Approved October 30, 2005

Article I: General Information

A.  Name

The name of the club shall be: Grand River Renegades (hereinafter, the “Club”).

            B.  Mission Statement

The Grand River Renegades is a diverse group of people whose mission is to promote country western dancing where everyone is welcome. We are dedicated to creating a fun and friendly danceable environment where lead/follow roles are not gender-defined. We welcome all dancers at any level and seek to provide opportunities for dance skill enhancement. We seek to support the greater community, particularly gay and lesbian causes, through sharing our talents.

            C. Structure

1. The Club shall achieve its social, educational and promotional goals without discrimination with regard to sex, race, religion, nationality, culture, sexual orientation or disability.

2. The Club is a non-profit organization.

3. The fiscal year of the Club is October to September.

4. The board of officers of the Club comprises the following offices: chair, vice chair/secretary, treasurer and member-at-large.

5. The Club may appoint non-officer positions such as committee chairs.

6. Voting on all Club matters may be conducted by general consent-voice vote

unless objected to by a member in good standing.

7. Voting by proxy is not permitted unless otherwise stated in these bylaws.

 

Article II: Governing Documents

1. Bylaws

1. Any part of the bylaws may be amended or repealed at any general membership meeting.

a) Proposed changes to the bylaws must be presented in writing to the secretary.

b) Proposed changes shall be distributed to all members at least 30 days before the meeting at which voting on the proposed changes is to take place.

c) A simple majority of the total members in good standing need to approve changes to the bylaws in order for such changes to take effect.

 d) Changes to the bylaws shall be communicated to the membership within 30 days of the approval.

 

2. Membership Application

The Board may redesign the membership application as necessary to clarify

membership requirements, benefits and covenants without prior approval of the

general membership.

Article III: Membership

1. Eligibility

      Any person with interest shall be eligible for membership.

2. Dues

      The Board shall set the amount of the annual dues. Membership shall become effective upon payment of dues. A member shall be in good standing when all dues or renewal dues are paid and current. All memberships expire on December 31^st of each year. Membership dues shall be pro-rated quarterly as follows: 

1. January 1^st - March 31^st: 100% of the annual rate.

2. April 1^st - June 30^th: 75% of the annual rate.

3. July 1^st - September 30^th: 50% of the annual rate.

4. October 1^st - December 31^st: 125% of the annual rate, which consists of dues or the last quarter of the current year plus the annual dues for the upcoming year.     

           

3. Binding Ability

No member shall bind this club to action through representing, joining, or affiliating without prior approval of the Board and/or the General Membership.

 

D.    Member Discipline

1.      Offenses: all charges of offenses of any member(s) must be submitted in writing from a member in good standing to the Board of Directors.  Types of offenses include: conduct injurious to the Club or its purposes and/or conduct that involves the safety of another member.

2.      Forms of Discipline:

a.                   Reprimand;

b.                  Temporary suspension of membership and voting privileges; and

c.                   Expulsion (termination of membership).

3. The Board reserves the right to take appropriate legal action where it deems it necessary.

4. Review Board: The Board of Directors will act as a review board to examine any charge(s) and will execute disciplinary action(s) as appropriate.

a. The Board must act within thirty (30) days of receipt of response from a member(s) with charges pending. A hearing may be scheduled if requested.  The Board may act on the written charge(s) and response(s) if no hearing is requested.

b. If charges are pending against a member of the Board, that Board Member will not participate as a member of the review board. In such case the remaining Board Members will appoint another member in good standing to serve on the Review Board.

c. A vote of three-fourths (3/4) of eligible voting Board members is required to take action.

 

5. Affiliations

This Club will only affiliate with international, national or state clubs that adhere to the same goals and objective of this membership, unless for charitable interests.

 

Article IV: Board and Non-Board Positions.

A.  Board Positions

• Chairperson (Chair)
• Vice Chairperson (Vice Chair)
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Member-at-Large

 

B.  Election and Appointment of Board Members..

1.      The election shall take place at a General Membership Meeting during January of each year.

2.      The Board shall announce to the membership the election date and procedures sixty (60) days in advance of the election date.

