Like the Constitution, your bylaws should deal with only the highest level of governing issues such as: Organizational purpose, board structure, officer position descriptions and responsibilities, terms of board service, officer/board member succession and removal, official meeting requirements, membership provisions, ...
Your bylaws are not an employee handbook or policy manual designed to run the day-to-day operations of your nonprofit organization. For example, employee absences, vacation policies, and no-smoking policies have no place in an organization's bylaws.
A new corporation's bylaws are typically created by the person or persons who initiated the incorporation process (called the "incorporator"), or they may be written or formally adopted by the new corporation's board of directors as one of the board's first actions.
10 steps for writing bylaws for an association Research. Form a committee. Create the structure. Outline your organization's key roles and responsibilities. Establish your meeting rules. Define your membership. Address finances. Outline the amendment process.
Traditionally, when starting a nonprofit, the best choice for legal structure is to form a nonprofit corporation at the state level and to apply for 501(c)(3) tax exemption at the federal level.