South Bend Area Genealogical Society
The Society was conceived in 1975 by Laureen
Bostedt and Fay Lies, with Prudence Michael and Carol
Collins as advisors. The first
organized meeting was held January 22, 1976 in the Schuyler Colfax Auditorium
of the South Bend Public Library under the direction of Jeanne Denham,
President. South Bend Area Genealogical Society is a 501(c)3
nonprofit organization.
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I. NAME:
The name of the organization shall
be the South Bend Area Genealogical Society.
ARTICLE II. PURPOSE:
The purposes of this society are:
a.
To
foster interest in the study of family history
b.
To
collect and preserve genealogical knowledge and historical information
c.
To
create research aids (in print and online) to allow for better access to that
information
d.
To
provide programs and publications for instruction in research methods, skill
building and topics of historical interest
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP:
Membership is open to anyone
interested in the purposes of the Society on payment of the annual dues and
completion of the application form
Sec. 1. Classification: The categories of membership shall be as
follows:
a.
Individual
membership: Upon the payment of annual dues individuals eighteen years or older
may become members of the Society with all rights of membership, including a
subscription to the Society quarterly.
b.
Youth
membership - Upon the payment of annual dues individuals under the age of
eighteen may become members of the Society and receive
the Society quarterly, but do not retain the right to vote.
c.
Friend
of the Society - libraries, businesses, historical societies, etc.: Any
organization which supports the purposes of the Society and which has paid the
annual dues shall be a non-voting member and receive the Society quarterly.
d.
Lifetime
(Individuals Only): Upon the
payment of an amount determined by the board and specified in the Policies and
Procedures Manual individuals eighteen years or older may become members of the
Society with all rights of membership, including a subscription to the Society
quarterly, and be excused from further paying annual dues.
Sec. 2. Dues:
a.
The
monetary amount of membership dues will be determined annually by the Board
after consideration of the financial status of the Society, and require a
majority vote.
b.
Dues
are payable annually. If dues for renewal are not received 30 days after the
due date, members will be given notice of delinquency. Membership will be terminated after 60
days delinquent. See Policies and
Procedures for Dues Fee Structure.
Sec. 3.
Voting Rights
a.
Each
individual or lifetime membership
shall have one vote.
Sec. 4. Dismissal
of Membership
a.
In any case where any member of the Society is
deemed by the unanimous vote of the Board of Directors as a serious detriment
to the Society that membership may be terminated by the Society.
ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS:
Sec. 1. Number:
Officers of the Society shall be a
President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and a Vice President for
Membership.
Sec. 2. Election:
All Officers shall be elected or
re-elected from a slate prepared by the Nominating Committee at the direction
of the Board of Directors. Elections
will take place every two years, at the November members meeting by electronic vote with
installation at the January meeting (as provided in Article VI, Sec. 2., and
Article IX, Sec. 1).
Sec. 3. Death,
Inability or Unwillingness to Serve:
In the event of death, inability,
or unwillingness of the President to complete the term of office, the Vice
President shall assume all duties of that office. In the event of death or incapacitation
of other officers, the Society Board of Directors shall appoint a member to
fill that position on an interim basis until the next scheduled general
election.
Sec. 4. Eligibility
Any individual member in good
standing may hold office. The
President shall have served previously on the Board of Directors.
Sec. 5. Term
of Service
Officers and Directors shall serve
for a two-year term, and they shall serve until their successors are elected
and installed. There is no limit on
subsequent terms.
Sec. 6.
Transfer of Records
Upon retiring from office, all
officers shall deliver to their successors all records and other property
belonging to the Society.
ARTICLE V. DUTIES
OF THE OFFICERS:
Sec. 1. President:
The President shall be the chief
executive officer of the Society, and shall preside at all meetings of the
Society, regular or special, and of the Board of Directors, and shall be an
ex-officio member of all committees.
The President shall ensure fiscal integrity of the Society through
instigation of an annual review of the Society's financial records. The
President will share signatory authorization with the Treasurer on the Society
banking account(s).
Sec. 2. Vice
President:
The Vice President shall assist the President in carrying
out the duties of that office, preside in the absence of, or at the request of
the President, and succeed to the office of President for the unexpired term in
the event of the inability, or unwillingness of the President to complete
his/her term of office. The Vice President shall serve as Communications
Coordinator actively promoting all meetings and programs of the South Bend Area
Genealogical Society through both traditional and social media outlets. The Vice President shall be responsible
for the maintenance and updating of the Pertinent Data document for the
Society.
