Reading Pride Celebration By-Laws

Article I NAME

The name of this organization is Reading Pride Celebration.

Article II - MISSION

The mission of this organization is to celebrate unity and diversity in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender communities of Reading and Berks County.

Article III - LOGO

No one will use the Logo of this organization without express consent of the Executive Team and committee members, as determined by a simple majority vote at a general meeting.

Article IV - NATURE OF ORGANIZATION

The organization is a non-political organization operating on a non-profit basis.

Article V - MEMBERSHIP

Qualification: LGBT and non-LGBT persons, who are 18 years or older and reside in Berks County.

Types of Membership

1.Volunteer Member

a)      LGBT - do not have voting privilege, cannot sit on any committees and may not hold any office in this organization. 

b)Non- LGBT  do not have voting privilege, cannot sit on any   committee and may not hold any office in this organization. 

2.Committee Member:

a)      LGBT - has voting privilege, may sit on any committee and may hold office in this organization. 

b)      Non-LGBT - has voting privilege, may sit on any committee, but may not hold office in this organization.

A candidate for membership shall make application on a form supplied by the organization. The organization's By-laws will be issued to new members upon reception of application either via hard copy or e-mail. 

After a period of ninety (90) days and attendance at three (3) general monthly meetings, a volunteer member may make request to the Vice-President to become a committee member.

The proposed committee member will be presented for approval by the Vice-President at the beginning the next general meeting. 

Termination and/or Disciplinary Action: Charges must be presented to the Executive Board in writing at which time the Executive Board will research the validity of these charges and determine if disciplinary action or termination is to be recommended to the committee members at a regular meeting. Seventy-five (75) percent affirmative vote of committee members present at a general meeting is required for any disciplinary action or termination for cause. Cause being three (3) unexcused absences from meetings per year, September through August.

Article VI - MEETINGS:

The organization shall have monthly general meetings. A majority of committee members at any meeting can approve the cancellation of a monthly meeting or need for additional meetings. In the event of an unforeseen circumstance, the President shall consult with fellow officers to determine the cancellation of a general meeting.

Times and places of the general meetings shall be determined by the majority of the committee members.

The President shall prepare the agenda for each general meeting.

If a controversy develops from the use of these by-laws, Robert's Rules of Order shall prevail.These Rules of Order shall govern all meetings. 

A quorum shall consist of two thirds (2/3) of all committee members present.  If a quorum is not present the Executive Board has the power to make decisions to maintain a properly working function of this organization.

Vote  -  a simple majority vote of committee members present is required to pass any vote unless otherwise stated in this document.

Proxy  - a proxy for any vote must be signed, dated and specific to a vote.

If a member is unable to attend a meeting they must contact a member of the Executive Board prior to the meeting, otherwise the absence shall be considered an unexcused absence.

Article VII  -  FINANCES

The term income shall mean all monies collected or received by the organization, including but not limited to voluntary contributions, receipts from fund raising activities, sponsorships, gift in kind, etc.

1.      All funds in possession of the organization shall be placed in a bank depository in the name of the organization. The deposit shall be made by the Treasurer in a timely manner.

2.      Function chairperson or activity chair should not have more than $300, unless otherwise specified, in their possession at any one time. All organization funds shall be turned over to the Treasurer with a financial report.

3.      All expenditures in excess of $100.00 require prior approval by members of the organization and the Executive Board. In an emergency situation, the Executive Board may give approval.

Article VIII  - NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES

A candidate for an elected office must be a Committee Member for at least 3 months.

The Elections Committee shall assemble a slate of one or more candidates for each of the elected positions of the organization, i.e. the president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer and from the floor at the meeting following the Pride Celebration. They shall mail such list to each member with the notice of the August meeting.

Elections will be held at the August meeting.  At the Election Day meeting, if a majority of the members present vote to re-open the nominations, additional nominations may be made from the floor.

No person shall be nominated for an office, which he or she has held for three consecutive terms.

The Election Committee shall prepare written ballots listing the candidates for each office and assume the responsibility of conducting the election and counting the ballots.

