By-laws

Town & Country Quilters Guild, the “Guild”

By-laws and Purpose of Guild

A.      Purpose:        The Guild was established in January 2002.

                                       The purpose of the Guild is to bring together people who share a common interest in quilting, specifically through:

·         Social fellowship

·         Sharing ideas

·         Learning new skills

·         Promoting quilts in the community and

·         To provide quilts of comfort for those in need

B.      Guild By-laws:

1.       Membership

a.       Membership in the guild shall be granted to any person who shall:

i.                      Accept the purpose and by-laws of the guild and

ii.                   Pay the annual membership fee in the amount of $20.00 which is due and payable at the September meeting each and every year.

b.       A member in good standing with the Guild shall be any person who accepts membership as prescribed in these By-laws.

c.       A member in good standing with the Guild shall receive the following privileges:

i.                      Membership card, membership roster and, if requested, a copy of the Purpose and By-laws of the Guild; and

ii.                   Voting privileges; and

iii.                  The Guild newsletter; and

iv.                 Attendance at meetings, programs; and

v.                   Use of Guild resources; and

vi.                 Enrolment in workshops, field trips and any other activities of the Guild.

d.      A member shall cease to be in good standing upon failure to make payment of membership fees within a period of sixty (60) days after due date.

e.      Membership in the Guild shall not exceed one hundred (100) members.

2.       Meetings and Quorum

a.       The Annual General Meeting of the Guild shall be held in the month of May.

b.      Members wishing to place items on the agenda for the Annual General Meeting shall do so by advising the Secretary at least one month in advance of that meeting.

c.       There shall be at least nine (9) General Meetings, weather permitting, of the Guild held in one (1) year.

d.      Ten percent (10%) of the membership personally present, shall constitute a quorum at any General Meeting of the Guild.

3.       Voting:

a.       A member in good standing with the Guild shall be entitled to vote at any General Meeting of the Guild.

b.      Voting shall be by show of hands unless a poll is demanded by a majority of members present or chair of the meeting deems a poll necessary.

4.       Executive

Officers:

a.       The executive officers of the Guild shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Registrar, and immediate Past President.

b.      An executive officer shall be a member in good standing with the Guild.

c.       Executive officers other than Past President shall be elected to the office at the Annual General Meeting of the Guild.

d.      The term of executive officer shall be two (2) years.

e.      An executive officer may be elected to the same office for a period not to exceed two (2) consecutive terms.

f.        Election of executive officers shall be staggered to ensure continuity in the executive.  The election of President, Assistant Secretary and Treasurer shall occur in even-numbered years, commencing in May 2002.  The election of Vice-President, Secretary and membership Registrar shall occur in odd-numbered years commencing in May 2002.  (In May 2002 only, there shall be an election of Vice-President, Secretary and Membership Registrar for a one year term.)

g.       An executive position that is made vacant before the end of a term shall be filled by a member in good standing with the Guild appointed by the executive officers until the next Annual General Meeting except the office of President which shall be filled by the Vice-President.

Committees

h.       The executive standing committees of the guild shall be:

·         Nominating

·         Phone

·         Program

·         Show

·         Historian

·         Newsletter

·         Library

·         Social

·         Workshop

i.         An executive standing committee shall be presented by a member or members in good standing with the guild who shall be elected/appointed at the Annual General Meeting.

5.       Duties of Executive Officers:

President:

a.        The President shall preside at meetings and be ex-officio a member of all committees; and

b.       The President shall appoint the Past President, or if they are not able or unwilling, appoint a Chairperson of the Nominating Committee.

               Vice-President:

c.        The Vice-President shall assume the duties and preside at all meetings of the Guild in the absence of the President; and

d.      Assist the President in their duties.

               Secretary:

e.      The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of the Guild and attend to the correspondence of the Guild.

               Assistant Secretary:

f.        The Assistant Secretary shall assume the duties at all meetings of the guild in the absence of the Secretary; and

g.       Assist the Secretary in their duties.

               Treasurer

h.       The Treasurer shall receive, deposit and disburse monies of the Guild as authorized by the Guild and shall issue receipts as required; and

i.        Ensure that up-to-date and accurate accounts of the finances of the Guild are kept in proper books.

6.        Fiscal Year and Signing Officers:

a.        The fiscal year of the Guild shall be from September 01 to August 31;

b.      The Treasurer shall open and/or maintain a bank account for the Guild.

c.       The signing officers of the Guild shall be the Treasurer and any one (1) of the following three (3) executive officers:

·         President

·          Vice-President

·         Secretary

7.        Dissolution

Upon dissolution of the Guild by  majority vote of members, all assets of the Guild remaining after payment of all liabilities and obligations, shall then be gifted to a suitable organization such as another quilting Guild.

8.        Parliamentary Authority:

Kerr & King’s “Procedures for Meetings and Organizations” shall assist the executive in governing the Guild in all cases where situations are not provided for in the By-laws of the Guild.