Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild By-Laws
Adopted by a quorum of the Board on November 9, 2014. Approved by a quorum of the members at the annual business meeting on November 20, 2014.
Article I. Name
The name of this organization shall be known as the Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild and shall be referred to as the Guild throughout the remainder of this document.
Article II. Mission
Located in the cradle of American beekeeping, the Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild works to encourage and promote urban beekeeping through fellowship and education, and to raise awareness of the importance of bees to our environment.
Article III. Governance
The organization shall be governed by an Executive Board as elected, at such time, in such manner, and for such periods as described within these By-Laws.
Article IV. Guild membership
Any person may become a member by paying the annual membership dues.
The membership year shall be on an annual basis from January 1 through December 31. New members joining on or after October 1 shall be considered members for the remainder of the year, as well as the entire following calendar year.
Dues become payable on January 1 of each year. The dues are payable to the Treasurer. In order to vote at the Guild meetings a member must be in good standing (i.e., dues for the current year have been paid in full). The annual dues for membership shall be set by the Executive Board and communicated to the membership one month prior to each annual business meeting.
The membership list shall be reviewed by the Executive Board prior to each annual business meeting and members in arrears may be dropped from membership.
The household of any member in good standing shall be entitled to membership status including the right to hold office. Such membership shall be dues exempt.
A household membership counts as one, for the purposes of determining a quorum at a business meeting and as such is entitled to a single shared vote.
Article V. Guild Officers and Member Representatives
The officers of the Guild shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Information Coordinator, all to be elected each year at the annual business meeting to serve for the ensuing calendar year.
The number of Member Representatives shall not exceed 5% of the membership and shall be elected each year at the annual business meeting, to serve for the ensuing calendar year.
The office of President may be held by the same person for a maximum of two consecutive years.
Article VI. Executive Board.
The Officers and Member Representatives elected from the Guild membership at the annual business meeting shall constitute the Executive Board. The most recent past president shall be a member of the Executive Board for one year after the end of his/her term.
The Executive Board shall have the responsibility of conducting the affairs of the Guild. All members of the Executive Board must be members in good standing.
Sixty percent of the Executive Board in attendance at any Executive Board Meeting will constitute a quorum for decision-making purposes.
Actions of the Executive Board shall be binding on the Guild, unless disapproved by a quorum of the members voting at the first business meeting following the Executive Board meeting at which the action was taken. A report of the actions of the Executive Board shall be presented at each annual or special business meeting of the Guild.
Members may attend any Executive Board meeting. A member who wishes to make a presentation or request of the Board must do so by arrangement with the Secretary of the Board at least two weeks before the meeting at which the presentation or request will be made. Members may request that minutes of the Executive Board meeting be read at the business meetings of the Guild.
The Executive Board shall by a quorum present at an Executive Board meeting, fill by appointment any vacancy occurring in any elective office. This appointment shall be effective until the next annual business meeting of the Guild.
Article VII. Duties of Officers and Member Representatives
It shall be the duty of the President to call and preserve order in all meetings of the Guild and Executive Board, appoint all committees, call for reports of officers, and decide upon all questions of order, according to regular parliamentary usage. The Rules of Order not specifically provided in these By-Laws shall be Robert’s Rules of Order. The President has primary responsibility for planning and implementing the regular meetings of the Guild, including the educational program meetings and business meeting(s).
It shall be the duty of the Vice-President in the absence of the President to perform the duties of that office. The Vice-President will also assume primary responsibility for planning and implementing events other than the regular meetings of the Guild.
The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all proceedings of the Guild’s Executive Board and shall conduct such correspondence as the President, the Executive Board, or Guild requests.
The Treasurer or his/her designee shall make disbursements on behalf of the Guild. The Treasurer shall receive all moneys and dues of the Guild and keep a record of same. The Treasurer shall report the condition of the Treasury at the meetings of the Executive Board and Guild business meetings. The Treasurer or his/her designee will maintain the membership.
The Information Coordinator will manage the appropriate internal and external communications media for the Guild.
Member Representatives advise the Officers on behalf of the general membership of the Guild. It is appropriate to recruit and elect Member Representatives from various communities within the city, in order to ensure optimum presentation of ideas and interests to the attention of the Executive Board. Member Representatives often volunteer for assignments from Officers to ensure the success of the Guild?s programs.
Article VIII. Audit of the Treasury
A committee of two members shall be appointed by the President prior to the annual business meeting to audit the financial record of the Guild. The Auditors may not be Officers of the Board, however they may be Member Representatives. Sufficient time and access will be given to the Auditors to be able to report their results at the annual Business Meeting
Article IX. Guild Business Meetings
A minimum of one business meeting of the Guild will be held for the election of officers and conduction of general business at a place in Philadelphia each year. One or more additional meeting(s) will be held at regular intervals throughout the year, at a place in Philadelphia, to fulfill the mission of the Guild.
Special business meetings may be called by a quorum of the Executive Board. Special business meetings may also be called by the Executive Board upon the written request of a quorum of the members.
Ten percent of members in good standing shall constitute a quorum at any business meeting of the Guild.
The Guild?s regular (annual) Business Meetings shall generally be governed by the following Order of Business, after which an educational program may occur:
(a) Report of the President (summary of monthly meetings and special events, recognition of volunteers, etc.)
(b) Report of the Treasurer
(c) Report of Auditors of the Guild?s financial record
(d) Posting of membership list
(e) Old Business
(f) Election of Officers
(g) New Business
(h) Adjournment
Article VI. By-Laws
The officers of this Guild shall communicate the By-Laws to the members in appropriate form(s), and will mail a printed copy of the same to any member of the Guild upon request.
The By-Laws may be amended by a quorum of the members at any regular business meeting or any special business meeting called for that purpose, provided that a written notice embodying the proposed changes shall have been communicated to the members in appropriate form(s) at least thirty (30) days in advance of such meeting.