The
By–Laws of the Baltimore Folk Music Society
I. Name:
The name of this organization shall
be the Baltimore Folk Music Society, hereinafter known as the Society.
II. Purpose:
The main purpose of the Society is
the further understanding, investigation, appreciation, and performance of the
traditional folk music, folk dance, and folklore of the American people. The
Society shall be a non–profit, educational organization.
III. Membership:
A. Membership
in this Society shall be open to any person or persons regardless of race,
color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or sexual orientation.
The following membership classes shall be available:
1. Individual.
2. Family:
one or two adults living in the same household, and any dependent
children living with them.
3. Honorary: which shall be extended to individuals only
on the unanimous approval of the Executive Committee and may be with or without
limit of duration.
4. Additional classes of membership that
may be established, at the discretion of the Executive Committee, to recognize
contributions above the basic membership fee.
B. Membership
in the Society shall carry the following privileges and obligations:
1. For all classes of membership:
a. Members are bound by the By–Laws and
actions of the Executive Committee and Officers in consequence thereof.
b. Members are entitled to vote at all
regular and special meetings. In family memberships, only two people may vote.
c. Members are entitled to attend any
regular or special program sponsored by the Society at reduced admission or
without charge. The actual charge, if any, shall be determined by the Executive
Committee.
d. Members may attend all meetings of the
Executive Committee.
e. Members are responsible for informing
the appropriate Officers of the Society of any change of address.
2. Members, other than Honorary, shall pay
such annual dues as may be determined by the Executive Committee. Honorary
Members shall not be required to pay any dues. Dues shall be due and payable on
the first day of the month in which affiliation with the Society is first
established.
C. Membership
in the Society will be considered to have been surrendered by any member more
than two months in arrears in dues, or upon the submission by any member of a
letter of resignation to the Executive Committee.
D. In
the event of resignation from membership, or dissolution of the Society, no
member shall have any claim for refund of any monies paid to the Society.
IV. Meetings of the Society:
A. There
shall be an annual business meeting of the Society.
B. Meetings
shall be open to the public, but non–members shall not vote on any matter.
C. Special
meetings shall be called by the Secretary on the request of the President or of
any three members of the Executive Committee or by petition of ten members of
the Society on ten days written notice to all members. Such notice shall state
the matter to come before the meeting, and no other matter shall be determined
by the special meeting so called.
D. A
simple majority of members voting at a meeting shall suffice for the
transaction of ordinary business.
E. The
President and the Treasurer shall report to the membership at the annual
meeting. At that time the Nominating Committee shall make its report. Election
of Officers shall be held in the month following the annual meeting.
V. Officers:
A. The
officers of the Society shall be the President, the Vice–President, the Secretary,
the Treasurer, the Newsletter Editor, the Membership Chair, the American
Country Dance Chair, the English Country Dance Chair, the Program Chair, the
Publicity Chair, and three Officers–at–Large.
B. During
their terms of office all officers shall maintain membership in the Society in
good standing.
C. The
term of each officer shall be 13 months, from June 1 of one year to June 30 of
the following year.
D. No
officer except the Treasurer and the Newsletter Editor shall serve more than
two consecutive terms in the same office, nor shall any officer hold more than
one office during a complete term.
E. The
President shall serve as Chair of the Executive Committee and senior executive
officer of the Society, responsible to the Executive Committee for the conduct
of the Society’s program and affairs. He/she may subject to these By–Laws,
conduct with the other constituted officers and chairs, the Society’s ordinary
business. He/she may be an ex–officio member, withvote, of all regular
Committees of the Society, except the Nominating Committee. In the year
following his/her term(s) of office, he/she shall serve a term as Past
President and shall be a voting member of the Executive Committee. He/she may,
if elected, serve a term as another officer of the Executive Committee in lieu
of his/her term as Past President.
F. The
Vice–President shall serve as Vice–Chair of the Executive Committee, and shall
have such other duties as are delegated to him/her by the President. He/she
shall temporarily succeed to the authority of the President when the President
is unable to carry out the duties of his/her office.
G. The
Secretary shall serve as Secretary of the Executive Committee and shall be
responsible for the maintenance of the Society’s minutes, and such other
records as may be specified by the Executive Committee. He/she shall be
responsible for notifying members of all meetings of the Society and of the
Executive Committee.
