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CONSTITUTION
and BYLAWS
Revised: June 2006
Newcomers Club of the Southwest Suburbs
Article I. Name
The organization shall be known as 'Newcomers Club of the
Southwest Suburbs'. It is not designed to make a profit. All other
constitutions and bylaws of this organization heretofore enacted
shall be declared null and void.
Article II. Purposes and Objectives
1. To provide an opportunity for members to become acquainted
with others in our community.
2. To provide an atmosphere of friendliness, goodwill and
helpful information for Club members in our community.
3. To increase members’ knowledge concerning the principles and
functioning of citizens in our community.
4. To aid our community through the gifts of our time and
energy for worthy purposes.
5. To undertake and promote charitable and humanitarian
projects within our community and to form enduring friendships.
Article III. Membership
1. Club membership shall be open to new and established
residents of the southwest suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
2. Membership in this organization shall be open to men and
women.
3. Membership shall not be limited in duration.
4. A Directory will be distributed to all paid members.
Directories are to be marked and held confidential for use by Club
members only and are not to be given or loaned to any organization
or person outside the Club. No Directory may contain
advertisements.
5. The Board, by a two-thirds vote, shall have the power to
terminate the membership of any member whose activities are deemed
to have become detrimental to the welfare of the Club.
Article IV. Dues and Finances
1. The fiscal year shall be June 1st to May 31st.
2. The annual dues may be raised at the discretion of the
membership.
3. Dues shall be payable on September 1st and they become
delinquent on November 1st if not paid. All members whose dues
become delinquent will be dropped from the Club.
4. Prospective members must pay dues by the third Club function
attended or they will be ineligible to participate in any Club
activities.
5. Dues from September 1st to December 31st are payable in
full. Dues from January 1st to April 30th are 3/4 of the total
amount. Dues from May 1st to August 31st are 1/2 of the total
amount.
6. Any excess funds remaining from the dues collected or any
special fund raising projects may be used for purposes as voted on
by the membership.
7. Funds amounting to $700 shall be maintained in the Club’s
checking account at the end of the fiscal year.
8. Payment for any Club function shall not be refunded if
cancellations are not made by the designated date.
Article V. Meetings
1. There shall be an open business meeting held the first
Tuesday of September, October, November, December, January,
February, March, April, and May at which time Club business shall
be transacted. New officers will be elected at the April business
meeting, referred to as the Annual Meeting.
2. There shall be a social meeting held the second Tuesday of
September, October, November, December, January, February, March,
April and May. New officers will be installed at the May social
meeting.
3. Special meetings may be called by the President whenever
necessary.
4. Ten members, including at least three officers, shall
constitute a quorum necessary to hold a meeting and conduct
business.
Article VI. Board
1. The Board of the Newcomers Club of the Southwest Suburbs
shall be Officers, Coordinators and Activity Chairs.
1.1. The Officers shall be President, First Vice
President, Second Vice President, Recording Secretary,
Treasurer and Corresponding Secretary. They shall be elected
by vote of the membership and positions may be shared.
1.2. The Coordinators shall be Activities, Civic/Ways and
Means, Directory, Membership, Newsletter, Prospective
Membership, Reservations, Telephone and any others deemed
necessary. The President shall appoint them for a one-year
term.
1.3. The Activity Chairs shall be determined by the
interest and needs of the groups themselves, and shall be
chosen by the members of each group with the approval of the
Activities Coordinator.
2. Members may serve as Officers for a maximum of three
consecutive years.
3. It is the responsibility of all members of the Board to
attend all Club business meetings as well as membership coffees
and other functions during the year as may be designated by the
President.
4. It is the duty of the outgoing Officers, Coordinators and
Chairs to train their replacements so that the Club will
continue to function smoothly. Training is to take place during
a joint Incoming-Outgoing Board Meeting to be held in May and at
any private meetings between individual Board members as deemed
necessary by said members. Training will be done verbally and
substantiated in writing by a year-end report and by these
Bylaws which serve as a guideline.
5. Each outgoing Officer, Coordinator and Chair shall prepare
two copies of a written report at the end of the Club year, one
for the President’s file and one for her replacement.
6. Any member of the Board may find her own co-chair.
Article VII. Election of Officers
1. At the March business meeting the Nominating Committee shall
present its nominations for the offices of President, First Vice
President, Second Vice President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer,
and Corresponding Secretary.
2. No one shall be nominated either by the nominating committee
or from the floor whose consent has not first been obtained.
3. Any member may nominate candidates for office from the
floor.
4. At the April meeting, the candidate receiving the majority
of votes shall be declared elected. The vote shall be by ballot
unless there is only one candidate for office, in which event the
President may instruct the Recording Secretary to cast a unanimous
ballot.
