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Bylaws of the Rotary Club of

Amherst, Massachusetts

 Article I Definitions

1. Board: The Board of Directors of this club.

2. Director: A member of this club's Board of Directors.

3. Member: A member, other than an honorary member, of this club.

4. RI: Rotary International.

5. Year: The twelve-month period that begins on 1 July.

 Article 2 Board

 The governing body of this club shall be the board consisting of 6 members of this club, namely, the president, vice-president, president-elect (or president-nominee, if no successor has been elected), secretary, treasurer, and the sergeant-at-arms. At the discretion of the board, also added can be the 12 directors elected in accordance with article 3, section 1 of these bylaws, and the immediate past president.

 Article 3 Election of Directors and Officers

Section 1 – At a regular meeting one month prior to the meeting for election of officers, the presiding officer shall ask for nominations by members of the club for president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and 4 directors. The nominations will  be presented by a nominating committee. The nominating  committee shall be appointed by the Club President and shall consist of the current president, the past past president, the past president, vice president and president elect. The chair of the committee shall be the past past president. All candidates for office should commit to the necessary time requirements at club and district level which are essential in order to be an effective club leader. The nominations duly made shall be placed on a ballot in alphabetical order under each office and shall be voted for at the annual meeting. The candidates for president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer receiving a majority of the votes shall be declared elected to their respective offices. The 4 candidates for director receiving a majority of the votes shall be declared elected as directors. The candidate for president elected in such balloting shall be the president-nominee and serve as a director for the year commencing on the first day of July next following the election, and shall assume office as president on 1 July immediately following that year. The president-nominee shall take the title of president-elect on 1 July in the year prior to taking office as president.

Section 2 – The officers and directors, so elected, together with the immediate past president shall constitute the board. The nominating committee shall nominate a member for the post of sergeant at arms The membership shall elect the sergeant-at-arms.

 Article 4 Duties of Officers

 Section 1 – President. It shall be the duty of the president to preside at meetings of the club and the board and to perform other duties as ordinarily pertain to the office of president.

Section 2 – President-elect. It shall be the duty of the president-elect to serve as a director and to perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the president or the board.

Section 3 – Vice-President. It shall be the duty of the vice-president to preside at meetings of the club and the board in the absence of the president and to perform other duties as ordinarily pertain to the office of vice-president.

Section 4 – Secretary. It shall be the duty of the secretary to keep membership records; record attendance at meetings; send out notices of club, board, and committee meetings; record and preserve the minutes of such meetings; report as required to RI, including the semiannual reports of membership on 1 January and 1 July of each year, which shall include per capita dues for all members and prorated dues for active members who have

been elected to membership in the club since the start of the July or January semiannual reporting period; report changes in membership; provide the monthly attendance report, which shall be made to the district governor within 15 days of the last meeting of the month; collect and remit RI official magazine subscriptions; and perform other duties as usually pertain to the office of secretary.

Section 5 – Treasurer. It shall be the duty of the treasurer to have custody of all funds, accounting for it to the club annually and at any other time upon demand by the board, and to perform other duties as pertains to the office of

treasurer. Upon retirement from office, the treasurer shall turn over to the incoming treasurer or to the president all funds, books of accounts, or any other club property.

Section 6 – Sergeant-at-Arms. The duties of the sergeant-at-arms shall be to promote fellowship at the regular weekly meetings by collecting fines from members.

 Article 5 Meetings

 Section 1 – Annual Meeting. An annual meeting of this club shall be held on the 3rd Thursday of December in each year, at which time the election of officers and directors to serve for the ensuing year shall take place.

Section 2 – The regular weekly meetings of this club shall be held on Thursday at 12:15 PM. Due notice of any changes in or canceling of the regular meeting shall be given to all members of the club. All members excepting an honorary member (or member excused pursuant to the standard Rotary club constitution)

in good standing in this club, on the day of the regular meeting, must be counted as present or absent, and attendance must be evidenced by the member’s being present for at least fifty (50) percent of the time devoted to the regular meeting, either at this club or at any other Rotary club, or as otherwise provided in the standard Rotary club constitution, article 9, sections 1 and 2.

