BYLAWS of the OLD BUNCOMBE COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, INC.
 

Asheville, North Carolina

 

ARTICLE I

NAME
The name of this organization shall be Old Buncobme County Genealogical Society, Incorporated, herein after known as Society. The nature of the Society shall be non-profit and voluntary.
 

ARTICLE II

OBJECTS of the SOCIETY
Sec. 1. To promote interest in family history and genealogy and raise standard of genealogical research and compilation by means of educational programs, workshops, and the publication of genealogical data.
Sec. 2. To encourage and instruct members in the standards and techniques of genealogical research procedures and compilation.
Sec. 3. To acquaint members with sources of genealogical material in North Carolina and elsewhere.
Sec. 4. To serve the community through its publications, workshops, and as a medium of exchange of genealogical information
Sec. 5. To promote the collection, preservation, and utilization of manuscripts, documents, and other material of genealogical or historical value.
Sec. 6. To maintain and support the Society library.
   

ARTICLE III

MEMBERSHIP
Sec. 1. Membership in the Society shall be open to any person interested in promoting the objectives stated above.
Sec. 2. Classes of membership in the society shall be:
(1) REGULAR: The standard membership in the Society.
(2) FAMILY: Two persons residing in the same household.
(3) LIFE: Life members are active members for their lifetime from the date of their becoming a life member.
(4) HONORARY: Honorary members are elected by a vote of the Executive Committee.  Not more than one person per year may be recognized.
(5) INSTITUTIONS and SOCIETIES:  Organizations shall be eligible for a non-voting membership in the Society upon payment of annual dues.
Sec. 3. Any  member who leaves the society for one year or more shall re-enter as a new members.
Sec. 4. Only members shall be entitled to vote or hold office in the Society.
 

ARTICLE IV

DUES
Sec. 1. Dues and special fees shall be set by the Administrative Board and be included in the annual budget and approved by the vote of the Society.
Sec. 2. Dues are payable on or before the first day of January of the current year, and shall be paid annually to the Society Treasurer.
Sec. 3. Any member whose dues are not paid before or upon the beginning of the calendar year will be dropped from the mailing list until reinstatement.
 

ARTICLE V

OFFICERS
Sec. 1. The elected officers shall be a President, a First Vice-President, and Second Vice-President, a Recording Secretary, a Corresponding Secretary, a Membership Secretary, and a Treasurer.  The above officers shall constitute the  Executive Committee.
Sec. 2. The term of office for all officers shall be for two years. Unless provided for in the Bylaws, no officer shall be eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office.
Sec. 3. If the office of President becomes vacant, the First Vice-President shall become President.  Vacancies in other offices shall be fill by the Executive Committee until the next regular meeting of the Society.
 

ARTICLE VI

DUTIES of OFFICERS
Sec. 1. The President shall:
A. Be the Chief Executive Officer.
B. Preside at all meetings, the Executive Committee, and the Administrative Board.
C. With the approval of the Executive Commitee, shall appoint a Genealogist, an Historian, an Office Manager, and a Computer Operations Director.
D. Appoint Special Committees, i.e. Library, Audit, Liaison, Computer Operations, and Ways and Means, as the need arises.
E. Serve and an ex-officio member of all committees with the exception of the Nominating Committee.
F. Have the privilege of appointing a Parliamentarian to serve in an advisory capacity to the President.
 
Sec. 2.

The First Vice-President shall:

A. In the absence of, or inability to serve, or at the request of the President, perform the duties of that office.
B. Serve as the Program Committee Chairman.
C. With the approval of the President, select the chairperson or such committees as required to execute the duties pertaining to each phase of the work of the Program Committee.
 
Sec. 3.

The Second Vice-President shall:

A. Research and apply for all grants-in-aids.  
B. Serve as the Chairperson of the Ways and Means Committee.  
C. Consult with the President in selecting the chairpersons of such committees as required to execute the duties pertaining to each phase of the work of the Standing and Ad-hoc Committees.  
D. Be knowledgeable concerning all matters or projects pertaining to these committees, and to maintain supervision of these committees.
E. Assist the President and First Vice-President when call upon.
F. To serve on the Library Commitee.
G. To act as back-up to to Office Manager on book sales where shipping is involved.  (This does not involve direct sales made by the Volunteer-on-duty.)
 
Sec. 4.

The Recording Secretary shall:

A.

