Bylaws for Hillsborough Senior Citizens Club Chapter A, Inc.

March 2, 2023

 

Article 1: Incorporated Title

The incorporated title of this organization is Hillsborough Senior Citizens Club Chapter A, Inc. It was incorporated by the state of New Jersey on September 28, 2021. The Hillsborough Senior Citizens Club was originally organized July 17, 1974. Its calendar year shall be January 1 through December 31.

 

Article 2:  Purpose

The purpose of this organization shall be to provide social, educational, informational and volunteer opportunities for its members.

 

Article 3:  Members

In order to be eligible for membership in this organization all new applicants must have their principal residence in Hillsborough, New Jersey, be at least sixty (60) years old, and cannot be a member of any other Hillsborough, NJ senior citizens club. Spouses of members who do not meet the age requirements can become members and be entitled to all membership privileges.

In order to qualify for member benefits, a person must be a member in good standing, that is one who has their dues paid up on time. A membership card is issued and may be required to be shown at the time of signing up for any club function.

 

Article 4:  Dues

The annual dues for each member shall be paid upon joining the organization and thereafter at the beginning of each calendar year. Those new members who join in the last quarter of the year are paying for the upcoming year. Dues must be paid in full by the March general meeting or membership can be forfeited. Delinquent members will be notified after the March general meeting of the delinquency and that their privileges will be lost until they complete an application form and pay dues.

 

Article 5: Honorary Member Status

A member who has attained the age of eighty-five (85) years and has been a member in good standing for the previous fifteen (15) years will attain Honorary Member status and dues will no longer be required. The Financial Secretary will so advise said member in writing and record it as a permanent record on the membership list. All Honorary Members must be included when total membership figures are stated. Should such member not attend meetings for a period of one year, he or she will be removed from the active membership rolls and noted as inactive and not included in total membership figures.

 

Article 6:  General Meetings

The organization’s membership general meeting shall meet on the first Thursday of each month in the Hillsborough Township Multi-Purpose Room for the transaction of regular business at 12:30 p.m. If the time or place must be changed, the members shall be notified of the change at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance if at all possible. A quorum for any business meeting shall consist of the presence of at least 20% of active members. 

 

Article 7:  Executive Committee

The monthly Executive Committee meeting will be held on the fourth Wednesday of the month, no later than 1:00 p.m., unless otherwise determined by the President. The purpose of the meeting is to plan for the next general membership meeting, and other club business.

 

Article 8:  Special Meetings

Special meetings may be called by the President or a quorum of members in good standing upon written notice to the President. The President shall assure at least forty-eight (48) hours’ notice of such meetings to the general membership.   

 

Article 9:  Elected Positions

The elected officers of this organization shall be President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Financial Secretary and three (3) Trustees. In the year their term expires, candidates for these offices shall be nominated at the October general meeting by ballot and the November general meeting by floor nominations. Elections will take place at the December general meeting. In the event that each nominee is uncontested, the Recording Secretary shall cast a single ballot for the entire slate, thus completing the election process without requiring every member in attendance to cast individual ballots. Those elected will be sworn in at the January general meeting. Only a member in good standing shall be eligible to vote or hold office in this organization. The term of office for elected officers shall be two (2) years. In extraordinary circumstances when meetings cannot be held, officers shall continue in their roles until three consecutive meetings can be held. In odd years the following shall be elected: President, Recording Secretary, Financial Secretary and one Trustee. In even years the following shall be elected: Vice President, Treasurer, Corresponding Secretary, and two Trustees. Should a vacancy occur in any elected office, the President may, with the approval of a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the elected Executive Committee, appoint someone to fill the vacant office for the unexpired term. All officers and standing committee chairpersons are encouraged to attend at least nine (9) executive and (9) regular meetings during the calendar year. Exceptions may be made for unusual circumstances. Should an elected officer not perform the duties required of his or her position he or she may be removed from their position by a 75% vote of the elected officers of the club. The Executive Committee consists of all elected officers and chairpersons. Only officers and trustees have voting rights.

 

Article 10:  Chaplain

The President shall appoint a Chaplain before the January general meeting to serve for the year. If a vacancy occurs, the President shall replace the position for the remainder of the year. The Chaplain will offer a nondenominational prayer at the regular meeting and any other occasion deemed appropriate by the President.