Section 3 – One-third of the membership shall constitute a quorum at the annual and regular meetings of this club.

Section 4 – Regular meetings of the board shall be held on 3rd Thursday of each month. Special meetings of the board shall be called by the president, whenever deemed necessary, or upon the request of two (2) directors, due notice having been given. The President, in the event of an emergency, shall call a special meeting to be held via telephone or other appropriate technology acceptable under the circumstances. The special meeting will require a quorum. The content of the special meeting will be reviewed at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting.

Section 5 – A majority of the directors shall constitute a quorum of the board.

 Article 6 Fees and Dues

 The membership dues shall be $ 125.00 per annum, payable annually on the first day of July.

 Article 7 Method of Voting

The business of this club shall be transacted by viva voce*vote except the election of officers and directors, which may  be by ballot if so voted by a majority of members present for the meeting at which an election is held. The board may determine that a specific resolution be considered by ballot rather than by viva voce vote. (Note: Viva voce vote is defined as when club voting is conducted by vocal assent.

 Article 8 Five Avenues of Service

The five Avenues of Service are the philosophical and practical framework for the work of this Rotary club. They are Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service, International Service and New Generation Service. This club will be active in each of the five Avenues of Service. 

 Article 9 Committees

Club committees are charged with carrying out the annual and long-range goals of the club based on the five Avenues of Service. The president-elect, president, and immediate past president should work together to ensure continuity of leadership and succession planning. When feasible, committee members should be appointed to the same committee for three years to ensure consistency. The president-elect is responsible for appointing committee members to fill vacancies, appointing committee chairs, and conducting planning meetings prior to the start of the year in office. It is recommended that the chair have previous experience as a member of the committee. Standing committees should be appointed as follows:

 • Membership

This committee should develop and implement a comprehensive plan for the recruitment and retention of members.

 • Club Public Relations

This committee should develop and implement plans to provide the public with information about Rotary and to promote the club’s service projects and activities.

 • Club Administration

This committee should conduct activities associated with the effective operation of the club.

 • Service Projects

This committee should develop and implement educational, humanitarian, and vocational projects that address the needs of its community and communities in other countries.

 • The Rotary Foundation

This committee should develop and implement plans to support The Rotary Foundation through both financial contributions and program participation.

 Additional ad hoc committees may be appointed as needed.

(a) The president shall be ex officio a member of all committees and, as such, shall have all the privileges of membership thereon.

(b) Each committee shall transact its business as is delegated to it in these bylaws and such additional business as may be referred to it by the president or the board. Except where special authority is given by the board, such committees shall not take action until a report has been made and approved by the board.

(c) Each chair shall be responsible for regular meetings and activities of the committee, shall supervise and coordinate the work of the committee, and shall report to the board on all committee activities.

 (Note: The above committee structure is in harmony with both the District Leadership Plan and the Club Leadership Plan. Clubs have the discretion to create any committees that are required to effectively meet its service and fellowship needs. A sample listing of such optional committees is found in the Club Committee Manual. A club may develop a different committee structure as needed.)

 Article 10 Duties of Committees

 The duties of all committees shall be established and reviewed by the president for his or her year. In declaring the duties of each, the president shall reference to appropriate RI materials. The service projects committee will consider the Avenues of Vocational Service, Community Service, and International Service when developing plans for the year.

 Each committee shall have a specific mandate, clearly defined goals, and action plans established by the beginning of each year for implementation during the course of the year. It shall be the primary responsibility of the president-elect to provide the necessary leadership to prepare a recommendation for club committees, mandates, goals, and  plans for presentation to the board in advance of the commencement of the year as noted above.

 Article 11 Leave of Absence

Upon written application to the board, setting forth good and sufficient cause, leave of absence may be granted excusing a member from attending the meetings of the club for a specified length of time.

