Camden Rotary Club

 

Bylaws of the Rotary Club of Camden, Maine

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Adopted April 19, 2011

Article I   Definitions

1. Board: The Board of Directors of this club.
2. Director: A member of this club's Board of Directors.
3. Member: A member, other than an honorary member, of this club.
4. RI: Rotary International.
5. Fiscal Year: The twelve-month period that begins on 1 July.

Article 2   Board

The governing body of this club shall be the board consisting of  ten members of this club, including the president, president-elect), secretary, treasurer, and the immediate past president, as well as the five directors elected in accordance with article 3, section 1 of these bylaws.

Article 3   Election of Directors and Officers

Section 1 – At a regular meeting at least one month prior to the Annual Meeting of the club, the presiding officer shall ask for nominations by members of the club for president, president-elect, secretary, treasurer, and five additional directors.  The five additional directors shall each serve as chair of one of the five club committees described in Article 9.  The nominations shall be presented to a nominating committee, such committee having been appointed as the board may determine. The nominating committee shall then convene and bring back a recommended slate of board and officer candidates for the following fiscal year.     This slate shall be presented to the club and voted for at the annual meeting.
Section 2 – The officers and directors, so elected, together with the immediate past president shall constitute the board.
Section 3 – A vacancy in the board or any office shall be filled by action of the remaining directors, and ratified by a vote of the full club. 
Section 4 – A vacancy in the position of any officer-elect or director-elect shall be filled by action of current board, and ratified by a vote of the full club.

Article 4   Duties of Officers

Section 1 – President. It shall be the duty of the president to preside at meetings of the club and the board, and to perform other duties that ordinarily pertain to the office of president.

Section 2 – President-elect. It shall be the duty of the president-elect to serve as a director, to preside at meetings of the club and the board in the absence of the president, and to perform other duties as ordinarily pertain to the office of president-elect.

Section 3 – Secretary. It shall be the duty of the secretary to keep membership records; record attendance at meetings; send out notices of club, board, and committee meetings; record and preserve the minutes of such meetings; report as required to RI, including the semiannual reports of membership on 1 January and 1 July of each year, which shall include per capita dues for all members and prorated dues for active members who have been elected to membership in the club since the start of the July or January semiannual reporting period; report changes in membership; provide the monthly attendance report, which shall be made to the district governor within 15 days of the last meeting of the month; collect and remit RI official magazine subscriptions; and perform other duties as usually pertain to the office of secretary.

Section 4 – Treasurer. It shall be the duty of the treasurer to have custody of all funds, accounting for it to the club annually and at any other time upon demand by the board, to ensure compliance with all required reporting to federal and state agencies, and to perform other duties as pertains to the office of treasurer. Upon retirement from office, the treasurer shall turn over to the incoming treasurer or to the president all funds, books of accounts, or any other club property.

Article 5   Meetings

Section 1 – Annual Meeting. An annual meeting of this club shall be held no later than December 31 of each year, at which time the election of officers and directors to serve for the ensuing fiscal year shall take place.

Section 2 – The regular weekly meetings of this club shall be held on Tuesday at 12 Noon.
Due notice of any changes in or canceling of the regular meeting shall be given to all members of the club. All members excepting an honorary member (or member excused pursuant to the standard Rotary club constitution) in good standing in this club, on the day of the regular meeting, must be counted as present or absent, and attendance must be evidenced by the member’s being present for at least sixty (60) percent of the time devoted to the regular meeting, either at this club or at any other Rotary club.

Section 3 – One-third of the membership shall constitute a quorum at the annual and regular meetings of this club.

Section 4 – Regular meetings of the board shall be held once each month. Special meetings of the board shall be called by the president, whenever deemed necessary, or upon the request of two (2) directors, due notice having been given.

Section 5 – A majority of the directors shall constitute a quorum of the board.

Article 6   Fees and Dues

Membership dues shall be payable semiannually on the first day of July and of January, with the understanding that a portion of each semiannual payment shall be applied to each member’s subscription to the RI official magazine. The amount of dues shall be determined annually as part of the Club’s budget process.

Article 7   Method of Voting

The business of this club shall be transacted by voice vote unless otherwise determined by the board.  The board may determine that a specific resolution be considered by paper ballot, e-mail, or a combination of these methods.

Article 8   Four Avenues of Service

The four Avenues of Service are the philosophical and practical framework for the work of this Rotary club. They are Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service, and International Service. This club will be active in each of the four Avenues of Service.

Article 9   Committees

Club committees are charged with carrying out the annual and long-range goals of the club based on the four Avenues of Service. The president-elect, president, and immediate past president should work together to ensure continuity of leadership and succession planning.

Standing committees shall be appointed as follows:

Membership
This committee should develop and implement a comprehensive plan for the recruitment and retention of     members.   

Communications
This committee should develop and implement plans to provide the public with information about Rotary     and to promote the club’s service projects and activities.   

Club Service
This committee should conduct activities associated with the effective operation of the club.  

Service Projects
This committee should develop and implement educational, humanitarian, and vocational projects that     address the needs of its community and communities in other countries. 

International Service
This committee should develop and implement plans to support The Rotary Foundation through both financial contributions and program participation, seek opportunities to support worthy international projects and exchanges.

Additional ad hoc committees may be appointed as needed. 

(a) The president shall be ex officio a member of all committees and, as such, shall have all the privileges of membership thereon. 

(b) Each committee shall transact its business as is delegated to it in these bylaws and such additional business as may be referred to it by the president or the board. Except where special authority is given by the board, such committees shall not take action until a report has been made and approved by the board. 

