Constitution

Note: Please read the amendments, which are located at the end of the document.

CONSTITUTION AND BY LAWS

of the Douglas County Genealogical Society

Article I:

The name of this organization shall be the Douglas County Genealogical Society of Georgia.

Article II:

Purpose

The purpose for the Douglas County Genealogical Society of Georgia shall be: to share and promote genealogy for the enjoyment and recreation of its members; to provide general genealogical information to members and the public; and to work for the preservation of community genealogical, cultural and historical records.

Article III:

Membership

Section 1. Eligibility

Any applicant interested in furthering the objectives of this Society shall be accepted for membership upon submission of a completed application form and payment of dues.

Section 2. Categories of Membership

a) Individual Member: Any person who meets the requirements for membership and who has paid the annual dues shall be an individual member.

b) Family Membership: Additional individuals living at the same address as a member and who meet the requirements for membership may join at a 20% discount of the annual dues. A household shall receive only one copy of the Society publications.

c) Individual Lifetime Member: Any person who meets the requirements to become an individual member and pays one lump sum fee equal to twenty (20) times the annual membership fee shall be a member for life. There are no household lifetime memberships.

d) Honorary Lifetime Member: Honorary lifetime membership is bestowed upon a person for exceptional service to the Society or to the practice of genealogy. An Honorary Lifetime membership shall be conferred after a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board of Directors followed by a vote of 50 (50) percent of the membership. Honorary Lifetime members are entitled to all privileges of individual members but are exempt from paying dues.

Section 3. Dues

Dues are payable on or before January 1^st, and are delinquent at the end of the February meeting. The dues dhall be recommended by the Board of Directors and shall be approved by a majority vote at a regular meeting. The Secretary shall notify in writing by March 1, those members who are delinquent.

Article IV:

Officers

Section 1. Officers of the Society shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Any additional officers deemed necessary shall be elected by a majority vote at any general membership meeting.

Section 2. Qualifications - Only members in good standing may be elected to office, or appointed to serve as committee chairs.

Section 3. Terms of Office - The President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected for a one year term of office, and shall serve until successors are elected. All officers shall take office at the close of the calendar year.

Section 4. Board of Directors shall consist of all elected officers.

Section 5. Turning over Records of the Office - The officers shall turn over all records, correspondence and other property pertaining to the offices to their successors within fifteen days after their terms of office expire. An officer who resigns shall turn over all records of the office to the President within fifteen days of resignation.

Section 6. Vacancies - The Board of Directors shall appoint a person to serve in any elected office that becomes vacant. The person appointed shall serve until the end of the unexpired term. The appointment must be confirmed by a majority vote at the next Society meeting.

Article V:

Appointed Officers:

Appointed Officers shall be appointed by the President. The appointed positions are as follows:

The Librarian shall: receive, catalog and exchange bulletins, flyers, and information pamphlets from other genealogical societies and organizations and shall make the material available to the members.

The Parliamentarian shall: use the rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, to govern the Society in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws and any special rules of order the Society may adopt.

The Historian shall: maintain a current history of the Society to be available to all members.

Article VI:

Duties of Officers

Section 1. The President shall: Preside at all meetings of the general membership and the Board of Directors; be the principal executive officer with responsibility for the supervision of the affairs of the Society; With the approval of the Board of Directors appoint all heads of standing committees; with the Secretary, sign all contracts and documents authorized by the Society; in the absence of the Treasurer, sign checks for authorized disbursements; serve as an ex officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee; and present a yearly report for publication in the newsletter.

Section 2. The Vice-President shall: assume the duties of the President in the absence of, or at the request of, the President; assume the duties of the President for the remaining term of office in event of a vacancy in the office; direct program planning to coordinate programs and speakers for general membership meetings, seminar speakers, field trips, and workshops; and prepare a yearly report for publication in the newsletter.

Section 3. The Secretary shall: record minutes of the proceedings of the Society; send out proper notices of all meetings; keep and have available at all meetings the Bylaws; maintain a current inventory of all legal documents, records and equipment belonging to the Society; notify officers, committees and delegates of their appointments; supply delegates of the Society with credentials; furnish the officers and committees with copies of all documents necessary for the performance of their respective duties including membership lists; and pick up and distribute the Society's mail.

Section 4. The Treasurer shall: be the custodian of all funds of the Society; sign checks for the authorized disbursements by the Society; present a statement of finances at each Board and general membership meeting; present a year end financial report no later than the March Board meeting and a final budget to the membership at the subsequent January meeting; make all financial records available for audit six weeks before the March Board meeting; serve as a member of the Finance Committee.

