Name 1.01 Name. The
name of this organization is Neighbors & Newcomers of Chester (hereafter referred to in this document as “N&N of Chester”).
Article 2
Purposes 2.01 Purposes: The
general purposes of N&N of Chester are:
(a) For charitable,
educational and sociological causes (including the making of contributions to
charitable organizations and causes)
(b) Participation in,
promotion and support of, social, community and civic activities.
(c) To provide an
immediate opportunity for members to become acquainted with others
in the community.
(d) To
provide an atmosphere of friendliness, goodwill and helpful information for
members in the local community.
(e) To
accomplish the purposes specified in this Article 2 in compliance with Section
509(a)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Article 3
Policies 3.01 Policies.
N&N of Chester shall:
(a) Not
discriminate against anyone because of race, color, creed, national origin,
gender, income status, marital status, educational background, religion, or any
other factor.
(b) Comply
with all laws, rules and regulations of all government agencies, state and
federal.
Article 4 Membership 4.01 Membership. Membership
in N&N of Chester is open to:
(a) Any
adult resident (whether new or existing) of the Greater Chester, NJ area who
wishes to participate in social and civic activities, and in helping our
community.
(b) Membership is effective upon payment of annual dues.
(c) There
will be no corporate memberships.
Article 5 Finances and Records 5.01 Finances
and Records.
(a) Since
N&N of Chester’s profits are used for charitable projects and the operations
of N&N of Chester, and do not accrue to the benefit of any individual,
N&N of Chester has applied for a Tax-Exempt Status.
(b) N&N
of Chester’s Fiscal year shall be from August 1 through July 31.
(c) Dues
are payable at any point during the new fiscal year. Members’ dues must be received on or before
October 1st in order for their contact information
to be included in the annual printing of the Handbook/Directory. Any new member who joins N&N of
Chester after January 1st will be charged
a reduced rate. The amount of the
annual dues to be determined on a yearly basis by the Executive Board.
(d) Only
paid-up members may participate in N&N of Chester activities (barring specific activities to which a
paid-up member may bring a spouse or a guest), receive the monthly newsletter,
N&N Directory and participate on the Board. However, prospective or potential members may participate as
a guest in an activity, before being requested to pay dues to actually join
N&N of Chester.
(e) Members
who reserve tickets or make reservations for activities must pay forsaid tickets/reservations in advance of the specific
deadline set by the Activity Chairman.
If cancellations are made after the deadline, the Member is responsible
for any payments required. Any money (checks or cash) for N&N of Chester functions
such as reservations for luncheons, charity donations, specific activities,
etc. are to be collected by the Activity Chairperson and given to the Treasurer
in a timely manner. The Treasurer
can then disburse the appropriate amount on a Neighbors & Newcomers of
Chester check (written on their bank account) for the event.
(f) All
purchases and expenditures of N&N of Chester must be approved by the
Executive Board.
(g) The Treasury funds that are passed from one
Executive Board to the next should
only be enough to cover start-up operating costs for the next fiscal year. Any
monies in excess will be given to a selected charity. The outgoing Executive
Board will make the decision on the disbursement of the funds.
Article 6 Board of Directors 6.01 Board
of Directors.
(a) The Board of Directors shall consist of the
Executive Board members (elected officers - President, Vice President,
Secretary, Treasurer) and the Appointed Board members. The Appointed Board members, like the
Executive Board, shall be expected to serve for a 2-year term.
(b) The
President and Vice President will seek potential candidates via newsletters and
email to fill vacant positions for the following year.
(c) Appointed Board members may not vote at Board
meetings; only the duly elected Executive Board members may cast a vote at said
meetings.
(d) The Board of Directors shall meet as often as is
necessary, in general once a month, and all members (whether Executive or
Appointed) are expected to attend all board meetings.
(e) Board
of Directors shall not receive any remuneration for their services. They may only be reimbursed for actual
out-of-pocket expenses.
(f) Any member in good standing (i.e. current dues paid)
may serve.
(g) In the event a Board of Director cannot finish out
their term, the President & Vice President will appoint a replacement.
