BYLAWS OF THE
FRANKLIN COUNTY
QUILTERS GUILD INC.
OF VERMONT
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ARTICLE I
NAME
The name
of the Guild shall be known as the Franklin County
Quilters Guild Inc. of Vermont. The
name
of the Guild’s newsletter shall be known as the Sugarhouse Gazette. The Articles of
Incorporation, as approved by
the Vermont Secretary of State on March 4, 2015, and effective on March
2,
2015, are in the Appendix to these bylaws.
ARTICLE II
PURPOSE
Section 1:
The purpose
of the Guild shall be to promote an interest in
the art of quilting for the members and for the benefit of the
community.
Section 2:
Effective
March 2, 2015, the Internal Revenue Service
determined the Guild is a public charity and is tax exempt as defined
under
section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC).
As such, donors can deduct contributions they
make to the Guild under IRC Section 170.
ARTICLE III
MEMBERS
Section 1:
1. All
persons 18 years of age and older who are interested
in the art of quilting shall be eligible to join the Guild. Any person
interested in joining may attend two meetings as a guest before they
must pay dues
in order to continue attending meetings.
2. Quilters
ages 9 through 17 may join the Guild under the
following conditions:
a. They must be sponsored by a member 18
years of age or
older and whose dues are current.
b. They must attend Guild meetings with
their sponsoring
member or another member 18 years of age or older.
c. They must strive to enter at least
one quilted item into
each annual quilt show.
d. They must participate regularly in
show and tell at the
monthly Guild meetings.
e. They must actively participate in
monthly Guild meetings
under Roberts Rules of Order and under accepted standards of public
decorum.
f. Members under the age of 18 may not
serve as a Guild officer
or committee chairperson or serve on the Nominating Committee.
g. Members under the age of 18 may not
make any expenditures
of Guild funds or monies.
h. The membership for any member under
the age of 18 can be
terminated at any time by vote of the majority of the Guild’s Executive
Committee.
Section 2:
The annual
dues shall be payable by all members at the
September meeting of each year. The executive committee will determine
the
amount and notify members at or prior to the September meeting. The
membership
chairperson shall notify members two months in arrears and those whose
dues are
not paid within one month thereafter shall be automatically dropped
from the
membership.
Section 3:
The dues
will not be prorated. In order to receive
newsletters and be able to participate in special workshops, the full
dues must
be paid regardless of when a member joins or rejoins.
Section 4:
Any member
of the Franklin County Quilters Guild shall be
eligible to take part in the workshops by quilt instructors paid for
either in
part or all by the Guild if:
1. They are the current president or
program chair or:
2. They have been a paid member for the
entire previous
year, and
3. They have attended 4 out of 10
meetings, and
4. They have sold 2 books of raffle
tickets and contributed
to one of the following fund raising activities: providing fabric
and/or blocks
for the raffle and charity quilts; somehow participated in the quilt
show; and other
group fund raising.
If there is space in the workshop, then there will
be a
lottery for the available spaces with interested members. If there is
still
space remaining, anyone else may take the workshop at a fee to be
determined by
the Guild at that time.
ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS
Section 1:
The elected
officers of the Guild shall be the President,
Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Project Coordinator(s) and
Program
Director(s). These officers shall comprise the Executive Committee. The
past
president shall serve as ex-officio member of the Executive Committee.
The
officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these bylaws and by the
parliamentary authority adopted by the Guild.
Chairpersons and coordinators include but are not limited
to: membership chairperson; quilt show chairperson(s); newsletter
editor; annual
charity quilt coordinator(s); raffle quilt coordinator(s); and other
charity
quilt coordinators as deemed necessary to conduct the business of the
Guild.
The chairpersons and coordinators shall perform their duties under the
direction of the president.
Section 2:
Nominations
for officers will take place at the regular
meeting in May. Officers shall be elected by a show of hands vote at
the annual
meeting in June. See Article VIII, Section 1 for the nominating
committee
protocol.
Section 3:
Officers
and chairpersons will serve a one-year term.
Officers and chairpersons may serve more than one term consecutively.
New
officers and chairpersons shall assume their duties at the end of the
annual
meeting in June.
