BELLINGHAM SEA HAWKERS

Article I – General Provisions

I. MEMBERSHIP

All paid members shall have full access to Bellingham Sea Hawker and all-chapter events, Sea Hawker benefits, and voting rights at chapter meetings.

II. CHAPTER DUES AND ENROLLMENT

A. The annual dues of members shall be established by the By-Laws of the Sea Hawkers Central Council. Dues are currently $15.00 for a single membership and $25.00 for a household membership.

B. Member dues are due with initial application and at time of renewal of membership. Membership is by calendar year (January thru December) Members joining after October 1st of a given year are paid for the remainder of that year and the following calendar year. Renewals not paid by March 31st will be dropped from the membership list until paid.

III. MEETINGS

A. REGULAR – Regular meetings shall be held monthly. Additional meetings will be held at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

B. ANNUAL – The Regular meeting in January shall be the Annual meeting.

C. SPECIAL – Special or emergency meetings may be called at the written/email discretion of a majority of the Board or at the written/email request of fifteen percent of the chapters’ members. At least five days’ notice shall be given for all special meetings.

D. QUORUM – At any meeting of the chapter, two-thirds of members present shall constitute a Quorum to do official business.

E. MEETING PLACE AND TIME – The place and time of the Bellingham Sea Hawkers meetings shall be announced to all members with appropriate notice.

 

Article II – Board of Directors

1. The business and property of the chapter shall be managed by the Board of Directors (here after referred to as the Board). The Board shall consist of seven members.

2. The Board shall be elected for two-year terms, by a majority vote of the members present at the Annual meeting that year.

3. The Board shall meet at least twice a year to manage the chapter’s affairs outside of the Regular meetings. These meetings shall be called as per Article I, Section III.

4. At Board meetings, all seven Directors shall be present to constitute a quorum. Each Director shall possess one vote. Voting by proxy shall not be allowed.

5. Any Director who is absent from three or more Board meetings per calendar year may be removed from the Board by a majority vote of the Directors. This vote of removal must be taken within one month of the third meeting from which the Director was absent. In the event that a special meeting is called, attendance is required by all directors at such meeting. An absence by a Director at a special meeting will count towards the 3 allotted absences per calendar year.

6. Any vacancy occurring on the Board shall be filled by the recommendation of remaining Board for the remaining term of the Director being replaced.

7. Within one month of the Annual meeting, the Board shall choose from within those elected to the Board the following Directors:

1. President

2. Vice President

3. Secretary

4. Treasurer

5. VP Events

6. VP Media

7. VP Membership

8. The Board shall establish and disband permanent committees, as may be appropriate. The Board will set forth the duties and responsibilities of each committee. The President shall appoint the chairperson(s) of such committee.

9. The President may create and fill temporary committees as may seem appropriate to accomplish the objectives of the chapter.

10. The President shall not serve for more than two (2) consecutive terms.

11. A Director position left unfilled after the Annual meeting shall be filled based upon the recommendation of the Board.

12. All Board Members may ask for help from any Paid Members if they cannot carry out their duties alone.

 

Article III - Duties of the Board of Directors

1. President

The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Bellingham Sea Hawkers and its Board and shall preside at all their meetings. He/She shall have the general and active management of the Bellingham Sea Hawkers and its Board; may execute all instruments in their behalf; and shall see that their business and policy is carried into effect. He/She shall be an ex-officio member of all committees and have such other powers and perform such other duties as is usually inherent to such office.

2. Vice President

The Vice President shall have the primary responsibility of assisting the President and the other officers of the Board as requested by the President. The Vice President is responsible for filling in for the President or any other director position in the event of an absence. He/She shall be the designated charity liaison and contact for all charitable organization correspondence and outreach. He/She will inform the Board of  Directors of any potential charitable organization involvement with the club and present such involvement to the membership.

3. Secretary

The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all Bellingham Sea Hawker Board meetings; send the minutes to all chapter members and board members of the Sea Hawkers Central Council within ten (10) days of the meeting; send all official notices of such meetings; maintain a central mailing address for receipt of mail; maintain addresses for Board members, Sea Hawkers Central Council representatives; carry on all correspondence of the Bellingham Sea Hawkers and its Board; notify committees of their appointments; and perfo rm such other secretarial duties pertaining to the Bellingham Sea Hawkers and its Board. The Secretary is responsible for handling any club grievances and will head any grievance committees as needed. (See Article VI) The minutebooks, records, correspondence files, grievance process files, and all central files shall be maintained by the Secretary and belong to the Bellingham Sea Hawkers.

4. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall receive and be accountable for all General Funds belonging to the Bellingham Sea Hawkers. He/She shall deposit all such  funds in the name of the club in such depository as the Board may direct. He/She shall disburse such funds as the Bellingham Sea Hawkers or its Board may direct and shall sign all checks together with such other officer as the Board may direct. He/She shall keep accurate books and records, provided by and belonging to the Bellingham Sea Hawkers, of all receipts and disbursements, and report the financial status of the Bellingham Sea Hawkers at each meeting.

