Bylaws of the Raleigh Garden Club of North Carolina, Inc.

ARTICLE I. Name

This organization shall be called the Raleigh Garden Club of North Carolina, Inc.

ARTICLE II. Objectives

The objectives shall be:

a) To provide a non-profit, philanthropic, and educational organization for the members;

b)  To study, in all its aspects, the art of gardening, especially horticulture and floral design, and to cooperate with agencies furthering such interests;

c) To encourage environmental improvement through civic development, beautification, and the protection and conservation of our natural resources;

d)  To assist in educating youth in the areas of garden club activity.

ARTICLE III. Membership

Section 1. The membership of the Club shall be: Active and Honorary.

Section 2. Any person living in Raleigh or its vicinity, interested in the objectives for which this Club is organized, shall be eligible for membership.

Section 3. Honorary members shall be nominated by the Executive Board and elected by the Club.

Section 4. After attending one (1) general meeting, prospective members may make application for membership. New members will be introduced at the next General Meeting.

ARTICLE IV. Officers

Section 1. The officers of the Club shall be President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 2. No member shall hold more than one (1) office at the same time.

Section 3. The term of office shall be two (2) years.

Section 4. No officer shall serve more than two (2) consecutive years with the exception of the Treasurer who may serve four (4) years.

ARTICLE V. Duties of Officers

Section 1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Board, the Board of Directors, and the Club.

a) S/He shall call meetings of the Executive Board and/or the Board of Directors at the President’s discretion.

b)  S/He shall sign all contracts and/or other documents that officially obligate the Club in all matters.

c) S/He shall ensure that all committees operate in accordance with the current Bylaws of the Garden Club of North Carolina, Inc.

d)  S/He shall appoint Chairs of all Standing Committees. S/He shall have the executive authority to appoint chairs of special and/or ad hoc committees as needed.

e). S/He shall be an ex-officio member, with voting power, on all committees except Nominations.

Section 2. The First Vice-President, as Membership Chair, shall encourage members to attend meetings and invite friends to become members, and shall notify and welcome new members. In addition, s/he shall perform the duties of the President in the President’s absence.

Section 3. The Second Vice-President shall serve as Program Chair. S/He shall be responsible for organizing speakers for Club meetings, with the assistance of the chairs of the Horticulture, Floral Design, Civic Improvement, and Environmental Committees, who shall each provide a program.

Section 4. The Recording Secretary shall keep the minutes and records of all general meetings and board meetings.

Section 5. The Corresponding Secretary shall have charge of the general correspondence of the Club.

Section 6. The Treasurer shall receive and hold all monies of the Club. S/He shall make a report of receipts and disbursements at the general meetings and pay all bills upon certification by the President. S/He shall be a member of the Finance Committee. The Treasurer shall be bonded. The financial records shall be reviewed at the end of each fiscal year by July 30. The fiscal year of the Club shall run from July 1 to June 30. Dues shall be paid by March 15 of each year. The Treasurer’s financial records shall be closed June 30. S/He shall make an annual report at the September general meeting.

ARTICLE VI. Executive Board

Section 1. The Executive Board shall be the President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall meet at the discretion of the President.

Section 3. The Executive Board shall make nominations to fill vacancies of the elected

members on the Board of Directors. These nominations shall then be brought before the Board of Directors for approval. If approved by the Board of Directors, the recommendation must go before the membership for approval by a majority vote of members present.

Section 4. Five members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE VII. Board of Directors

Section 1. The Board of Directors shall be the Officers of the Club, Elected Committee Chairs, and the Appointed Committee Chairs.

Section 2. The Board of Directors meets quarterly in the months of August, November, February, and May.

Section 3. Two-thirds of the membership of the Board of Directors constitutes a quorum.

ARTICLE VIII. Committees

Section 1. Elected Committee Chairs shall be Civic Improvement, Environmental, Floral Design, and Horticulture.

Section 2. There shall be the following Appointed Committee Chairs selected by the President: Awards, Dorothea Dix Park Garden, Finance, Financial Review, Garden Therapy, Historian, Holiday Decorating, Inspiration, JCRA Winter Garden, Martha Franck Fragrance Garden, Meeting Decorations, Meeting Desserts/Hostesses, Meeting Reservations and Registration, Member Concerns, Newsletter (The Leaflet), Parliamentarian, Photographer, Plant Sale, Publicity, Scholarship, Sponsorship, Transitions LifeCare Garden, Ways and Means, Website, Yearbook, and Youth.

Section 3. The Advisory Committee will include the two (2) most recent past presidents of the Club.

ARTICLE IX. Meetings

Section 1. The Club year shall be June 1 through May 31.

Section 2. General Meetings of the Club will be held on the first Wednesday of each month, exclusive of July and August.

Section 3. Annual business meeting shall be held at the June meeting of each Club year.

ARTICLE X. Nominations and Elections

Section 1. The President, Second Vice-President, Corresponding Secretary, and Chairs of the Horticulture, Floral Design, Civic Improvement, and Environmental committees shall be elected in years of even dates; the First Vice-President, Recording Secretary and Treasurer in the years of uneven dates.

Section 2. At the January general meeting, a Nominating Committee of five shall be elected from the floor. The committee shall elect its own Chair. The report of the Nominating Committee shall be presented at the March general meeting.

Section 3. The election of officers shall be held at the April general meeting. A majority the vote of the members present shall constitute an election.

Section 4. Officers elected shall enter upon the discharge of their duties immediately upon the adjournment of the annual business meeting in June.

ARTICLE XI. Finances

Section 1. The Finance Committee shall consist of five members: the Chair, the Treasurer, the Chair of the Ways and Means Committee, and two members-at-large appointed by the President.

Section 2. This committee shall prepare an annual budget for the approval of the Board of Directors before the first fall meeting of the Club. It shall have charge of special funds, but the Board of Directors must approve the expenditure of these funds. The Committee shall make recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding membership dues and application fees. All requests for money or appropriations not included in the budget shall be made to this Committee and presented to the Board of Directors for action. It shall recommend annually to the Board of Directors the distribution of any unexpended and surplus year-end funds. This committee shall be responsible for long range planning.

Section 3. The Treasurer and the Finance Committee shall have supervision of the designated funds and monies of the Raleigh Garden Club of North Carolina, Inc. and of their use. They shall make sure that all funds are used as stipulated. No action shall be taken without the approval of the Executive Board.

Section 4. All bills and expenses, including the expense of Officers and Chairs of committees of the Club must be itemized and submitted to the Treasurer.

Section 5. A Financial Review Committee shall be appointed by the President before the end of each fiscal year. A minimum of three members (who are not members of the Finance Committee) shall serve on this committee to review the Club’s financial records by July 30 of each calendar year and report their findings in writing to the Board of Directors at the August Board meeting.

ARTICLE XII. Dues

Section 1. The annual dues may be changed by a majority vote of the Club.

Section 2. All members shall be notified regarding the payment of dues in January.

Section 3. Any member failing to pay the annual dues by March 1 shall be notified. If dues are not paid by June 30, their name will be deleted from the membership roster.

Section 4. Previous members will be allowed to rejoin without having to pay the application fee.

Section 5. Honorary members shall not be required to pay dues or application fee.

ARTICLE XIII. Endowment Fund

Section 1. The Raleigh Garden Club Endowment Fund has been established to promote educational studies in the field of horticulture, environmental conservation, or other studies relating to the stated objectives of the Club.

Section 2. A scholarship from the Fund shall be awarded annually to a student at NC State University under the guidelines of the Memorandum of Agreement with the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation, Inc.

Section 3. The Raleigh Garden Club Scholarship Committee shall perform duties associated with the scholarship. The chair shall be appointed by the President of the Club. Duties shall include correspondence between the Club, the student, and NC State University.

Section 4. Club members and friends may contribute to the Fund at any time. All contributions are tax deductible.

ARTICLE XIV. Parliamentary Authority

The rules in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern this organization in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws.

ARTICLE XV. Amendments

These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting by a majority vote of members present, provided the amendment has been approved by the Board of Directors and presented in writing at the previous general meeting, by mailing or sending electronically to the membership no less than thirty (30) days prior to the general meeting at which the vote is taken.

ARTICLE XVI. Dissolution

If for any reason it becomes impossible to maintain and/or operate the Raleigh Garden Club of North Carolina, Inc. and it becomes necessary to dissolve the Corporation by due process of law, it will be the responsibility of the Executive Board to follow the guidelines in Section 12 of the Recorded Articles of Incorporation for the Raleigh Garden Club of North Carolina.