Article IX  - ELECTION OF OFFICERS

The election of officers will be conducted by the Election Committee Chairperson and will be accomplished through secret written ballots for each office.

Upon voting for each office, the nominee may accept or decline nomination.

The officers of the organization shall be elected at the August meeting for a term of one (1) year.

A Quorum of members present shall be required to elect candidates to office.

Article X  - OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES

President  -  The President will be the official spokesperson for the Reading Pride Celebration Organization.  He/she will preside over all regular or special meetings of the organization.  He/she will sit on all Committees; he/she will hold the tie breaking vote on all matters brought to vote before this organization.  He/she will assign all committees for the year for this organization including but not limited to the Audit Committee and the Election Committee.

Vice-President - The Vice-President will perform the duties of the President in his/her absence.He/she is responsible for maintaining accurate records of membership of this organization and to update the status of all members.  He/she is responsible for all property of this organization and carries out any other duty as directed by the President.


Secretary  -  The Secretary is to records minutes of all regular and special meetings, to report all minutes of the prior meeting and to inform all committee members of any pertinent issues in a meeting that they have missed. He/she is to be the corresponding representative of the organization; he/she will maintain an archive for this organization and carry out any other duty as directed by the President.

Treasurer  -  The Treasurer is to maintain an accurate record of all monies of this organization.  He/she is to present a monthly report of all expenses and income of this organization.  He/she is to be the primary signer along with the President or Vice-President for the Checking account(s) of this organization.  He/she is to prepare and hand over all books for audit to the Audit Committee on a quarterly basis.

Article XI  - ELECTION COMMITTEE

The Election Committee shall consist of two or more members who volunteer at the first general meeting of the year (September).  The President will identify the Chair of the Election Committee from the volunteers.  If there are no volunteers, the President shall appoint a committee.

The President shall fill vacancies on the Election Committee via an appointment, but the nominee cannot be a current officer.

Article XII - AUDIT COMMITTEE

The Audit Committee shall consist of two or more members who volunteer at the first general meeting of the year (September)  It shall receive from the Treasurer the organization's financial books and records on a quarterly basis and shall perform an independent review of such books and records.  It shall prepare and present a report of such audit at the first meeting of the new quarter. At the first general meeting of new term officers, the Audit Committee shall turn over the organization's financial books and records to the Treasurer.

Article XIII - STANDING COMMITTEES

A.                 It shall be the responsibility of each committee to meet when called to do so by the chair, organize a plan of action to complete the tasks necessary to successfully complete the event or activity. The committee shall develop recommendations regarding how the task shall be carried out along with a financial plan of expected income (if any) and anticipated expenses. These recommendations, especially those that require the following shall be brought to a monthly membership meeting for approval before the plan is started:

1)      The expenditure of money

2)      Determination of an admission price

3)      Entry into a contract

4)      Requires raising of funds

5)      Requires the selection of a service or entertainment provider or the location of the event or activity

The committee chairperson shall provide recommendations in writing, invite questions, accept suggestions and ask the general committee membership for approval to proceed.

B.                 Each chairperson of a standing committee shall accept, on a volunteer basis, committee members.All meeting activities shall be recorded in writing, listing location, attendees, start and end time and discussion issues. The chairperson will present the written report at the general monthly meeting to the secretary. A written wrap-up report, including, but not limited to a financial report, will be presented no later than the second general membership meeting following the event or activity.

Article XIV  - AMENDMENTS

Any amendment to this document must be brought before the membership at a regular monthly meeting of this organization and read. It will be discussed and voted upon at the next regular meeting. The Secretary is required to inform all members not present at the reading of the proposed change, of the content of the proposal, and their requirement to attend the next meeting for the vote.  No proxies will be accepted for By-Law Amendments. A seventy-five (75) percent affirmative vote of all members present is required for a By-Law amendment.

Article XV  -  DISSOLUTION

A ninety (90) percent affirmative vote of all active members is required for disbandment.  Upon disbandment, all assets of this organization are to be frozen, after all debts are paid in full, for a period of one-hundred-twenty (120) days, at which time they will be distributed to a 501c3 charity in Berks County that has been agreed upon by the members who have voted on disbandment.