BY LAWS
of
Clan
Moncreiffe Society of
ARTICLE I NAME
Section 1
The name of the organization shall be Clan Moncreiffe
Society of
Section 2
The object of the Society shall be:
a) To promote knowledge and pride in our Scottish heritage;
b) To establish and promote the Scottish arts of piping, drumming, field athletics, country and highland dancing, and history;
c) To establish and maintain a formal bond of friendship between the Clan Moncreiffe Society of North America, the Home Society in Scotland, and our Hereditary Chief;
d)
To promote attendance by members of the Society at the
various Scottish gatherings and cultural functions in
e) To assist members with their genealogical research; and
f) To establish and maintain social discourse among individual members of the Society.
Section 3
The Society will establish and collect annual dues, procure and sell articles of clothing, jewelry, and other memorabilia depicting our CLAN MONCREIFFE heritage and solicit and accept any and all contributions to offset the Society’s expenses in maintaining the objectives of Section 2 above.
Section 4
The newsletter shall be published to inform Society members of current, past, and planned events of the Society. The newsletter shall also serve as a general information publication for the Society membership.
Section 1
Notice of the time and place of an Annual General Meeting shall be published in the newsletter after the end of the financial year, as directed by the Council as defined in Article IV. This is designed to allow the Council an option in selecting a time and location of the Annual General Meeting that will meet the schedule of an annual Scottish gathering. A financial report will be provided to the membership at the Annual General Meeting. The financial year of the Society shall coincide with the calendar year.
Section 2
The ordinary business and activities of the Society shall be guided by the Council in meetings setup and conducted in a manner best suited to them.
The President is authorized to take a vote of the Council by US-mail, telephone, or e-mail and such action shall constitute a meeting of the Council. Such action shall be reported at the next meeting of the Council and so recorded.
Section 4
Unless otherwise provided, meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised. Rules of order may be suspended by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present.
Section 5
A quorum of the Council shall be simple majority of its
members.
Section 6
Special business pertaining to the good order and/or welfare of the Society may not be transacted in the absence of a quorum of the Council unless previously specified by the Council.
Section 7
The President may call meetings of the membership, in addition to the Annual General Meeting. The membership will be notified by the Secretary, of the purpose, time, and place of the meeting, not less than 15 days prior to said meeting. In the event the President is absent or fails to call a meeting, a simple majority of the Council may do so.
ARTICLE
Applicants desiring membership are required to provide a completed membership application, appropriate application fees, and a lineage chart establishing a connection with a Moncreiffe.
Membership of the Society shall consist of four classes: Regular, Associate, Honorary, and Organizational. Other classes and categories of membership may be created by the Council with a two-thirds (2/3) vote of all members present and voting at a regular scheduled Council meeting.
a) Regular
memberships shall be categorized as either Individual or Family. Regular
memberships:
1.
are subject to annual dues;
2. shall be entitled to one (1) vote;
3. may serve on committees;
4. may hold an elective and/or appointed office in the Society; with the exception of individuals under eighteen (18) years of age;
5. categorized as a “Family” shall consist of his/her spouse and all children under eighteen (18) years of age.
b) Associate memberships:
1. are subject to the payment of annual dues;
2. may be given by the Council to persons who have expressed an interest in the Society;
3. shall be eligible to vote;
4. may serve on committees;
5. may not hold an elective office or be an elected official.
c) Honorary memberships:
1. are not subject to annual dues;
2. may be granted by the Council to individuals who have displayed humanitarian deeds and a keen interest in Scottish culture and heritage;
3. are not eligible to vote;
4. may serve on committees;
5. may not hold elective office;
d) Organizational memberships:
1. are not subject to annual dues;
2. may be granted by the Council to any organization which exhibits a keen interest in Scottish culture and heritage;
3. are not eligible to vote;
4. may not serve on committees;
5. may not hold an elective office.
Dues
a)
Annual dues are determined by the Council and
approved by the Society.
b) Dues are payable on or before December 31.
c) The membership year shall run from January 1 through December 31.
d) Increases over 10% per annum by the Council shall require ratification of two-thirds (2/3) of the general membership THAT are present at a scheduled meeting and VOTE on the proposed increase.
Termination of Membership
a) Memberships may be terminated for the following reasons:
resignation,
non-payment of dues, or
expulsion by a vote of the majority of the Council present at a duly constituted business meeting.
b) Non-payment of dues for three (3) months after the same have become payable shall terminate the membership of any member, Officer, or Council member unless excused by the Council for cause shown.
c) Expulsion is to be done only for cause as defined in these Bylaws of the Society.
d) Elected officers and Council members in good standing cannot be expelled from the Society except after conviction under the impeachment procedure as set forth in these Bylaws.
e) In the event of termination of membership by any means, or for any cause whatever, all such member’s interest in any property of the Society shall thereupon cease.
f) Any individual whose membership is terminated by the Council and feels that it is unjustified may, within thirty (30) days, appeal directly to the membership where a majority vote shall be decisive.
Section 5
Impeachment Procedure:
Upon report of the Council recommending such action, any member, Officer, or Council member of the Society may be suspended or expelled by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Council members present at a duly constituted meeting for this purpose. The person so charged shall be given at least fifteen (15) days notice of the meeting and of the charge(s). The person shall be entitled to be heard at the meeting in person and with counsel.
Conviction by the aforementioned impeachment procedure of any member, Officer, or Council member; or any crime involving moral turpitude may be just cause for that person’s expulsion from the Society.
ARTICLE IV ELECTED OFFICIALS
The governing body of the Clan Moncreiffe Society of
a) President,
b) Vice President,
c) Secretary, and
d) Treasurer.
e) The immediate Past President shall serve on the Council but is not elected.
