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1.1 NAME. The name of the organization shall be the Rhododendron Needlers Quilt Guild (hereinafter referred to as RNQG or the Guild).
Article II -- PURPOSE
2.1 PURPOSE. The purpose of RNQG is to promote education on, appreciation of, interest in and advancement of the art
of quilting. RNQG is a
non-profit organization.
Article III -- MEMBERSHIP
3.1 MEMBER CATEGORIES. The categories of membership in RNQG
shall be Full Member and Inactive Member. Individuals who attend RNQG
meetings but are not members shall be called Guests. Individuals
who subscribe to the Guild newsletter but are not members shall be called
Subscribers.
3.2 APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP. Anyone interested
in joining RNQG should submit an application, including name, address, and telephone
number, to the Chair of the Membership Committee.
3.3
FULL MEMBER. A full member shall pay Full Member dues, be eligible to vote and serve in any office on the Board, receive the newsletter,
be eligible to attend all Guild Business Meetings and all programs without paying the per-meeting fee (except shows and workshops),
have access
to the guild library, to participate in workshops and have priority over all others to exhibit qualifying pieces in any
RNQG Quilt Show. Full members
are entitled to submit up to three (3) qualifying pieces to the RNQG Quilt Show.
3.3.1 RESPONSIBILITIES
OF A FULL MEMBER. Full Members are required to attend at least three (3) General guild meetings per guild year and
are expected to
attend and support Guild functions including but not limited to various committees such as hospitality, quilt show, monthly raffles,
charity projects, etc.
3.4 ASSOCIATE MEMBER. An Associate Member is a former full member and shall pay Associate Member dues, receive
the newsletter, have
access to the Guild Library, be eligible to attend up to two (2) Guild programs (except shows and workshops)
without paying the per-meeting fee,
and have priority over all others except Full Members for participation in workshops, and to exhibit
up to one (1) qualifying piece in any RNQG
Quilt Show, space permitting. Space will be determined by the Quilt Show Committee. Associate
Members who wish to return to Full Member
status must notify the membership committee in writing and will be placed at the top of
the waiting list.
3.5 DUES AND FEES. The Board shall have the authority to set dues for Full Members and Associate Members, newsletter
subscription rates for
Subscribers, and per-meeting fees for Program Meetings.
3.5.1 DUES AND FEES. Membership renewal for the upcoming
Guild year is due by the April General Meeting. Unpaid memberships will expire at
the close of the Fiscal Year, May 31. Dues will
be collected by the Membership Committee. A member who has forfeited her membership must
advise the board, in writing, that she wants
her name placed on the waiting list for consideration for membership when an opening becomes available.
3.6 TOTAL MEMBERSHIP. The RNQG
Board shall have the authority to limit the total number of members, overall or by category. No Full Member
may be removed from the
rolls as a result of a change in the authorized total number of members. If the number of interested persons exceeds the
authorized
total membership, the Guild shall maintain a waiting list of Associate Members and other interested applicants. New members shall
be
selected from Associate Members interested in becoming Full Members and then from other interested applicants when membership openings
occur. Within each group, members shall be admitted in order of the date of receipt of their applications.
Article IV -- BOARD
4.1 MEMBERSHIP.
The Board of RNQG shall be comprised of the Officers of the Guild, the Chairs of all Standing Committees, and the Assistant
Chair
of the Programs and Workshop Committee.
4.2 AUTHORITY. The Board shall be the governing body of the Guild.
4.3 QUORUM. Five members of the Board, including at least two Officers, shall constitute a quorum.
4.4 TERMS OF OFFICE. The Treasurer and the Chair of the Show
Committee shall each serve for two years. All other Board members shall serve
for one year. The Vice President/President-Elect shall
succeed to the office of President. The Assistant Chair of the Programs and Workshop
Committee shall succeed to the office of Chair
of the Programs and Workshop Committee. All terms will be concurrent with the fiscal year.
4.5 VACANCIES. The President, with the approval
of the Board, shall have the authority to appoint a replacement for any member of the Board who
is unable to complete their term of
office.
