BYLAWS
(Rules Amended November 12, 1994, General Membership Meeting)
ARTICLE I Membership
Section A Prospective Member
A prospective member may attend no more than two membership socials before becoming a member.
Section B Regular Member
1. Shall enjoy full privileges of membership, i.e., newsletter, newsletter article submissions, newsletter calendar submissions, free newsletter Instructor/Teacher Ad, notice of upcoming events, discount on event fees, invitation/inclusion in socials, voting privileges (i.e., election of officers, etc.)
2. A member in good standing shall be a regular member whose dues are current.
Section C Associate Member
1.
May have membership conferred by the Executive Board or may elect to
contribute to MEDAH.
2. May attend Social / Formal Membership Meetings.
3. Shall not have a vote.
4. Shall not hold elective office on the Executive Board.
ARTICLE II Executive Board
The Executive Board shall consist of elected officers and other board members.
ARTICLE III Officers and Elections
Section A Elected Officers and Other Board Members
Elected Officers shall be as follows:
1. President
2. Vice President
3. Secretary
4. Treasurer
5. Board Member At Large
6. Board Member At Large
7. Board Member At Large
Section B Order of Succession
1. Upon completion of the President's term of office, the President shall become the Advisor -- who is designated as an appointed officer.
2. Outgoing Board Members shall be responsible for the planning and execution of all activities for December, and January of the new year.
3. In the event of a vacancy in the appointed office of Advisor, the President shall appoint a former elected officer to fill the position.
Section C Nomination of Officers
1. The Nominating Committee shall be comprised of the following:
a. Chairperson appointed by the President
b. Two (2) Board Members
c. Two (2) Members-at-Large
d. Vice President who shall be an ex officio member
2. The Nominating Committee shall be appointed in July.
3. The Nominating Committee may nominate any number of candidates for each office.
4. The report of the Nominating Committee shall be presented at the Formal Membership Meeting in October.
5. Nominations from the floor may be added to the slate at the Formal Membership Meeting in October.
6. The names of confirmed nominees will be listed in the November Zagoreet newsletter.
Section D Election of Officers
1. Only members in good standing, with the exception of the President, shall have the privilege of casting a vote for prospective Board Members. The President shall vote only in the case of a tie.
2. Voting shall be by secret ballot. The Nominating Committee shall mail ballots to members in good standing.
3.
If there is only one nominee for an elected office, at least one vote
must be cast for that nominee.
4. A simple majority of votes received by members in good standing shall prevail.
Section E Term of Office
1. The term of office for Board Members is one (1) year.
2. The Incoming Board Members shall prepare to take office via the Outgoing Board Members at a Joint Board Meeting following the Formal Membership Meeting.
Section F Vacancies of Offices
1. A vacancy in the office of President shall be filled automatically by the Vice President.
2. Should a vacancy occur in any other elected office, the President shall appoint, with Board approval, a member to fill the office for the unexpired term.
ARTICLE IV Duties of Elected Officers
Section A President
1. Preside over all Formal Membership Meetings and meeting with members of the Board.
2. Act as an ex officio member of all committees, except the Nominating Committee.
3.
Uphold the MEDAH Constitution and Bylaws.
4. Make decisions
a. that best benefit MEDAH;
b. necessary for the smooth and effective functioning of MEDAH.
5. Coordinate the efforts of all officers and committee chairpersons.
6.
May sign checks in the absence of the Treasurer.
7. Appoint, with Board approval, all chairpersons.
8. Appoint, in November, an Audit Committee consisting of three (3) members -- a past President, a past Treasurer and a Member-at-Large.
Section B Vice President
1. Preside at all meetings in the absence of the President.
2. Serve as the Director of activity groups and contact for all activities.
3. Keep membership informed of all activities by submitting a monthly summary to the Newsletter Editor.
4. Serve as an ex officio member of the Nominating Committee.
5. Serve as custodian for MEDAH property not provided for otherwise.
Section C Secretary
1. Share all secretarial duties as agreed upon between each.
2. Determine if a quorum is present before official business is transacted at Board and Formal Membership Meetings.
3. Notify all Board members of the monthly Board meetings and submit a notice, in writing, for publication in the Newsletter.
