What is considered the highest body of rules in a society, excluding the corporate charter?

The correct answer is the bylaws, which serve as a crucial framework for the organization's governance. Bylaws are essentially a set of rules that govern the internal management of an organization or group, including the procedures for decisions, member rights, and the roles of officers. They are established by the members and provide guidelines on how the entity operates, ensuring compliance with the law and transparency in governance.

In many contexts, particularly within nonprofit organizations and associations, bylaws are recognized as foundational to the organization's structure, akin to a constitution. They detail how meetings are to be conducted, how decisions are made, and how issues within the organization are resolved—essentially functioning as the guiding rules for operations that are in alignment with the overarching legal requirements.

Other options, while important, do not hold the same level of authority as bylaws do in the context of organizational governance. For instance, standing rules are typically simpler procedural guidelines that can be amended more easily. Governing laws refer to the broader legal context in which the organization operates, while procedural methodology pertains to specific processes that guide session conduct or decision-making but do not encapsulate the overall governance framework found in the bylaws.