 

Article 11:  Duties of President

The President shall preside at all meetings of the organization and enforce all bylaws of Chapter A. The President shall also perform such other duties as shall be imposed on him or her by a majority of the membership. The President, together with either the Vice President, Recording Secretary, or Treasurer, shall sign all written contracts and written obligations of the organization. Qualifiers for this position must be computer literate.

 

Article 12:  Duties of Vice President

Should the President be unable to perform the duties of the office, the Vice President shall perform these duties until the President returns or until a new President can be elected. Should the President or Vice President not be available for the executive or regular meetings, the following order as presented will conduct the meeting(s), Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Financial Secretary. Qualifiers for this position must be computer literate.

 

Article 13:  Duties of Recording Secretary

The Recording Secretary shall record and assure all meeting minutes  are maintained in the records retention system; see Article 22. Recording Secretary shall publish general minutes for the general membership and Executive Committee minutes to only Executive Committee members. Qualifiers for this position must be computer literate.

 

Article 14: Duties of Corresponding Secretary

The Corresponding Secretary shall carry out all general correspondence of the club.  Responsibilities include but are not limited to the acknowledgment of milestone birthdays and anniversaries as well as the death of a member as defined by the President and/or Executive Committee. Other duties may be assigned by the President.  Qualifiers for this position must be computer literate.  

 

Article 15: Duties of Treasurer

The Treasurer shall keep accounts of all monies received by the organization and deposit same in the name of the organization in such depository as designated by the President. Qualifiers for this position must be computer literate and be able to use financial software. At each monthly meeting, both executive and general, he or she will make a report of the monthly income and expense. The Treasurer may be bonded at the expense of the organization. All checks and drafts for payment of the organization’s obligations shall be signed by the President or Vice President and the Treasurer. In the absence of either the President or Vice President, the Recording Secretary shall be authorized to sign.  The Treasurer shall assure compliance with incorporation requirements for a New Jersey non-profit organization including the filing of annual reports. The Treasurer shall confirm to the Executive Committee that the annual report has been filed.

 

Article 16:  Duties of Financial Secretary

The Financial Secretary shall collect dues and forward these monies to the Treasurer for deposit. The Financial Secretary shall report dues collected and status of unpaid members at the executive and general meetings. The Financial Secretary shall supply membership cards to new members. Qualifiers for this position must be computer literate..

 

Article 17:  Duties of Trustees

All Trustees must be well versed in the bylaws of the organization. Trustees shall provide oversight of the activities of the officers. They shall inform the President, when necessary, if the Executive Committee is not in compliance with the bylaws. Trustees may be called upon by the President for special assignments. Trustees shall take inventory at least once per calendar year. The condition of said inventory shall then be reported to the President at the next Executive Committee meeting. It is the responsibility of the Trustees to oversee the nomination and election processes.

 

Article 18:  Trips             

Members will have first opportunity to sign up for club sponsored trips. Nonmembers interested in joining a trip will be allowed to sign up after members have had the opportunity to sign up for said trip(s).

 

Article 19:  Amendments to Bylaws

Suggested new amendments to these bylaws may be brought up at a general meeting by the members present provided that there is a quorum. New amendments and or new bylaws will be presented to the membership at a general meeting and will be voted on at the next general meeting.

 

Article 20:  Committees

The President of the organization has the authority to appoint committees, as needed, for the benefit of the organization. The President or committee chair may appoint as many members to said committees as deemed necessary and fill vacancies that may exist during the term for which the committee was organized.

 

Article 21:  Types of Committees

There will be two (2) types of committees with specific responsibilities. These will consist of Standing Committees, i.e. permanent, and Ad Hoc Committees, i.e. temporary.

 

21.1 Standing Committees:

The President has the authority to select the Chairperson for each of the following committees. Criteria should be the ability to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position. Membership in said committee(s) shall be recruited by the chairperson(s) of that committee. (See Article 20) Chairpersons of said committee(s) may be required to be computer literate.

 

21.1.1 Membership Committee

The Membership Committee shall keep records of all current members and shall be in charge of promoting new membership. The Committee shall supply the greeters for the monthly general meetings and report the number of attendees and new members at the general meeting. Qualifiers for this position must be computer literate.

 

21.1.2 Hospitality Committee

The Hospitality Committee shall have direct charge of all kitchen and refreshment supplies needed for meetings. They will clean up the meeting room after each meeting. The Committee will supply refreshments at all general meetings and as otherwise directed. Hospitality will work with the Special Events Committee as needed for those events.

 

21.1.3 Programs Committee

The Programs Committee shall arrange the monthly programs to be presented at the general membership meetings only.

 

21.1.4 Publicity Committee

The Publicity Committee shall be responsible for publicizing the club and its activities by appropriate means. They will announce birthdays at the general meeting as well as wedding anniversaries of more than fifty (50) years. They will provide presentation bouquets for appropriate recipients at monthly meetings. They will also maintain the bulletin board for the club. Qualifiers for this position should be computer literate.

 

21.1.5 Sunshine Committee

The Sunshine Committee shall bring “sunshine good feelings” to club members who may be ill, shut-in, or in need of various forms of social support. This committee would also help identify members/honorary members with whom we have lost touch, possibly due to a move to another area or to a nursing home; or who may have passed away without the club’s being aware. The Sunshine Committee may send get well, thinking of you, and sympathy cards as appropriate.

21.1.6 Trip Committee

The Trip Committee’s duties are as follows:

1. Develop and plan potential club trips to be presented to the Executive Committee for approval.

2. Conduct signups for each trip and give all monies collected to the Treasurer.

3. Prepare trip seating assignments as necessary for bus, tables or performances.

4. Supply a trip leader for each trip and assure the leader has the emergency contact list.

 

21.1.7 Auditing Committee

The Auditing Committee, consisting of two (2) members, shall audit the Treasurer’s books on a quarterly basis and report their findings at both the executive meeting, and the next general meeting. Audits will be done in April, July, October, and the final year’s audit in January. For the other months, this committee is not required to be active or attend executive meetings.      

 

 

 

21.1.8 Information Committee

The Information Committee shall inform members of club activities, events and meetings and appropriate local events. Qualifiers for this position must be computer literate.

 

21.1.9 Special Events Committee

The Special Events Committee will conduct sign-ups and collect the designated fee for special events such as Picnic, Anniversary Party, and Holiday Party. At times the sign-up will involve menu selection and table seating requests. They will organize special events and arrange table seating at the Anniversary and Holiday functions and at any other club function requiring special seating other than bus trips.  Guests will be required to pay a guest fee which will not be refunded.

21.2 Ad Hoc Committees

These committees will be selected and their chairpersons named by the President on an as-needed basis.

 

21.2.1 Bylaws Committee

The Bylaws Committee will only meet at the direction of the President when it is deemed appropriate to review the bylaws and recommend any needed changes or additions. Suggestions by the membership will be reviewed at these times.       

 

21.2.2 Nominating Committee

The Nominating Chairperson should be appointed by the President in August each year. The Nominating Chairperson may select additional members to serve on that committee. The committee will prepare nominating forms for the membership to be distributed at the October general meeting. The committee will collect these nominating forms and contact each nominee to determine that they are willing, able, and fit the requirements to be a candidate for the position to which he or she has been nominated. At the November general meeting, the nominees will be presented to the membership and given time to tell why they are seeking the position for which they are running. Also, at the November meeting, nominations can be made from the floor by the membership. If there is more than one nominee for a position, the Nominating Committee will prepare final ballots to be presented to the membership, at the December general meeting, for voting. Votes will be counted and tallied by the Nominating Committee during the meeting and the results presented to the membership. No member of the Nominating Committee is disqualified from running for any office because he or she is part of the Nominating Committee. However, members who are candidates cannot participate in the counting of votes. It is the responsibility of the Trustees to oversee the process.

 

Article 22. Records Retention

A records retention system will be utilized to assure appropriate club records or documents are maintained within established guidelines. These guidelines will include: which documents/records, what form, how long they will be retained including frequency for update and purge, and will define roles within the club. The records retention system contents are accessible to all executive committee members.   Executive Committee members are restricted to modifying content within their area of responsibility.  The President may modify member's access from time to time as needed.
The President will assure a Records Retention Administrator is assigned.

Article 23. Dissolution of the Club

If deemed necessary and appropriate, the club can be dissolved by a majority vote of club members attending a business meeting with no need for a quorum. The Executive Committee will then act to complete the dissolution.  One of two alternatives for dissolution and the distribution of any club funds and other assets will be determined by the then existing Executive Committee:

1. transfer funds and assets to a successor entity or

2. equally divide and donate to five local charities.