Mount Airy Clay Breakers

Garden Club

By-laws

 

Article 1 - Name

This club is known as Mount Airy Clay Breakers Garden Club.

 

Article II - Purpose

The purpose of this Club is to promote the love of gardening through education, environmental stewardship, floral design and community projects. 

 

Article III - Membership

1. The membership will not exceed more than 24 members at any one time.

2. Any person desiring membership in the club, provided an opening exists, will be sponsored by a member, attend two meetings as a guest, and on the third meeting be accepted, upon agreeing in the presence of the members to abide by the by-laws and serve on various committees and participate in club activities.

3. Members are expected to notify the Membership Chair if they will be absent from a meeting. When there is a pattern of absenteeism and/or lack of participation, the Membership Chair will notify the President and Vice-President. The President or Vice-President will contact members to discuss if they want to remain in the club. If a pattern of absenteeism or lack of participation continues, the President or
Vice-President will ask them to vacate their membership in order to open a position for new members.

4. Participation includes accepting an Executive Board position, serving as a committee chair, accepting one of the primary club roles, leading a workshop, giving a presentation, or actively participating in a committee/club-approved project. Members are required to host a meeting every other year and may co-host with another member.

5. Long-standing members are valuable assets to the club, but if they are no longer able to actively participate (such as in instances of illness), they may elect to become Member Emeritus to open a position for new members. Members Emeriti would still have all the rights and privileges of membership, but would participate at their level of ability. The President, Vice-President, and Corresponding/Membership Chair will determine who moves into Member Emeritus status.

 

Article IV - Officers

The officers of the Club shall be President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary and Historian/Photographer. These officers of the Club will be nominated biennially, elected at the April meeting and installed at the June meeting for a term of two (2) years. Officers may not serve more than two (2) consecutive years, except the offices of the President and Vice President should the club desire they continue
in their positions.

 

Article V - Amendments

 Amendments to the by-laws must be proposed at a regular meeting and voted upon by two-thirds of the current membership.

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Article VI - Duties of the Officers

1.   The President will be the Chief Executive of the Club and will preside at all meetings, appoint Chairpersons and Special Chairpersons, as occasions arise.

2. The Vice President will, in the absence of the President, exercise the duties of the President and carry out duties as assigned by the President.

3. The Treasurer will have custody of funds, keep full and accurate accounts and notify members whose dues are not paid by April of each year. The Treasurer will also pay bills that are submitted with the accompanying receipt and as outlined in the budget and approved at a regular monthly meeting.

4. The Recording Secretary will record attendance and take minutes of all meetings. The Recording Secretary will distribute minutes to the members and provide them to the archivist for recordkeeping .

5. The Historian/Photographer will maintain a history of the club. The Historian/Photographer will document all meetings, events, and special projects with pictures, gather all certificates and awards or other meaningful items (letters, etc), and maintain them for the club.

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Article VII - Meetings

Regular meetings will be held on the second Thursday of each month except in July and August, unless otherwise announced. Executive and special meetings shall be held as deemed advisable by the President.

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Article VIII - Dues

Annual membership dues will be collected at the March meeting. Failure to pay dues by the June meeting will constitute automatic resignation. Members joining the Club during the period June-November will pay full dues. New members joining the Club in the last six months of the Club year will pay half of the yearly dues. National Capital Area Garden Clubs, Inc., dues are included.

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Article IX - Elections

A Nominating Committee of three members will be chosen by the President at the March meeting. One member of the committee will be designated as Chairperson. A slate of nominees will be presented by the Nominating Committee at the April meeting. Nominations may be made from the floor, provided consent has been secured from the nominee. Election of officers shall be held at the April meeting. Installation of new officers will take place at the June meeting. In case any officer shall, by death, resignation, or incapacity to act, be unable to perform her duties, her successor will be chosen to serve by a majority vote of the Executive Board.

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Article X – Committees and Roles

1.   Committees and roles will be appointed by the President as needed and shall be reviewed yearly. The President will normally select members for the committees and roles in August and committees will have three members unless specified otherwise.  Suggested committees are: 

         1)  Auditing Committee—will perform an audit of the  club’s financial records each July and the outcome will be included in the President’s annual report.

         2)  Awards Committee—will submit applications to District I for club members and projects we wish to honor. Additionally, the awards committee will recommend to the Executive Board any member or project that they feel should be recognized by the club. 

         3)  The Corresponding Secretary will handle all necessary correspondence.

         4) Membership Committee--will be three to four members, one who is the chairperson.  It will be responsible for club membership   
which includes maintaining a current list of members, their email addresses, phone numbers, and mailing addresses. Committee members will be responsible for contacting club members regarding meeting attendance as well as sending cards for birthdays, illness, or death in the family.

         5)  Nominating Committee—in years when there is an opening on the Executive Board, a nominating committee will be selected in March and will poll the members for interest in serving as an officer for the open position(s), and then provide a slate of nominees
to be voted on at the April meeting.  New Officer(s) will be installed in June.

        6)  Ways and Means Committee—will identify and organize fundraisers for the club.

        7)  Yearbook/Program—will develop the program and the yearbook.

2. Other duties necessary for a productive club but are not handled by committees include:

       1)  Archivist—will collect information from the historian, recording secretary, and other relevant members to maintain the club's history.

      2) Civic Development—will identify and organize civic development projects for the club.

      3) Conservation Education—will present a conservation topic at each meeting.

      4)   Design—will bring and discuss a floral design at each meeting.

      5)   Horticulture—will present a horticulture topic/sample at  each meeting.         

      6)  Newsletter—will publish a quarterly newsletter.

      7)  Publicity—will promote the club through various means, such as news articles and flyers.

      8)    Special Projects—any member can recommend and lead a special project upon presentation and approval by the club.

 

Article XI - Executive Board

The Executive Board will consist of elected officers and immediate past President and have the following duties:

1. Name additional officers, if deemed necessary.

2.   Prepare an annual budget each August outlining anticipated income and expenditures of the club.
3.   The Treasurer will provide a financial report showing planned vs. actual income and expenditures as part of an annual report.
4.   Have books and accounts audited annually.

 

Article XII - Order of Business

The procedure for business at the regular meetings shall be in the following order:
1.   Roll Call
2.   Presentation
3.   Approval of minutes
4.   Reports
5.   Completion of unfinished business
6.   Transaction of new business
7.   Adjournment

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Article XIII - Quorum

Two-thirds of the membership is necessary for any vote changing the by-laws and unbudgeted expenditures of $500 or more. For regular meetings, a quorum is a simple majority of the members present.

 

Article XIV - Annual Reports

The President will present an annual report to the members detailing the activities of the club from September—August at the September meeting. Committee chairpersons will provide input as required. The Treasurer will also provide an annual report each September as outlined in Article XI. If there is a transition in the President or Treasurer position, the outgoing President or Treasurer will be responsible for the September report. Both annual reports will be given to the Archivist.

 

Revised August 2016