DRAFT
THE WASHINGTON DC MODERN QUILT GUILD BY-LAWS
Drafted January 29, 2012
I. BACKGROUND
The name of this organization shall be the Washington DC Modern Quilt Guild, also referred to as “the DCMQG” and “the Guild.” The Guild’s home is in Washington, District of Columbia, with members residing within and around the greater Washington metropolitan area.
The mission of the guild is to increase members’ knowledge about modern quilting by providing opportunities for education, service, and networking.
The Guild shall work towards becoming a non-profit organization under the laws of the District of Columbia.
II. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE DCMQG
Individuals may participate in the DCMQG through membership and by serving as an elected officer or on a Guild committee. Guests are welcome to trial Guild activities before joining as a member.
A. Members and Guests. Members are considered in good standing as long as their dues are current and they have abided by the requirements for all sewing swaps, challenges, and service projects in which they volunteered to participate.
1. General Members. General membership is open to any person who agrees to the purpose of the Guild, submits the Guild membership form, and pays dues. General members are eligible for office and committee positions. General members receive
a) entry to all general meetings at no additional cost;
b) first opportunity to register for special events and sewing challenges (special events may require additional costs, such as those associated with hiring a professional instructor or purchasing supplies);
c) read-only access to the Guild social media site(s);
d) the Guild membership roster, with the understanding that the roster will not be used for commercial gain or fraudulent purpose;
e) voting rights in Guild officer elections, motions, polls, and by-law amendments.
2. Junior Members. Members who are aged 13 to 17 years are considered junior members. Junior members shall have all the privileges of general members, except junior members may not hold an elected office. Junior members may, however, serve on committees.
3. Guests. Guests may attend up to two general meetings in a calendar year at no cost, but are expected to pay dues and become general members upon attending a third Guild general meeting in one calendar year. If space permits, guests may register for special events at a cost determined by the Guild officers. Guests may not vote in Guild officer elections or Guild business, nor may they participate in Guild activities, such as sewing challenges, swaps, and quilting “show and tells” and demonstrations.
B. Elected Officers. Elected officers manage the financial and business procedures of the Guild. The elected offices are:
1. President. The President shall establish the vision and programming for the Guild for the calendar year. The President shall create and dissolve all committees needed to execute the Guild program of educational, service, and networking activities. The President shall oversee all activities necessary for the Guild to function, such as setting agendas and securing locations for general meetings and organizing special events. The President shall lead the review of the Guild finances at the end of the fiscal year. The President shall contribute to writing and communication through the Guild social media site(s).
2. Vice-President. The Vice President shall serve as assistant to the President in all matters. The Vice President shall contribute to writing and communication through the Guild social media site(s). In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall preside over general meetings and special events.
3. Secretary. The Secretary shall keep minutes of all motions made and carried out at each meeting and shall record the Guild’s activities and accomplishments for the year. The Secretary shall maintain the Guild membership roster and social media site(s).
4. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall hold custody over the Guild’s funds and perform the Guild bookkeeping, collection of yearly dues, and collection of payments for special events. The Treasurer shall pay all invoices and debts, and sign checks with the President or Vice-President as co-signers, if deemed necessary. The Treasurer shall contribute to writing and communication through the Guild social media site(s).
C. Committees. Committees are created by the President for the purpose of executing Guild program activities. All Guild members in good standing may join one or multiple committees, so long as they maintain their membership in the Guild and can fulfill all required tasks.
A committee chairperson may be appointed by the President for the general supervision of the committee and its membership, and is responsible for providing reports of all committee activities to the President. Reports may include project progress, sign-ups, due dates, and budgets. The term of the chairperson position is determined by the President. Upon leaving the post of committee chairperson all information, books, and data must be given to the President.
III. EDUCATIONAL, SERVICE, AND NETWORKING ACTIVITIES OF THE DCMQG
The Guild fulfills its mission to increase members’ knowledge about modern quilting by providing opportunities for education, service, and networking in the form of general meetings, special events and sewing challenges, social media, and community service activities.
A. General Meetings. The Guild shall hold monthly general meetings and notify all members of the meeting schedule through email and/or publication on the Guild social media site(s). All members and guests are required to record their attendance at each general meeting with the Secretary. The agenda for general meetings shall be determined by the President. The President may choose to substitute a special event for the general meeting in any month except November.
