FAYETTEVILLE NEWCOMERS BYLAWS
Revised April 2018
Article I. NAME
NAME: The name of the organization shall be the Fayetteville Newcomers’ Club
Article II. PURPOSE
PURPOSE: The purpose of the club shall be to provide a variety of charitable, educational, and social programs to better help the Northwest Arkansas community, to assist the transition of new members into the area, to be a resource as members adjust to lifestyle changes, and to provide an ongoing place for social connection.
Article III. MEMBERSHIP
Section1: RESIDENCY: Membership in the club is open to all persons living in Fayetteville and neighboring communities of Northwest Arkansas.
Section 2. MEMBERSHIP YEAR: The club’s year begins on June 1 of a given year and ends on May 31 of the ensuing year.
Section 3. TERM OF MEMBERSHIP: Membership shall be unlimited provided yearly dues are paid
.Section 4: MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING: A member in good standing shall have paid current dues, may participate in any activity group, and has the privilege of being a voting member of the club.
Article IV. DUES
Section 1. AMOUNT: The amount of dues shall be established by the Board by March of the fiscal year and published by the April newsletter.
Section 2. PAYMENT: Member dues shall be payable by the third Monday of September of the fiscal year. Early payment will be encouraged.
Section 3. FAILURE TO PAY: Members will not be considered current if they have not paid their dues by the third Monday of September. Renewing members shall pay the full annual dues and are not eligible for any half-year membership renewal.
Section 4. HALF-YEAR MEMBERSHIPS: New (not renewing) members may join after February 1 at half the current dues and are encouraged to renew the following year, but at full rate.
Article V. MEETINGS
Section 1. GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING: The general membership of the club shall meet monthly, September through May, and during the summer as deemed appropriate.
Section 2. CHANGE OF MEETING/CANCELLATION: Should circumstances deem it necessary (i.e. weather-related, program cancellation, etc.), the Board of Directors is empowered to change the date, time or location of any meeting of the club. In the event Fayetteville Schools are closed due to inclement weather, there will be no general membership meeting that month. It will be decided by each activity chair whether the activity will meet on a day Fayetteville Schools are closed.
Section 3. ELECTION OF OFFICERS: Business conducted at the April general meeting shall include election of officers for the ensuing year.
Section 4. QUORUM: The members present at a scheduled general membership meeting of the club constitute a quorum.
Section 5. VOTING: At a scheduled general membership meeting, a majority of the members present and voting shall be necessary to approve any motion except a change to the Bylaws which shall require a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present.
Article VI: OFFICERS
Section 1. OFFICERS: The elected officers of the club shall be President, Program Vice-President, Membership Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary and Treasurer. These officers and the most recent President shall constitute the Officers. All Officers are voting members of the Board.
Section 2. NOMINATION: At the March general membership meeting, the Nominating Committee shall present a slate of officers for election in April. Additional nominations for each office, with the consent of each nominee, may be made by any member of the club from the floor at the March meeting.
Section 3. ELECTION AND TERM: Officers shall be elected at the April meeting and shall assume duties effective June 1. The Officers of the club are elected for one fiscal year. Officers may not serve in the same office for more than three (3) consecutive fiscal years.
Section 4. RESIGNATION: A vacancy in an office of the club, other than the Presidency, shall be filled by appointment by the President and the most recent past President of the club with the approval of the Board of Directors. The appointee shall serve for the remainder of the vacated term. Should the President be unable to complete her term, the Program Vice-President shall serve. If the Program Vice-President is unable to serve, the Membership Vice-President assumes the position of President.
Article VII. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. DUTIES: The governing body of the club shall be the Board of Directors, hereafter referred to as the Board, which shall have full power and authority for the affairs and funds of the club. The Board shall be responsible for approving all plans and transacting the business of the club.
Section 2. COMPOSITION: The members of the Board shall be the elected Officers, Newsletter Editor, Publicity Chair, Activity Liaison, Website Director, and Immediate Past President.
Section 3. MEETINGS: With the exception of the months of December, June, and July, the Board shall meet once each month. Any member of the organization is welcome to attend Board meetings. Any special meeting of the Board may be called by the President or upon request of two (2) members of the Board. Forty-eight (48) hours’ notice of any special meeting must be given to all members of the Board. The President shall establish a notification protocol.
Section 4. JOINT BOARD MEETINGS: The Board shall hold a joint meeting of the outgoing/incoming Boards in May at which time the service project for the coming year shall be approved. All ledgers, records, reports, and properties of the club shall be transferred to the incoming Board members at that time.
Section 5. RESIGNATION: A member of the Board needing to resign should notify the President or most recent past President in writing as soon as possible to expedite appointment of a replacement member.
Article VIII. DUTIES OF THE BOARD
Section 1. PRESIDENT: The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the club and should be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee. The President shall perform such duties as usually pertain to the officer of President. The President shall be the second signature on the club’s banking account.
Section 2. PROGRAM VICE-PRESIDENT: The Program Vice-President shall preside in the absence of the President at any meeting at which the President normally presides. The Program VicePresident shall chair the Bylaws Committee, perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President and may have assistants(s) for planning of programs. Should the office of President become vacant, the Program Vice President shall fill the remainder of the unexpired term and shall chair the By Laws committee.
