Our chapter has not reviewed bylaws in years and now haven't found any copies. We may start over from scratch.
Does the EAA or any chapter have copies that would be a road map to help us develop new bylaws? Thank you any help is appreciated.
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Our chapter has not reviewed bylaws in years and now haven't found any copies. We may start over from scratch.
Does the EAA or any chapter have copies that would be a road map to help us develop new bylaws? Thank you any help is appreciated.
EAA does have sample bylaws. The document is at EAA.org -> Chapters -> Resources -> Administration.
There's also a requirement that any new or revised bylaws be submitted to the chapter office. They may be able to provide you with a copy of your chapter's existing document.
Over the past several months, we, Chapter 75, drafted and the membership (80%) approved a new set of bylaws. Will be happy to send a copy. PM me your e-mail address.Quote:
Originally Posted by vettdvr
Check PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marty Santic
Hello Vettdvr,
The EAA Bylaws template is available here! I may also be able to find your old bylaws in our files, I would just need your chapter number. Your more than welcome to contact me at kvoltz@eaa.org if you have any questions!
Kyle
Thank you I have them now for our next chapter meeting as a framework to re work ours.
Bylaw notes for chaptersQuote:
Originally Posted by vettdvr
The guide lines you write should be those that you want your chapter to follow. If the chapter feels there should be a three member membership committee then put that in the bylaws. If such a committee will never exist then don’t put anything about it in the bylaws. Remember that amending the bylaws later requires some effort.
You should write a unique-to-your-chapter Vision Statement and Mission Statement.
At elections only paid and current members should be voting. I have often thought that our bylaws should have said that a member doesn’t have voting privileges at elections until they have been a member for at least some short period of time such as three months. Several years ago an election was bought at our chapter. There were more people voting than there were eligible members. Some people that had previously been members showed up to vote. Most of them never reappeared at meetings. There was no vetting of voters. Anyone could get a ballot and vote.
(The new president attended about two-thirds of the meetings and disappeared after his term ended. :confused:)
At the election meeting everyone desiring to vote should be on the current roster. You do keep a roster for mailings and email, don’t you?
The number of openings on the chapter board should be clearly defined and how many of those openings will be filled at each election. If a board member from the outgoing board, such as the outgoing president, automatically becomes a member of the incoming board then state that clearly. If every board position is to be filled by election then that should be clearly stated in the bylaws.
Board vacancies should be filled by a new election or by appointment by the board or by the president. There should be no ongoing vacancies on the board. You should have an uneven number of board members so that there are no ties when the board votes.
The period of the dues should be stated in the bylaws. It is usually from January 1 to December 31 but if your chapter has the will and the means to give twelve month memberships from the date of signing up then do that.
One duty that is often misunderstood is that of the secretary and the taking of minutes of meetings. It is not at all necessary to write a verbatim transcript of the meetings. It is only necessary to record the business that was conducted. The call to order time, date and location and by whom. Guests’ or persons giving presentations may be recorded. For business it is only necessary to record any motion made and by whom, who seconded the motion and the outcome of the vote on the motion. Record the adjournment of the meeting. Too many secretaries are frustrated writers.
The financial report from the treasurer should be given in writing. Oral reports aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. I don’t think that publishing the financials is the chapter newsletter is a wise idea.
A source for parliamentary procedure guidance should be stated in the bylaws. Meetings can become chaotic when there is no guide for the order of speaking by members. We use Roberts’. There are others. It is not imposed often but it can be useful. Roberts’ tries to cover any eventuality but only the basics are needed for a small meeting.
Most meetings are too informal. You are conducting the business and spending the money of a registered corporation, probably with a 501(c),3 letter. What you do and the records of that may come under scrutiny one day.
It should be stated in the bylaws that members at meetings may make motions from the floor regarding business that they want to discuss and have voted on. This is actually a part of Roberts’ but I feel it should be clearly stated in bylaws.
We decided a rule regarding a limit on expenditures without membership approval was needed. Any anticipated rules should be written in to the bylaws. They too often fall by the wayside when memory is relied on.
Every member should have access to the approved bylaws when they are adopted. Print a copy for every member and some extra for new members. Publish them on your web site. Put them in a booklet for new members.
Many organizations publish their bylaws online. Some guidance and ideas may be found in those bylaws.
Along with submitting your new bylaws to the Chapter Office you may be required to submit a copy to your state agency that registers corporations.