Section 2
All elected officials of the Council shall serve for a term
of three (3) years and are eligible for re-election to any office.
All elected officials of the Council shall assume office at the close of the Annual General Meeting where elected. All property of the Society, i.e., books, records, funds, etc., will be transferred as promptly as possible following the general election.
ARTICLE V APPOINTED OFFICIALS
Section 1
Appointed officials are appointed by the President with
Council approval.
Section 2
The Council shall divide the
a)
Each geographic region shall be represented by regional
Commissioner(s).
b) Commissioners are to represent the Society and actively seek for news members by attending and sponsoring
educational Clan tents in the local
Additional officials shall be appointed as necessary, to include but not be limited to the following: Chaplain, Piper(s), Newsletter Editor, Genealogist(s), Parliamentarian(s), Publicity Chairman, Membership Chairman, WebMaster(s), etc.
ARTICLE VI DUTIES
Section 1
The Council shall serve as the governing body of the Society and representatives of the general membership. The Council establishes the governing policies of the Society.
Section 2
PRESIDENT
a) The President acts as the chief operating officer of the Society and represents the Society at all official functions as required. The President shall assure that the Society operates within the guidelines established by the Council. The President shall be assisted by the Vice-President, Immediate Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, and other members of the Council.
b) The President shall serve as ex-officio member of all committees except nominating.
c) All proposed programs of work shall have the specific approval of the President prior to the commitment of resources and labor.
d) The President shall oversee the publishing of the newsletter and shall establish procedures for its publication to ensure compliance with the administrative policies and procedures for the Society as prescribed by the Council.
Section 3
VICE-PRESIDENT
a) The Vice-President shall assist the President in the operation of the Society.
b) In the absence of the President or at the request of the President, the Vice-President shall fulfill the duties of the President.
Section 4
The SECRETARY shall:
a) compile and maintain a current roster of the members of the Society;
b) keep proper minutes of the proceedings of all meetings of the Society and of the Council;
c) compile and submit to the Council an annual report of the operations of the Society. In compiling the annual report, the Secretary may call upon any elected official for information to complete the report. The Secretary shall cause the minutes of the Annual General Meeting to be published in the newsletter in the first issue after the Annual General Meeting.
Section 5
The TREASURER shall:
a) have charge of all monies;
b) be responsible for the collection of dues;
c) receive and deposit all monies in a Federal Insured bank;
d) be responsible for payment of all Society accounts;
e) prepare and maintain the budget;
f) submit the accounts of the Society duly audited at the Annual General Meeting;
g) shall choose an auditor to review the Society’s financial statement and verify its accuracy.
ARTICLE
Section 1
If the President is unable to fulfill the duties of the office, the Vice-President shall assume the duties of the office until such time as the President shall be able to resume the duties of the office, but not to exceed the regular term of office. If the office of President is vacant, the Vice-President shall assume the office of President and a special election shall be held as set forth in ARTICLE VIII to fill the newly vacated office of Vice-President.
Section 2
If the Vice-President is unable to assume the duties of
President as set forth in Section 2 1
above, the Council shall assume the duties of the President until a special
election is held to fill the office, as set forth in ARTICLE VIII. The Secretary will coordinate the duties of
the President with the Council.
If the office of the immediate Past President becomes vacant, the previous Past President shall assume the office to the end of the original term.
Section 4
If any other elected official is unable to fulfill the duties of his office, the Council shall assume the duties until such time as that person may resume serving in the office, but not to exceed the regular term of office. The Council may declare the office vacant upon review and evaluation of the situation. The Council shall call a special election to fill the office as set forth in ARTICLE VIII.
ARTICLE VIII ELECTIONS
Section 1
A Nominating Committee of two (2) or more members of the Society shall be appointed by the President with approval by the Council to prepare the nominations for any offices to be elected in any given year.
Section 2
a)
The Nominating Committee, with assistance from the
Council, shall seek volunteers from the membership.
b) Candidates shall be contacted by the Nominating Committee to determine their willingness to serve.
Section 3
a) The report of the Nominating Committee and the slate of names proposed for each elected office shall be published in the newsletter prior to the election at the Annual General Meeting.
b) If the slate of nominees for any election is running unopposed, the slate shall be considered elected and no ballot need be sent to the membership.
c) The ballot form shall be sent to the eligible voting membership no later than thirty (30) days before the day of voting. All ballots must be returned to the Nominating Committee on or before the day of voting during the Annual General Meeting.
Section 4
a)
At the Annual General Meeting, the presiding officer
shall appoint two (2) tellers from the members present, other than the
candidates, who shall count the ballots.
b) No nominations shall be accepted from the floor.
c) Candidates shall be elected by a simple majority of those members present.
Section 1
The Council shall have the power to establish any committee deemed necessary for the conduct of the business and operation of the Society.
Section 2
All committees shall be reviewed by the Council each year for the need of their continued existence. The Council shall abolish any committee that is no longer needed or has fulfilled its purpose.
Section 3
Committee members shall be appointed by the President, with the approval of the Council.
ARTICLE X AMENDMENTS
Section 1
The By-Laws of the Society may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members voting in a regular meeting or a called special meeting for amendment purposes.
Section 2
Amendments must be presented in writing and shall be made known to the membership no less than thirty (30) days before the day of voting.
Section 3
All voting on any amendments to the By-Laws shall be
conducted as stipulated in Article X, Section 1 and 2.
Section 1
In the event of dissolution of Clan Moncreiffe Society of
Section 2
No portion of such property and funds shall be distributed to any member(s) of the Society or any other individual(s), or to organizations not qualified under Section 1 above.
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