Section 3. MEMBERSHIP VICE-PRESIDENT: The Membership Vice-President shall maintain membership records and collect all dues. In the absence of the President and the Program VicePresident, the Membership Vice-President shall preside at general membership and Board meetings and shall perform such other duties as the President may request.
Section 4. RECORDING SECRETARY: The Recording Secretary shall be responsible for recording and reporting the minutes of both the Board and the general membership meetings. If neither
the Recording Secretary nor the Corresponding Secretary is available for any meeting, the presiding officer shall appoint an alternate person to take the minutes.
Section 5. CORRESPONDING SECRETARY: The Corresponding Secretary shall be responsible for conducting correspondence of the club, including but not limited to “sunshine” cards. The Corresponding Secretary shall be responsible for informing the Board concerning the death of a member, member’s spouse, or member’s child and for ensuring that a memorial is sent. In the absence of the Recording Secretary, the Corresponding Secretary shall record the minutes of the general membership and/or Board meetings. With the approval of the Treasurer, the Corresponding Secretary shall be responsible for purchasing and presenting a gift to the outgoing president at the May general membership meeting.
Section 6. TREASURER: The Treasurer shall be responsible for performing all the duties pertaining to the collection and disbursement of club funds and shall retain first signature rights on any club accounts. The Treasurer shall present an account, in writing, of all receipts and expenditure of the club funds at Board meetings and shall give a current balance of club funds at general membership meetings. The Treasurer shall chair the club’s Finance/Budget Committee and shall file any necessary forms pertaining to the club’s tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service and the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration.
Section 7. ACTIVITIES LIASION: The Activities Liaison shall be responsible for maintaining contact with the various Activity Group Chairs and for setting up the information and sign up sheets before the general membership meetings. The Activities Liaison shall also be responsible for keeping the Board and membership at large informed of issues regarding the various activities, including but not limited to monthly reports on activity groups for the Board. The Activities Liaison may utilize an assistant(s) to complete these duties.
Section 8. WEBSITE DIRECTOR: The Website Director shall act as liaison between the club and the website development/ hosting company. The Website Director may train Board Officers to post and maintain information on the club’s website. The Website Director may utilize an assistant (s) to complete these duties.
Section 9. NEWSLETTER EDITOR: The Newsletter Editor shall be responsible for preparing and distributing the club’s newsletter, which shall include notice of all meetings. The newsletter shall promote the purpose and functions of the club and include lists of new or renewing members joining after the club directory is published. The Newsletter Editor will set the final date for submissions to the newsletter.
Section 10. PUBLICITY CHAIR: The Publicity Chair shall be responsible for reporting to the public (i.e., via the local press, media, etc.) the meetings, functions, and purpose of the club as well as overseeing the implementation of new marketing strategies. The Publicity Chair may utilize an assistant(s).
Section 11. IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT. The Immediate Past President shall serve as a voting member of the Board.
Article IX. STANDING COMMITTEE
Section 1. NOMINATING COMMITTEE: The Nominating Committee shall be composed of five (5) members including the most recent past President (who shall serve as chair), two (2) members from the current Board, and two (2) members from the members-at-large. The Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the President at the January meeting of the Board. The committee members’ names shall be published in the February issue of the club newsletter and announced at the general membership meeting in February. The committee shall present a slate of one (1) candidate for each elective office at the February Board meeting for approval. The slate shall be published in the March club newsletter, announced at the March general membership meeting, and voted on at the April general membership meeting.
Section 2. FINANCE/BUDGET COMMITTEE: The Finance/Budget Committee shall be composed of the Treasurer, who shall serve as the chair, the President, the Program Vice-President, and the past President. This committee shall be responsible for examining the annual review of the club’s financial records and shall prepare and present a proposed budget of club funds for the fiscal year to the Board for approval at the August meeting.
Section 3. BYLAWS COMMITTEE: The Bylaws Committee will meet no less than every two years to review the bylaws or as directed by the Board. The Bylaws Committee appointed by the President, shall be composed of the Program Vice-President (who shall serve as the chair) and a minimum of two (2) members-at-large from the club The committee shall be responsible for reviewing these bylaws and any other proposed amendments submitted in writing by a club member to the Chair of the Bylaws Committee. Amendments from a club member must be submitted by the January general membership meeting. The Bylaws Committee shall submit the existing and proposed bylaws to the Board for approval no later than its February meeting. Any changes proposed by the committee to the current bylaws shall require a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board. The proposed bylaws shall then be published in the March newsletter and presented at the April general membership meeting for approval by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the attending members.
Section 4. ACTIVITIES GROUPS: The chair(s) of each activity shall be responsible for organizing and/or coordinating events and submitting necessary details by the newsletter deadline each month. The chair(s) of each activity group shall communicate with the Activity Liaison monthly.
Section 5. SOCIAL COMMITTEE: The Social Chair(s) shall be responsible for scheduling, planning, and overseeing a minimum of two social functions of the club not covered by any other chair.
