THE FOURTH WEDNESDAY CLUB BY-LAWS
THE FOURTH WEDNESDAY CLUB BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I – NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Fourth Wednesday Club.
ARTICLE II – OBJECTIVE
The objective of this club shall be to develop literature appreciation and to encourage the reading of books.
ARTICLE III – BASIC POLICIES
Section 1. The Fourth Wednesday Club shall be a nonprofit organization.
Section 2. The club shall be noncommercial, nonsectarian, and nonpartisan.
Section 3. The Membership roster is to be the property of the club and considered confidential matter, not available to other persons for other purposes unless authorized by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE IV – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Members paying their dues by May 14, 1984, shall be considered charter members. They will be so designated in the yearbook by the placement of an asterisk by their names.
Section 2. Membership shall be limited to one hundred (100) members.
Section 3. A member in good standing is any member whose current dues have been paid, has made the proper reimbursement for any uncancelled reservations, and has attended a minimum of three (3) meetings per club year. (July 1 – May 31)
Section 4. Only active members of this organization shall be eligible to participate in the business meetings or to serve in any of its elective or appointive positions.
Section 5. A patron membership is defined as one in which a member pays double the regular dues for the book club year and has the option of reinstatement to active membership.
Section 6. An honorary membership shall be defined as a charter member who participated in the first organizational meeting of the Fourth Wednesday Club or served on the first Executive Board. They are included in the active membership but are not required to pay dues.
ARTICLE V – DUES
Section 1. The dues of this club shall be determined by the Executive Board and approved by the general membership.
Section 2. Dues are payable on May 1st of each year and are delinquent after the May meeting. Members not in good standing are automatically dropped.
Section 3. New members joining after January 1st shall be assessed one-half (1/2) the annual dues.
ARTICLE VI – MEETINGS
Section 1. There shall be eight (8) regular meetings per year. They shall be held on the fourth Wednesday, unless otherwise indicated.
Section 2. Time of the meetings shall be determined by the Executive Board based on the type of meeting.
Section 3. When members make reservations twice and do not cancel and are therefore billed, they shall be considered in poor standing until reimbursements are made and could be dropped from the calling’s lists.
ARTICLE VII – ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Section 1. At the February meeting of the Executive Board they shall appoint two (2) of their members to serve on the Nominating Committee. At the February general meeting, three (3) members who are not members of the Executive Board shall be appointed to serve on the Nominating Committee. These five (5) members shall elect their own chairperson. These five (5) members shall draw up a slate of officers for the coming year.
Section 2. No one shall be eligible to serve on the Nominating Committee more than once in a three (3) year period.
Section 3. The chairperson of the Nominating Committee will present the slate of officers at the March general meeting. The Nominating Committee shall submit the name of one candidate for each office to be filled.
Section 4. At the general meeting in April, officers shall be elected. Additional nominations may be made from the floor, provided consent from the nominee has been obtained. If only one (1) candidate is nominated for an office, election may be made by voice, otherwise a secret ballot shall be held. The Nominating Committee will count votes.
Section 5. At the May general meeting, the newly elected officers shall be installed.
ARTICLE VIII – ELECTED OFFICERS AND DUTIES
Section 1. Elected officers of this club shall be President, President-Elect, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Third Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Membership. The Parliamentarian shall be the immediate past President.
Section 2. The term of office shall be for one (1) year. Vacancies occurring in the offices shall be filled by the President with approval of the Executive Board with the exception of President, in which case the First Vice-President shall succeed to office of the President for the unexpired term.
Section 3. The President shall preside at all meetings of the club. She shall appoint committee Chairpersons and Auditors as required. She shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee and shall receive due notice of all such committee meetings. She shall act as Chairperson of the Executive Board and call special meetings of said Board as needed. She shall have authority to disburse club funds and cosign checks. She shall, with Board approval, fill vacancies on the Executive Board.
