The Web is full of links to sample nonprofit bylaws.  You always want to check with a lawyer because bylaws are not one-size-fits-all.  I recommend considering these links not as a “nonprofit in a box,” but rather as food for thought about your own bylaws.

It’s useful even for established organizations to look at samples periodically: have you forgotten something?  Alternatively, do any of these samples strike you as too restrictive for situations where you’d prefer to be more open?

Also, remember that specific requirements or structures may vary by state, so don’t just copy template bylaws from another state.  Get legal advice to understand your particular obligations; beyond that, these decisions are your organization’s to make.

Did you find a good resource online that you’d like to share?  Let me know in the comments, and I’ll gladly add it to the list here.  With the exception of BoardSource, all the resources on the list below are free for viewing or download.

Advice & Ideas

• BoardSource offers, for a fee, the booklet Better Bylaws: Creating Effective Rules for Your Nonprofit Board, Second Edition.  Generally speaking, BoardSource’s resources are stellar, but I haven’t read this one.
• I found this Charity Lawyer article helpful: Nonprofit Bylaws: What to Include and What to Leave Out

Samples & Checklists

• The American Bar Association offers sample bylaws as well as a helpful bylaws checklist.
• The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits offers these samples for nonprofits without members and with members.
• Harbor Compliance — my agent in Delaware — offers this template.