 (Note: Such leave of absence does operate to prevent a forfeiture of membership; it does not operate to give the club credit for the member’s attendance. Unless the member attends a regular meeting of some other club, the excused member must be recorded as absent except that absence authorized under the provisions of the Standard Rotary Club Constitution is not computed in the attendance record of the club.)

 Article 12 Finances

 Section 1 – Prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, the treasurer shall prepare a budget of estimated income and expenditures for the year, which after Board approval shall stand as the limit of expenditures for these purposes, unless otherwise ordered by action of the board. The budget shall be broken into two separate parts: one in respect of club operations and one in respect of charitable/service operations.

 Section 2 – The treasurer shall deposit all club funds in a bank, named by the board. The club funds shall be divided into two separate parts: club operations and service projects.

 Section 3 – All bills shall be paid by the treasurer or other authorized officer. Expenditures not budgeted or previously approved by the Board must be approved by two other officers or directors.

Section 4 – A thorough review of all financial transactions by the finance committee shall be made once each year.

Section 5– The fiscal year of this club shall extend from 1 July to 30 June, and for the collection of members' dues shall be divided into two (2) semiannual periods extending from 1 July to 31 December, and from 1 January to 30 June. The payment of per capita dues and RI official magazine subscriptions shall be made on 1 July and 1 January of each year on the basis of the membership of the club on those dates.

 Article 13 Membership

Section 1 Membership Eligibility

Any person having achieved the age of majority and maintaining a business, academic, or professional presence and/or residence within the geographic region served by the Rotary Club of Amherst may be proposed for membership in the Rotary Club of Amherst on the form designated for nominating new members. Categories of Membership: In accord with the 2001 Rotary International Council on Legislation, only two membership categories exist: Active and Honorary.

Section 2 The Nominating Process A prospective member may be proposed by any member of the club. A prospective member shall be informed of the purposes of Rotary and of the privileges and responsibilities of membership, following which the prospective member shall be requested to sign the membership proposal form and to permit his/ her name and proposed classification to be published to the club membership. A transferring or former member of another club may be proposed to active membership by the former club. All proposals for membership shall be kept confidential except as otherwise provided in this by law. The name of the person nominated by any member of the club shall be announced to the Rotary club members. Rotary members have seven days within which to object in writing to the nomination, by submission to the Membership Committee. The nomination form shall be received and reviewed by the Membership Committee. Upon their review the Membership Committee shall submit the nomination form and any objection received, through the club secretary to the board.

Section 3 Compliance The board shall ensure that the proposal meets all the procedural, classification, and membership requirements of the standard Rotary club constitution The Board shall approve or disapprove of the nomination within 30 days of receipt.

Section 4 Timeliness The 7 day period for written objections by Rotary Club members and the 30 day period for approval by the Board shall be strictly observed

Section 5 Induction
Following the election, the president shall arrange for the new member's induction, membership card, and new member Rotary literature. In addition, the president or secretary will report the new member information to RI and the president will assign a member to assist with the new member's assimilation to the club as well as assign the new member to a club project or function.

Section 6 Honorary Membership The Board may elect, Honorary Member(s) in accordance with the standard Rotary Club constitution.

 Article 14 Resolutions

 The club shall not consider any resolution or motion to commit the club on any matter until the board has considered it. Such resolutions or motions, if offered at a club meeting, shall be referred to the board without discussion

 Article 15 Order of Business

Meeting called to order.

Introduction of visitors.

Correspondence, announcements, and Rotary information.

Committee reports if any.

Any unfinished business.

Any new business.

Address or other program features.

Adjournment.

 Article 16 Amendments

 These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting, a quorum being present, by a two-thirds vote of all members present, provided that notice of such proposed amendment shall have been mailed to each member at least ten (10) days before such meeting. No amendment or addition to these bylaws can be made which is not in harmony with the standard Rotary club constitution and with the constitution and bylaws of RI.

 Last reviewed & approved by Board and membership December 2011

Memo: (not a By Law):

Corporate Designees

Corporate entities maintaining a presence within the geographic region served by the Rotary Club of Amherst may designate individuals who may be nominated for membership in the Rotary Club of Amherst on the form designated for this purpose.

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