Centre County Genealogical Society Constitution & Bylaws
ARTICLE I NAME
SECTION 1.1 This society shall be known as: The Centre County Genealogical Society, doing business as the Centre County Genealogy Society, a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation with EIN 23-2923020.
SECTION 1.2. Hereinafter, in this document, The Centre County Genealogical Society shall be referred to as “the Society.”
ARTICLE II PURPOSE
SECTION 2.1 The Society shall serve as a non-profit association of people interested in genealogy and family history and shall provide informative and educational programs, opportunities for the exchange of ideas and techniques dealing with genealogical research problems, and the organization of joint research efforts. The Society may also support the identification, preservation, and publication of genealogically relevant records.
SECTION 2.2 The Society may, upon occasion, issue publications of genealogical interest to locate, preserve, and index public and private records and to make those records available to members and to the general public. “Publication” is defined here as release of genealogical data in print or electronic media.
SECTION 2.3 The Society shall publish a newsletter and maintain a presence on the Internet.
SECTION 2.4 The Society is and shall remain free from affiliation with any religious group or organization.
ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIP AND DUES
SECTION 3.1 All persons interested in genealogy and family history shall be eligible for membership.
SECTION 3.2 Membership categories and definitions:
A. Individual Member: A person who meets the requirements for membership and
has paid the annual dues.
B. Honorary Lifetime Member: This membership is bestowed upon a person for exceptional service to the Society or to the practice of genealogy. An honorary lifetime membership shall be bestowed after a two-thirds vote by members of the Executive Committee, followed by a 2/3 vote at a regular meeting of the Society. Honorary Life Members are entitled to all of the privileges of Individual Members, but are exempt from paying dues.
C. Institutional Member: Institutions which receive the newsletter but are not entitled to vote.
SECTION 3.3 Dues shall be set by a majority vote of members present upon recommendation of the Executive Committee. The membership year is from January to December. Dues not paid by February 1 are delinquent, and the member no longer has membership privileges. Members admitted after November 1 shall be credited with dues paid for the following year.
ARTICLE IV MEETINGS AND QUORUM
SECTION 4.1 Normally, the Society shall meet at least quarterly. The time and place of meetings shall be decided by the Executive Committee.
SECTION 4.2 As necessary, business may be transacted at any meeting where a quorum is present and at the discretion of the President.
SECTION 4.3 For purposes of amending the Constitution or By-Laws under Article X, a quorum shall be composed of nine members in good standing. For regular business including the Election of Officers under Article VII, a quorum shall be composed of five members in good standing. For regular business, if a proposed action to be voted at a meeting is presented to the membership in writing at least two weeks prior to the meeting, a quorum will be composed of all members in good standing who are present and voting. For the purpose of establishing a quorum, non-voting (institutional) members are not included in the count.
ARTICLE V OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES
SECTION 5.1 The officers of the Society shall be: President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, Corresponding Secretary, Editor of the Newsletter, Website Coordinator, and Membership Secretary. Except for the Newsletter Editor and Website Coordinator, officers shall be elected in April for terms to begin in July, and they shall serve until their successors take office. Only members in good standing may be elected to office or appointed to serve as committee chairs. Any vacancy occurring in the Executive Committee will be filled (for the remainder of the unexpired term) by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Executive Committee. If there are not enough members willing to fill all these offices, the Executive Committee will consist of at least a President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
SECTION 5.2 The term of service for President and Vice President will be one (1) year. The President and Vice President may serve no more than three (3) consecutive years in their respective Offices.
SECTION 5.3 The Recording Secretary, Treasurer, Corresponding Secretary, and Membership Secretary shall each serve for a term of two years. The Recording Secretary and the Treasurer shall be elected in even-numbered years; the Corresponding and Membership Secretaries in odd-numbered years.
SECTION 5.4 The Editor of the Newsletter and Website Coordinator shall be appointed or reappointed annually by the President, with the consent of the Executive Committee, or when a vacancy in the office occurs.
SECTION 5.5 Officers shall perform the duties of their office as specified.
A. The President shall preside at all meetings including all those specially called. He/she may appoint an auditor and is an ex-officio member of all committees. The President shall sign all checks in the absence or inability of the Treasurer to perform this duty.