Section 4:
All elected officers may issue and sign
receipts, as
requested, for the donation of monies or goods to the Guild. Such receipts shall
include the date of the
donation, a description of the donation, and the amount or value of the
donation.
ARTICLE V
DUTIES
OF THE OFFICERS AND CHAIRPERSONS
Section 1:
Duties of
the President shall include:
Preside at
all meetings
Call
meeting to order at the appointed time
Introduce
guests and new members at each meeting
Announce
business to the membership
Be informed
of communications
State and
put all questions properly brought by the membership
Decide all
questions of order
Preserve
order and decorum
Provide signature
when necessary
Provide a President’s Message to the
Newsletter Editor no
later than the last Wednesday of the month
Request a
Nominating Committee of at least three members no later than the March
meeting.
Section 2:
Duties of
the Vice President shall include:
Preside and
perform the duties of president in the absence of the president
Schedule
meeting location and time, in coordination with the President and
Program Director(s), for all Executive
Committee meetings and all
monthly guild meetings
Coordinate supplies and set up meeting
room for potluck
dinners at the December and June meetings.
Section 3:
Duties of
the Secretary shall include:
Keep the
public informed of guild meetings through public notices
Keep
minutes of the meeting
Provide the
membership with copies of previous minutes for review if requested
Provide electronic copy of the minutes
for Executive
Committee meetings and monthly guild meetings to the newsletter editor
no later
than the last Wednesday of the month
Preside in the absence of the
president and vice president
Conduct
correspondence as directed
Maintain hard copies of all past
meeting minutes and
correspondence generated.
Section 4:
Duties of
the Treasurer shall include:
Receive and deposit all monies due the
Guild within 7-10
days of receipt. If unable to meet this requirement, the monies should
be given
to the president to deposit.
Disperse
funds as needed to conduct guild business
Keep bookkeeping records of such
monies and funds
Maintain all documents related to
incorporation in and tax
exempt status with the State of Vermont
Maintain all documents related to
501(c)3 status with the
Internal Revenue Service
File electronic IRS Form 990-N or IRS
and State income tax
returns as required by law
Ensure proper documentation is
presented for items for
payments
Pay rent for the use of the hall in a
timely fashion
Read
the
treasurer's report at each meeting
Provide electronic copy of the
Treasurer’s Report to the
Newsletter Editor no later than the last Wednesday of the month
Section 5:
Duties of
the Program Director shall include:
Solicit
teachers, and/or speakers for guild programs
Inform the
treasurer before all programs of monies due the speaker or teacher
Coordinate monthly programs throughout
the guild year
Coordinate
monthly drawings for door prize and charity quilts
Maintain birthday basket of fat
quarters.
Section 6:
Duties of
the Project Coordinator shall include:
Organize monthly raffle blocks (block
of the month)
Organize other projects such as block
or fabric exchanges, mystery
quilts, challenges, and progressive quilts.
Section 7:
Duties of
the Membership Chairperson shall include:
Collect membership dues at the
September meeting and as new
members join in coordination with the Treasurer
Notify
members who are in arrears with their dues
Compile a
list of members' names, addresses, email addresses, and telephone
numbers
Distribute
the membership list by the November meeting
Update the
membership list as needed
Provide electronic copies of the
membership list to the
President and newsletter editor whenever updates are made.
Section 8:
Duties of
the Newsletter Editor shall include:
Publish the Guild’s
newsletter monthly, September through
June, at least one week prior to the scheduled Guild meeting
Organize the following
items, at minimum, in each
newsletter:
List of
Guild officers, chairpersons, and coordinators
Schedule of
monthly meetings to include start time
President’s
message
Minutes of
previous month’s meeting(s)
Treasurer’s
Report for current month
Instructions for
block of the month and/or other projects as
needed.
Maintain
hard copies of all past newsletters.
ARTICLE VI
MEETINGS
Section 1:
The Guild
shall hold 10 monthly meetings during the calendar
year. The months
and dates of the
regular meetings shall be determined by the Executive Board and
approved by the
membership. Any
changes to the meeting
date/time and/or place shall be announced at a previous meeting and in
the
newsletter.
Section 2:
The regular
meeting in June shall be known as the annual
meeting and shall be for the purpose of electing officers, receiving
reports of
the officers and committees, and for any other business that may arise.