4. Record and maintain the minutes of all business meetings.
5. Read, handle and file all correspondence and communications.
6. Maintain, in cooperation with the Board Member - Membership, an up-to-date address file on all members.
Section D Treasurer
1. Collect all funds.
2.
Deposit fund in MEDAH bank account.
3. Record all financial transactions.
4. Disburse funds upon receipt of bills.
5. Maintain books and have them available and ready for audit upon request or at the conclusion of term of office.
6.
Parliamentarian insure that the Constitution and Bylaws are followed at
all MEDAH meetings and by all MEDAH members while in attendance at such
meetings.
Section E Board Member - Membership / Telephone Tree
1. Serve as Director of Membership and keep a current file on all members.
2. Submit a monthly membership summary to the Editor for publication in the Newsletter.
3. Collect membership dues and forward them to the Treasurer.
Section F Board Members-at-Large
1. Serve as chairpersons of the following committees on a voluntary basis or as appointed by the President:
a. Fund Raising / Publicity
b. Newsletter Editor
c. Assistant Newsletter Editor
d. Policy and Procedures
e. Year-End Performance / Special Events
ARTICLE V Committees and Activity Coordinators
Section A Committees
1.
Chairpersons of committees not listed previously may be appointed by the
President with Board approval, as needed. The term of office for these
committees would correspond to the President term.
2. The President may appoint ad hoc committees as needed for specific tasks and limited periods of time.
Section B Activity Coordinators
1. Activity Coordinators may be selected by the Board, or by the Vice President or by self-interest in having an activity.
2. All self-interest activities must be approved by the Board and coordination of such shall end at the conclusion of the activity.
3. Coordinators shall report to the Vice President who shall include the activity status in the Newsletter.
4.
Duties and responsibilities shall be defined in the Policy and Procedures
Manual.
ARTICLE VI
Finances
Section A Dues
1. Annual dues shall be determined by the Board with approval of a majority vote of members present at a Formal Membership Meeting, attended by a quorum of the members.
2. No refunds shall be made of dues paid to MEDAH.
Section B Budget
A Budget Committee, consisting of the incoming and outgoing Presidents and Treasurers, shall be formed at the beginning of each term of office to prepare a budget for acceptance by the Board and the general membership.
Section C Expenditures
1.
Two signatures must be registered at the bank on the MEDAH account: those
of the Treasurer and the President.
2.
Itemized receipts or bills must be submitted to the Treasurer before
disbursement are made.
3. Requests for funds must be made in writing with an itemized estimate of expenses. The Treasurer must require that any member who receives an approved money draw for a future project or special event must submit an itemized list of expenditures and receipts, and must return any unspent funds.
4. No member of MEDAH shall incur indebtedness or otherwise obligate MEDAH without the authority of the Board.
ARTICLE VII Meetings
Section A Board Meetings
1. A regular Board Meeting shall be held once each month. The date is to be selected by the Board and is open to all members.
2. All elected and appointed officers are required to attend and are entitled to vote on all matters pertaining to MEDAH. Appointed committee chairpersons may attend but are not entitled to vote.
3.
A quorum must be present to conduct business.
4. Special meetings may be called by the President.
Section B Formal Membership Meetings
1. Formal Membership Meetings shall be held quarterly unless determined otherwise by the Board, in January, April, July and October.
2. The meetings may have any format (i.e., luncheon, dinner, potluck, picnic, etc.). The date is to be set by the Board and published in the Newsletter.
Section C Social Meetings
May be held at any time for any reason upon Board approval.
ARTICLE VIII Order of Business
The Rules contained in Roberts Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern MEDAH in all cases to which they are applicable and when they are not inconsistent with the MEDAH Constitution and Bylaws.
ARTICLE IX Amendments
These Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the membership present at any Formal Membership Meeting, providing that notification has been published in the Newsletter at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting.