ByLaws

                                                    Bylaws of the Rotary Club of Effingham Sunrise
                                                          Adopted as Amended on April 14, 2009

Article I   Definitions 
1. Board:     The Board of Directors of this club. 
2. Director:     A member of this club's Board of Directors. 
3. Member:     A member, other than an honorary member, of this club. 
4. RI:         Rotary International. 
5. Year:     The twelve-month period that begins on 1 July. 
 
Article 2   Board
The governing body of this club shall be the Board consisting of eleven (11) members of this club, namely, the president, president-elect (or president-nominee, if no successor has been elected), vice president, secretary, treasurer, the sergeant-at-arms, and the immediate past president and the chairs of the four avenues of service. (Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service, and International Service.) .

Article 3   Election of Directors and Officers 
Section 1 – At the regular meeting on the first (1st) Tuesday of November which is one month prior to the election of officers on the first (1st) Tuesday in December, the presiding officer shall ask for nominations for president, president-elect, vice-president, secretary, treasurer. Nominations shall be presented by a nominating committee consisting of the three (3) past presidents with the immediate past president serving as chairman and the President will also entertain any additional nominations from the floor.  The nominations duly made shall be placed on a ballot in alphabetical order under each office and shall be voted for at the meeting on the first (1st) Tuesday in December. The candidates for president, president-elect, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer receiving a majority of the votes shall be declared elected to their respective offices. The candidate for president elect in such balloting shall be the president-nominee and serve as a director for the year commencing on the first day of July the next year following the election, and shall assume office as president on the first day of July immediately following that year. 
Section 2 – The officers so elected, together with the immediate past president, and
those appointed by the president to serve as sergeant-at-arms and the chairs of the
four avenues of service shall constitute the board.

Section 3 – A vacancy in the board or any office shall be filled by action of the remaining directors. 
Section 4 – A vacancy in the position of any officer-elect or director-elect shall be filled by action of the remaining directors-elect.
 
Article 4   Duties of Officers
Section 1 – President. It shall be the duty of the president to preside at meetings of the club and the board and to perform other duties as ordinarily pertains to the office of president. 
Section 2 – President-elect. It shall be the duty of the president-elect to serve as a director and to perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the president or the board. It shall also be the duty of the president-elect to preside at meetings of the club and the board in the absence of the president  
Section 3 – Vice-President. It shall be the duty of the vice-president to perform all duties as ordinarily pertains to the office of vice-president as may be prescribed by the president of the board. 
Section 4 – Secretary. It shall be the duty of the secretary to keep membership records; record attendance at meetings; send out notices of club, board, and committee meetings; record and preserve the minutes of such meetings; report as required to RI, including the semiannual reports of membership on 1 January and 1 July of each year, which shall include per capita dues for all members and prorated dues for active members who have been elected to membership in the club since the start of the July or January semiannual reporting period; report changes in membership; provide the monthly attendance report, which shall be made to the district governor within 15 days of the last meeting of the month; collect and remit RI official magazine subscriptions; and perform other duties as usually pertain to the office of secretary. 
Section 5 – Treasurer. It shall be the duty of the treasurer to have custody of all funds, accounting for it to the club annually and to the Board at the regular monthly meetings, and to perform other duties as pertains to the office of treasurer. Upon retirement from office, the treasurer shall turn over to the incoming treasurer or to the president all funds, books of accounts, or any other club property. 
Section 6 – Sergeant-at-Arms. The duties of the sergeant-at-arms shall be such as are usually prescribed for such office and other duties as may be prescribed by the president or the board.
 
Article 5   Meetings
Section 1 – Annual Meeting. An annual meeting of this club shall be held on the first (1st) meeting in December in each year, at which time the election of officers and directors to serve for the ensuing year shall take place.
Section 2 – The regular weekly meetings of this club shall be held on every Tuesday at 7:30 AM. Due notice of any changes in or canceling of the regular meeting shall be given to all members of the club at least one week prior to the change. All members excepting an honorary member (or member excused pursuant to the standard Rotary club constitution) in good standing in this club, on the day of the regular meeting, must be counted as present or absent, and attendance must be evidenced by the member’s being present for at least fifty (50) percent of the time devoted to the regular meeting, either at this club or at any other Rotary club, or as otherwise provided in the standard Rotary club constitution, article 9, sections 1 and 2. Attendance being one of the statutory conditions of membership, members are required to maintain at least sixty (60) percent attendance at each half of the Rotary year and should attend at least (30) percent of those meetings at their home club 
Section 3 – One-third of the membership shall constitute a quorum at the annual and regular meetings of this club.
Section 4 – Regular meetings of the board shall be held on the third (3rd) Tuesday of each month immediately following the regular weekly meeting on that day. Special meetings of the board shall be called by the president, whenever deemed necessary, or upon the request of two (2) directors, due notice having been given.
Section 5 – A majority of the directors shall constitute a quorum of the board.
Article 6   Fees and Dues
Section 1 – The admission fee shall be $ 50.00 to be paid before the applicant can qualify as a member, except as provided for in the standard Rotary club constitution, article 11.
Section 2 – The membership dues shall be $460.00 per annum with the exception of new members which will be assessed $510.00 per annum which includes the one time admission fee of $50.00. Dues shall be payable quarterly on the first day of July, October, January and April with the understanding that a portion of each quarterly payment shall be applied to each member’s subscription to the RI official magazine. The dues of a prospective member joining the club shall be prorated based on the number of weeks remaining in the quarter in which they join.  
 
Article 7   Method of Voting
The business of this club shall be transacted by viva voce* vote except the election of officers and directors, which shall be by ballot.  The board may determine that a specific resolution be considered by ballot rather than by viva voce vote.
 
Article 8   Four Avenues of Service
The four Avenues of Service are the philosophical and practical framework for the work of this Rotary club. They are Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service, and International Service. This club will be active in each of the four Avenues of Service.
 
Article 9   Committees
Club committees are charged with carrying out the annual and long-range goals of the club based on the four Avenues of Service. The president-elect, president, and immediate past president should work together to ensure continuity of leadership and succession planning. When feasible, committee members should be appointed to the same committee for three years to ensure consistency. The president-elect is responsible for appointing committee members to fill vacancies, appointing committee chairs, and conducting planning meetings prior to the start of the year in office.  It is recommended that the chair have previous experience as a member of the committee. Standing committees should be appointed as follows:  

• Membership 
    This committee should develop and implement a comprehensive plan for the recruitment and retention of     members.   

• Club Public Relations
    This committee should develop and implement plans to provide the public with information about Rotary and to promote the club’s service projects and activities.   

• Club Administration
    This committee should conduct activities associated with the effective operation of the club.  

• Service Projects
    This committee should develop and implement educational, humanitarian, and vocational projects that address the needs of its community and communities in other countries. 

• The Rotary Foundation
    This committee should develop and implement plans to support The Rotary Foundation through both financial contributions and program participation.

Additional ad hoc committees may be appointed as needed. 
 
(a) The president shall be an ex officio member of all committees and, as such, shall have all the privileges of membership thereon except voting powers. 
(b) Each committee shall transact its business as is delegated to it in these bylaws and such additional business as may be referred to it by the president or the board. Except where special authority is given by the board, such committees shall not take action until a report has been made and approved by the board. 
(c) Each chair shall be responsible for regular meetings and activities of the committee, shall supervise and coordinate the work of the committee, and shall report to the board on all committee activities.

Article 10   Duties of Committees
The duties of all committees shall be established and reviewed by the president for his or her year. In declaring the duties of each, the president shall reference to appropriate RI materials. The service projects committee will consider the Avenues of Vocational Service, Community Service, and International Service when developing plans for the year. 
 
Each committee shall have a specific mandate, clearly defined goals, and action plans established by the beginning of each year for implementation during the course of the year. It shall be the primary responsibility of the president-elect to provide the necessary leadership to prepare a recommendation for club committees, mandates, goals, and plans for presentation to the board in advance of the commencement of the year as noted above.
 
Article 11   Leave of Absence
Upon completion and submission to the board of a “Leave of Absence” form, setting forth good and sufficient cause, such as health or occupational issues, a leave of absence may be granted excusing a member from attending the meetings of the club for ninety (90) days. Upon written request by the member to the board, an additional ninety (90) days may be granted but no leave of absence will be granted for longer than six (6) months. Any member granted a leave of absence shall be expected to maintain their International and District dues on a current basis. 

Article 12   Finances
Section 1 – Prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, the board shall prepare a budget of estimated income and expenditures for the year, which shall stand as the limit of expenditures for these purposes, unless otherwise ordered by action of the board. This budget shall be approved by the club no later than the first (1st) club meeting of the new fiscal year. 
Section 2 – The treasurer shall deposit in a timely manner all club funds in a bank, named by the board.

Section 3 – All bills shall be paid by the treasurer. The president shall also have signature authority in the absence of the treasurer. All expenditures exceeding $100.00 not included in the budget shall have the prior approval of the board before payment can be issued. All expenditures exceeding $1,000.00 not included in the budget shall have approval of the club before payment can be issued.   
Section 4 – A thorough review of all financial transactions by a qualified person(s) appointed by the board shall be made at the end of each fiscal year with a report made to the board not later than the September board meeting of each year.
Section 5 – The fiscal year of this club shall extend from 1 July to 30 June, and for the collection of members' dues shall be divided into two (4) quarterly  periods beginning 1July and on the 1st of each subsequent quarter thereafter. The payment of per capita dues and RI official magazine subscriptions shall be made on 1 July and 1 January of each year on the basis of the membership of the club on those dates.
 
Article 13   Method of Electing Members 
Section 1 – The name of a prospective member, proposed by an active member of the club, shall be submitted to the board in writing, through the club secretary. A transferring or former member of another club may be proposed to active membership by the former club. The prospective member shall be kept confidential except as otherwise provided in this procedure. 
Section 2 – The board shall ensure that the prospective member meets all the classification and membership requirements of the standard Rotary club constitution. 
Section 3 – The board shall approve or disapprove the prospective member within 30 days of its submission and shall notify the proposer, through the club secretary, of its decision. 
Section 4 – If the decision of the board is favorable, the prospective member shall be informed of the purposes of  Rotary and of the privileges and responsibilities of membership, following which the prospective member shall be requested to sign the membership proposal form and to permit his or her name and proposed classification to be published to the club. 
Section 5 – If no written objection to the prospective member, stating reasons, is received by the board from any member (other than honorary) of the club within seven (7) days following publication of information about the prospective member, that person, upon payment of the admission fee (if not honorary membership), as prescribed in these bylaws, shall be considered to be elected to membership. 
    If any such objection has been filed with the board, it shall vote on this matter at its next meeting. If approved despite the objection, the proposed member, upon payment of the admission fee (if not honorary membership), shall be considered to be elected to membership. 
Section 6 – Following the election, the president shall arrange for the new member's induction, membership card, and new member Rotary literature. In addition, the president or secretary will report the new member information to RI and the president will assign a member to assist with the new member's assimilation to the club as well as assign the new member to a club project or function. 
Section 7 – The club may elect, in accordance with the standard Rotary club constitution, honorary members proposed by the board. 
 



Article 14   Resolutions
The club shall not consider any resolution or motion to commit the club on any matter until the board has considered it.  Such resolutions or motions, if offered at a club meeting, shall be referred to the board without discussion
 
Article 15   Order of Business
Meeting called to order and opened with prayer and the pledge to our nation’s flag.
Meal.
Introduction of visitors.
Correspondence, announcements, and Rotary information.
Committee reports if any.
Any unfinished business.
Any new business.
Address or other program features.
Adjournment.

Article 16  Establishment of Sunrise Foundation
There will be established by our club an account know as the Sunrise Foundation for the purpose of  raising funds to be used for humanitarian projects with an emphasis on children. This fund will be controlled by the board of directors.

Article 17 Official Notification to Club Members
The official method for notifying and corresponding with members of our club will be through E-Mail. Those members that do not have access to E-Mail should notify the club secretary and request notification by an alternate method.

Article 18   Amendments
These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting, a quorum being present, by a two-thirds vote of all members present, provided that notice of such proposed amendment shall have been given to each member at least ten (10) days before such meeting and provided the amendment has first been presented to the board for consideration.  No amendment or addition to these bylaws can be made which is not in harmony with the standard Rotary club constitution and with the constitution and bylaws of RI.