Generally, there is no legal requirement for a nonprofit Board to have term limits. While it is true that some state nonprofit corporation statutes limit the number of years in a single Board term, there is typically no limit on the number of times a Board term may be renewed through re-election (unless specified in the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws).

The question of whether the Past President has voting rights on a nonprofit organization’s Board of Directors does not have one universal answer, and ultimately depends on the organization’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. If these documents truly do not address the issue and there is nothing in the Articles or Bylaws connecting the Past President position to a seat on the Board, then the Past President will not have voting rights on the Board.

The status of Board members whose terms have expired depends on the organization’s Bylaws and the applicable state nonprofit corporation statute. The law in many states is that unless the organization’s Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws provide otherwise, Directors continue to serve past the expiration of their term until a successor is elected and takes office. This often applies to Officer positions as well.