Section 5. The creation of new offices shall be recommended by the President to the Board of Directors, passed by majority vote and presented to the general membership for majority vote.

Article VII:

Nominating Committee

At the regular meeting each September, a Nominating Committee of three members shall be appointed by the President. The first person appointed shall be the chair. No current board member shall be eligible to serve on this committee. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a list of candidates to fill all offices, having first obtained the consent of each candidate. This list shall be recommended to the Society at the October meeting and be published in the newsletter. Additional nominations from the floor shall be permitted. The Secretary shall distribute ballots to all members in good standing. A majority vote shall constitute election to office.

Article VIII:

Meetings

Section 1. shall be held monthly; the time and place of the meetings shall be decided on by the Board of Directors.

Section 2. Voting: For the purpose of conducting business, all decisions shall be accepted by majority vote of the membership present.

Article IX:

Board of Directors

Section 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the elected officers.

Section 2. The Board of Directors shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Society between its business meetings; and perform all duties specified in these By-Laws. The Board shall be subject to the society's Bylaws and Robert's Rules of Order. None of its acts shall conflict with purposes of the Society.

Section 3. The Board shall: transact the business of the Society between general membership meetings; direct committees; approve general membership meeting programs; approve all printed materials to be distributed in the name of the Douglas County Genealogical Society; operate the Society as a nonprofit organization so that no part of its assets shall benefit any single individual; and direct the activities of the society in a well-planned and practical manner for the benefit of the membership.

Section 4. The Board shall meet at least six times annually.

Section 5. All decisions shall be accepted by majority vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 6. Special Meetings of the Board may be called by the President or three members of the Board of Directors. All board members shall be given at least five days' notice of special meetings.

Section 7. Any member of the Board who is absent from three consecutive regular Board meetings, without a reason determined by the Board of Directors to be acceptable, shall be considered to have resigned from the Board.

Section 8. Any action of the Board may be modified by the membership by a majority vote.

Article X:

Committees

Section 1. Standing Committees are permanent committees charged with performing necessary functions of the Society in a particular area. The President and the Board of Directors will determine their importance and need.

a) The Education Committee shall: Organize and present to the members, or the general public, or both, instructional classes and short orientation tours that pertain to the purposes of the Society.

b) The Finance Committee shall: function as both a short-term fund raising and a long range financial planning body to advise the Board of Directors; suggest and implement methods of raising money for the Society; and assist the Board of Directors in preparing the annual budget.

c) The Program Committee shall: develop the annual program of events for the general membership meetings and present it to the Board of Directors for approval at or before thr September Board neeting.

d) The Membership Committee shall: establish a program to encourage new members to join the Society and create an atmosphere of welcome for both members and guests at the general membership meetings.

e) The Special Project Committee shall: present to the Board of Directors or the general membership worthwhile extraction projects having lasting value to the membership, other genealogists, historians, and the public and recommend to the Board of Directors publication of material that has been extracted.

f) The Publicity Committee shall: be responsible for all publicity and public relations for the Society.

g) The Seminar Committee shall: conceive, plan, and conduct workshops and seminars for the members and the public with the approval of the Board of Directors and in coordination with the Program Committee and the Education Committee.

h) The Vendors Committee shall: establish policies and rules for and oversee the selling by vendors of items at general membership meetings and seminars.

i) The Genealogy Committee shall: maintain a record of the lineage of each member of the Society; develop a system for matching lineages, distribute genealogical data and give research advice to the members; research all queries from the members and the general public; and perform such other services as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors.

j) The Archive Committee shall: manage the archives of the Society; collect materials for inclusion in the archives; maintain a detailed inventory of all the archival materials; ensure that copyright laws are observed for such materials; and search for records and documents not in the collection of the Society.

k) The Computer Genealogy Interest Committee shall: Hold meetings for those interested in using computers to establish a genealogical data base; the committee shall aid in exchanging information; and assist in the use of software, and help new users establish a genealogy data base.

l) The Property Committee shall: inventory all Society furniture, fixtures, and equipment; maintain a file of contacts for each item; coordinate the maintenance and repair of all Society furniture, fixtures, and equipment; and coordinate donations for and purchases of furniture, fixtures, and equipment.

Section 2. Each committee chair shall be appointed by the President.