Section 3:
The
Executive Committee shall meet at least once prior to
the September meeting to prepare for the coming year and as often as
necessary
thereafter. The President shall invite any chairpersons or coordinators
to the
Executive Committee meetings as deemed necessary to conduct the
business of the
Guild.
Section 4:
Fifty-one
percent of the paying membership of the Guild present
at the monthly meeting shall constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE VII
COMMITTEES
Section 1:
The
President shall request a Nominating Committee of at
least three members no later than the March meeting. It shall be the
duty of
this committee to solicit candidates for the offices of President, Vice
President, Secretary, Treasurer, Program Director, and Project
Coordinator.
Section 2:
The
committee will accept nominations from the floor in May
and will present a slate of candidates at the annual meeting in June.
Section 3:
Standing or
Special committees shall be appointed by the
President as necessary to carry out the business of the Guild. The
President
shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.
ARTICLE VIII
GUILD
FINANCES
Section 1:
Checks for
payment to the Guild shall be made payable to the
Franklin County Quilters Guild or FCQG.
Section 2:
Income
received on behalf of the Guild shall be turned in to
the Treasurer and shall not be offset by expenses incurred.
Section 3:
All monies
due the Guild shall be deposited within 7-10 days
of receipt.
Section 4:
Any
expenditures in excess of $100 must be pre-approved by a
majority of the membership present at the monthly meeting.
Section 5:
Members
shall submit receipts for reimbursement to the
treasurer monthly using the approved reimbursement form.
Section 6:
Payment for
workshops shall be made at the time of signup.
No refunds shall be given. Alternates will make private arrangements
with the
paid attendee.
ARTICLE IX
PARLIAMENTARY
AUTHORITY
The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order
Newly Revised
shall govern the Guild in all cases in which they are not inconsistent
with
these bylaws and any special rules of order that the Guild may adopt.
ARTICLE X
AMENDMENT
OF BYLAWS
These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the
Guild by a two-thirds vote, provided the amendment has been submitted
in writing
by/at the previous regular meeting or has been published in the
newsletter
prior to the vote.
Bylaws approved unanimously by membership
October 20, 2000
Addition of Article III, Section 4,
approved unanimously by
membership September 15, 2005
Addition of Article III, Section 1,
Paragraph 2, approved
unanimously by membership June 16, 2010
Changes to Articles I-VII, IX and X,
addition of Article II,
Section 2, addition of Article IV, Section 4, addition of Article V,
Sections 7
& 8, addition of Article VIII, Guild Finances, and addition of
Appendix
approved unanimously by membership June 17, 2015
Addition to Article V, Section 1, approved
unanimously by
membership October 17, 2018.
Changes to Articles VI, Section 1,
approved unanimously by
membership May 14, 2025
APPENDIX
ARTICLES
OF INCORPORATION
FOR
FRANKLIN COUNTY QUILTERS GUILD INC.
OF VERMONT
First: The name of
the Corporation shall be Franklin County Quilters Guild Inc. of Vermont.
Second: The principal
office of the Corporation is located in Saint Albans, Franklin County,
Vermont.
Third: Said
corporation is organized exclusively for charitable, religious,
educational,
and/or scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of
distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations
under
section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding
section of
any future federal tax code.
Fourth: The names and
addresses of the persons who are the initial officers of the
corporation are as
follows:
Helen
Short, President, St. Albans, VT 05478
Kristen
Bachand, Vice President, St. Albans Bay, VT
05481
Deborah
Dusablon, Treasurer, North Hero, VT
05474
Kay
Benedict, Secretary, St. Albans, VT
05478
Fifth: No part of
the
net earnings of the corporation shall inure to the benefit of, or be
distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private
persons,
except that the corporation shall be authorized and empowered to pay
reasonable
compensation for services rendered and to make payments and
distributions in
furtherance of the purposes set forth in Article Third hereof. No
substantial
part of the activities of the corporation shall be the carrying on of
propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the
corporation shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the
publishing
or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or
in
opposition to any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any
other
provision of these articles, the corporation shall not carry on any
other
activities not permitted to be carried on by a corporation exempt from
federal
income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the
corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
Sixth: Upon the
dissolution of the
corporation, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt
purposes within
the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the
corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
