BYLAWS OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF
ARTICLE I: ELECTION OF OFFICERS
SECTION 1: At
a regular meeting one month prior to the meeting for election of officers, the presiding officer shall ask for nomination
by members of the club for president, vice
presidents, secretary, treasurer, sergeant-at-arms and three members of the board of
directors. The nominations may be
presented by a nominating committee or by members from the floor or both,
as the club may determine.
(a) If it is determined to have a nominating committee,
such committee shall be appointed as the club may determine.
(b) The nominations, duly made, shall be placed on a
ballot in alphabetical order under each office and shall be voted for at the annual
meeting.
(c) The candidates for president, vice-presidents,
secretary, treasurer, and sergeant-at-arms receiving a majority of the votes
shall be declared elected to their respective offices. The three candidates for
director receiving most votes shall be declared elected as directors.
(d) The president elected in such balloting shall serve
as a member of the board as president-elect until the end of the Rotary year of
election
SECTION 2:
The immediate past-president
shall serve as an ex-oficio member of the board of
directors for the year following his retirement as president.
SECTION 3:
A vacancy on the board of
directors or any office shall be filled by action of the remaining board of
directors.
SECTION 4:
A vacancy in the position of any
officer-elect or director-elect shall be filled by action of the remaining
members of the board of directors-elect.
ARTICLE II:
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
SECTION 1:
The governing body of this club
shall be the board of directors consisting of fifteen members of this club;
namely nine directors elected in accordance with Article I Section 1 of these
by-laws, the president, vice presidents, secretary, treasurer and
sergeant-at-arms.
SECTION 2:
A member of the board of directors shall have one vote.
SECTION 3:
The term of the director shall
automatically terminate if the director is absent from three consecutive
meetings of the board of directors, unless excused for good and sufficient
reason.
ARTICLE III:
DUTIES OF OFFICERS
SECTION 1: President.
It shall be the duty of the president to preside at meetings of the club and
board and to perform such duties as pertain to the office of president.
SECTION 2:
President Elect. It shall be
the duty of the President-Elect to preside at meetings of the
club and board in the absence of the President and to perform other duties as
ordinarily pertain to his office.
SECTION 3:
Vice President. It shall be
the duty of the Vice President to preside at meetings of the club and Board in
the absence of the President and the President-Elect. He shall coordinate
programs for club meetings, as program chairman, and to perform such other
duties as ordinarily pertain to his office.
SECTION 4: Secretary.
It shall be the duty of the secretary to keep the records of membership, record
the attendance at meetings, send out notices of meetings of the club, board and
committees, record and preserve the minutes of such meetings, make the required
reports to Rotary International, including the semi-annual reports of membership,
which shall be made to the general secretary of Rotary International, on
January 1 and July 1 of each year, the report of changes in membership, which
shall be made to the general secretary of Rotary International, the monthly
report of attendance at club meetings, which shall be made to the District
Governor immediately following the last meeting of the month, collect and remit
to Rotary International subscriptions to THE ROTARIAN, and perform such other
duties as usually pertain to his office.
SECTION 5: Treasurer.
It shall be the duty of the treasurer to have custody of all funds, accounting
for same to the club annually and at any other time upon demand by the board
and to perform such other duties as pertain to his office. Upon his retirement
from office he shall turn over to his successor or to the president all funds,
books of accounts or any other club property in his possession.
SECTION 6: Sergeant-at-Arms.
The duties of the sergeant- at- arms shall be such as are usually prescribed
for his office and such other duties as may be prescribed by the president or
the board
ARTICLE IV:
MEETINGS
SECTION 1:
Annual Meeting. An annual
meeting of this club shall be held on the second Tuesday of December in each
year, at which time the election of officers and directors to serve for the
ensuing year shall take place.
SECTION 2: The
regular weekly meetings of this club shall be held on Tuesday at
SECTION 3:
One-third of the membership shall
constitute a quorum at the annual and regular meetings of this club.
SECTION 4:
A regular meeting of the board
shall be held on the second Tuesday of each month unless otherwise called by
the President. A special meeting of the
board shall be called by the President, whenever deemed necessary, or upon
the request of two members of the board. Five days notice shall be given
for each regular meeting. Twenty-four
hours notice shall be given for each special meeting, and said notice shall
state the nature of the business to be transacted.
