Squanicook Colonial Quilt Guild, Inc. ByLaws Revised 4/98 Article I Name and Location: Squanicook Colonial Quilt Guild, Inc., Townsend, Massachusetts Article II Purpose: The purpose of the Squanicook Colonial Quilt Guild, Inc. is to encourage the appreciation and preservation of the art and the craft of quilt making for individuals and the community through education, participation, and fellowship. Article III Membership: a.        Members shall be active in some phase of the art of quilt making or quilt appreciation and genuinely interested in the development and preservation of such arts. b.        Members shall have their annual dues paid to be in good standing. c.        All members in good standing shall be eligible to vote on matters pertaining to the policies and procedures of the Guild. d.        Only members in good standing may be eligible for, or hold, an elected office. e.        There shall be a cap of 200 on the number of members in the guild. (Amended 11/05/2007) Article IV Annual Dues & Monies a.        Dues shall be collected to meet operation expenses of the Guild and will be reviewed by the Board annually. b.        Dues are payable each year in April and shall be paid no later than June (This allows membership brochures, flyers, etc., to be ready for the September meeting). c.        Potential new members may attend one meeting before dues are required. d.        Annual dues shall be $15.00 per year, with the exception of senior citizens (age 60 and older), whose dues shall be $11.00 per year and junior members (anyone 18 years and under) whose dues shall be $11.00 per year.  Members joining March through June shall pay ½  the established dues. e.        Dues shall not be refundable. f.        Any monies generated by programs shall be turned back into a Program Fund to be used for monthly expenditures carrying over from year to year. Article V Business Year: The general meetings shall be held ten times during the business year.  The business year shall be from August 1 through July 31. Article VI Officers and Their Duties: The business of the Guild shall be transacted through regular officers:   President or Co-Presidents (2), Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.  The Executive Board shall be composed of the officers of the guild, the immediate past President and a member-at-large to be elected by the membership. a.        The President or Co-Presidents Shall:        1.        Preside at all meetings.        2.        Call and preside at Executive Board Meetings as needed.        3.        Appoint members to fill vacancies subsequent to approval by the Executive Board until the next regularly scheduled elections.        4.        Perform all other incidental duties of the office as required.        5.        Coordinate the activities of all the committees. b.        The Vice President Shall:        1.        Assist the President and exercise all functions of the President in her absence.        2.        Coordinate the activities of all the committees, along with the President.        3.        Be responsible for keeping a record/scrapbook of Guild functions and members’ special accomplishments.        4.        Be responsible for planning programs and workshops of interest for presentation to general meetings in event a Programs Chairperson has not been chosen.        5.        Perform all other incidental duties of the office as required. c.        The Secretary Shall:        1.        Keep records of all general and Executive Board meetings.        2.        Print minutes of the previous meetings in the newsletter to be distributed to the membership at the current meeting.        3.        Handle all correspondence.        4.        Perform all other incidental duties of the office as required. d.        The Treasurer shall:        1.        Have charge of all funds, receive dues and disburse monies upon authorization of the Executive Board and shall enter all transactions in the ledger.        2.        Print a report in the newsletter to be distributed to the membership at the general meetings as to the status of the treasury and submit same to the Secretary on a monthly basis.        3.        Perform all other incidental duties of the office as required.        4.        Treasurer shall require receipts for all monies disbursed. Monies shall be disbursed monthly following an executive board meeting, unless otherwise authorized and deemed necessary.  Any monies disbursed exceeding $25.00 shall have the general membership approval. Article VII Nominations, Elections, and Terms of Office: a.        The Nominating Committee shall consist of one past-President, one Executive Board Member, and one member-at-large (or two members-at-large if no past-President) b.        A slate of nominees shall be presented by the Nominating Committee to the membership at the April General meeting with elections being held at the May general meeting.  Election will be by majority vote of all members present at the meeting and in good standing.  Installation of officers shall be at the June meeting. c.        The term of office shall be for one year, except for the Secretary and Treasurer, which are two-year terms elected in alternate years. No person shall serve more than two consecutive terms in the same board position. d.        Outgoing officers and committee chairpersons shall turn over one copy of all books, files, and data of the Guild pertinent to the office to their successor and a duplicate copy to the President-elect at the May Installation meeting. e.        Vacancies in any office, with the exception of the President, shall be filled by appointment by the President subject to approval by the Executive Board for the unexpired term. f.        Attendance of an officer shall be mandatory at all meetings.  Any officer missing more than two consecutive board or general meetings without showing just cause shall forfeit her office and be replaced. g.        Other committees shall be appointed by President and approved by the Executive Board as the need arises. Article VIII Quorum: For the conduct of business, a quorum shall be constituted by 25% of the members in good standing present at the meeting. Article IX Amendments: a.        Amendments may be proposed by any member. b.        Amendments shall be presented at a general meeting and voting by the general membership shall take place at any general meeting upon notification of membership in the prior months newsletter and upon bringing the issue open for discussion. c.        Voting shall be by voice of by a show of hands. d.        An amendment is carried by a simple majority of those present and eligible to vote. Article X Member-at-Large: One member of the Guild elected by the general membership shall serve on the Executive Board and Nominating Committee.  The purpose of this individual is to ensure the interests and ideas of all members are represented.  This person shall be elected at the April general meeting from nominations from the floor and shall serve at the leisure of the membership.  If this position becomes vacant, it shall be filled at the next general meeting using the same procedures prescribed in this Article. Article XI Required Records and Dissolvement of the Guild: a.        Copies of the Treasurer’s Reports, Secretary’s Reports, Reports of Committee Chairpersons, and Income Tax Records shall be maintained for a period of three years by the Secretary. b.        In the Guild should become inactive, the Executive Board shall distribute the funds remaining in the Treasury to another organization with the same purposes as set forth in Article II.  If the Executive Board no longer exists, assets of the dissolved Guild will be distributed in accordance with Section 501c (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state of local government for a public purpose.