Article V -- OFFICERS
5.1 OFFICERS. The officers of the Guild shall be the President, the Vice President/President-Elect, the Secretary, and the Treasurer.
5.2 PRESIDENT. The President shall preside over meetings of the Board and of the Guild, serve as an ex
officio member of all Guild committees,
and perform all other duties normal to an organization president.
5.3 VICE PRESIDENT/PRESIDENT-ELECT
The
Vice President/President-Elect shall preside over meetings of the Board and the Guild in the absence of the President and perform
such other
duties as the President shall assign.
5.4 SECRETARY. The Secretary shall record the minutes of all Board and Guild meetings;
handle all correspondence; keep a permanent record
of all minutes and correspondence; maintain any other necessary Guild records;
and perform all other duties normal to an organization secretary.
5.5 TREASURER. The Treasurer shall receive and dispense all monies
for the Guild; keep a record of all receipts and expenditures; maintain and
keep balanced all accounts; make all financial records
available for audits; file tax returns and any other required financial statements; with information
support from the other members
of the Board, present an annual budget for review and action by the Board at a meeting before the first Program
Meeting of the fiscal
year; present a financial report to the Guild members at its annual business meeting; and perform all other duties normal to an
organization
treasurer.
Article VI -- COMMITTEES
6.1 STANDING COMMITTEES. The Standing Committees of the Guild shall be Programs and Workshops, Membership,
Hospitality, Newsletter,
Library, Nominating, Show, Rack Rental, Photographic History, Publicity, Monthly Raffle, and New England
Quilt Museum Auxiliary (NEQMA) Liaison.
The Chair of each Standing Committee, except the Nominating Committee, shall have the authority
to appoint additional committee members as
needed. The Show Chair may designate one or more Show Committee members as Co-Chairs. Each
Committee Chair shall be responsible for
preparing a budget for the committee's area of responsibility, submitting the committee budget
to the Treasurer for incorporation in the Guild budget,
and tracking expenditures against budget.
6.2 AD HOC COMMITTEES. The President
shall have authority to create Ad Hoc Committees as needed and to appoint members to chair and
serve on those committees.
6.3. PROGRAMS
AND WORKSHOPS COMMITTEE. The Programs and Workshops Committee shall recruit speakers; schedule programs and
workshops; and make any
necessary arrangements except for refreshments, greeting of new members, and recording of attendees.
6.4 MEMBERSHIP. The Membership
Committee shall receive and process applications for membership; collect dues and meeting fees and turn
monies over to the Treasurer;
issue membership cards upon payment of annual dues and provide informational kits to new members; maintain the
membership and waiting
lists and the mailing list for the newsletter; arrange to greet new members at their first meetings; and arrange for a sign-in
sheet
for all attendees at programs, workshops, shows, and Guild business meetings.
6.5 HOSPITALITY. The Hospitality Committee shall arrange for refreshments as appropriate for all programs, workshops, and Guild meetings.
6.6 NEWSLETTER. The Newsletter Committee Chair shall
be called the Newsletter Editor and shall produce and distribute a periodical newsletter
on the activities of the Guild and its members.
6.7
LIBRARY. The Library Committee shall purchase new materials for the Guild library of quilting references; maintain the library; and
arrange for
member access to the materials.
6.8 NOMINATING. The immediate Past President shall serve as Nominating Committee Chair.
The President and the Vice President/President-Elect
shall serve as the other members of the Nominating Committee.
6.9 SHOW. The Show Committee shall be responsible for the planning, coordination, arrangements and conduct of Guild shows.
6.10 RACK RENTAL. The Rack
Rental Committee shall advertise the availability of RNQG quilt racks; set fees for rentals; contract for rentals and
for rack storage,
repair, and replacement; arrange with renters for delivery and return of racks; and keep records of all transactions, rentals and
payments.
6.11 PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY. The Photographic History Committee shall create and maintain a permanent photographic record of
Guild activities
and arrange for any necessary photographs needed for publicity purposes.
6.12 PUBLICITY. The Publicity Committee shall
prepare and distribute Guild promotional materials, both to increase attendance at Guild activities
and to increase public awareness
of Guild members and activities. The Publicity Committee shall be chaired by the Secretary.
