Bylaws (2022)

  

ARTICLE I – NAME

Section 1. The name of the organization shall be the Willing Workers Society of Sugar Hill, hereinafter referred to as the Society. Informally, the group is also known as the Sugar Hill Willing Workers.

ARTICLE II – PURPOSE

Section 1. The organization is a non-sectarian, charitable organization whose purpose is to foster a spirit of helpfulness throughout the community. The Society is organized exclusively for charitable purposes. 

Section 2. The Society is a nonprofit recognized as tax exempt under Section 501(c)3 under the United States Internal Revenue Service and is registered with the Charitable Trusts Unit of the New Hampshire Department of Justice as a nonprofit.

ARTICLE III – POWERS

Section  1. The Society shall do any and all lawful acts to support its charitable purpose including fund raising and accepting contributions, both financial and in-kind, from the public and private sectors.

Section  2. The Society shall donate to local charitable organizations and select municipal services, aid local individuals/families/organizations with extreme needs (such as fires or serious health issues), and fund the Maxine Aldrich Education Merit Award (MAEMA).  The Society is available upon request to support memorial services by helping with refreshments. 

Section  3. Conflict of Interest Policy – No part of the funds of the Society shall inure to the benefit of or be distributed to its members, officers, or other private persons.

Section 4. 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 United States Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to a local government for a public purpose.

ARTICLE IV – MEMBERSHIP 

Section  1. Membership is open to any woman who supports the purpose of the organization as set forth in Article II. 

Section  2.  Joining is twenty-five cents per person and each person attending our monthly meetings is requested to donate twenty-five cents at each meeting.  In lieu of the monthly twenty-five cent donations, members may elect to make a one-time annual donation of three dollars.

ARTICLE V – FINANCE 

Section  1. The fiscal year shall be January 1 through December 31.

Section  2. In the fourth quarter, the Finance and Allocations Committee shall review the finances of the Society and develop a proposal regarding the amount of money available for annual donations and also for the Maxine Aldrich Education Merit Awards (MAEMA) for the coming year. This proposal is brought to the Society membership for discussion and voting.

Section  3. Special cases of charitable donations or extreme need can be addressed at any meeting during the year. These are presented to the Society membership; the Treasurer and President confirm that financial funds are available; and a simple majority is required to approve the funds. 

ARTICLE VI – MEETINGS 

Section  1.  The Society will develop a schedule of meeting dates annually. The organization typically meets on the first Thursday of most months.

ARTICLE VII – OFFICERS AND ELECTION METHODS 

Section  1. The officers shall consist of President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, and Treasurer. The President and Vice President positions may be replaced by Co-Presidents when approved by a majority of the membership present at a meeting. (When the Society is led by Co-Presidents, the term “President” used in these By-Laws also applies to the Co-President positions.)

Section  2. Terms shall be for two years with staggered elections.  

Year 1:  President, Vice President and Corresponding Secretary.  The elected officers will appoint one member at large.  

Year 2:  Recording Secretary, Treasurer and the board will appoint one member at large.  In the event of a resignation or vacancy, an election will be held to fill the remaining term of the vacancy.  

Section  3.  Election of officers is held at the November meeting. Officers shall be elected by a majority of those present. New officers assume their roles on January 1 of the following year.

Section  4.  Officer’s terms shall be two years, generally limited to two consecutive two-year terms.  However, upon a two-thirds vote of the membership, a third consecutive two-year term may be allowed. 

Section  5.  The elected officers may approve additional members at large as need arises. (adopted 11/3/2022)

ARTICLE VIII – DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section  1.  The President shall preside at all regular and special meetings of the Society and at meetings of the Executive Board and shall perform all other duties pertaining to that office.  The President shall prepare an annual report of the Society’s activities.

Section  2. The Secretary shall keep minutes of all regular, executive, and special meetings and shall be responsible for all papers pertaining to the office.

Section  3. The Treasurer shall have custody of the funds of the Society, with the President as co-signer. An annual Treasurer’s report shall be presented to the Society. The Treasurer shall file the required annual reports with the United States Internal Revenue Service and the Charitable Trusts Unit of the New Hampshire Department of Justice.

ARTICLE IX – EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section  1. The Executive Board shall consist of the officers of the Society. Committee chairpersons shall attend Executive Board meetings, as necessary, to address issues pertaining to their committees.

Section  2.  The Executive Board is authorized to call meetings for emergency sessions or when regular meetings are not possible.

ARTICLE X – COMMITTEES

Section  1. The Society shall appoint standing committees and other committees, as needed, to help conduct the work of the Society.  The President is an ex-officio member of all committees.

Section  2. Standing committees include:

· Education Awards Committee

· Memorial Committee

· Finance and Allocations Committee

Section 3. Annually the Society will review the status of all committees, including their responsibilities, membership, and activities.

ARTICLE XI – TRANSACTING MEETING BUSINESS AND REVISING THE BY-LAWS

Section  1.  Normal business issues shall be discussed and voted upon at meetings. A simple majority of the membership present shall rule.

Section  2.  Changes to the By-Laws shall be discussed at meetings and require a two thirds majority of membership present at the meeting to make revisions.

ARTICLE XII – LIABILITY

Section  1. The Society shall carry liability insurance. No personal or financial liability shall be incurred by any member of the Society in connection with any of its undertakings.

ARTICLE XIII – PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE 

Section  1. Robert’s Rules of Order, latest edition, shall govern the proceedings of the Society unless they are in conflict with these By-Laws.

Section  2. With adoption of these By-Laws, former versions of the By-Laws, any Amendments, and the 1992 Articles of Organization are null and void and kept in the Society’s historical archives.