H. The
Treasurer shall have responsibility for preparation and custody of all financial
and corporate records of the Society and shall prepare such statements as are
required by the Executive Committee or by law. He/she shall be responsible for
the collection and payment of all the Society’s receivables, and for payment of
the Society’s just debts. In the year following his/her term(s) of office,
he/she shall serve a term as Past Treasurer and shall be a voting member of the
Executive Committee. He/she may, if elected, serve a term as another officer of
the Executive Committee in lieu of his/her term as Past Treasurer.
I. The
Newsletter Editor shall have responsibility for preparation, publication, and
mailing of the Society’s Newsletter which shall be issued at regular intervals
as specified by the Executive Committee.
J. The
Membership Chair shall keep the Society’s membership lists, reporting to the
Executive Committee upon request, the status of current membership. He/she
shall issue all membership cards and membership renewal notices. He/she shall
collect membership dues and transmit them to the Treasurer.
K. The
American Country Dance Chair shall be responsible for coordination of all
regular and special dances of the Society with the advice and consent of the
Executive Committee. His/her duties shall include contacting callers and musicians,
securing halls for the dances, and appointing a clean–up Committee for events.
L. The
English Country Dance Chair shall be responsible for coordination of all
regular and special English country dances of the Society with the advice and
consent of the Executive Committee. Her/his duties shall include contracting
callers and musicians, securing halls for the dances, and appointing a clean–up
Committee for events.
M. The
Program Chair shall be responsible for coordination of all regular and special
programs of the Society with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee.
His/her duties shall include contacting performers, securing halls for
programs, and appointing a clean–up Committee for events.
N. The
Publicity Chair shall be responsible for all publicity, advertising, promotion,
and public relations activities of the Society. These duties shall include
issuing timely press releases concerning the Society’s activities to the
appropriate media.
O. The
Officers–at–Large shall assume duties as may be delegated by the President and
Executive Committee. Such duties may include chairmanship of special
committees.
VI. Election and Replacement of Officers:
A. The
President, with the approval of two–thirds of the Executive committee, shall
appoint:
1. A Nominating Committee of five members
of the Society, of which no more than two shall be, at the time of their
appointment, members of the Executive Committee.
2. A person to produce the ballot in
accordance with Article VI, Section D, Paragraphs 2 and 3.
3. A Committee of Tellers. No member of
this committee may appear on the ballot as a candidate for office.
B. The
Nominating Committee shall select a slate of candidates for office and shall
report to the membership at the annual meeting. At that meeting, additional
nominations for any office may be made and seconded from the floor.
C. Candidates
for office must be members in good standing of the Society.
D. If
there is no more than one candidate per office the nominees shall be deemed
elected; otherwise:
1. Ballots for the election shall be
mailed to the membership within 30 days after the annual meeting.
2. The ballots shall include the names of
all candidates for office, space for write–in candidates, instructions for
returning the ballots, the date by which ballots must be returned, and a method
of authentication.
3. The ballots shall not include
statements by the candidates or comments concerning the candidates, but any
candidate may submit a brief statement concerning his or her qualifications to
be included in the same mailing.
4. The Committee of Tellers shall receive
the ballots, confirm their authenticity, tally the votes, and report the
results of the election to the Executive Committee.
E. For
each office, the candidate with the most votes shall be elected. In the case of
a tie the President shall submit the matter to the vote of the Executive
Committee and shall declare elected the person receiving the greatest number of
votes.
F. An
Officer may resign by submitting a written resignation to the Executive
Committee, which will become effective when accepted by the Committee.
G. 1. An Officer may be suspended for cause
by a vote of the Executive Committee. The Officer shall be notified in writing
of the Executive Committee’s action and may appeal the suspension at the next
meeting of the Executive Committee. If the suspension is sustained by
two–thirds of the remaining members of the Executive Committee, the Officer
shall be removed from office as of that date, unless he/she wishes to appeal
the action to the membership of the Society. In that event, written
announcement of the proposed removal shall be made to the membership at least
one week prior to a special meeting of the Society. The question shall be raised at the meeting
of the Society following the announcement, and a two–thirds vote of those
present shall be required to reverse the action of the Executive Committee.
2. No Officer shall be removed without
being given all reasonable opportunity to be heard.
3. Removal of an Officer shall not affect
his/her membership in the Society.
H. Upon
resignation or removal of an Officer, the Executive Committee shall fill the
vacancy from the eligible membership by a two–thirds vote of the remaining
members of the Executive Committee.
VII. Executive Committee:
A. The
duly elected Officers constitute the Executive Committee of the Society,
hereinafter known as the Committee. Each member of the Committee shall have one
vote.
B. The
Committee shall be responsible for the proper conduct of the Officers of the
Society under these By–Laws and shall carry out the policy decisions of the
membership.