5. VP Events

The VP of Events shall be in charge of all committees running and scheduling events. All committee chairs shall report to the VP of Events. He/She is responsible for coordinating and facilitating the needs of any committee chair. He/She shall keep the President and any appropriate Directors informed of any event and event committee needs. VP Events is responsible for managing the club event calendar and shall distribute such calendars to the Board of Directors by the first of each month. He/She will be responsible for event sponsorships and serve as the liaison for all sponsors and even t donations. He/She will be responsible for taking minutes at all event meetings and submitting them to the Board. He/She must report to the Treasurer when any money is needed and/or being promised.

6. VP Media

VP of Media shall maintain all professional club websites and social media accounts (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.) with the President and one other Board Member having access to those accounts. He/She will be responsible for maintaining the content and functionality of all websites and social media accounts. VP Media is responsible for all media communications and public relations pertaining to club business. He/She is responsible for media advertisement campaigns and press releases. VP of Media will manage and schedule any media-related appointments and interviews (i.e. TV, radio, newspaper, etc.). He/She will be responsible for gathering pictures from all Bellingham Sea Hawkers events and storing such media. All media shall remain the property of the Bellingham Sea Hawkers Booster Club.

7. VP Membership

VP Membership shall have the primary responsibility of organizing and coordinating an active Bellingham Sea Hawker membership recruitment program. He/She shall be responsible for managing the membership booth at events, fairs, etc. as part of the recruitment program. He/She shall manage the setup and distribution of all booth items as well as schedule any volunteers needed to run the membership booth. He/She shall maintain a current membership list, maintain current member information, and keep the board and V.P. Membership of the Sea Hawker Central Council informed on a monthly basis of current membership numbers. He/She is responsible for the distribution of membership cards and any club membership materials to new and renewing members. He/She shall serve as the liaison and recruiter for any membership group discounts.

 

Article IV – Chapter Funds

1. The funds of the Bellingham Sea Hawkers must be deposited in the chapter name in a financial institution approved by the Board of Directors. At least two current Board members must have authority to deposit/transfer/withdraw funds. Any Director that collects or disburses funds as a responsibility of their position is responsible for submitting all funds and receipts to the Treasurer. Directors may have their own designated fund accounts that are linked to the main Bellingham Sea Hawkers general fund account, but they are responsible for any funds in their possession, timely deposits, record keeping of those accounts, and submitting all receipts and disbursements to the Treasurer.

2. All checks/withdrawals of more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) shall be first voted on by the Board, then if passed by majority, shall be brought to the full membership.

 

Article V – Affiliation

1. The Bellingham Sea Hawkers shall affiliate with the Sea Hawkers Central Council and other Sea Hawker chapters recognized by the Sea Hawkers Central Council. The Bellingham Sea Hawkers Board of Directors may appoint representatives to attend Central Council meetings, as necessary. They may only take part in the discussion of agenda items, but have no vote.

2. The Board of Directors is authorized to submit dues from the Bellingham Sea Hawkers funds each year to the Central Council. The amount of dues is to be determined by the Central Council and consistent with the amount paid by other associate satellite Sea Hawker Chapters.

 

Article VI – Grievances

Any grievance filed against the club, directors, or membership shall first be submitted in writing and directed to the Secretary (primary recipient) or any other Board Director. The Secretary (or appropriate Director) will have 5 business days to respond and acknowledge receipt of the submitted grievance. The Secretary shall then head and assemble a three person Grievance Board Committee, consisting of Board Directors and/or paid members chosen by the Secretary. This appointed committee will have 15 business days to investigate, take action, and report findings to the Board, Central Council, and Griever. The Grievance Committee will work to resolve the grievance and decide any punishments and actions that need to be taken. Parties involved or named in the filed grievance cannot be part of the grievance committee or process, unless the grievance concerns the entire Board of Directors. In such case that all Directors are part of a grievance, the grievance will then be forwarded to the appropriate Central Council Director and subject to the jurisdiction of their by-laws and grievance process.

 

Article VII – Dissolution

The Bellingham Sea Hawkers shall be considered “dissolved” when it is considered inactive by Sea Hawkers Central Council or has less than fifteen (15) active members. Upon dissolution, all property of the Bellingham Sea Hawkers shall be forfeited to the Sea Hawkers Central Council or to charity, as designated by a quorum of active Bellingham Sea Hawker Directors. In the event of no active remaining directors, the last members of the Bellingham Sea Hawkers would direct the Sea Hawkers Central Council to this decision.

 

Article VIII – Amendments

These By-Laws may be amended by a sixty percent (60%) majority vote of the members present at a regular meeting of the chapter. Members should receive notice of a potential by-law change at least 14 days prior to a meeting in order to review and subsequently pass or reject said changes.

 

The above and foregoing By-Laws were duly adopted by at least a sixty (60%) vote of the members of the chapter as the By-Laws of the Bellingham Sea Hawkers on the 17th day of July 2015.

 

Secretary,

Alena Edin