Constitution and Bylaws of
THE RETIRED MEN’S FELLOWSHIP OF GREATER FLINT
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PREAMBLE
Believing that life is a great adventure, and that a broad culture enhances life’s happiness and usefulness, we therefore unite ourselves into a Fellowship of mental improvement, physical well-being, and a good use of leisure time.
ARTICLE I – NAME
The name of this organization shall be “The Retired Men’s Fellowship of Greater Flint.”
ARTICLE II – OBJECT
The goal of this Fellowship shall be to bring together men of similar ideals in order to fulfill the objectives encompassed by the preamble of this constitution.
ARTICLE III – AMENDMENTS
This constitution and bylaws may be amended at any regular or special meeting of the Fellowship by a majority vote of the members present, notice of the proposed amendments having been first submitted to the executive board. A summary of the proposed changes will be made available to members.
BYLAWS
1. Membership: Any retired or semi-retired man who will endeavor to further the objectives for which this Fellowship is organized is eligible for membership. Those not retired may become Associate Members. Members and Associate Members have the same voting rights, and pay the same dues as established by the executive board. Members who have not paid their dues by January 1 will be flagged as “inactive” until such dues are paid. Membership will expire if dues are not paid for two consecutive years. The Executive Board may vote to keep a member in the inactive status beyond two years.
2. Officers and Executive Board: The officers shall consist of President, General Program Chairman, Property Manager, Corresponding Secretary, three Recording Secretaries (each to serve a short, active term during the year), Treasurer, and Greeter. These officers, the Historian, and the immediate Past President shall constitute the executive board.
3. Duties of Officers and Executive Board:
a) The President shall preside at all meetings of the Fellowship; and, with the executive board, maintain general supervision of all interests and properties of the Fellowship. The President shall appoint all committees and chairmen of same and shall be ex-officio member of such committees.
Constitution and Bylaws of
THE RETIRED MEN’S FELLOWSHIP OF GREATER FLINT
Page 2 of 3
b) The General Program Chairman shall have overall responsibility for the development and coordination of the Fellowship’s weekly programs. To accomplish this goal, he will recruit members of the Fellowship who will each have detailed responsibility for programs for a period of generally one month.
c) The Property Manager shall have custody of all properties of the Fellowship, including their storage and setting-up, as appropriate, for each meeting. He shall assist, as necessary, with procurement, set-up, and operation of program equipment. He shall concern himself with the proper functioning of services such as lighting, ventilation, and the public-address system.
d) The Corresponding Secretary shall prepare, print, and distribute to all Fellowship members notification cards detailing the meeting programs and other pertinent information on an as-required basis. He shall, in cooperation with the treasurer and greeter, maintain an accurate list of all members’ names, addresses, and telephone numbers.
e) Recording Secretary. This post will be filled by three persons elected for a year but serving actively for only an equitable portion of the year. A suggested breakdown of terms is September, October, November; December, January, February; March, April, May, and June. The active recording secretary shall record and report the minutes of the meetings during his term, keep a file of all necessary records pertaining to the Fellowship, and pass all the records to the next active recording secretary. In the absence of the active secretary, one of the other three secretaries shall assume the duties of the office.
f) The Treasurer shall be custodian of all monies of the Fellowship and maintain a record of all income and disbursements. An audit of Fellowship financial accounts and properties shall be made by two members appointed by the President. This shall be done following the year’s final activity and results reported to the incoming President prior to the first meeting of the new fiscal year. The fiscal year shall be July 1 through June 30.
g) The Greeter, with his appointed assistants, shall at each meeting provide and collect the name tags of members and report to the membership and in writing to the active recording secretary any guests, returnees, and new members. He shall also maintain a record of attendance at all regular meetings and special events.
h) The Historian will be appointed by the President for an indefinite term of office. The Historian shall collect and preserve the records and memorabilia of the Fellowship and shall coordinate the generation of memorabilia deemed desirable for the documentation of significant events involving the Fellowship.
Constitution and Bylaws of
THE RETIRED MEN’S FELLOWSHIP OF GREATER FLINT
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i) The Executive Board is responsible for establishing and/or monitoring the basic policies and philosophies of the Fellowship. Any expenditures or activities deviating significantly from normal must have approval of the Board.
4. Election and Succession of Officers:
Officers may be elected by a majority vote of the members present at the meeting on the second Monday in May and will hold office for one year. Nomination of officers
will be by a committee appointed by the President. The committee will consider any recommendations submitted by any Fellowship member.
In the temporary absence of the President, the General Program Chairman shall assume the duties and authority of that office. Should both the President and General Program Chairman be absent, the President (or General Program Chairperson) will appoint a member to assume the duties of President.
It is not intended that any one office necessarily succeed another from one year to the next.
5. Meetings: Meetings shall be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday of each week (except when Monday is a holiday). No regular meetings will be held during the months of July and August. Meetings may be discontinued during the month of June at the discretion of the Board.
6. Special Meetings: These may be called at any time by the Executive Board of the President.
7. Dissolution: In the event of dissolution of the Fellowship, all assets, real or personal, shall be distributed at the discretion of the Executive Board to the organizations that are qualified as tax exempt under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code or the corresponding provisions of a future United States Internal Revenue Law.
As Amended and Adopted on February 15, 2021.