Article 7 Executive Board 7.01 Executive
Board.
(a) The Executive Board members are comprised of the
President, Vice President, Secretary, and the Treasurer.
(b) They shall perform their duties (see “Duties of the
Officers”) for a 2-year term and until their successors have been elected.
(c) All members of the Executive Board may vote on
administrative business. Voting
may be by person or via email. The
quorum is 3 Board of Director votes.
(d) In the case of a tie, the President shall have the
final say.
(e) The Executive Board shall not be personally liable
for the debts, liabilities, or other obligations of N&N of Chester.
Article 8 Election of Executive
Board 8.01 Election
of Executive Board.
(a) The
President and Vice President will seek potential candidates via newsletters and
email to fill vacant positions for the following year.
(b) Any
member in good standing (i.e.
current dues paid) may serve.
(c) Positions
will be filled by vote of the outgoing Executive Board.
Article 9 Duties of the Executive
Board 9.01 Duties
of the President. (a) The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer
of N&N of Chester and should be an ex-officio member of any committee that exists.
(b) The President shall perform such other duties as
usually pertain to the office of President, i.e.:
(i) preside
over all club meetings (both Board and general meetings) (ii) fill
Appointed Board member positions (iii) encourage
members to participate in activities and to volunteer where needed
(iv) inspire
club membership growth (v) represents
N&N of Chester to the public and in legal/contractual matters (vi) approves
checks over $500.00
9.02 Duties
of the Vice President.
(a) The
Vice President shall preside in the absence of the President wherever
necessary. (b) The
Vice President shall:
(i) serve as program chairperson (ii) attend all monthly board and general meetings (iii) perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President (c) Should the office of President become vacant, it
shall be automatically filled by the Vice President for the remainder of the
unexpired term.
9.03 Duties
of the Secretary.
(a) The Secretary shall:
(i) attend
monthly board and general meetings (ii) record minutes of all board and general
meetings (iii) transcribe
all minutes and send copies to the Executive Board (iv) read the minutes from the previous monthly General Meeting
at the current
one, and dealing with any official correspondence (such as Thank-You
letters, etc.) on behalf of N&N of Chester (v) Maintains
current text of the By-Laws (vi) Maintains
a complete file of minutes which will be passed onto the next Secretary
9.04 Duties
of the Treasurer.
(a) The Treasurer shall:
(i) report
at all regular meetings concerning receipts, expenditures and bills outstanding
(ii) collect all dues and fees from the appropriate
Activity Chairperson (iii) disburse funds on the order of the Executive Board
and obtain receipts for same
(iv) maintain
N&N of Chester’s bank account (v) keep
accurate records of N&N of Chester’s finances (vi) Maintain
all financial records which will be passed onto the Treasurer. (vii) The
Treasurer is to apprehend a general liability policy for N&N of Chester for
the fiscal year.
Article 10
Duties of Appointed Board
Members 10.01 Duties of Appointed Board Members. Appointed
Board Members positions by being added or deleted as the Executive Board sees fit.
Community Service: Finds
out the needs of Chester and the surrounding area and coordinates volunteering,
donating and fund raising to meet those needs.
Directory Publisher: Compiles all membership contact information
received from the Membership Director into a yearly Directory to be distributed
to members. The Directory is a confidential document that
cannot be used as a mailing list for businesses, but solely for the
personal use of the N&N of Chester’s members. However, the Directory can
include members’ businesses, and can include sponsorship
advertising if so decided by the Board.
Hospitality: Coordinates the refreshments for the general
meetings and coffee mornings.
Oversees set-up and clean up at those meetings. Maintains the inventory of the supplies and
replaces what is necessary.
Membership: Keep
records of all members. Collects
dues and hands money over to the Treasurer in a timely manner. Gives member information to the
Directory Publisher for the yearly membership book.
Newsletter: Organizes information received into a monthly
newsletter. Formats all newsletter articles
submitted by the Board for the monthly mailings. Submits in a timely fashion all newsletter
information to the Website Editor for inclusion on the Website each
month.
Publicity: Publicizes the Club through newspaper articles,
notices,
