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.
Be a co-signer to the Guild bank
account to facilitate monthly spot checks comparing the Treasurer
Reports with the monthly statements.
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 regular meeting of
the Guild shall be held on the third Wednesday of each month during the
months of September through June unless alternative plans are agreed
upon by the membership. Any change from the usual meeting time and/or
place shall be announced at the 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 was approved by the membership October 17th,
2018.
