appointments are made and the principles that guide those decisions.
The Board believes the result will be a governance framework that is more transparent, more structured, and more accountable than the current model.
The Board's decision will apply to the next Board recruitment cycle. As a result, there will not be a Board election during this cycle.
The Governance Committee is currently preparing the necessary bylaw amendments and supporting governance policies to implement the Board's decision and complete the broader bylaws modernization project. Members will continue to receive updates as this work progresses.