3.      Nominations may be made by any member in good standing.

4.      An Elections Comptroller shall be appointed by the Board to operate the election. The Elections Comptroller shall be selected from the general membership and must be a member who is not seeking elective office.

5.      The nomination period starts thirty (30) days prior to the election date and ends ten (10) days prior to the election date. Nominations and acceptance of a nomination must be made in writing to the Elections Comptroller. Nominations and acceptance of a nomination must be made in writing to the membership.

6.      In the event a position does not have an accepted nominee by the deadline established in Item #4, the incumbent is given the option to continue to hold the position. If the incumbent chooses not to remain in the position, the new Board will handle the position in the same manner as any other vacated position (in article IV.C.2).

7.      Elections shall be conducted by secret ballot, to be counted by the Elections Comptroller and one additional member appointed by the Board.

 

C.  Terms of Office.

1.      The terms of office for the three Executive Directors (Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer) shall be for two operating years. The term of office for the Non-Executive Director (Member-at-Large) shall be for one operating year. The operating year shall be set as beginning on January 1^st and ending on December 31^st. Initially, the terms of the Vice Chair, Secretary shall be one year so as to begin a process of overlap and continuity within the Board.

2.      Should any Board position other than Chair become vacant during the term of Office, the Board shall appoint an acting Board Member from the General Membership until the next general election.

3.      To provide continuity between Boards, both the old officers and the new officers shall attend the first board meeting following the elections.

 

       D. Eligibility Requirements.

Candidates for the Board (other than for the initial elected Board) must be members in good standing for at least 6 months, or must possess skills and experience that specifically meet the requirements of the position, as determined by the current Board.

 

E. Duties of Board Members.

The Board Members shall perform the duties prescribed by the Bylaws.

Chairperson

a.       Shall preside over all meetings of the Board and the General Membership.

b.      Shall represent the Club to other clubs, acting in liaison with the other boards.

c.       Shall be empowered to call special meetings of the Board for emergencies upon notice, not necessarily written, and not less than 3 days to all other members of the Board.

Vice Chairperson

•  Shall assist the Chair and the other Board Members and shall preside over the meeting in the absence of the Chair.

•  Should the Chair not be able to complete the term for any reason, the Vice Chair shall become the acting Chair until the next general election.

•  Shall be responsible for the coordination of any committees and sub-committees, as liaison to the Board.

Secretary

•  Shall be responsible for taking the minutes of all meetings of both the General Membership and the Board and for the distribution thereof.

•  Shall be responsible for the maintenance of the By Laws and other official papers including archival copies of the financial records, and for archives of photographs and other information of historical interest.

Treasurer

a.       Shall be responsible for the preparation of all payments from the  treasury.

b.      Shall be responsible for the accounting and safekeeping of moneys associated with the Grand River Renegades including cash, savings and/or checking accounts.

c.       Shall be responsible for all collections and deposits.

d.      Shall prepare a detailed accounting statement for all meetings, either General Membership or Board.

e.       Shall make provision for money handling and accounting at all fund-raising events/activities.

f.        Shall ask the board for the minimum dollar threshold for checks that require two authorized signatures.

g.       Shall ensure checks have the required number of signatures to be valid.  There shall be three (3) authorized signatories: Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer.

h.       No two signatories shall reside at the same physical address.  In the event that two of the officers holding signatory status reside as such, the signatory privileges of one officer shall be transferred to the Secretary of the club.

i.         Shall ensure that all disbursements have Board approval.

j.        Shall be responsible for maintaining the financial records of the club.

4.  The Member-at-Large shall be a member of the Board with full voting rights. It shall be incumbent upon all Board Members to communicate, cooperate, and     disseminate information as necessary regarding the operation of the Grand River      Renegades.

5.      Removal from Office. Any elected official performing below the standards set by the club, or displaying a lack of professional and proficient attitude, will be removed from office as directed by a two-thirds majority vote of the general membership.  A majority vote of the membership is needed to bring about such a vote on an elected official's performance.  If unable to fill a vacant board position, other than the chair, the remaining board members shall distribute the vacant position's duties until such time as the position is filled.

 

F. Non-Board Positions.

1.      Appointment:  Non-Board positions may be appointed as needed at the discretion of the Board by a simple majority vote.