Section 4. The President-Elect collaborates with the President to learn the role of the President, to become familiar with the programs of the club and its governance, and to facilitate officer transition. The President-Elect shall assist and support the President as needed. In the event the President is absent or unable to perform the President’s duties, the President-Elect assumes all duties and responsibilities of the President. The President-Elect assumes the Presidency at the conclusion of the President’s term.
Section 5. The First Vice-President shall preside in the absence of the President-Elect and perform any duties pertaining to that office. She shall be Program Chairperson and be responsible for programs at all general meetings. She shall submit the proposed programs for the forthcoming year to the Executive Board for approval. She shall act as official hostess at each meeting.
Section 6. The Second Vice-President shall secure all meeting locations. She shall select the menu for all luncheon meetings and refreshments for the coffees. She shall submit the proposed locations, menus, and menu costs for the forthcoming year to the Executive Board for approval.
Section 7. The Third Vice-President is responsible for the member’s monthly meeting reservations, and for giving the total number of reservations to the Second Vice-President by Thursday evening the week prior to each monthly meeting.
Section 8. The Secretary shall keep minutes on all meetings of the club and the Executive Board. She shall report to the club all recommendations of the Executive Board. She shall keep a copy of the By-Laws and all amendments to said By-Laws. She shall conduct all general correspondence of the club.
Section 9. The Treasurer shall be custodian of the club funds. The Treasurer shall collect all money at meetings, pay all bills and collect for any reservations that are not cancelled. She shall make financial report at each Executive Board meeting and shall have a copy of that report at each general meeting. She shall sign all checks. She shall at the end of her Treasury year inform the President that an audit report for that year should be done.
Section 10. Membership will maintain an up to date list of members, those on the waiting list, charter members and patrons. She shall collect all dues from members and will alert members when they may be in danger of becoming in poor standing. Note By-Law Article IV, Section 3.
Section 11. The Parliamentarian shall be the immediate past President, and she shall be an advisor to the President on parliamentary procedures. She shall also conduct the installation of new officers.
ARTICLE IX – APPOINTED CHAIRPERSONS AND DUTIES
Section 1. Appointed Chairpersons of this club shall be Yearbook, Hospitality, and Sunshine.
Section 2. These Chairpersons shall be appointed by the President for a term of one (1) year. Article VIII, Section 2, shall also apply to these appointed positions.
Section 3. The Yearbook Chairperson shall collect all data and arrange for the publication and distribution of the yearbook (one book per member).
Section 4. The Hospitality Chairperson shall greet all members at meetings and provide members with nametags. She shall select a committee to assist her as necessary to greet, serve refreshments and clean up.
Section 5. The Sunshine Chairperson shall be responsible for the appropriate gestures of good will to members at times of need.
ARTICLE X – EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section 1. The Executive Board shall consist of elected Officers, Parliamentarian, and Appointed Chairpersons.
Section 2. The Executive Board shall meet at designated times to be determined by the Board upon call of the President or upon call of a majority vote of its number.
Section 3. The Executive Board shall conduct the affairs of the club between meetings and shall approve vacancies of office except for that of President.
Section 4. Six (6) members of the Executive Board, including the President, shall constitute a quorum.
Section 5. No elected officers or Chairpersons may miss more than two (2) Executive Board meeting or two general meetings without a valid excuse approved by the President.
Section 6. The members may veto or override by a simple majority any actions of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE XI – LIMITS OF AUTHORITY
No committee or member of the club is authorized to enter into any contract on behalf of the club or to incur any liability on behalf of the club unless and until such committee or member shall have been duly authorized by the club or its Executive Board to do so.
As required by the Internal Revenue Service, upon Dissolution of the club any remaining assets will be donated to a library of the club’s choice.
ARTICLE XII – AMENDMENT OF BY-LAWS
These By-Laws may be amended at any regular meeting by two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present, provided notice of the proposed amendment has been given to the club one (1) meeting prior to the voting.
ARTICLE XIII – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Robert’s Rules of Order, revised, shall be the authority for all parliamentary procedures on points not covered in these By-Laws.