SECTION 5:
A majority of the board members shall constitute a quorum of the board.
ARTICLE V: FEES
SECTION 1:
The admission fee shall be
$62.00 to be paid before the applicant can qualify as a member. Said fee to
consist of three elements as follows:
Club Fee $50.00
Rotary Foundation
10.00
Gundaker Foundation 2.00
Total
admission fee $ 62.00
SECTION 2:
The club membership dues shall
be composed of the following elements all quoted on a per
member, semi-annual basis, the total of which shall be paid semi-annually on
the first day of July and the first day of January. Any changes in the Rotary
International element, District element or magazine subscription shall be
reflected on the club dues bill at the beginning of the following semi-annual
period:
Rotary International $ 18.00
District 7450 14.25
Rotarian magazine 6.00
Rotary Foundation .50
Gundaker Foundation 5.00
Jenkintown Rotary Club 21.50
Total membership semiannual dues $ 65.00
SECTION 3:
The incoming president shall be a delegate to the International Convention,
if he can go. Monies allocated to him shall include economy round trip plus
$200. If the incoming president cannot
go, then the order of consideration shall be: 1 st
vice president, secretary, and then at the discretion of the Board of
Directors.
ARTICLE VI:
METHOD OF VOTING
The business of this
club shall be transacted by “viva voce” vote, except the election of officers
and directors, which shall be by ballot.
ARTICLE
SECTION 1:
(a) The president shall, subject to the approval of the
board, appoint the following standing committees:
Community Service Committee
International Service Committee
Vocational Service Committee
(b) The president shall, subject to the approval of the board, also appoint such
committees
on particular phases of community service, international service, and vocational service as he
may deem necessary.
(c) The community service committee, the international
service committee and the vocational service committee shall consist of a
chairman, who shall be named by the president from the membership of the board, and
of not less than two other members.
(d) The president shall, subject to
approval of the board, appoint the following committees on particular phases of Club
Service:
Attendance Committee
Fellowship Committee
Magazine Committee
Membership Committee
Program Committee
Public Relations Committee
Club Bulletin Committee
Appoint one member each year to
the following committees:
Classification
Committee
Rotary
Information Committee
and appoint any
other committees that he may deem necessary for the internal administration of
club affairs.
(e) Where feasible and practicable in the appointment
of club, there should be provisions for continuity of membership, either by appointing one or
more members for a second term or by
appointing one or more members to a two year term.
No member shall be eligible to on the same committee
for more than two successive years, except as otherwise specifically provided
in these by-laws.
(f) The Classification
and Rotary Information committees shall each consist of three members, one member of
each committee to be appointed each year for a term of three, years.
(g) The Magazine
Committee shall, wherever feasible, include the editor of the club publication and a
local newspaper or advertising member of the club.
(h) The president shall also appoint one member
of the board who shall be responsible for all Club Service activities and who shall
supervise and co-ordinate the work of all committees appointed on particular
phases of Club Service.
(i) The president shall be an
ex- officio member of all committees and, as such, shall have all the privileges of
membership thereon.
(j) Each committee shall transact such business as is
delegated to it in the by-laws and such additional business as may be referred
to it by the president or the board. Except where special authority is given by
the board, such committees shall not take
action until a report has been made to the board and approved by the board.
ARTICLE VIII- DUTIES OF COMMITTEES
SECTION 1:
Community Service Committee.
This committee shall devise and carry into effect, plans which will guide and
assist the members of this club in discharging their responsibilities in their
community relationships. The chairman of this committee shall be responsible
for the community service activities of the club and shall supervise and
co-ordinate the work of any committee that may be appointed on particular phases
of community service.
SECTION 2:
International Service Committee.
This committee shall devise and carry into effect plans which will guide and
assist the members of this club in discharging their responsibilities in
matters relating to international service. The chairman of this committee shall
be responsible for the international service activities of the club and shall
super-vise and co-ordinate the work of any committees that may be appointed on
particular phases of international service.
