BYLAWS OF THE GRANBY NEWCOMERS' CLUB - GRANBY, CONNECTICUT 5/9/01

ARTICLE I - NAME

The name of the organization shall be the Granby Newcomers' Club.

ARTICLE II - PURPOSE

The purpose of this nonprofit organization is to extend a warm and friendly helping hand to all Granby women, new and established, by introducing them to others and to start them on a new social life in their community.

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP, DUES, AND FINANCES

Section 1 - Any person who resides in Granby or in a nearby town is eligible for membership, as long as residency remains in Granby or in the nearby town.

Section 2 - Membership may be held indefinitely.

Section 3 - A paid membership is required to participate in any Newcomers' activity. However, guests may attend special events or social with Board approval.

Section 4 - A membership year runs from November 1st through October 31st with all dues paid by October 15th of each year.

Section 5 - Prospective members may attend two regular meetings of the club before becoming a member.

Section 6 - Any new member joining March 1st through April 30th will pay half dues. If a new member joins after April 30th, their dues will be credited for the following year.

Section 7 - All members whose dues become delinquent will be dropped from membership, the mailing list, and Newcomers' directory as of November 1st of each year.

Section 8 - All Presidents of the Granby Newcomers and Neighbors Club are honorary members for the duration of their term and for the same amount of years following their term.

ARTICLE IV - THE BOARD

Section 1 - The officers of the club shall be President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Director of Special Interests, Secretary, Treasurer, Director of Fundraising, Director of Newsletter, and Director of Publicity.

Section 2 - The Board shall be the governing body of the Club.

Section 3 - The Board will meet on a monthly basis as determined by the Board at the first board meeting of the new year.

ARTICLE V - DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS

Section 1 - Any office may be held jointly with another member.

Section 2 - The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club and Board. Together with the officers, the President shall appoint all standing and special committee chairpersons. The President is shall be authorized to sign checks when impractical for the Treasurer to do so.

Section 3 - The First Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in her absence and shall serve as Program Chairperson. This includes planning the programs for general meetings as well as the responsibility for introduction of guest speakers, writing brief descriptions of upcoming programs for the newsletter, and furnishing information to the publicity chairperson.

Section 4 - The Second Vice President shall preside in absence of the President and First Vice President and shall serve as the Membership Chairperson. Her duties include providing nametags for members and guests, greeting guests at meetings, and maintaining a membership roster.

Section 5 - The Special Interests Group Leaders are members of the board. These interest groups can include, but are not limited to, Book Club, Children's Parties, Playgroup, Gourmet, Socials, and Crafts.

Section 6 - The Secretary shall keep Minutes of all meetings and is responsible for all correspondence unless otherwise delegated. Secretary will also keep the Club's archive book up to date with copies of the newsletters, fundraising notes, published publicity articles, event photos and other information that would be valuable to future board members.

Section 7 - The Treasurer shall have charge of all funds of the Club, pay all general bills, and make a written report of all receipts and expenditures of the Club at the end of each year. In addition, the Treasurer will work with the President and incoming Treasurer to propose a budget for the year.

Section 8 - The Newsletter Director shall prepare, type, collate, and mail Club newsletters monthly. She will also work with the Membership Chairperson to produce the annual Directory. The Web Master will maintain our web page and work with the Newsletter Director.

Section 9 - The Director of Publicity shall be in charge of publicity concerning the Club and its functions. In addition, she shall be responsible for photographing meetings and activities throughout the year.

Section 10 - The Director of Fundraising shall be in charge of all fundraisers to supplement dues and to aid in paying club expenses. All ideas for fund raising must be approved by the board.

Article VI - NOMINATING AND ELECTING THE OFFICERS

Section 1 - The Nominating Committee shall consist of 5 members plus the President, acting in an advisory capacity only. It shall be the duty of this Committee to nominate one candidate for each office to be filled at the annual election and to make a report to the Board one month prior to the election.

Section 2 - Nominating forms are given to all members in the March newsletter, which describes each position and allow members to nominate themselves or others for a particular office. These forms are used by the nominating committee to aid them in forming the slate for each position.

Section 3 - In the event that more than one person is seeking the same position, the nominating committee will vote for the best candidate.

Section 4 - The slate will be presented at the April meeting, where additional nominations may also be taken from the floor.

Section 5 - The election will take place at the May meeting with the new officers being installed in June. The new officers will begin their term in September.

Section 6 - It is the responsibility of the Board to fill any positions that have not been filled.