Section 3. The chairs shall appoint the members of their committees, assign the duties of each member, submit a tentative budget to the Finance Committee at a time to be determined by the Board of Directors before the beginning of the fiscal year, cooperate with other committees on projects of mutual concern, and ensure that deadlines are met and reports are filed.

Section 4. The President shall be an ex officio member of every committee.

Section 5. All committees shall submit a quarterly summary of their activities and an annual report to the Board of Directors.

Section 6. The President shall create as many ad hoc committees as are deemed necessary to accomplish the goals of the Society.

Article XI:

Distribution of Assets on Dissolution

In the event of the dissolution of the Society, any remaining assets shall be distributed to another organization qualified by being a charitable 501 (c)(3) designation, approved by the Board of Directors.

Article XII:

Amendment of Bylaws

Section 1. The Board of Directors shall propose any amendment to this Constitution and Bylaws.

Section 2. Written notice of the proposed amendment(s) shall be mailed to all members at least three weeks prior to the date of the vote.

Section 3. At the regular meeting following notification, a majority of the membership vote shall adopt the amendment(s).

Accepted and Approved, August 1998

Becky Collins, Secretary Irene Jackson, President

Constitutional Amendments

Amendment No. 1, Approved 23 October, 2003

Article IV:

Revises Section 3. Terms of Office to Read: - The President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected for two years, and shall serve until successors are elected. All officers shall take office at the close of the calendar year.

Amendment No. 2, Approved 23 January, 2020

Article VI:

Revises Section 1. The President, to Read: shall: Preside at all meetings of the general membership and the Board of Directors; be the principal executive officer with responsibility for the supervision of the affairs of the Society; With the approval of the Board of Directors appoint all heads of standing committees; with the Secretary, sign all contracts and documents authorized by the Society; in the absence of the Treasurer, sign checks for authorized disbursements; serve as an ex officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee; and prepare a yearly report for publication in the November newsletter.

Revises Section 2. The Vice-President, to Read: shall: assume the duties of the President in the absence of, or at the request of, the President; assume the duties of the President for the remaining term of office in event of a vacancy in the office; direct program planning to coordinate programs and speakers for general membership meetings, seminar speakers, field trips, and workshops.

Revises Section 3. The Secretary, to Read: shall: record minutes of the proceedings of the Society; send out proper notices of all meetings; keep and have available at all meetings the Bylaws; maintain a current inventory of all legal documents, records and equipment belonging to the Society; notify officers, committees and delegates of their appointments; supply delegates of the Society with credentials; furnish the officers and committees with copies of all documents necessary for the performance of their respective duties including membership lists.

Revises Section 4. The Treasurer, to Read: shall: be the custodian of all funds of the Society; sign checks for the authorized disbursements by the Society; present a statement of finances at each Board and general membership meeting; present a year end financial report no later than the March Board meeting and a final budget to the membership at the subsequent January meeting; make all financial records available for audit six weeks before the March Board meeting; serve as a member of the Finance Committee; and pick up and distribute the Society's mail.

Article IX:

Revises Section 4., to Read: The Board shall meet at least four times annually.

Revises Section 6., to Read: Board Meetings may be called by any member of the Board of Directors.

Web Master Notice:

January/February 2016: This document was re-typed and converted to HTML format by the Web Master (Chuck Jackson, at the time) to resemble, as closely as possible, the jpg images scanned by Marcia Atkins from an old copy of the Society Handbook (which handbook is no longer published, as it became too expensive). Additionally, the program HTMLDOC was used to convert that html file to a pdf file, so you could download your own copy. It seems we very nearly lost the actual original Constitution and Bylaws.

October 2017: The HTML code for this page was revised quite extensively, with a much greater use of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), in order to simplify fine tuning of the appearance. Yes, I've learned a lot about the utility of CSS over the last couple of years.

February 2021: The HTML code for this page was updated from HTML4.01 standards to HTML5 standards. The W3C organization does not yet have an HTML5 certification icon available, so the HTML4.01 certification icon will remain - for the time being.

July 2021: In consultation with the W3C organization, it was decided that certification icons were really of no value since users don't care as long as it works, and it required a fair amount of effort to re-certify after every change. Thus, the icons were removed from all pages.

I have also determined how we split the offices of Secretary and Treasurer. Seems the Constitution defines each office separately, but says nothing about holding multiple offices. Therefore, in the early days when we were small and the work load light, we simply elected one person to both offices. Later, as we grew and the work load increased (which apparently happened quite rapidly) the offices were split. The two were separate for the second year (1999) of the Society's existence, and have been ever since.