B. The Vice President shall serve as an active aide to the President. In the absence of or at the request of the President, the Vice President shall perform the duties of the President. The Vice President may also be a member of the Program Committee and may serve as Chair of that Committee.
C. The Recording Secretary shall keep a record of meetings and provide a copy to the President within ten days. Minutes of actual business transacted shall be read at the following meeting for approval. He/she shall preserve all published accounts of the Society’s activities.
D. The Treasurer shall collect all dues and provide for the regular financial operations of the Society. The financial records shall be audited at least every two years when the Treasurer is re-elected or before a new Treasurer takes office.
E. The Corresponding Secretary shall attend to the correspondence of the Society.
F. The Editor of the Newsletter shall collect and edit information for the newsletter, and oversee the preparation and distribution of the newsletter to all current members.
G. The Membership Secretary shall maintain a current listing of all active members of the Society. The Membership Secretary is responsible for providing new members with appropriate information regarding membership in the Society.
H. The Website Coordinator shall collect and edit information for the Society’s Internet website and oversee the preparation of any online membership forms.
ARTICLE VI COMMITTEES
SECTION 6.1 Standing committees as may be required for the proper functioning of the Society shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee. A list of standing committees and chairpersons shall be published on the Society website and shall be reviewed at least annually by the Executive Committee. The standing committee chairpersons may act in an advisory role to the Executive Committee.
SECTION 6.2. Two members-at-large may be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee. They will have voting privileges as members of the Executive Committee.
SECTION 6.3 The officers and members-at-large shall constitute the Executive Committee.
A. A simple majority of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.
B. The Executive Committee shall keep the rules up-to-date, approve the ordinary expenses of the Society, bring recommendations to the membership for the approval of unusual disbursements of the Society’s funds and dues, and operate as the Nominating Committee.
ARTICLE VII NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
SECTION 7.1 Nominations shall be presented as follows:
A. By the Executive Committee at the April meeting.
B. By the membership from the floor of the April meeting with the consent of the nominee(s).
SECTION 7.2 Immediately following the close of nominations, the membership of the Society shall vote.
SECTION 7.3 When there is only one nominee for office, the President shall instruct the Recording Secretary to cast the ballot for the sole nominee. Should there be more than one
candidate for the same office, a ballot shall be taken and the candidate receiving a plurality of votes is elected. The results of the election will be recorded and made available to the membership.
SECTION 7.4 Any vacancy occurring during an officer’s term in office shall be filled, for the balance of the term, by Presidential appointment with the approval of the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE VIII INTERPRETATION AND AUTHORITY
SECTION 8.1 Questions of interpretation or meaning of this Constitution and Bylaws shall be decided by the Executive Committee.
SECTION 8.2 The parliamentary authority in areas omitted by this Constitution and Bylaws shall be Robert’s Rules of Order (current edition).
ARTICLE IX OPERATION OF THE ORGANIZATION
SECTION 9.1 No part of the net earnings of the Society shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the Society shall be authorized and empowered to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Second Article hereof. No substantial part of the activities of the Society shall be the carrying on of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Society shall not participate in or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the Society shall not, except to an insubstantial degree, engage in any activities or exercise any powers that are not in furtherance of the purposes of this organization.
SECTION 9.2 Upon the dissolution of the Society, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the Federal Government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by a Court of Competent Jurisdiction of the county in which the principal office of the Society is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations as said court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
ARTICLE X AMENDMENTS
SECTION 10.1 This Constitution and Bylaws may be amended by unanimous consent at any regular meeting where a quorum is present.
SECTION 10.2 This Constitution and Bylaws may be amended by a 2/3 vote at any regular meeting where a quorum is present, provided the written amendment has been submitted at the previous regular meeting or if a copy has been provided to each active member at least two weeks prior to the meeting.
SECTION 10.3 Any amendment to this Constitution and Bylaws and the membership vote approving that change shall be recorded and made available to the membership.
Constitution & Bylaws | 2022/03/09, 4)26 PM
As amended and revised, May 2005.
As amended and revised, November 2013.
As amended and revised, September 2017 (Sections 5.2, 5.5B). As amended and revised, September 2018 (Section 4.3).
As amended and revised, November 2018 (Sections 5.1, 7.1)
As amended and revised, June 2023.
