Bylaws

Article I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Central Minnesota GAB Group aka (GAB).

Article II. Mission Statement

GAB Mission Statement:

GAB is a gathering of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender men and women and allies (GLBTA). It is a social organization that plans, organizes, and implements activities for the GLBTA community in a safe and affirming environment. Gatherings are also opportunities to make new friends and collect information, news, and events pertaining to the GLBTA community locally, statewide, and nationally.

Article III. Membership

Section 1 – Eligibility for Membership:

Membership shall be open to any interested individual in the Central Minnesota’s Area Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Allied (GLBTA) community age 18 or older.

Section 2 – Membership list:

A membership list will be maintained for the monthly newsletter.  This list will remain confidential and will be managed by the newsletter editor and/or the Board of Directors.

Article IV. Board of Directors

Section 1 – Board role, size and compensation:

The Board of Directors is responsible for the overall policy and direction of GAB.  The Board of Directors of GAB shall consist of elected and appointed members. Elected members include the chair, vice chair, secretary, treasurer, and four (4) At-Large members.  Appointed members include the Newsletter Editor and Webmaster, who will be appointed by the Chair. The Board members receives no compensation other than board approved expenses. Each Board member shall have one vote except for the Chair, who only votes in the event of a tie and is the deciding vote.

Section 2 – Terms:

Elected Directors: Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer shall serve two-year terms.  The Chair and Treasurer Terms run on even thru odd years (i.e. January 2010 thru December 2011); the Vice-Chair and Secretary terms run on odd thru even years (i.e January 2009 thru December 2010).  The four at-large members will serve a one year term.  All elected Board of Directors members are eligible for re-election without limit.

Appointed Directors: The Newsletter Editor and Webmaster shall be appointed for one-year terms. The appointments may be renewed, subject to an annual review by the remaining Board members.

Special case: The November 2009 elections shall be open to anyone who comes to the September and/or October meetings. The new board will take office January 1, 2010.  The nominations should be announced no later than, but at the October meeting. The Vice Chair and the Secretary’s terms shall be a one year term and end December 2010.  The Chair and Treasure’s terms shall be a two year term ending December 2011.

Section 3 – Meetings and notices:

The Board of Directors shall meet monthly, at an agreed upon time and place.

Section 4 – Board of Directors elections:

Nominations may be made beginning with the October meeting and from the floor at the November meeting. To be a nominee, a person must have attended at least three of the last 5 board meetings prior to the November meeting.

During the November meeting, the Board of Directors shall elect new board members to replace those whose terms will expire at the end of December.  This election shall take place during a regular meeting, called in accordance with the provisions of these bylaws.

Eligible voters shall be any persons who have attended at least two Board meetings since the last election.  New Board members shall be elected by a majority of the eligible voters present at the November meeting and start their terms beginning on the first day of the following January.

Section 5 – Quorum:

A quorum shall consist of at least fifty percent of Board of Directors members for business transactions to take place and motions to pass.

Section 6 – Officers and Duties:

There shall be ten officers of the Board of Directors, consisting of a chair, vice-chair, secretary, treasurer, newsletter editor, webmaster, and four at-large members.  Their duties are as follows:

The chair shall convene regularly scheduled Board of Directors meetings, shall preside or arrange for other members to preside at each meeting in the following order: vice-chair, secretary, treasurer.  The Chair may appoint sub-committee chairs as needed, will approve funds spent by the treasurer and sign all official documents submitted by the secretary for the purpose of communication and solicitation of funds.  The chair is a non-voting position.  If a vote results in a tie by the Board of Directors, the chair shall have the deciding vote.

The vice-chair shall perform all duties of the Chair in his or her absence.  The vice-chair shall also be in charge of coordinating group activities, including but not limited to, pot lucks, dances, and other social events.

The secretary shall be responsible for keeping records of Board of Directors actions, including overseeing the taking of minutes at all Board of Directors meetings, sending out meeting announcements, distributing copies of minutes and the agenda to each Board of Directors member, and assuring that all records are maintained.

The treasurer shall receive all monies due to GAB and to give receipt of the same.   The treasurer shall keep an accurate account of the same and disburse funds ordered paid by the Board of Directors.  Checks shall be signed by at least two of the following: Chair, Vice-chair, Secretary, or Treasurer. Signers shall not pre-sign blank checks. The treasurer shall make a report at each Board of Directors meeting.  The treasurer shall assist in the preparation of budgets, help develop fundraising plans, and make financial information available to Board of Directors members and the public.

The Newsletter Editor shall be responsible to write, publish, and distribute the monthly Gab Newsletter, The GAB Skinny, each month by month’s end. He or she shall manage the membership list and shall be responsible to keep it updated in a timely manner. The Newsletter Editor position shall be appointed by the board.

The Webmaster shall be responsible to maintain and update the GAB Web site at least monthly. It shall be the Web Master’s responsibility to notify the Board of expenses related to maintaining the website. The board shall reimburse the Web Master for all approved expenses related to the Web site. The Webmaster position shall be appointed by the board.

At-Large Members shall be responsible for duties as assigned by the Chair from time to time.

Section 7 – Vacancies:

Should a vacancy exist on the Board of Directors, the remaining Directors shall appoint a replacement who will complete the term of the vacated position.

Section 8 – Resignation, termination, and absences:

Resignation from the Board of Directors must be in writing and received by the secretary.  A Board of Directors member may be terminated from the Board of Directors due to excess absences, or may be removed for other reasons by a three-fourths vote of the remaining officers.

Section 9– Special meetings:

Special meetings of the Board of Directors shall be called at the request of the chair, or one-third of the Board of Directors.  Notices of special meetings shall be sent out by the secretary to each Board of Directors member at least one week in advance.

Article V. Committees

Section 1 – Committee formation:

The Board of Directors may create committees as needed, such as for fundraising, event, public relations, etc.  The Board of Directors Chair appoints all committee chairs. Committee chairs must be a current member of the Board of Directors, but other members of the committee do not have to be Board members.

Article VI. Amendments

Section 1 – Amendments:

These bylaws may be amended when necessary by two-thirds majority of the Board of Directors.  Proposed amendments must be submitted to the secretary to be sent out with regular Board of Directors announcements no later than one month prior to voting.

Article VII. Parliamentary Authority

The organization shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order (most recent addition).

Article VIII. Order of Business

Section 1 – Order of Business:

The following will be the Order of Business at the monthly Board of Directors meetings.

1.    Call the meeting to order

2.    Roll Call and confirmation of quorum present

3.    New members and guests (recorded by Secretary)

4.    Additions or changes to the agenda

5.    Reading of the minutes and action items from preceding meeting

6.  Treasure’s report

7.  Reports of committees

8.    Old Business

9.    New Business

10.  News Letter – Skinny items

11. Review of Action Items

12.  Announcements

13.  Date, Time, and Location of Next Meeting

14.  Adjournment