Sec. 3. Secretary:
The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all
meetings of the Board of Directors and present the minutes of previous meetings
for approval. In addition, the Secretary will be responsible for ensuring a
summary of the monthly member program is submitted to the Editor of the
Quarterly Newsletter for inclusion in the next newsletter. This responsibility
may be delegated. The Secretary will also hold the title of Society Archivist
and shall be responsible for maintaining records held in the Society office.
Sec. 4. Treasurer:
The Treasurer shall be the chief financial officer of the
Society, and shall keep an accurate account of the assets and liabilities of
the Society. The Treasurer shall be responsible for all receipts and
disbursements, paying yearly membership dues to the National Genealogical
Society, Federation of Genealogical Societies, and the Indiana Genealogical
Society, and shall maintain all financial records required by law for
non-profit organizations as defined in Federal and State of Indiana internal
revenue codes. The Treasurer shall also file Federal tax Form 990-N and the
Indiana state form NP- 20 as required for non-profit, and maintain records
required for 501(c)(3) status. The Treasurer shall
prepare and present monthly and annual statements to the Society, shall submit
a year-end financial statement to the Editor of the Quarterly Newsletter for
inclusion in the next newsletter, and shall submit to an annual review of
Society financial records as defined by Article V., Sec. 1. The Treasurer will
share signatory authorization with the President on the Society banking
account(s).
Sec. 5. Vice President of Membership:
The Vice President of Membership shall process membership
applications and collect dues to be given to the Treasurer for deposit. The
Vice President of Membership shall maintain an up-to-date membership roster,
including contact information to be used in the mailing of the Quarterly
Newsletter, send a "welcome letter" to all new members and be
responsible for contacting members whose memberships are past due. The Vice
President of Membership, with the assistance of the Editor of the Quarterly
Newsletter, will coordinate the printing and mailing of the Society's Quarterly
Newsletter and shall maintain a file of back issues to be sent when
appropriately requested.
ARTICLE VI. BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Sec. 1. Personnel:
The Board of Directors shall consist of the Officers, the
Editor of the Quarterly Newsletter, Webmaster and at least five additional
Members-At-Large.
Sec. 2. Election:
The Members-at-Large shall be elected, or re-
elected, from a slate prepared by the Nominating Committee at the direction of
the Board of Directors. Elections will take place every two years at the
November members’ meeting by electronic vote of the membership with
installation at the January meeting.
Sec. 3. Appointments:
The Board of Directors shall appoint the following
positions:
a.
Editor of the Quarterly Newsletter. The Editor shall be responsible for
publishing the official newsletter of the Society four times per year. The
Editor shall be responsible for collecting and receiving materials to be considered
for publication in the Society newsletter and any items specifically requested
by the Board of Directors.
b.
Webmaster. The Webmaster will be responsible for the maintenance and
updating of the SBAGS website and on-line databases and other duties as
specifically requested by the board.
Sec. 4. Meetings:
The Board will meet at least six times a year prior to the
monthly member program to conduct the business affairs of the Society.
Sec. 5. Quorum:
Quorum is defined as a simple majority of serving board
members.
Sec. 6. Recusal.
Board members shall recuse themselves from any matter in
which the member has a conflict of interest.
ARTICLE VII. DUTIES OF THE BOARD:
MEMBERS-AT-LARGE:
Each of the Members-At-Large shall be responsible for
participating in at least one of the five standing committees. Each Committee
Chair shall report to the Board of Directors prior to the regularly scheduled
board meetings detailing the activities of the committee, if any, since the
last regularly scheduled board meeting.
Sec. 1. PROGRAM COMMITTEE:
The Program Committee shall be responsible for setting the
yearly program agenda for the monthly member programs, suggesting topics and
locating speakers. The Committee will look for opportunities to work with area
groups and associations to conduct workshops and programs for the community.
The Program Committee shall assist the Spring Conference Committee as needed.
Sec. 2. SPRING CONFERENCE COMMITTEE:
The Spring Conference Committee shall be responsible for
all facets of the yearly conference, including locating the speaker, selecting
the program topics, arranging for meeting rooms, catering, registration of
vendor tables, and collecting of entry fees. The Committee is responsible for
all advertising for the conference, recruiting volunteers to help at the
conference, and for coordinating volunteer efforts.
Sec. 3. GRANT COMMITTEE:
The Grant Committee shall research available grants for
genealogical records preservation or board activities. The Committee shall be
responsible for recommending grants to the Board of Directors and for
completing applications for said grants. The Committee shall maintain a report
of each ongoing grant project and report to the Board of Directors the progress
of each project. The Grant Committee shall explore opportunities to support
local groups by creating and suggesting ways to fund a South Bend Area
Genealogical Society grant fund. The Grant Committee shall work with the
Project Committee to locate available funds to support project objectives.