5. An absentee ballot shall be printed in the April Newsletter.
6. A vacancy in any office shall be filled by a majority vote
of the membership with the exception of the President, which is
automatically filled by the First Vice President.
Article VIII. Duties of Officers
President:
· Shall preside at all meetings of the
Club.
· Shall appoint Coordinators.
· Shall appoint a Nominating Committee
and any other special committees she deems necessary.
· Shall serve as ex-officio member of all
committees, except the Nominating Committee.
· Shall be responsible for the
Incoming-Outgoing Board Luncheon.
· Shall conduct the installation of the
incoming Officers.
Vice Presidents:
· Shall work together to coordinate the
planning of the luncheon location (First Vice President) and an
optional
luncheon program (Second Vice President).
· The First Vice President shall perform
the duties of the President in her absence.
· The Second Vice President shall perform
the duties of the President and First Vice President in their
absence.
· Both Vice Presidents shall be
responsible for correspondence relating to their positions.
Recording Secretary:
· Shall keep minutes of Business Meetings
and take attendance.
· Shall maintain a complete file of Club
minutes, treasurer’s reports and newsletters.
· Shall arrange sites and hostesses for
Business Meetings.
Treasurer:
· Shall receive all funds of the Club and
deposit such funds in a bank designated by the Board.
· Shall pay all budgeted expenses subject
to approval of the Board. Unbudgeted expenses must be approved by
the Board before they are incurred.
· Shall keep an itemized account of all
receipts and disbursements and prepare a monthly report of these
transactions.
· Shall prepare a yearly budget for the
incoming Treasurer to present at the September Business Meeting
for approval.
· Shall submit the books to the Board for
a review following the close of the Club fiscal year.
Corresponding Secretary:
· Shall send cards to members and other
correspondence required when authorized to do so by the President.
· Shall submit publicity items regarding
Club activities to the local media after consultation with the
President.
· Shall make a scrapbook of the year’s
activities for the Club.
Article IX. Appointments and Duties of Coordinators
The Coordinators of the Newcomers Club of the Southwest Suburbs
direct the following: Activities, Civic/Ways and Means, Directory,
Membership, Newsletter, Prospective Membership, Reservations,
Telephone, and any others named by the Board.
Activities:
· Shall supervise chairs of all activity
groups.
· Shall report the interests or special
talents of new members to interest group chairs after receiving
such information from the Membership Chair.
· Shall submit any new activity to the
Board for approval.
· Shall work with the Activity Chairs to
ensure that all participants in Club activities are paid members.
Civic/Ways and Means:
· Shall investigate potential civic
projects to which the Club may contribute. This contribution may
be money, time or talents of members.
· Shall devise and implement plans for
raising funds for Club.
· Shall give the Board reports of all
projects and funds raised.
· Shall be responsible for thank you
correspondence related to her position.
Directory:
· Shall prepare and edit a directory each
year, listing names, addresses and phone numbers of all members,
aims of the Club, annual dues and other matters of general
interest pertaining to Club activities. It shall be distributed by
November 15th.
Membership:
· Shall keep the membership roster
current.
· Shall give to the President, Treasurer,
Directory, Newsletter and Reservation Chairs complete lists of
names, addresses and telephone numbers of members.
· Shall notify members if they become
delinquent in their dues.
· Shall keep an activity interest list of
all members.
· Shall act as chair of the Nominating
Committee, which shall be composed of a minimum of three members,
appointed by the President and approved by the Board. This
Committee will encourage new member participation when preparing
the slate of officers.
· Shall submit a slate of officers at the
March Business Meeting.
Newsletter:
· Shall prepare and distribute a minimum
of nine monthly Club newsletters during the Club year. These
newsletters are to be kept strictly for the benefit of Club
members.
· Shall select a printing service.
Prospective Membership:
· Shall extend invitations for membership
and invite prospective members to Club functions.
· Shall be in charge of the prospective
member coffees.
· Shall distribute Club brochures.
· Shall notify the Newsletter Editor of
prospective members’ names and addresses.
Reservations:
· Shall collect the monthly luncheon
reservations and payments.
· Shall recognize new members at Social
Meetings with a small gift.
· Shall prepare name tags for Social
Meetings.
Telephone:
· Shall be responsible for the telephone
calls to members as needed.
Article X. Resolutions and Amendments
These Bylaws may be amended at any Business Meeting by a
two-thirds vote of those present, provided notice has been given at
a previous meeting.
Article XI. Procedures
Parliamentary authority for all procedures shall be "Robert’s
Rules of Order, Revised".
Article XII. Policy
No mailings will be sent nor representations made in the name of
or on behalf of the Club, with the exception of appropriate cards,
without prior approval of the President.
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