Newcomers of San Antonio

Bloom Where You Are Planted!

Our Bylaws

BY-LAWS OF NEWCOMERS OF SAN ANTONIO

ARTICLE I
Name

Section 1.
The name of this organization shall be Newcomers of San Antonio. It is a non-profit, 501 (c) 7, social organization.

Section 2.
General membership meetings will be held monthly or as needed.

ARTICLE II
Object

Section 1.
Social: To extend a friendly and neighborly hand to all newcomers by introducing them to each other and their new community.

Section 2.
Civic:  To promote interest in our city and to encourage community involvement.

ARTICLE III
Membership and Dues Policies

Section 1.
Qualifications for Membership:

  1. Anyone residing in the greater San Antonio area for three years or less.
  2. Membership is extended regardless of race, color, creed, marital status, or gender.
  3. Full membership status applies for the first five (5) years of membership, starting the month dues are paid and continuing until the last day of the same month five (5) years later.
  4. Thereafter, associate membership status begins.

Section 2.
The yearly dues and any special fees shall be set by the Board. Dues are not refundable.

Section 3.
All monies shall be used to further the objectives of Newcomers of San Antonio. A minimum of $1,000.00 shall be carried over in the treasury for the following governing year.

Section 4.
The prospective member’s dues shall be required after attendance at two (2) club functions (luncheon, coffee, social event, or interest group).

Section 5.
Members shall be responsible for payment of any reservation if not canceled by the specified cancellation time. If a payment for a reservation is not received by the time of the event and the person arrives for the event, they will be asked to pay for the event at that time. If the payment is later received, it will be refunded or applied to a future reservation.

Section 6.
Interest groups shall be self-sustaining. Only paid members may join or participate beyond the two (2) introductory functions allowed as per Section 4.

Section 7.
The membership list shall not be used for personal gain nor made available for commercial or solicitation purposes; nor will solicitations be made of any member at any club function unless previously approved by the Board. Violation of the By-Laws may result in termination of membership, as determined by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

  1. Members and guests may not distribute personal business cards at any club function, unless such card is requested by another member.
  2. Members shall not wear name tags or logos displaying business affiliations at any club function.
  3. Members and guests may not distribute or display flyers, brochures, printed materials, etc., relating to solicitation for business, political or charitable purposes at any club function.

ARTICLE IV
The Board of Directors

Section 1.
The Board of Directors shall be composed of the Executive Officers and the Appointed Chairpersons.

  1. It shall be the duty of the Board of Directors to coordinate plans and activities of the organization and have general management of the organization and its affairs.
  2. The governing year shall be from July 1st through June 30th.
  3. The Board shall meet once a month or as needed.
  4. Decisions required between meetings may be made via email.
  5. The May Board Meeting shall be a joint meeting consisting of the outgoing and incoming boards.

Section 2.
The Executive Officers of the organization shall have Full Membership Status with the exception of the Parliamentarian.  Incumbents may serve two terms.  The Full Membership Status may be waived during a second term.

Section 3.
The Executive Officers shall be:

  1. President
  2. First Vice-President
  3. Second Vice-President(s)
  4. Recording Secretary
  5. Treasurer
  6. Parliamentarian/Board Advisor.

Section 4.
Executive Officers, with the exception of the Parliamentarian/Board Advisor, shall be selected by the Nominating Committee consistent with requests made by the membership per the interest survey and subsequently voted on by the general membership.

Section 5.
The Parliamentarian/Board Advisor may be the outgoing President of the previous year.

Section 6.
The Appointed Chairpersons shall be appointed by the incoming President on the advice of the Nominating Committee. Members with full and associate member status may hold Appointed Chairperson positions. No member may hold the same Chairperson position for more than two (2) years. Exceptions require Board approval. The Appointed Chairperson positions of the organization shall be:

  1. Ambassador Chair(s)
  2. Coffees Chair(s)
  3. Communication Chair(s)
  4. Directory Chair(s)
  5. Interest Groups Chair(s)
  6. Newsletter Editor(s)
  7. Opportunity Drawings Chair(s)
  8. Publicity Chair(s)
  9. Reservations Chair(s)
  10. Web Master(s)

Section 7.
Each Board member, whether fulfilling a singular or shared position, shall have equal voting privileges.