Sec. 4. PROJECT COMMITTEE:
The Project Committee shall look for opportunities to
index and preserve original genealogical records. The Committee shall suggest
projects to the Board of Directors, maintain a current
list of ongoing projects and pending and report each project's progress to the
Board of Directors. Upon completion of a project, the Committee shall present a
summary to the Editor of the Quarterly Newsletter. In addition, the Project Committee
is responsible for recruiting volunteers for selected projects and should work
closely with the Grant Committee in identifying potential grants available to
support the project objective.
Sec. 5. RESEARCH COMMITTEE:
The Research Committee shall be responsible for
acknowledging requests for research assistance received by the Society and
providing said research assistance.
ARTICLE VIII. OTHER COMMITTEES
Sec. 1. APPOINTMENT:
The Board of Directors may create any other committee
deemed necessary for the accomplishment of the business of the Society, and
shall designate the chair of such a committee. This includes but is not limited
to a Nominating Committee.
ARTICLE IX. MEETINGS OF THE SOCIETY:
Sec. 1. Election Meeting:
During a regular member program of the Society held in the
month of November in even-numbered years, at a time and place determined by the
Board of Directors, an election of the Officers and Directors shall be held.
The purpose of the election shall be to elect the Officers and Directors of the
Society for the coming two-year term of office.
a.
The Nominating Committee shall prepare a list of candidates to fill all
offices, having first obtained the consent of each such candidate. This list shall be recommended to the
Society at the meeting preceding the election meeting. Additional nominations may be made from
the floor at this time.
b.
The Nominating Committee shall administer the election.
Ballots shall be distributed to all
members in good standing. A
majority vote shall constitute election to office.
c.
To enable broader involvement in elections by
the membership, voting by
electronic methods shall be allowed after the list of candidates is announced
and through the date of the November meeting. See Policies and Procedures for
methodology.
d.
Each member in good standing present at the November meeting shall have
one vote. No proxies will be
accepted.
Sec. 2. Regular Program:
A minimum of eight (8) programs of the Society shall be
held during the fiscal year (see Article X).
Sec. 3. Special Meeting:
A special meeting may be called by the Board of Directors
at any time during the fiscal year (see Article X). The purpose of the meeting
will be communicated to the membership electronically or in writing. Such
meetings shall be conducted according to provisions governing quorum for
election or regular meetings.
Sec. 4. Quorum:
For the purposes of conducting business, the members
present (but not less than twenty) shall constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE
X. FISCAL POLICY:
Sec. 1. Fiscal Year
The fiscal year of the Society shall begin on January 1,
and shall terminate on December 31.
Sec. 2. Operating Expenses
The operating expenses of the society shall be covered
from collection of dues, donations, sales of publications, event admission,
grant funding, and such additional functions as the membership may authorize.
Sec. 3. Expenditures
Expenditures in excess of $200 must be authorized by a
majority of the Board of Directors.
Expenditures under $200 must be authorized by at least two (2)
officers. Recurring expenses will
be authorized at the beginning of the fiscal year.
ARTICLE XI. PARLIAMENTARY
AUTHORITY:
The rules contained in the current edition of
Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, shall govern the Society in all
cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with
these bylaws and any special rules of order the Society may adopt.
ARTICLE XII. AMENDMENTS:
Sec. 1. Amendments to the bylaws may be
made as follows:
a.
The Bylaws of the Society shall be reviewed no longer than two years
from the last review by a committee appointed by the Board of Directors.
b.
Amendments to these bylaws may be proposed by the Board, a Bylaws
Committee, or in writing by a member in good standing at any time.
c. Any amendment originating outside the Bylaws Committee shall be
submitted to that committee in writing for review and if adopted, for
refinement into parliamentary language.
Sec. 2. Proposed amendments shall be
reported to the entire Society membership in writing at least three weeks prior
to the meeting at which they will be considered. Publication in the Quarterly Newsletter
of the Society will constitute a written report. Approval of amendments to the Bylaws
requires a two-thirds vote at a regular Society meeting or by electronic vote
of the membership.
Sec. 3. Amendments shall become effective
upon adoption unless otherwise specified in the amendment(s.)
ARTICLE XIII. DISSOLUTION:
In the event of the dissolution of the Society, all funds
and tangible assets or revenue from the sale of such assets, shall be
distributed at the direction of the Board of Directors to an Indiana
organization or organizations, exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal
Revenue Code and having similar objectives as the Society.
Bylaws
Adopted April 11, 1992
Revised: 1996
2015
2008
2018
|