SECTION 3:
Vocational Service Committee. This committee shall devise and carry into
effect plans which will guide and assist the members of this club in
discharging their responsibilities in their vocational relationships and in
improving the general standards of practice in their respective vocations. The
chairman of this committee shall be responsible for the vocational service
activities of the club and shall supervise and co-ordinate the work of any
committee that may be appointed on particular phases of vocational service.
SECTION 4:
(a) Attendance
Committee. This committee
shall devise means for encouraging attendance at all Rotary meetings, including
attendance at district conferences, intercity meetings, international
conferences, and international conventions by all club members. This committee
shall especially encourage attendance at regular meetings of this club and
attendance at regular meetings of other clubs when unable to attend meetings of
this club; keep all members informed on attendance requirements; promote better
incentives for good attendance; and seek to ascertain and remove conditions
that contribute to unsatisfactory attendance.
(b) Classification
Committee. This committee
shall on or before the first of November of each year make a classification
survey of the community; shall compile from the survey a roster of filled and
unfilled classifications, using the outline of classifications as a
guide; shall urge upon the members the importance of proposing names for such
unfilled classifications as have been declared open by the board of directors;
shall review, where necessary, existing classifications represented in the
club; and shall counsel with the board on all classification problems.
(c) Fellowship Committee. This committee
shall promote acquaintance and friendship among members and do such work in
pursuance of the object of the club as may be assigned by the president or the
board.
(d) Magazine
Committee. This committee
shall stimulate interest in THE ROTARIAN and/or REVISTA ROTARIA; sponsor a
magazine week; arrange for brief monthly reviews of the magazine on regular
club programs; encourage use of the magazine in the induction of new members;
provide a copy of the magazine for non-Rotarian speakers; secure international
service and other special subscription for libraries, hospitals, schools and
other reading rooms; send news items and photographs to the editor of the
magazine and in other ways make the magazine of service to club members and
non-Rotarians.
(e) Membership
Committee. This committee
shall consider all proposals for membership from the personal side and
shall thoroughly investigate the character, business, social and community
standing and general eligibility of all persons proposed for membership and
shall report their decisions on all applications to the board. The committee,
further, shall review annually the club roster of filled and unfilled
classifications and shall initiate and present to the board the names of
suitable persons to fill open classifications.
(f) Program
Committee. This committee
shall prepare and arrange the programs for the regular and special meetings of
the club.
(g) Public
Relations Committee. This committee
shall devise and carry into effect plans:
(1) to give the public
generally information. about Rotary, its history,
object and scope; and
(2) to secure proper publicity
for the club.
(h) Rotary
Information Committee. This committee
shall devise and carry in effect plans:
(1) to give prospective members
information about the privileges and responsibilities of membership in a Rotary
club,
(2) to give members, especially
the new members, adequate understanding of the privileges and responsibilities
of members,
(3) to give members information
about Rotary, its history, object, scope, activities, and
(4) to give the members
information as to developments in the administrative operation of Rotary
International.
ARTICLE IX:
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Upon written application to the setting forth good and sufficient cause, leave of absence may be granted excusing
a member from the meetings of the club for a specified length of time.
Note: Such leave of absence does operate to prevent forfeiture of
membership; it does not operate to give the club credit for member’s attendance.
Unless he attends a regular meeting of some other club, the excused member must
be recorded as absent except that absence authorized under the provision of
Art, VIII Sec. 5 (c) or (d) of the standard club constitution is not computed
in the attendance record of the club.
ARTICLE X:
FINANCES
SECTION 1:
The treasurer shall deposit all funds of the club in some bank to be
named by the board.
SECTION 2:
All bills shall be paid only by
check signed by the treasurer upon vouchers signed by any two officers. A
thorough audit by a certified public accountant or other qualified person shall
be made once each year of all the club’s financial transactions.
SECTION 3:
Officers having charge or control of funds shall give bond as may be required by the board for the safe custody of
the funds of the club, cost of the bond to be borne by the club.