6.13 MONTHLY RAFFLE. The Monthly Raffle
Committee shall solicit materials for raffles to be held in conjunction with Guild programs; supervise the
conduct of the raffles;
and turn all monies over to the Treasurer.
6.14 NEQMA LIAISON. The Chair of the NEQMA Liaison Committee shall be called the NEQMA Liaison
and will also serve as liaison to the New
England Quilt Museum. The NEQMA Liaison shall represent RNQG at meetings of or called by
NEQMA and will communicate news, events and
activities of RNQG to NEQMA and the Museum and of NEQMA and the Museum to RNQG.
Article VII -- ELECTIONS
7.1 NOMINATIONS. Prior to March 15 of each year, the Nominating Committee shall submit nominations for all offices
on the Board, except that
(a) the office of President shall be filled by the Vice President/President-Elect unless the latter is unable
or unwilling to serve, (b) the office of
Programs and Workshops Committee Chair shall be filled by the Programs and Workshops Committee
Assistant Chair unless the latter is unable
or unwilling to serve, and (c) in alternate years, the offices of Treasurer and Show Chair
will not become vacant.
7.2 ANNOUNCEMENT OF NOMINATIONS. Prior to May 1 of each year, the Nominating Committee nominees shall be announced
to the membership,
either by mail or in the newsletter.
7.2 ELECTION. At the Guild's annual business meeting in May of each year, additional
nominees shall be invited and accepted from the floor, and
all offices shall be filled by majority vote of those present and voting.
Article VIII -- MEETINGS
8.1 PROGRAM MEETINGS. The Guild shall hold at least three Program Meetings -- e.g., programs (including auctions),
workshops, shows -- each
year. A show includes an exhibit of quilts by several members. A workshop is a meeting in which attendees
are active participants. A program is a
Program Meeting that is not a workshop or a show.
8.2 BUSINESS MEETINGS. An annual Business
Meeting shall be held in May of each year to elect officers and present the annual financial report.
Other Business Meetings may be
held and may be held in conjunction with Program Meetings. The President shall communicate in writing the time
and place for each
Business Meeting to each Guild Full Member at least 10 days before the meeting.
8.3 BOARD MEETINGS. The Board shall hold at least two
meetings per year, including at least one meeting between June 1 and the first Program
Meeting of the fiscal year, at which the Treasurer's
proposed budget for the year will be reviewed, revised and approved. The President shall
communicate the time and place for each meeting
to each Board member at least 10 days before the meeting. A meeting may be convened by
the President or by written request to the
President by five Board Members.
Article IX -- FINANCES
9.1 FISCAL YEAR. The fiscal year of the Guild shall begin on June 1 each year.
Article X -- DISSOLUTION OF THE GUILD
10.1 RULES FOR DISSOLUTION. The Guild may be dissolved by a three-fourths vote of the Board members present
and voting at a meeting of the
Board or by a two-thirds vote of all Full Members.
10.2 DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS. In the event that the
Guild is dissolved, the Board shall supervise the distribution of remaining Guild funds to one
or more non-profit organizations devoted
to quilting.
Article XI -- AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
11.1 AMENDMENTS. A proposal to amend the Guild constitution may be made by
any Full Member. A proposal shall be submitted to the Secretary
and communicated in writing to all Full Members before a Business
Meeting held to discuss the amendment. A vote on the amendment as originally
proposed or a vote to amend the proposed amendment may
be held at the Business Meeting. If the proposed amendment is amended, the revised
amendment shall be submitted to all Full Members
and held for a final vote at the next Business Meeting. A vote to approve an amendment to the
constitution shall require a three-fifths
vote of all Full Members present and voting. Final action on any amendments shall be reported to the members
in the newsletter.
11.2
Scholarships shalll be deemed and conducted as a community service. A list will be kept of eligible towns, based on membership, and
updated
annually. For a town to be considered eligible, it must have a current member, in good standing, residing in that town in
the year the scholarship is
made available. The eligible town will be updated annually to determine that a member does indeed reside
in that town. When the list of towns has
been rotated through, a new list will be compiled from the current membership at that time