Keep accurate records of all meetings of the Society, the Executive Committee, and the Administrative Board, and to submit these minutes to participating members at least seven days before the next Administrative Board meeting.
B. Deliver within three business days those items intended for the Treasurer of the Society.
C. Perform other duties as requested by the President.
Sec. 5.

The Corresponding Secretary shall:

A. Receive and reply to all correspondence.
B. Research as time permits, then return the research folder to the Correspondence File.
C. When research is complete, remove folder from the file, write a reply which includes the cost of the research performed.
D. File all correspondence and replies.  These files are in alphabetical order, by surname of the correspondent.
E. Place copies of the replies ..... (as above).
F. Place monthly update of log in folder in front of Correspondence Research Drawer.
G. Perform other duties as requested by the President.
Sec. 6.

The Membership Secretary shall:

A. Serve as Vice-President of the Budget and Finance Committee.
B. If directed by the President, report such actions involving Finances to the Administrative Board.
C. Keep records of membership and changes of address, and place this information in the computer data base.
D. Perform such other duties as directed by the Executive Committee and/or the Administrative Board.
Sec. 7.

The Treasurer shall:

A. Be bonded.  
B. Disburse all monies of the Society and deposit all monies within five business days.  
C. Be custodian of all financial records, contracts, credits, and properties of the Society.  
D. Keep all funds of the Society in a bank or depository approved by the Administrative Board.  
E. Provide a report to the general membership annually.  
F. Serve as Chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee.  
G. Prepare the annual budget of the Society.  
H. Purchase materials and supplies as requisitioned.
 

ARTICLE VII

ELECTION of OFFICERS
Sec. 1.

At the regular meeting in September, a Nominating Committee of five members shall be elected by ballot.

A. Nominations for the Committee shall be from the floor.
B. The five members receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected.
C. If no more than five names are placed in nomination, the vote may be taken by a voice vote.  The first nominee shall be Chairperson.
D. It shall be the duty of this committee to nominate an eligible candidate who has consented to serve for each office to be filled at the annual meeting in November.
E. Additional nominations may be made from the floor, provided the consent of the nominee has been obtained.
F. The duties, obligations and term limits should be explained to the nominee(s).
Sec. 2. In alternating years, beginning in the year 1988, the following officers shall be elected for a two-year term:  President, First Vice-President, Recording Secretary, and Membership Secretary.  In the year 1989, the following officers shall be elected for a two-year term: Second Vice-President, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer.  This method of election of officers will be followed in the odd-and-even-numbered years.
Sec. 3. The term of all officers shall begin on the first of January following the election.
Sec. 4. No member shall hold more than one office at at time.
Sec. 5. All officers, upon retiring from office, shall return to the President all monies, all accounts, records books, papers, or other property belonging to the Society.
 

ARTICLE VIII

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD
Sec. 1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the duly elected officers and shall meet at the call of the President.
Sec. 2. The Administrative Board shall consist of the duly elected officers and those appointees listed in Article VI, Section 1.c. having been duly confirmed by the vote of the General Society at a regular meeting.  The Board shall decide the hour and the place of the meeting.
Sec. 3.

The Administrative Board shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Society between its business meetings.

A. The Board shall make recommendations subject to the vote of the Society concerning any proposed project and/or allocation of disbursement of funds.
B. All actions taken shall be subject to the order of the Society and none shall conflict with the actions taken by the Society.
Sec. 4. Special meetings of the Board can be called by the President and shall be called upon the request of three members.
 

ARTICLE IX

MEETINGS
Sec. 1. The meeting in November shall be known as the Annual Meeting, and shall be for electing officers, receiving reports of officers and Committees, and for any other business that should arise.
Sec. 2. There shall be six meetings each year, including the Annual Meeting.  These will be held in March, April, May, September, October, and November.  Two meetings may be workshops.
Sec. 3. Fifteen members present shall constitute a quorum.
Sec. 4. Special meetings may be called upon the written Executive Committee, and shall be called upon the request of ten members of the Society.  The purpose of the Meeting shall be stated in the call.  Except in the case of emergency, at least seven days notice shall be given.

ARTICLE X

COMMITTEES
Sec. 1. Standing Committees
A. The Program Committee shall arrange the Programs of the Society and any other duties as designated by the President.
B. The Publications Committee shall produce a quarterly journal and other publications as directed by the Executive Committee or voted by the Society.  They shall recommend a qualified member to serve as editor of the Society's Journal, A LOT OF BUNKUM.
C. The Membership Committee shall maintain current memberships and a record of past memberships.
D. The Budget and Finance Committee shall prepare a budget for the fiscal year beginning the first of January.  The Committee will assist the Treasurer, when necessary, in the preparation of financial reports.
E.