(c) Each chair shall be responsible for regular meetings and activities of the committee, shall supervise and coordinate the work of the committee, and shall report to the board on all committee activities.

 

Article 10   Duties of Committees

The duties of all committees shall be established and reviewed by the president for his or her year. In declaring the duties of each, the president shall reference to appropriate RI materials. The service projects committee will consider the Avenues of Vocational Service, Community Service, and International Service when developing plans for the year. 

Each committee shall have a specific mandate, clearly defined goals, and action plans established by the beginning of each year for implementation during the course of the year. It shall be the primary responsibility of the president-elect to provide the necessary leadership to prepare a recommendation for club committees, mandates, goals, and plans for presentation to the board in advance of the commencement of the year as noted above.

 

Article 11   Leave of Absence

Upon written application to the board, setting forth good and sufficient cause, leave of absence may be granted excusing a member from attending the meetings of the club for a specified length of time.
Such leave of absence does operate to prevent a forfeiture of membership; it does not operate to give the club credit for the member’s attendance nor does it relieve the obligation of the member to pay dues to the club. Unless the member attends a regular meeting of some other club, the excused member must be recorded as absent except that absence authorized under the provisions of the Standard Rotary Club Constitution is not computed in the attendance record of the club.

 

Article 12   Finances

Section 1 – Prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, the board shall prepare a budget of estimated income and expenditures for the year, which shall stand as the limit of expenditures for these purposes.  The budget shall specify the recommended level of membership dues necessary to operate the club.  The budget, including the level of dues, shall presented to the full club membership for approval.

Section 2 – The treasurer shall deposit all funds for club operations in a bank account named by the board.

Section 3 – All bills shall be paid by the treasurer or other authorized officer only when approved by one other officer.

Section 4 – A thorough review of all financial transactions by a qualified person shall be made once each year.

Section 5 – The fiscal year of this club shall extend from 1 July to 30 June, and for the collection of members' dues shall be divided into two (2) semiannual periods extending from 1 July to 31 December, and from 1 January to 30 June. The payment of per capita dues and RI official magazine subscriptions shall be made on 1 July and 1 January of each year on the basis of the membership of the club on those dates.

 

Article 13   Method of Electing Members

Section 1 – The name of a prospective member, proposed by an active member of the club, shall be submitted to the board in writing, through the membership committee. A transferring or former member of another club may be proposed to active membership by the former club. The proposal shall be kept confidential except as otherwise provided in this procedure. 
Section 2 – The board shall ensure that the proposal meets all the classification and membership requirements of the standard Rotary club constitution. 
Section 3 – The board shall approve or disapprove the proposal within 30 days of its submission and shall notify the proposer, through the membership committee, of its decision. 
Section 4 – If the decision of the board is favorable, the prospective member shall be informed of the purposes of Rotary and of the privileges and responsibilities of membership, following which the prospective member shall be requested to sign the membership proposal form and to permit his or her name and proposed classification to be published to the club. 
Section 5 – If no objection to the proposal, stating reasons, is received by the board from any member (other than honorary) of the club within seven (7) days following publication of information about the prospective member, that person, as prescribed in these bylaws, shall be considered to be elected to membership.  If any such objection has been filed with the board, it shall vote on this matter at its next meeting. If approved despite the objection, the proposed member shall be considered to be elected to membership. 
Section 6 – Following the election, the president shall arrange for the new member's induction, membership card, and new member Rotary literature. In addition, the secretary will report the new member information to RI and the president will assign a member to assist with the new member's assimilation to the club as well as assign the new member to a club project or function. 
Section 7 – The club may elect, in accordance with the standard Rotary club constitution, honorary members proposed by the board.

 

Article 14 Termination of Membership

Section 1 - The resignation of any member from the club shall be in writing (addressed to the president or secretary) and shall be accepted by the board, provided that all indebtedness of said member to the club has been paid.

Section 2 – Any member failing to pay dues within 30 days of the due date shall receive monthly written or electronic reminders of their outstanding dues.  Any member falling 180 days or more behind in their dues shall be considered for termination of their club membership at the next regularly scheduled board meeting, regardless of receipt of monthly reminders.  The board may consider extenuating circumstances in determining whether to move forward with termination of membership. 

Section 3 – Club members are expected to attend a weekly Rotary meeting (Camden Rotary Club meeting or make-up at another Rotary club or an approved Camden Rotary function) at least 60% of the time.  Additionally, club members are expected to attend at least 30% of regularly scheduled meetings of the Camden Rotary Club as part of the 60% overall attendance expectation.  Any member failing to meet these requirements shall be considered for termination of their club membership at the next regularly scheduled board meeting, regardless of receipt of monthly reminders.  The board may consider extenuating circumstances in determining whether to move forward with termination of membership

Section 4- The membership of any member may be terminated by the board, for a reason which the board deems to be sufficient. 

Section 5 – Individuals whose membership has been terminated by the club may apply for reinstatement of membership following the procedure outlined in Article 13.

 

Article 15   Resolutions

The club shall not consider any resolution or motion to commit the club on any matter until the board has considered it.  Such resolutions or motions, if offered at a club meeting, shall be referred to the board.

 

Article 16   Amendments

These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting, a quorum being present, by a two-thirds vote of all members present, provided that notice of such proposed amendment shall have been mailed or emailed to each member at least ten (10) days before such meeting. No amendment or addition to these bylaws can be made which is not in harmony with the standard Rotary club constitution and with the constitution and bylaws of RI.