C. The
Committee shall meet at least once a month. A quorum for the transaction of business
shall be seven members of the Committee, except for expenditures in excess of
one hundred dollars, for which purpose eight members of the Committee shall be
required for a quorum. A simple majority of members voting, a quorum being
present, shall suffice for the transaction of ordinary business except as
otherwise restricted herein.
D. The
President, Vice–President, and Secretary of the Society shall serve,
respectively as Chair, Vice–Chair, and Secretary of the Committee.
E. For
the determination of any matter before the Committee, the Chair or anyone
acting in that capacity shall have a vote.
F. Special
meetings of the Committee may be called by the Chair on his/her own initiative
of at the request of any three members of the Committee. All members of the
Committee must receive actual notice of the time, place, and issue to come
before a special meeting not less than forty–eight hours in advance, and no
other matter may be determined at that special meeting. Members of the
Committee who are not able to attend may exercise their vote on such issue in
writing, signed and delivered to the Chair before the question is called or
voted.
G. Committee
meetings shall be opened to all members of the Society.
H. The
Committee shall have the power to:
1. Approve budgets for Society events and
all expenditures in excess of fifty dollars, in advance of commitment for the
expense being under taken.
2. Approve all programs and projects
bearing the name of the Society, as herein after provided.
3. Fill vacancies of the Committee, by a
two–thirds vote of the remaining members of the Committee.
4. Approve appointments made by the
President.
5. Require a statement or statements of
income and expenses to be prepared and an annual audit of Society funds to be made.
VIII. Rules of Order:
All questions of Parliamentary
procedures shall be resolved by reference to the most recent edition of
Robert’s Rules of Order.
IX. Committees:
A. Committees,
which may be committees of one, may be empowered by the Executive Committee to
conduct one or more of the Society’s programs or functions.
B. The
organization, operation and membership of any committee shall be determined by
the Chair of that committee.
C. Chairs
of special Committees are appointed by the President, subject to the
concurrence of the Executive Committee. They must be members of the Society.
Chairs of Special Committees may be removed by the Executive Committee or by
the President, subject to the concurrence of the Executive Committee.
X. Financial and Fiscal Affairs:
A. The
funds of the Society shall be kept in a checking account only to the extent
needed for current operation. Additional funds and all reserve shall be kept in
interest–bearing accounts insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation,
the particular bank or banks being selected by the Executive Committee.
B. No
monies may be disbursed from any account except on the countersignatures of two
Officers, designated by the Committee.
C. The
Treasurer and all others designated to receive and/or disburse monies for the
Society shall furnish such bond and surety on the bond as may be required by
the Executive Committee.
D. An
annual audit of the books, accounts, and assets of the Society shall be made at
the direction of the Executive Committee.
E. No
contract or expense not covered by Article VII, Section H, Paragraph 1, nor any
other obligation of the Society’s funds, facilities, or reputations shall be
made or undertaken except with the express approval of the Executive committee
as herein provided.
F. No
member or Officer of the Society shall be entitled to receive any compensation
for any goods or services supplied to the Society except on the express approval
of the Executive Committee.
G. The
fiscal year of the Society shall run from July 1 of one year to June 30 of the
following year.
XI. Use of the Name of the Society:
The Society shall not allow the use
of its name in connection with any activity not under its direct control
without the express prior approval of three–fourths of the Executive Committee.
No Officer or member of the Society may claim to represent the Society in any
matter unless specifically empowered to do so under these By–Laws.
XII. Amendment of By–Laws:
Amendment of the By–Laws or any new
By–Laws may be proposed at any regular Executive Committee or membership
meeting. The proposed amendment shall be read and the question shall be tabled
until the next annual election of Officers, or shall be submitted to the
membership for a special ballot. At that time, the membership shall be advised
in writing of the proposed amendment(s) and/or new By–Laws, and may vote for or
against each proposed amendment or new By–Law. A two–thirds majority of those
voting shall be required in order to adopt each amendment or new By–Law.
XIII. Dissolution:
A. The
Society shall not dissolve except upon the written ballot of two–thirds of the
total membership.
B. In
the event of dissolution, none of the remaining assets may be distributed to,
or for the benefit of, any member or class of membership. Such remaining assets
shall be distributed to the Archive of Folk Song of the Library of Congress for
the use in such purposes as recording, duplicating, and cataloging, and/or to
any other worthy, non–profit, educational organization. The selection of the
distributee or distributees shall be made by the membership on the
recommendation of the Executive Committee.