Does the annual business meeting of a 501(c) non-profit corp have to be open to the public and free of charge?

I am a member of a California 501(c) religious/educational corporation and we have one annual business meeting per year. It has always been my understanding that these meetings are required to be open to the public and that the corporation cannot charge a fee to attend this annual business meeting. Our corporate by-laws do not specifically address this issue, but in the 30+ years we have been in existence, we have operated from the position that our annual meetings were open and anyone could attend - including the general public, etc. If that is indeed true, I believe we are prohibited from charging people who attend a "fee."





Can anyone help to clarify this issue and give specifics under law. The Brown Act covers government agencies, but does not seem to include non-profit organizations, but it does not preclude them either.

Does the annual business meeting of a 501(c) non-profit corp have to be open to the public and free of charge?
Having been on 501c Board of Directors before.....Charging a fee is way out of line....If your organization wants to make money then make up a raffle at the meeting....


This is non-profit....which charging a FEE would be for PROFIT.....and not be legal, especially for a meeting that is suppossed to open to the public. The only meetings closed are some Executive Board Meetings where critical decisions and discussions are held. Annual Business or not....your meetings should be open, and definately not charge for admission.....


What airhead thought of that......???