2.      The duties of Non-Board positions shall be delineated by the Board at the time of appointment. The Board minutes shall serve as official record of the duties assigned to Non-Board positions.

3.      Term of Office and Removal from Office: the duration of the appointment shall be decided by the Board at the time of appointment.

4.      Removal from Office: any non-Board appointee performing below the standards set by the club or displaying lack of professional attitude, may be removed from office by a simple majority of the Board.

 

Article V: Meeting and Quorums.

A. Meetings

1. The Chair shall call a General Membership meeting at least annually.

2. All meetings of the General Membership shall require fourteen (14) days notice to the  Membership, and the purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the announcement.

3. The Chair shall call a meeting of the board at least once a month.

B.  Quorums

1. Quorum for a meeting of the General Membership shall constitute at least 50% of the total membership in good standing. 

2. Quorum for the Board shall constitute 75% of the Board.

 

Article VI: Voting

A. Regular Voting

1.  All members in good standing are eligible to vote.

2.  Voting shall be done either verbally or by acclamation, unless a written ballot is requested by any member in good standing.

3.  All Board Member elections shall take place through written ballot. See also Article IV.B.7.

B. Absentee Voting

1.  Absentee votes shall be presented either in writing in a sealed, signed envelope, or electronically, to a Board Member a minimum of 48 hours prior to the vote.

      2.  Proxy voting shall not be accepted.

Article VII: Amendments and Corrections to the Bylaws.

A. Amendments

1. Any member in good standing may propose amendments to the Bylaws.

2. Any and all proposed amendments to the Bylaws shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary for distribution to the General Membership.

3. Proposed amendments shall be discussed and voted upon at the next General Membership meeting.

4. Proposed amendments shall require a simple majority vote of the General Membership. See also Article II.4.1.c.

5. Any amendment(s) shall become binding upon approval.

6. Any approved amendments to the Bylaws shall be distributed in writing to the General Membership within one month of approval by the Secretary.

 

Article VIII: Indemnification.

A.     The Club shall indemnify all present and former Members of the Board against any liability and any necessary expenses actually incurred in connection with the defense of any action, suit, or proceeding in which they, or any of them, are made parties by reason of being or having been Members of the Board, except for willful misconduct in the performance of his duties. If a Board Member incurs liability as a result of following the advice of legal counsel selected by the board, he shall likewise be indemnified.

B.     The General Members and board Members of the Club shall not be personally liable for any debt, liability or obligation of the Club. All persons, corporations, or other entities extending credit to, contracting with, or having any claim against the Club, may look only to the funds and property of the Club for the payment of any such contract or claim, or for the payment of any debt, damages, judgment or decree, or of any money that may otherwise become due or payable to them from the club.

C.     Members of the Grand River Renegades waive any and all rights of action for accidents or injuries which may occur while dancing with the Grand River Renegades.  Those associated with the Club, including board members or members at large shall not be liable for injury, death or property damage.  Member shall indemnify the Grand River Renegades or those associated with the Club and hold harmless from any claim or damage arising out of any injury, death or property damage in connection with members' participation with any event or dance.

 

Article IX: Operational Rules and Restrictions.

A.     No part of the net earnings of the Club shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, its members, boards, or other private persons, except to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payment and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Article I.B.

B.     No substantial part of the activities of the Club shall be the carrying on of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation; and the club shall not participate in any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office on any level of involvement whatsoever.

C.     Notwithstanding any other provision of this document, the Club shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by an organization exempt from federal tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal revenue Code or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or (b) by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future tax code.

D.    Upon the dissolution of the organization, assets shall be distributed to an organization which supports the purpose of the organization for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose.  Any such assets not disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of Kent County, Michigan, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.

Article X: Charitable Activities

•  In accordance with Article I.B, the Club may support non-political charitable causes by performing at fundraising events, and by hosting charitable events to raise specific funds for another cause, subject to approval by the Board. The Club may also choose to donate funds from our general revenues to specific charitable causes related to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered communities, but such donations shall not exceed 5% of the Club's income in a given fiscal year (excluding charitable fundraising events hosted by the Club.)