There are 2 models: BOD (board of directors) only or BOD/BOT (board of trustees)
There are 2 ways to fill those positions: election vs appointment
In a starting masjid, it is ok to appoint the first board till things are stable (BOD for 3 years and BOT for 7 years)
The advantages of election are representation of the community, newer ideas, and fairness. Disadvantages are nasty politics and choosing less qualified people
The advantage of appointment is that if it is done right you would choose the most qualified person for the position needed. The disadvantage is that most of the time it is not done right and influential people appoint their allies which leads to concentration of power and corruption
In my humble opinion, you can have the best of both election and appointment by:
Having people serve for 1-2 years on the committee of their expertise before they can run for the board
Have some candidates run for certain position based on their qualification and expertise (like people with financial experience running for treasurer position). The rest of the positions can be at large positions
Add required qualifications fore candidates: like expertise, education, years of service, donation (based on income) and volunteerism
BOD only model (not recommended)
3 years term
Number of 7 or 9 board members
Staggered election for 2 or 3 members every year is better than complete change of the entire board every election
Quorum is 50% attendance
Property decision requires ⅔ of BOD vote
Other decisions require >50% of the board (not attendee, otherwise 25% of people end up making decision which is problematic for masjid as it can be used for few people who call an emergency meeting during a time when other members are out of town)
Again, I recommend adding requirements of serving on committees for 1-2 years before running. I also recommend other qualifications mentioned above
DOD and BOT model
BOT appointed the first time for 6 years
9-13 members and diverse
a 6 year term (permanent position are definitely not recommended. It will lead to stagnation and concentration of power)
Staggered elections of 2-3 every 2 years so each member ends up staying about 6 year. Not having the same people for 6 years helps preventing big disruption and prevent alliances and concentration of power
Main function of BOT: property decisions (sale, purchase, rent, build) and dissolving BOD if BOD went off mission. BOT should not be able to change bylaws, pick which members are eligible for election (they can only certify a list prepared by an independent group based on bylaws), and definitely must not lobby or develop election lists during election. This should be the most honest neutral board in the community
Property decisions require 2/3 majority. Otherwise >50%.
Both BOD and BOT work should be subject to internal and external audit
Again, I recommend other requirements like serving on BOD first, donation (based on income), volunteerism, education, and expertise
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