The Ways and Means Committee shall present for approval of the Society fund raising projects and shall be responsible for such projects.
F.

The Library Committee shall be custodian of genealogical materials, books, and other publications acquired by the Society; shall maintain a catalog of all items in the Society's library; and shall provide reviews of new acquistions for the Society's journal.

1. The Library Committee Chairperson will be a member of the Publishing Committee.
2. The Library Committee Chairperson will select a Maintenance Committee.
G. The Computer Operations Committee shall review the software programs on the Society's computer system.  It shall also review all proposed information management systems, major revisions of existing programs, and all hardware purchases.  They shall provide technical guidance to novice computer users in the Society.  The Computer Operations Chairperson shall be a member of the Publishing Committee.
H. The Nominating Committee shall seek and recommend qualified members to hold positions in the Society.
Sec. 2. Ad Hoc Committee
A. Special Committees shall be appointed as necessary with time and authoritative powers so specified, upon recommendation of the President to the Executive Committee.
(1)

The Publicity Committee shall publicize all work of the Society.  The Chairperson shall also serve as a member of the Program and Publications Committees.
(2)

The Liaison Committee shall encourage communication and cooperation between the Society and other genealogical and historical societies.
(3)

The Audit Committee shall audit the Treasurer's accounts at the close of the fiscal year and report to the Administrative Board Meeting and the following General Meeting.
B.

All Committees, with the exception of the Nominating Committee, shall meet at least quarterly an compile a brief written report of the proceedings and accomplishments of the Committee.  These reports shall be forwarded to the Recording Secretary prior to the Annual Meeting of the Society.

ARTICLE XI

PUBLICATIONS
Sec. 1. The Official Publication of the Society shall be called A LOT OF BUNKUM, and shall be published quarterly.  A minimum of 100 (one hundred) pages of genealogical information shall be included annually in the publication.
Sec. 2. Publications requiring contracts of any type with commercial publishers must have such contracts reviewed by competent legal authority, and such publications shall be copyrighted in the name of the Society.
Sec. 3. The President, with approval of the Executive Committee, shall appoint qualified persons as chairmen of the Society's ongoing and future projects pertaining to publications by the Society.  These future Chairpersons shall be responsible for the timely collection and preparation of materials to be published and proceed with publications as stated in these Bylaws, Article VI, and shall request and submit to the Administrative Board bids for all printing projects.
 

ARTICLE XII

LIBRARY and ARCHIVES

Publications and Manuscripts obtained by donation or purchase may be offered for retention upon approval by the Librarian, in consultation with the Library Committee.
 

ARTICLE XIII

USE of ROSTERS

The membership rosters and mailing lists of the Society may not be used for any purpose by any person, group, or business without the express written permission of the Administrative Board.
 

ARTICLE XIV

AMENDMENT of the BYLAWS

These Bylaws can be amended, provided the amendment has first been submitted in writing to the entire membership at least 30 days prior to the meeting for the consideration of the amendment.
 

ARTICLE XV

DISSOLUTION of the SOCIETY
Sec. 1. If the Executive Committee concludes that the Society can no longer continue to function, a special meeting of the membership shall be called.  The Executive Committee will send to all members a written notice providing an explanation of proposed actions which states the time and place of said meeting.
Sec. 2. If dissolution is appoved by two-thirds of the members present, the Executive Committee shall pay, or make provision for payment, of all liabilities of the Society within the limitation of Article XVI.  Any remaining assets, subject to the laws of North Carolina, shall be sold or distributed as approved by two-thirds vote of the members present at the meeting.
 

ARTICLE XVI

PERSONAL LIABILITY

No officer or member shall be held personally liable for any debt, liability, or obligation of the Society.  All persons, organizations, and other entities having any claim whatsoever against the Society may look only to the funds, money due, and/or assets of the Society for payment of such claim.
 

ARTICLE XVII

EMERGENCY AUTHORIZATION

Upon determination by the Executive Committee that the Treasurer is temporarily unable to perform the duties of the office, the Executive Committee may authorize the President, or in his absence or inability, the First Vice-President to draw and deliver checks on behalf of the Society.
 

ARTICLE XVIII

PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern the Society in all cases in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws.