Bylaws of The Rotary Club of Forsyth County
Revised March 11, 2024
Article 1 Definitions
- Board: The board of directors of this club
- Director: A director on this club’s board
- Member: A member, other than an honorary member, of this club
- Quorum: The minimum number of participants who must be present when a vote is taken: one-third of the club’s members for club decisions and a majority of the directors for club board decisions
- RI: Rotary International
- Year: The 12-month period beginning 1 July
Article 2 Board
The president, immediate past president/vice president, president-elect, secretary, treasurer, sergeant at arms and president of The Rotary Club of Forsyth County Charities shall make up the board of directors. Additional members shall be no more than 2 at large directors appointed by the president and approved by the board. Committee chairmen are nonvoting members.
Article 3 Elections and Terms of Office
Section 1 - The nominating committee is comprised of the current president who acts as chairman and all past presidents of The Rotary Club of Forsyth County that are active and in good standing in this club. Immediately prior to the annual meeting the president elect nominee shall present his slate of officers and committee chairpersons for the next Rotary year to the nominating committee. The nominating committee can accept the slate as presented or can make other nominations. The nominating committee chairperson will present the selected nominees to the full club for election. At that time the floor will be open for any other nominations.
Section 2 — The candidate who receives a majority of the votes for each office is declared elected to that office.
Section 3 — If any officer or board member vacates a position, the remaining members of the board will appoint a replacement.
Section 4 — If any officer-elect or director-elect vacates a position, the remaining members of the board-elect will appoint a replacement.
Section 5 — The term of office for each role is one year; except the president elect, will serve for 18 months.
Article 4 Duties of the Officers
Section 1 — The president presides at club and board meetings.
Section 2 — The immediate past president serves as vice president.
Section 3 — The president-elect prepares for his or her year in office.
Section 4 — The vice president presides at club and board meetings when the president is absent.
Section 5 — A director attends club and board meetings.
Section 6 — The secretary keeps membership and attendance records.
Section 7 — The treasurer oversees all funds and provides an accounting of them.
Section 8 — The sergeant-at-arms maintains order in all club meetings.
Article 5 Meetings
Section 1 — An annual meeting of this club is held no later than 31 December to elect the officers and directors who will serve for the next Rotary year.
Section 2 — This club meets on Thursdays at 12:00 PM. Reasonable notice of any change or cancellation of the regular meeting will be given to all club members.
Section 3 — Board meetings are held each month or as needed; time and date are set by the president. Special meetings of the board are called with reasonable notice by the president or upon the request of two board members.
Section 4 -- The first regular business meeting following July 1 shall be the transition of the officers and board for the current Rotary year. The immediate past president may address the club recapping the past year, and the incoming president shall present plans for the upcoming year. The incoming treasurer shall present financial information on the past year and a budget for the upcoming year.
Section 5 – All business meetings shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order.
The club shall provide copies for the president, secretary, and sergeant at arms.
Article 6 Dues
Annual club dues are set by the board based on the recommendation of the treasurer. They are paid semi-annually and due no later than 30 days after receipt of the invoice unless otherwise approved by the board. Annual club dues include RI per capita dues, subscriptions to an official magazine, district per capita dues, club fees, meals, fund raiser assessment, and any other Rotary or district per capita assessment.
Article 7 Method of Voting
The business of this club is conducted by voice vote, a show of hands, or electronically except in the election of officers and directors, which may be conducted by ballot. The board may also provide a ballot for a vote on some resolutions when a confidential vote is deemed appropriate.
Article 8 Committees
Section 1 —This club’s committees comprise those listed in article 11, section 7, of the Rotary Club Constitution as well as others that are created by the board.
Section 2 — The president is an ex officio member of all committees.
Section 3 — Each committee’s chair is responsible for the regular meetings and activities of the committee, supervises and coordinates its work, and reports to the board on all committee activities.
Article 9 Finances
Section 1 — Before each fiscal year starts the treasurer will prepare an annual budget of estimated income and expenditures and submit it to the board for approval.
Section 2 — The treasurer deposits club funds in a financial institution or institutions designated by the board to pay all bills and may also deposit in savings account or certificates of deposit.
Section 3 — Bills are paid by the treasurer. All bills customarily paid within the normal course of conducting Club business need not be approved by another officer. All donations of Club funds shall be paid by the treasurer after first being approved by the Board.
Section 4 — At the direction of the board, a qualified person may conduct a thorough annual review of all financial transactions.
Section 5 — Club members may request an annual financial statement of the club.
Section 6 — The fiscal year is from 1 July to 30 June.
Section 7 - The Treasurer is responsible for filing the required IRS tax documents by the due date.
Article 10 Method of Electing Members
Section 1 — An active member of this club may propose a candidate for membership to the board and or the membership committee. Any candidate for membership must be sponsored by an active member of this club.
Section 2 – Prior to action of the board, the proposed candidate must attend 3 regular club meetings. The candidate must meet with the membership committee and will be given a new member package. The cost and membership expectations shall be discussed at that meeting.
Section 3 — The board shall approve or reject the candidate’s membership within 10 days.
Section 4 — If the board approves the candidate’s membership, the prospective member’s name is presented to the club members, and if within 10 days no more than 4 members object, the proposed member shall be invited to join the club.
Article 11 Amendments
These bylaws may be amended at any regular club meeting. Changing the club bylaws requires sending written notice to each member 21 days before the meeting, having a quorum present for the vote, and having two-thirds of the votes support the change. Changes to these bylaws must be consistent with the Standard Rotary Club Constitution, the RI Constitution and Bylaws, and the Rotary Code of Policies.
These bylaws for the Rotary Club of Forsyth County are hereby adopted and ratified.