SECTION 4: The fiscal
year of the club shall extend from July 1 to June 30, and for the
collection of members’ dues shall be divided into two semi-annual periods
extending from July 1 to December 31, and from January 1 to June 30, The
payment of per capita dues and magazine subscriptions to Rotary International
shall be made on July 1 and January 1 of each year on the basis of the
membership of the club on those dates. Note: Magazine subscriptions for members
joining during a semi-annual period are payable upon invoice from the
secretariat.
SECTION 5:
At the beginning of each fiscal year the board shall prepare or cause to
be prepared a budget of estimated income
and estimated expenditures for the year, which having been agreed to by the
board, shall stand as the limit of expenditures for the respective purposes
unless otherwise ordered by action of the board.
SECTION 6:
The funds of this club shall be derived, divided and controlled as
follows:
(a) General
Operating Fund. Derived from membership dues, interest of Saving Fund,
admission fees as provided in sub-section (d) of Article X: Section 6 and all other ‘
sources. To be expended by the Board of Directors.
(b) Reserve
Fund. Derived from unexpended balance of the general operating fund, from
the preceding fiscal year or from admission fees as provided in sub-section (d)
of Article X: Section 6. Maximum limit
$250.00 to be used for capital improvements or unforeseen expenditures not
accounted for in the annual budget. To be withdrawn by the board of directors.
(c) Saving
Fund. Derived from admission fees
and other funds deposited by the board of directors. To be invested by the board of
directors. Maximum limit $4,000.00 to be used only for emergencies. To be
withdrawn upon the approval of the general membership, according to procedure
provided in Article XIV required for amendment of these by-laws. Yearly income
earned to be transferred to the General Operating Fund regardless
of the balance in the Saving Fund.
(d) Whenever the Reserve Fund or Saving
Fund is reduced below its maximum limit, all admission fees shall be deposited
first in the Saving Fund until its maximum is reached, then in the Reserve Fund
until its maximum is reached, and thereafter in the General Operating Fund.
ARTICLE
XI: METHOD OF ELECTING MEMBERS (FOR
SECTION 1: The name of a prospective member,
proposed by an active, senior active, or past service
member of the club, shall be submitted to the board of directors in writing,
through the club secretary. The proposal for the time being
shall be kept confidential except as otherwise provided in this procedure.
SECTION 2:
The board shall ensure that the proposal meets all classification and
membership requirements of the club constitution.
SECTION 3:
The board shall approve or disapprove the proposal within 30 days of its
submission, and shall notify the proposer, through the
club secretary, of its decision-
SECTION 4:
If the decision of the board is favorable, the prospective member shall
be informed of the purposes of Rotary and of the privileges and
responsibilities of membership (including the kind of membership proposed),
following which the prospective member shall be requested to sign the
membership proposal form and to permit his or her name and proposed
classification (if active membership) to be published to the club.
SECTION 5:
If no written objection to the proposal, stating reasons, is received by
the board from any member (other than honorary) of the club within seven days
following publication of information about the prospective member, that person,
upon payment of the admission fee (if not honorary membership) as prescribed in
these bylaws, shall be considered to be elected to membership.
If any such objection has been filed with the board, it shall vote on this
matter at its next meeting. If approved despite the objection, the proposed
member, upon payment of the admission fee (if not honorary membership), shall
be considered to be elected to membership.
SECTION 6:
Following such election, the president shall arrange for the new
member’s induction and further orientation, and the club secretary shall issue
a membership card to the member and shall report such action to RI.
ARTICLE XII:
RESOLUTIONS
No resolution or motion to commit this club on any matter shall be
considered by the club until it has been considered by the board. Such resolutions
or motions, if offered at a club meeting, shall be referred to the board
without discussion.
ARTICLE XIII:
ORDER OF BUSINESS
Meeting called to order
Introduction of visiting Rotarians
Correspondence and announcements
Committee reports if any
Any unfinished business
Any new business
Address or program feature
Adjournment
ARTICLE XIV:
AMENDMENTS
These by-laws may be amended at any regular meeting, a quorum being
present, by a two-thirds vote of all members present, provided that notice of
such proposed amendment shall have been mailed to each member at least ten days
before such meeting. No amendment or addition to these by-laws
can be made which is not in harmony with the club constitution and by-laws of
Rotary International.