Section 8.
The Nominating Committee:

  1. Shall consist of not fewer than five (5) members, the First Vice-President, one (1) other Board Member and three (3) Members-at-Large.
  2. The First Vice President shall appoint and coordinate this committee in February.
  3. Their first meeting shall be prior to the March luncheon.
  4. The President may serve as an ex-officio member of this committee.
  5. The Nominating Committee shall choose their own chairperson.
  6. The Nominating Committee shall distribute interest surveys. The Nominating Committee will consider these interest surveys to select the slate of Executive Officers and Appointed Chairpersons. Incumbents may serve a second term regardless of membership status.
  7. The Nominating Committee may consider members for Executive Officer positions who have Full Membership status through June 30th of that year.
  8. The slate of proposed officers will be communicated to the membership prior to the May General Meeting.
  9. At the May General Meeting, the chairperson of the Nominating Committee shall present the slate of proposed officers for the following term. Nominations from the floor may be taken at the May meeting.
  10. Election of the slate of officers shall be by acclamation, unless there is more than one (1) candidate for an office. In that case, election shall be by ballot to be counted by the Nominating Committee. A simple majority of members present will elect.
  11. Officers shall be elected and installed at the June meeting.

Section 9.
Executive Officer vacancies shall be filled by appointment by the Board of Directors, with the exception of the office of President, in which case the First Vice-President shall be named President.

Section 10.
Appointed Chairperson vacancies shall be filled by the President.

Section 11.
In May, the outgoing Board shall appoint a committee of three (3) members to audit the treasury.  The treasury shall be audited by June 15.

ARTICLE V
Duties of Executive Officers

Section 1.
President:  Appoint Chairpersons, conduct General Meetings and monthly Board Meetings, oversee and advise the Board members.

Section 2. 
First Vice-President:  Maintain and update the membership files, share files with appropriate board members regularly, collect dues. Be prepared to perform all duties of the President when called upon to do so. Initiate and serve as a member of the Nominating Committee.

Section 3.  
Second Vice-President(s):  Plan and make all necessary arrangements for monthly luncheon meetings and programs.

Section 4.  
Treasurer:  Receive all dues and income, pay all bills with the approval of the Board, maintain accounts, and submit a monthly report for approval by the Board. Treasurer shall also be responsible to have an annual federal tax return prepared.

Section 5. 
Parliamentarian/Board Advisor:  Guide all matters of the organization’s by-laws and policies.

Section 6.   
Recording Secretary:  Keep records of all meetings and supply a copy of minutes to the Board members. Be the custodian of the permanent minute records.

Section 7.    
A year-end report shall be presented by each outgoing Executive Officer to the current President and Recording Secretary and to the respective incoming Executive Officers.

Section 8.  
Personal computer skills with web access are necessary for Executive Officers.

ARTICLE VI
Duties of the Appointed Chairpersons

Section 1.  
Ambassador Chair(s):  Serve as the Welcoming Committee and contact potential members. Supply gifts for the new members at the coffees and luncheons. Correspond with potential new members.

Section 2. 
Coffees Chair(s):  Organize monthly coffees, recruit hostesses and co-hostesses. Make sure supplies are available to the hostess in a timely manner.

Section 3. 
Communications Chair(s):  Maintain an up-to-date database of email addresses of all members for correspondence from the Board and the Interest Group Leaders. Email monthly newsletter to members. Email special notices to the members as deemed necessary by the Board or the President.

Section 4.  
Directory Chair(s):  Format the membership information to produce and distribute the membership directory including supplement as needed.

Section 5. 
Interest Groups Chair(s):  Organize and supervise the interest group leaders. Act as liaison between leaders and Board.

Section 6. 
Newsletter Editor(s):  Prepare monthly newsletter to be distributed to the membership.

Section 7.  
Opportunity Drawings Chair(s):  Purchase and distribute gifts at the luncheons.

Section 8. 
Publicity Chair(s):  Conduct all activities to promote the organization to the public.

Section 9.  
Reservations Chair(s):  Collect reservation payment for luncheons, maintain list of attendees and greet attendees at the luncheons. Prepare nametags and menu cards for attendees of the luncheons.

Section 10.  
Web Master(s):  Maintain and update the website.

Section 11.  
A year-end report shall be presented by each outgoing Chairperson to the current President, Recording Secretary and respective incoming Chairperson.

Section 12. 
Personal computer skills with web access are necessary for Appointed Chairpersons.

ARTICLE VII
Amendments and Revisions

Section 1.    
These By-Laws may be amended or reviewed at any General Meeting by a majority vote of the membership in attendance, provided notice was given at a previous meeting and communicated to the membership.

Section 2.  
By-Laws Committee:

  1. Parliamentarian shall appoint and coordinate a By-Laws Committee consisting of five (5) members: two (2) Executive Officers, one of whom shall be the Parliamentarian; two (2) Appointed Chairpersons and one (1) Member-at-Large.
  2. The first meeting will be held prior to January 31st.
  3. The chairperson will be chosen by the committee.
  4. Any proposed amendments and/or revisions of the By-Laws must be agreed upon by all members of the By-Laws Committee.
  5. The committee shall review the By-Laws every two (2) years and make recommendations for revisions as necessary.
  6. The committee shall present the revisions to the Board for approval.
  7. Once approved by the Board, revisions shall be distributed to the membership prior to approval at the next General Membership Meeting.

Revised and approved March 2018.