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Baltimore
Bird Fanciers
BY-LAWS
Approved by the Board
of Directors on August 21, 2005
Approved by the General Membership
on September 18, 2005
ARTICLE 1: NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION
The name of the organization is Baltimore Bird Fanciers, Inc., also
known as “BBF” or “the Club.”
The organization is incorporated in the State of Maryland.
ARTICLE 2: PURPOSE
Section 1. BBF is a non-profit, educational organization whose purpose
is to promote the welfare
of pet and exotic birds. All money collected by BBF is used to attain
its stated goals. No director,
officer, or member profits monetarily from the Club’s activities.
Section 2. The Club endeavors to attract, encourage, advise, and
instruct, to the best of its
knowledge, any person interested in the art of breeding and maintaining
caged birds in good health.
Section 3. The Club endeavors to create public awareness and promote
the pleasures of bird keeping,
breeding, and exhibiting.
ARTICLE 3: DEFINITIONS
Following are definitions of selected terms used in these by-laws:
Active Officers, Directors:
an officer or director who does not miss
three consecutive meetings.
Appointed Positions:
positions held by members selected by the President,
and approved by the Board of Directors,
to perform a specific task or duty
Board of Directors:
elected officers and directors-at-large combined.
Board Quorum:
two-thirds of the seated board of directors.
Cause:
actionable behavior such as misappropriation of
funds, misrepresentation of the club, or activities
that are injurious to the club.
Claimant:
a person who submits a written and signed statement
that defines cause.
Director-at-Large:
a board member elected according to these by-laws.
Honorary Lifetime Member:
a person who, by a resolution of the board of
directors, is exempt from paying dues, and is
entitled to full membership privileges, including voting.
Member:
an adult who has paid the current year’s
dues.
Membership Quorum:
50% of the total membership plus one member.
Officer:
a member elected to a specific office described
in these bylaws
Supervisor of Election:
a member who is not a candidate for office who
agrees to count ballots for the election.
ARTICLE 4: MEMBERSHIP AND DUES
Section 1. Membership is open without discrimination to all persons
in accordance with all local,
state, and federal laws.
Section 2. Dues for the current year must be submitted with the
membership application.
Section 3. Membership in the Club is a privilege. Any member can
be removed for cause by a vote
of the board if two members, acting as claimants, bring forth a
complaint.
Section 4. Members pay annual dues as set by the Board of Directors.
Dues are payable by January
31st of each year.
Section 5. Dues Structure and Proration: Full dues are payable for
members joining January 1st
through June 30th. One-half of the annual dues rate are paid by
members joining July 1st through
September 30th. Members joining after October 1st pay the full amount
and their membership
extends through December 31st of the following year.
Section 6. Members whose dues are not paid on February 1st are to
be notified in writing by the
membership chairperson via USPS mail. The member’s dues must
then be paid by the February
membership meeting. If the dues remain unpaid at the February membership
meeting the member
is removed from the membership roster.
Section 7. Honorary lifetime membership can be awarded by a 2/3
vote of the board where a quorum
exists
.
Section 8. A complimentary one-year membership can be awarded at
the discretion of the Board of
Directors.
ARTICLE 5: BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. The Board guides the operation of the Club, approves
expenditures, determines special
club awards, receives, hears, and deals with all grievances and/or
disputes that may occur.
Section 2. The Board consists of five elected Directors-at-Large
plus the four elected officers.
Persons holding appointed offices may attend board meetings and
participate in discussions but do
not have voting privileges on issues before the board.
Section 3. The President acts as chairperson and does not vote unless
there is a tie vote, in which
case the President votes to break the tie. In such incidents, the
President’s decision is final.
Section 4. Votes conducted by the board require that a board quorum
be present at the meeting at
which the vote is held. In the event a board quorum is not present
at a meeting, the meeting may be
conducted for discussion purposes only.
Section 5. Board meetings may be held electronically via conference
call, e-mail, or other electronic
means. The same requirements outlined in Section 4 above apply to
board meetings held
electronically.
ARTICLE 6: DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
Section 1. All Officers and Directors are elected for a two-year
term.
Section 2. The elected officers of the club are:
President:
The President presides over all meetings and generally supervises
the Club’s affairs. The
President appoints all committee chairs. The committee chairs are
responsible for inviting and
appointing members to their respective committees. A person may
hold the office of President for
no more than two consecutive terms.
Vice-President:
The Vice-President assumes the duties of the President in the absence
or incapacitation of the
President.
Treasurer:
The Treasurer is the custodian of the Club’s funds and is
to keep accurate records of all receipts
and expenditures. The Treasurer pays all bills and expenses as authorized
by the Board of Directors.
The treasurer is to prepare an annual report of the financial condition
of the Club as soon as possible
after the close of the fiscal year and in time for tax and regulatory
filings. The Treasurer reports on
the financial status of the Club at the regular Club meetings, including
interim financial reports on
specific club events. In the interest of disclosure, and keeping
members informed, the treasurer
prepares a monthly financial report that is published in the Club’s
newsletter.
Secretary:
The Secretary keeps minutes of all meetings, regular or special.
The Secretary maintains the
official minutes book containing original minutes of membership
meetings, board meetings, and
board resolutions. The minutes will be published in the monthly
newsletter for approval at the next
regular meeting.
Board Members:
The Board Members determine the activities of the Club and will
guide the operation of the Club.
They are officers of the Club.
