CONSTITUTION of THE AMERICAN WOMEN'S CLUB of BOMBAY
ARTICLE I - Name and Objective
The name of the organization shall be "The American Women's Club of Bombay.”
The objectives of the Club shall be:
To promote social and cultural activities within the Club.
To encourage members to support charitable and cultural activities in Bombay.
To welcome and assist all newcomers to Bombay.
ARTICLE II - Membership and Dues
The Club shall consist of:
Regular Members - Women 18 years old or over who are citizens of the United States of America or citizens of Canada, for the time being residing in Bombay, or women 18 years or over, of any citizenship, who are married to a citizen of the United States of America or a citizen of Canada, for the time being residing in Bombay, shall be entitled to become regular members.
Associate Members - Other expatriate women, 18 years or over, who actively support the aims and objectives of the Club, are eligible to become associate members. The number of associate members shall not exceed 40 percent of the total Club membership. Associate members shall pay the same dues as, and have all the rights of, regular members except that they cannot be elected to the offices of President or Vice President. To continue as an associate member, she shall attend at least 3 coffee mornings a year. The Executive Board may consider extenuating circumstances before cancelling the membership of an associate member who has not attended the required number of meetings.
Honorary President - The wife of the Consul General of the USA will have the title of Honorary President and join as a regular member of the Club.
Honorary Life Member – Any member who has held membership status for 25 years or longer shall be considered an honorary lifetime member of the American Women’s Club of Bombay, and is exempt from paying the annual membership fee.
Annual dues will be determined and set by the members of the Club at the Annual General Meeting and will be payable at that time. Non-payment of dues after three months of the due date automatically cancels membership.
Former regular members are eligible for reinstatement at any time on payment of the new membership fee.
Membership can be revoked by the board should a member abuse membership privileges.
ARTICLE III - Governing Body
The Club shall be governed by an Executive Board composed of:
The following seven elected officers, four of whom must be regular members and three of whom may be associate members. Regular members shall fill the President and the Vice President positions:
President
Vice President
Deputy Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Membership Chair
Outreach Chair
The following members who shall be appointed by the President and Vice President with the approval of the other elected officers:
Newsletter Editor
Chairpersons of other committees established to carry out the aims of the Club
If there becomes a vacancy in the office of the President or Vice President, the Deputy Vice President shall assume the duties of the vacated office. If the officers taking those vacated positions are associate members, it will be only temporarily until a regular member president and/or vice president have been found, or till the end of term.
If there becomes a vacancy in any other elected office, a replacement shall be appointed by the Executive Board.
The Executive Board shall have the power to convene a Special General Meeting of the Club at any time, but shall do so on receipt of a request signed by at least 15 members of the Club stating the subject to be submitted for discussion. The Secretary shall hold such meeting within a month of receipt of the request. All Special Meetings shall be Closed Meetings, which arefor members only.
No officer, member of the Executive Board, or member of the Club shall receive any profit, salary, or emolument from the hands of the Club, or any remuneration for services rendered to the Club.
ARTICLE IV - Nomination Committee
The President and/or the Vice President, at the January board meeting, shall appoint a Chairperson and two members to serve on the Nominating Committee which will secure nominees for the seven elective offices. The Chairperson shall mail the slate of nominees to the members at least two weeks before the Annual General Meeting in March.
ARTICLE V - Procedure for Election of Officers
Officers shall be elected by majority vote of members at the Annual General Meeting in March and shall be installed at that meeting.
In addition to nominees proposed by the Nominating Committee, other nominations may be made from the floor.
Members are allowed to vote by proxy.
Officers shall be elected for one year and are eligible for re-election for a further one year term. They are then not eligible for re-election to the same office, unless the vacancy cannot be filled from the membership. An officer should not serve more than four consecutive years on the Executive Board.
ARTICLE VI - Duties of Officers
Duties of the President :
The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club.
If the President is absent at any meeting of the Club, the Vice President shall preside. In the absence of the President and Vice President, the Secretary calls the meeting to order and the members shall elect a presiding officer, pro tem.
The President shall automatically be a member of all committees.
The President shall appoint the Chairpersons of all Committees with the approval of the elected Officers, and in like manner, fill any vacancies that may occur.
The President shall be the official representatives for the American Women's Club of Bombay.
The President shall ensure that all Officers and Chairpersons prepare annual written reports for permanent records, a summary of which is to be read at the Annual General Meeting in March.
Duties of the Vice President and Deputy Vice President:
The Vice President and Deputy Vice President shall assume all duties in the absence of the President.
The Vice President and Deputy Vice President shall share the role of Social Chairperson of all meetings during the year. They shall make the necessary preparations and obtain the hostesses for each meeting. They may form and oversee a committee to assist them.
Duties of the Secretary:
The Secretary shall keep all minutes of the Club meetings.
She shall handle such correspondence as may be required.
She shall ensure that any important electronic correspondence sent to the general membership is communicated to those members who do not have such access.
Duties of the Treasurer:
The Treasurer shall have the power to operate the Club accounts.
She shall collect, receive and be responsible for all dues and Club funds.
She shall keep an account of money received and expended and make a monthly report to the Club.
She shall keep all receipts and vouchers and where possible, bills, each of which must be endorsed by the Chairperson of the committee concerned and by the President.
She shall make all payments.
Duties of the Membership Officer:
The Membership Officer shall endeavor to contact new arrivals, and inform them of the Club and its activities.
She shall welcome and assist any new member to Bombay.
She shall organize flowers to be sent, as appropriate.
She shall appoint a committee to assist her in her duties, as may be necessary.
She shall compile, have printed and distributed the Club Directory annually.
Duties of the Outreach Chair:
The Outreach chair will search for reputable charitable organizations with which the members of the AWC can volunteer.
She will coordinate volunteer activities where needed.
She will form a data base of interested AWC members, who would like to volunteer their time and possibly goods, and help to link them to existing organizations mentioned under a.
She will help organise the Charity Mela, to give charitable organizations the forum to sell their goods.
ARTICLE VII - Duties of the Standing Committees
Duties of the Newsletter Editor:
The Newsletter Editor shall compile, have printed and distributed the monthly Newsletter.
Duties of the Parliamentarian:
The Parliamentarian shall interpret the Constitution.
She shall serve as advisor to the President regarding rules of order.
Duties of the Website Chair:
The Website Chair will maintain and update the AWC website as needed.
ARTICLE VIII – Meetings
Business meetings of the Club shall be held once a month at the discretion of the board and coffee mornings on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. The day of any meeting can be changed at the discretion of the Executive Board.
The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held in March and shall be a Closed Meeting, which is for members only.
The quorum for a Closed Meeting shall be 20 percent of the membership, including proxy votes.
Non Members can only be guests at a coffee morning a total of two times a year. Persons awaiting membership to the Club may attend all coffee mornings.
ARTICLE IX - Funds
The funds of the Club shall be used to carry out the objectives set forth in Article I of the Constitution.
The funds of the Club shall be held by the Treasurer.
ARTICLE X – Amendments
The Club in a Closed Meeting, which is for members only, shall have full power to amend the Articles of the Constitution, provided that no amendment shall be made unless at least 2/3rds of members present, and voting, have voted in favour thereof. The Secretary must send notice of the proposed alteration or amendment to every member of the Club two weeks prior to the Closed Meeting.
