St. John’s Wood Women’s Club
By-Laws
Article I: Name
The name of the organization will be the St. John’s Wood Women’s Club (SJWWC).
Article II: Objective
Article III: Membership and Dues
Article IV: Meetings
A. A General membership event of the Club will be held once a month. The Club’s activities will be effective from September to June inclusive.
B. All members attending a meeting shall constitute a quorum for that meeting. Resolution of any motion shall be by two-thirds majority of members present and voting.
C. Monthly meetings are not open to children. Individual group meetings in members’ homes may or may not include children, at the discretion of the hostess of the event.
D. The Board will meet on a monthly basis from September to June inclusive. The June Board meeting will be a joint meeting of both the outgoing and incoming Boards.
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Article V: Nominations and Elections
A. The Board at the January meeting shall select a Nominating Committee of five members, consisting of two outgoing Board members, and three members at large. The Committee shall select a Chairman.
B. Members at large serving on the Nominating Committee shall be eligible to be nominated to hold a position on the Board.
C. The Nominating Committee shall select a slate of nominees for Board positions: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Programs, Hospitality, two Activity Group Coordinators, Membership, Newsletter Coordinator and Communications Manager. The Nominating Committee will give the Board a report on its progress at the March Board meeting and will present its slate of nominees at the Board’s April meeting.
D. At the May meeting, the chairman of the Nominating Committee shall conduct the election at which time nominations will be accepted from the floor. The vote of a majority of all members present shall result in election of officers. The term of office shall be for one year beginning at the joint Board meeting in June.
E. Two Standing Members will be selected by the incoming President to complete the Board membership and will be appointed prior to the joint Board meeting in June.
Article VI: Board Members and Their Duties.
A. President: She shall preside at monthly meetings; appoint committees and coordinate Board activities. When vacancies occur on the Board, she shall appoint their replacements with Board approval. She is ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee.
B. Vice-President: She shall perform the duties of the President in her absence. She shall act as community liaison, parliamentarian and is responsible for adherence to the By-Laws. She shall be the Club’s archivist.
C. Secretary: She shall keep accurate minutes of all Board meetings and send a copy to each Board member prior to the next meeting. She shall be responsible for all official correspondence.
D. Treasurer: She shall collect and hold all monies belonging to the Club and deposit them in a bank approved by the Board. She shall pay all approved expenditures of the Club and shall reimburse members for approved expenses incurred on behalf of the club. Expenditures of up to 1000 pounds are subject to approval by the President. All expenditures above 1000 pounds are subject to approval by the Board. The Treasurer shall keep financial records and accounts, which shall be examined annually by a committee appointed by the President which may consist of both Board and general members. She shall present a monthly report to the Board. She will maintain written reports prepared after each event by any member, Activity Group, or committee handling Club funds. The Treasurer shall serve no more than three consecutive terms.
E. Programs: She shall act as program chairman and arrange suitable programming for the Club’s monthly membership meetings. She is responsible for the speakers’ needs and for any payment and/or gifts, for providing audio/visual equipment as needed and for introducing the speaker at the monthly meetings and writing follow-up thank-you notes.
F. Hospitality: She shall arrange for the venue and refreshments for monthly meetings and luncheons. She shall be responsible for the hospitality equipment.
G. Activity Group Coordinators: They shall select all Activity Group Leaders and oversee all activity group events. All Activity Group Leaders shall report directly to the Activity Group Coordinators. The Activity Group Coordinators shall keep a calendar of club events.
1. All Activity Group Leaders must be members of the St. John’s Wood Women’s Club. Unless an activity is designated to be open to guests, all participants must be members of SJWWC.
2. All activities should be self-supporting.
3. No club activity shall meet in conflict with a general membership meeting.
4. The Activity Group Coordinators or Activity Group Leaders will insure that no member of the club may run an activity group event for personal profit without prior Board approval.
5. The Activity Group Coordinators will provide a clear and concise job description for each of the Activity Group Leaders, who in turn will agree to adhere to the guidelines.
6. No member or Activity group should petition an organization expressing the Activity Group’s views without prior Board approval.
7. Activity Group Leaders will submit to the Treasurer the required detailed club documentation for income and expenses, including VAT receipts, within 7 days of the events in order to obtain expense reimbursement and satisfy financial reporting requirements. Advances, deposits and prepayment of event expenses are permitted, and the intention is that no Activity Group leader will be personally out of pocket if avoidable.
H. Membership: She shall enroll new members and maintain current membership files and is responsible for forwarding membership dues to the Treasurer in a timely fashion. She shall keep the mailing lists, including email addresses, up to date and be responsible for the membership directory.
I. Newsletter Coordinator: She shall be responsible for overseeing the compiling, editing, publishing and distribution of the monthly newsletter from September through June.
1. She may appoint an editor, distributor, and advertising coordinator.
2. She or the advertising coordinator is responsible for all paid advertisements. Rates for advertising by club members and businesses will be determined by the Newsletter Coordinator with Board approval.
3. The additional mailing costs associated with international members’ mailings will be reviewed by the Board yearly and included in the international membership fee.
J. Communications Manager: She shall manage the SJWWC website, maintain the flow of information between the Board and the website, and coordinate the e-mail updates to SJWWC members. Her responsibilities are as follows:
1. Website management: With the approval of the Board, she shall appoint a website manager or management company to establish and maintain a SJWWC website. She shall maintain the flow of information between the Board and the designated manager/management company. Other duties include: compiling necessary information; overseeing alterations, updates, additions and deletions to the website; communicating relevant information to the website manager/management company; and verifying website information.
2. E-mail coordination: She shall compile, edit and publish mass e-mails to club members on a schedule and in a format determined by the Board. In conjunction with the Membership Chair, she shall maintain and update a database of SJWWC member e-mail addresses. E-mails shall consist of timely club event updates, and announcements provided by Board members and Activity Group Leaders. Community Service announcements and personal classified ads from club members may be included on a discretionary basis. No e-mails benefiting commercial enterprises shall be accepted. All emails are subject to final approval by the President prior to publication.
K. Standing Members: They shall attend Board meetings and provide advice and support as needed.
L Each officer must deliver to her successor all records and property of the office by the June joint Board meeting. She shall also include a list of duties and a written report of her activities in duplicate. One copy remains with the new board member and a second is to be given to the President.
M. All Board members are responsible for regularly reviewing all policies and procedures impacting their areas of responsibility and for recommending as necessary any changes to policies and procedures for review and approval by the Board.
Article VII: Parliamentary Rules
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, newly revised, shall govern the Club in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the By-laws and special Rules of Order the Club may adopt.
Article VIII: Amendments of By-Laws
A. The By-laws must be reviewed annually.
B. These By-Laws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Club by a two-thirds vote of those present, providing amendments have been presented in writing prior to the vote.
Article IX: Miscellaneous
The Club and its Board accept no responsibility, financial or otherwise for any loss or injury incurred at Club meetings, Club functions, local or foreign trips. Members attend such meetings and functions at their own risk.
SJWWC By-laws
Approved February 2005