ARTICLE 7: ELECTION PROCEDURES
Section 1. Supervisor of Election: The President names a Supervisor
of Election in August of evennumbered
years. The Supervisor of Election accepts nominations, verifies
eligibility of nominees by
conferring with the membership chair, prepares ballots, verifies
eligibility of voters, mails ballots,
receives returned ballots, counts the ballots, and settles contested
ballots.
Section 2. Nominations: Any member in good standing may be nominated
by another member in
good standing or self-nominated at the nomination meeting to be
held in September of evennumbered
years. No second to nominations is required. If a nominee is not
present at the meeting,
the absent nominee will be notified of the nomination within one
week by the Secretary. The
nominee must then respond to the Secretary within two weeks with
their acceptance of the
nomination. If no response is received, the nomination is deemed
to be declined.
Section 3. Officer Nominees: All attempts will be made to present
a minimum of two candidates for
each office. A write-in section will be available on the ballot
for all offices.
Section 4. Directors-at-Large: There are to be a minimum of six
nominees for Directors-at-Large.
Each Club member may cast a vote for up to five candidates for Directors-at-Large.
The five
nominees with the greatest number of votes will be seated.
Section 5. Elections: Ballots are mailed to members during the first
week of October in evennumbered
years. The election of directors and officers is held at the November
meeting in evennumbered
years. The newly elected directors and officers assume their offices
on January 1st
immediately following the election.
Section 6. Dual Officership: No person may hold more than one elected
office concurrently.
ARTICLE 8: REMOVAL FROM OFFICE, VACANCY
Section 1. Officers and Directors: Any officer or director may be
removed for cause or for missing
three consecutive board meetings.
Section 2. General membership: Any member may be removed from membership
for cause.
Section 3. Vacancies: The board will appoint a person from the general
membership to fill board and
officer positions that become vacant for any reason. Such appointments
will be for the remainder of
the term.
ARTICLE 9. BOARD MEETINGS
The Board of Directors will meet monthly at the regular meeting
to handle regular Club business.
In addition, if it is desirable, there may be additional meetings
at such times and places that are
agreeable to the board members. Special board meetings can be called
by any of the board members
if three-fourths of the board members agree that a special meeting
is necessary or desirable.
ARTICLE 10. ORDER OF BUSINESS
1. President calls the meeting to order.
2. Roll call of officers and directors
3. Introduction of new members and guests.
4. Program planned for the meeting.
5. Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting.
6. Treasurer’s report.
7. Unfinished business.
8. New business.
9. General announcements.
10. Adjournment.
ARTICLE 11. REPORTS
All committee reports will be provided in writing to the secretary
who will make them part of the
minutes of the meeting.
ARTICLE 12. NEWSLETTER
Section 1. The Club will publish and mail to the membership and
other interested clubs a monthly
publication called the Chirp & Chatter.
Section 2. The Chirp & Chatter will contain at least: a meeting
notice, minutes from the previous
meeting, calendar of upcoming events, information of interest to
members and classified
advertisements (at no cost to members).
Section 3. The Chirp & Chatter may also contain paid business
card advertisements from members
and the general public. Fees for business card ads will be set by
the board of directors.
Section 4. All articles and advertisements in the Chirp & Chatter
must be for bird-related items and
activities.
ARTICLE 13. ANNUAL BIRD SHOW
Section 1. At least one show will be held annually in the fall by
the Club unless the club membership
decides otherwise. All birds, banded or unbanded, owned by members
or non-members, are eligible
in the open classes of the show.
Section 2. Entry fees will be determined yearly and published.
Section 3. Trophies and ribbons may be awarded by the Club at all
shows held under its jurisdiction
to birds bred by members or non-members. The number and placement
of awards will be determined
each year by the Show Manager and Show Committee.
ARTICLE 14. SHOW AND MART MANAGER
Section 1. Both positions are voluntary and are appointed by the
Board of Directors.
Section 2. Both managers will have control of and the responsibility
for planning and operating the
show and the mart.
Section 3. The managers may appoint the show and mart secretary,
assistant show and mart
managers, chief stewards of divisions, and the judges’ secretaries.
Section 4. The Board of Directors will select a facility for both
events.
Section 5. The budgets for the show and the mart will be set by
the Board of Directors based on
recommendations by the show and mart managers.
ARTICLE 15. CLUB DISSOLUTION
Section 1. All assets held in the Club’s name will be sold.
Section 2. Any money owed will be paid beginning with that money
owed to outside contracts and
then to money owed to Club members.
Section 3. All residual funds will be donated to a nonprofit avian
organization.
Section 4. The Club Treasurer and President will be responsible
for finalizing all payments.
ARTICLE 16. AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Proposed amendments to these By-Laws must be in writing,
signed by not less than three
active members and presented to the Board of Directors.
Section 2. If accepted by the Board of Directors, the proposed amendment
is presented to the general
membership at the first general membership meeting following the
board meeting at which the
proposed amendment was accepted.
Section 3. The proposed amendment is then published in the next
issue of the Chirp & Chatter. The
proposed amendment will then be voted upon by the general membership
at the first general
membership meeting following publication of the Chirp & Chatter
issue in which the proposed
amendment was published.
Section 4. Proposed amendments to these by-laws can be passed by:
(a) A vote of two-thirds of a membership quorum
present at the general membership
meeting, or
(b) by a majority vote by mailed ballot..
The 2005 BBF By-Laws Revision Committee:
Raymond E. Reter, Chair
Karyn Bergmann, Counsel to the
Committee
Marianne Frattarola
Robert Mehl
Brian Petry, Co-counsel to the
Committee
Howard Stiefel
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