Section 6. REFRESHMENTS COMMITTEE: The Refreshments Chair(s) shall be responsible for obtaining commitments from the membership-at-large for refreshments to be served at each of the general membership meetings. The Refreshment Committee shall set up coffee and other refreshments at the beginning of the meeting and clean up and put away coffee makers etc. at the end of the meeting.
Section 7. HOSPITALITY COMMITTEE: The Hospitality Chair(s) shall distribute and collect name tags at the general meeting and encourage guests to sign in. They also shall see that guests are informally introduced to members and provide information to the Membership Vice-President for formal introduction of guests and new members at the general membership meeting.
Section 8. SERVICE PROJECT: The members shall submit suggestions for the service project in writing to the Board for its approval by the March Board meeting, and the viable submissions shall be posted in the April newsletter. Board members shall approve the service project at the joint Board meeting in May. The selected project shall be announced in the June newsletter. The Service Project Chair shall be responsible for informing and educating the membership about the selected project as well as for maintaining contact with the selected group.
Article X. ACTIVITY GROUPS
Section 1. ESTABLISHMENT: Any member may create and propose an activity group to the Activity Group Chair, who shall then take it to the Board for approval. The activity group shall meet on a monthly or intermittent basis as desired by the activity group. Any activity group may be formed due to interest or disbanded due to lack of interest without necessitating a change in bylaws.
Section 2. MEMBERSHIP IN ACTIVITY GROUPS: membership in an activity group shall be open to all members of the club in good standing. After attending two activity meetings, membership in the club is required.
Section 3. FUNDING: An activity group shall be funded by the members of said group.
Article XI. FISCAL POLICIES
Section 1. FISCAL YEAR: The fiscal year of the club shall commence June 1 of a given year and end on May 31 of the ensuing year.
Section 2. ACCOUNTS AND REVIEWS: The ledgers and accounts of the club shall be kept with sound accounting practices and shall be reviewed annually at the conclusion of the fiscal year by person(s) designated by the President. The reviewer may not be a member of the Finance/Budget Committee. The reviewer shall deliver the review in writing to the President and the Treasurer no later than the August meeting of the Board.
Section 3. NON-PROFITABILITY: No income of the club at any time shall be applied for the benefit of any individual member of the club.
Section 4. MEMORIALS: On the death of a member, spouse of a member, or child of a member, the club will send a memorial to the family’s designated charity. If not specified by the family, the memorial recipient will be decided by the Board. The amount of the memorials shall be set by the Finance/Budget Committee on an annual basis.
The Corresponding Secretary shall inform the Board upon learning about the death of a member, spouse or child of a member if she is informed within six (6) months of the death. The Corresponding Secretary shall contact a family member to determine to which charity they would like the memorial to be sent. Once it has been approved by the Board, the Corresponding Secretary shall write a letter to the family. The Treasurer shall send the check directly to the charity.
Section 5. DISSOLUTION: In the event of dissolution, the assets of the club shall be distributed to tax-exempt, charitable, and educational institutions in the area as designated by the dissolving Board.
Section 6. RETENTION OF CLUB RECORDS: All records of the organization shall be retained by the Board for specific lengths of time. Miscellaneous records such as newsletters shall be maintained on our website as room permits. Critical and founding documents such as financial records, founding records and Internal Revenue Service notices shall permanently be maintained.
Article XII. STANDING RULES
In order to comply with specific provisions of these bylaws, the Board may establish standing rules that have the same force and effect as the bylaws. The standing rules may not contradict the bylaws. The standing rules may be amended by a majority vote of members of the Board present at a regular meeting, or by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members of the Board present at a specially called meeting.
Article XIII. PARLIMENTARY AUTHORITY
Unless specifically stated in the Bylaws and Standing Rules or by special rules of procedure by the club, ROBERTS RULES OF ORDER, NEWLY REVISED shall be the parliamentary authority for all matters pertaining to the club.
Article XIV. AMENDMENTS
These Bylaws may be amended, using a numbered ballot by the April general membership meeting of the club by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present and eligible to vote provided that notice of the proposed amendment(s) shall have been published in the March newsletter.
Article XIV. BYLAW CHANGES
Bylaws changes will be approved at the April general membership meeting of the club by a voice vote of the members present, provided that notice of the proposed change(s) shall have been published in the March newsletter. If the President determines that the voice vote is unclear, a hand count vote will be taken with a two-thirds (2/3) vote of members present necessary for passage of the Bylaws.
Article XV. STANDING RULES
1. Charitable Donation Donations are decided at the joint Board meeting in May.
2. Annual Financial Review Gratuity A gift will be given if the reviewer is not a member of the club. If the reviewer is a member, no gift will be given.
3. New Members New members’ names shall be published in the newsletter.
4. Directory Use Membership information in the Directory shall not be used for religious, political, or commercial purposes.
5. Brag Kitty The Brag Kitty shall not be used for commercial, religious, or political purposes. (Spring 2005)
6. Publicity The dates and times of the general membership meetings will be announced in the media but not information regarding other social events.
7. Use of Member Businesses A member’s business may be utilized to facilitate Newcomers’ activities. Direct solicitation is not allowed; however, business information may be placed on the resource table at the general membership meeting.