B. Special Events & Sewing Challenges. The President may elect to hold special events and sewing challenges during the year. Registration may be required when a fee is necessary or admission is limited. Members are given first opportunity to register for special events and sewing challenges. Guests may be allowed to register for special events as space permits and at the discretion of the President; however, guests and members who are not in good standing may not participate in sewing challenges. Fees and registration requirements for special events and sewing challenges will be described in email invitations and on the Guild social media site(s). If a member accepts materials for sewing challenges or service projects and does not submit a completed product or return the materials within the required timeframe, then the member shall fall out of good standing.
C. Social Media. The Guild officers shall manage and maintain social media site(s) to inform members of Guild activities.
D. Community Service Activities. At least one meeting a year will be devoted to a service project directed by the President.
IV. FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS PROCEDURES OF THE DCMQG
The Guild shall collect dues and provide a system for the election of officers to oversee the execution of the mission of the DCMQG. See appendix for graphical representation of guild financial and business procedures.
A. Member Dues and Financial Management.
1. Member Dues. Dues are collected from members to meet the operational needs decided upon by the Guild officers. If the amount for member dues must be changed, the Guild officers shall propose an increase or decrease in dues for the upcoming year and hold a membership vote during the November general meeting.
General and junior members shall pay all dues for the upcoming year by December 31 of the current year, otherwise membership will be terminated. Members joining mid-year will pay a prorated amount.
2. Financial Management. The fiscal year is October 1 through September 30. A yearly audit of the Guild’s finances will be conducted by the Guild officers, led by the President and organized by the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall reconcile and prepare the accounts for review no later than December 31. In the event of Guild dissolution, all funds and goods owned by the Guild shall be donated to a non-profit organization(s) determined by majority vote of the membership. Any member may propose a non-profit organization to receive funds and goods, barring a conflict of interest.
B. Voting and Elections. All members in good standing and in attendance during voting procedures are allowed one vote per motion, amendment, poll or election. There are no absentee ballots. In the case of officer elections, each member in attendance will be given a ballot for which they must vote for one candidate per office. Failure to vote for a candidate in each office will void the entire ballot.
Election of officers will be overseen by an election officiate and will take place during the November general meeting. All members who meet officer eligibility requirements may be placed on the election ballot for any office.
1. Election Officiate. The election officiate is appointed by the President for the calendar year and is a non-leadership role. The election officiate shall collect the names of all members wanting to be placed on the ballot and submit them to the President no later than October 1. The election officiate will then prepare the ballot for the November election.
2. Officer Eligibility Requirements. All general members active in the Guild for at least one year, in good standing, and demonstrating understanding of the Guild’s purpose are eligible for officer election. Junior members and guests are not eligible to hold office.
3. Office Terms and Transfer of Responsibilities. After November elections, terms in office begin January 1 and end December 31 of the following year. All officers are held to a two term limit. Upon leaving their post, all outgoing officers must submit all information, books, and data to the newly appointed officers.
a) Line of succession – In the event the President resigns or is removed from office the Vice President shall assume leadership of all activities necessary for the Guild to function. In this case, the time the Vice President serves as Acting President does not count toward the two term limit for the Presidency. Should the Vice President resign or be removed from Acting President, the line of succession moves to the Secretary, followed by the Treasurer.
4. Officer Removal. Two-thirds of attending members must vote to remove any elected officer(s). This vote may be held at any general meeting or a special meeting may be called by the election officiate.
V. DCMQG BY-LAW AMENDMENT
The Guild by-laws must be posted on the Guild’s social media site(s). Any member may propose an amendment to the by-laws. Amendments shall be made by majority vote of members present at any general or special meeting, and take effect upon the date approved.
The Guild by-laws must be reviewed by the membership during the November general meeting to ensure they still hold relevance to support the activities and purpose of the Guild.
APPENDIX. SCHEDULE OF FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS PROCEDURES OF THE DCMQG
January
|
February
|
March
|
April
|
May
|
June
|
July
|
August
|
September
|
October
|
November
|
December
|
Members pay full dues
|
Members pay prorated dues
| ||||||||||
Guests may not attend more than 3 meetings
| |||||||||||
Officer
terms begin
|
Current fiscal year ends
|
New fiscal year begins
|
New Officer elections
By-law review
Vote to change member dues for upcoming year
|
Officer terms end
Membership expires
| |||||||
