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CHARTER
& BY-LAWS GASTINEAU
GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
By majority vote, the members of the Gastineau
Genealogical Society having ratified the
original Charter of this Society on 26 October 1985, now
hereby adopt these Amended
Articles I and III on this 10th
day of October 1992. ARTICLE I Name, Status, Membership
& Area Encompassed
The Society shall be a loosely-knit organization
operating the name of the Gastineau Genealogical Society;
hereinafter shown as: the Society.
The Society is organized as a non-profit organization, and
is formed exclusively for literary and Scientific
research purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3(
of the Internal Revenue Code.
No part of the Society’s net earnings will inure to
the benefit of any individual.
The Society will not, as a substantial part of its
activities, attempt to influence legislation or
participate to any extent in a political campaign for or
against any candidate for public office.
Membership in the Society shall be available to all
persons residing within the boundaries of the Unified
City & Borough of Juneau, Alaska; as well as to all
other persons, wherever they may reside, who share the
same common interests in Genealogical Research. ARTICLE II Duration
The duration of the life of the Society shall be
perpetual. ARTICLE III Purposes
The purposes for which the Society is formed are as
follows:
1. To promote and encourage Genealogical
Research;
2. To assist members, and others in the
community, in their pursuit of Genealogical Research;
3. To maintain, as appropriate, within the
membership, a depository of Genealogical reference
materials (i.e.; books, periodicals, Microfilms,
Microfiche, Foreign Language Dictionaries, etc.) for use
by members on an in-house basis (or on a check-out basis,
my mutual agreement);
4. To act as ordering/buying agent for
members in securing Genealogical reference materials,
etc. from sources offering discounts to, or from sources
who sell only to, Genealogical Societies;
5. To take whatever additional actions or set
whatever policies or priorities the members agree are
necessary to further the common interests of the members;
6. To accept voluntary contributions and
otherwise raise and expend funds in furtherance of the
Society’s goals and purposes, including
the infrequent production and distribution of printed or
microfilmed (or computerized) genealogical research aids
as special Society projects;
7. Upon dissolution of the Society,
assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt
purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of
any future Federal tax code, or shall be distributed to
the Federal Government, or to the State or local
government for a public purpose. ARTICLE IV Membership and Dues
The Society is intended to be a loosely-knit
organization. Membership is voluntary and is open to
anyone who is interested in Genealogical Research.
Membership may be in the name of one or more individuals
or in the name of a family; eg: Tom and Myrna Ralston; or
“the Ralston Family”.
There shall be no Annual Membership Dues, unless the
membership at large should so decide, by simple vote, to
so establish such an annual dues of a given amount. ARTICLE V Voting Rights
Each membership as defined above shall be entitled to one
vote. ARTICLE VI Meetings
The Society shall hold not less than one meeting per
calendar year at a place and time to be set at least two
weeks prior to the meeting. Additional meetings may be
scheduled, as appropriate. ARTICLE VII Services to Members
– Section 1 – Ordering of Products/Services
The Society’s Contracting Officer/Purchasing Agent
(CO/PA) shall perform all purchasing duties for the
securing of reference or other materials or services for
the Society and its members, upon request.
Members shall submit their requests to the CO/PA in as
complete detail as is possible; describing the product or
service desired, source (complete name and address, if
possible), price, etc.
If source, etc. is unknown to member, CO/PA and/or other
members may be of assistance in determining source or
other data. Services to Members
– Section 2 – Recovery of Costs
All costs incurred by the Society in securing products or
services for a specific member or group of members shall
be borne by that particular member or group of members.
All costs incurred by the Society in securing products or
services for the Society as a whole shall be borne by all
members of the Society and shall be recovered by
appropriate assessment of all members. (BALANCE OF PAGE
INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK) Services to Members
– Section 3 – Definition of “All
Costs”
“All Costs” as referred to in Section 2 above
shall include, but not be limited to:
1. Actual cost of product or service ordered;
2. All shipping and handling costs (including
Postage and Insurance), as appropriate
3. Any and all sales or other taxes on the
product or service;
4. Cost of Special Remittance Instrument (if
required by vendor); eg: Cashier’s Check, Postal
Money Order, etc.;
5. A “Handling Charge” to cover all
costs incurred by the CO/PA in placing the original
order; as well as all costs incurred in required
follow-ups; such costs to include, but not be limited to
– “all copying costs, check writing costs,
mailing costs, etc.”.
6. All such costs, as defined above, shall
be, to the greatest extent possible, deposited with the
Society’s CO/PA at the time of the request for the
purchase. ARTICLE VIII Officers
The members of the Society shall elect a President,
Vice-President and Secretary; each of whom shall serve
for a period of two years and whose principal duties are
as follows:
1. President and Vice President:
Chair meetings; Solicit volunteer efforts by members
whenever necessary; Appoint sub-committees as needed;
Function as Contracting Officer/Purchasing Agent (CO/PA)
for the Society – or appoint another member to so
function; Obligate and/or expend Society funds as
required in the conduct of the Society’s business;
Prepare Society Newsletters, as appropriate; and Perform
other duties which might arise in the lawful conduct of
the Society’s business.
2. Secretary/Treasurer:
To take and transcribe minutes of meetings; Perform
typing duties for the Society, as required; Maintain
membership rosters; Maintain telephone and address lists
as needed; Maintain Society Bank Account (should the
Society determine a Bank Account to be necessary at some
future date); and to Perform bookkeeping functions,
periodically reporting the financial condition of the
Society, should such functions become necessary. ARTICLE IX Regulating Internal
Affairs – Meetings
At Society meetings, all maters, regardless of
importance, shall be determined by a vote of a majority
of the members present. (BALANCE OF PAGE
INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK) ARTICLE X Newsletter Section 1 –
Frequency and Contents
If the membership at large votes to initiate a
Newsletter, such Newsletter shall be distributed to all
members of the Society as frequently as dictated by the
members in such vote.
Each Newsletter will normally contain the following
information as appropriate:
1. The Heading: Gastineau Genealogical
Society Newsletter; `
2. The date of circulation, as well as the
mailing address of the Society;
3. The names and telephone numbers of the
officers of the Society;
4. A listing of Countries, States, Areas,
Locales, etc. presently being researched by fellow
members; to the extent to which they have been related to
the Officers of the Society;
5. Special Notes or other elements of
interest to the members. Section 2 – Role of
President/Vice President and CO/PA
The President shall be primarily responsible for, and the
Vice-President shall be secondarily responsible, for the
contents and the preparation of the Society Newsletters;
the CO/PA shall be primarily responsible for the
distribution thereof. Section 3 –
Recovery of Costs of Newsletters
All costs for preparing and delivering each such
Newsletter shall be recovered from the members in
accordance with ARTICLE VII – Services to Members.
NOTE: There shall be no
“Handling Charge” applied to
Newsletter cost recovery. ARTICLE XI Amending/Revising
Charter/By-Laws
This Charter/By-Laws may be amended, modified, or
otherwise revised by a vote of a simple majority of the
Society’s members present at any ARTICLE VI meeting;
providing appropriate notice of such intent has been
served upon the membership in writing in advance of such
meeting.
A copy of each such Amendment/Revision/Modification shall
be distributed to each member as soon thereafter as is
possible. (BALANCE OF PAGE
INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK) ARTICLE XII Matters not Covered in
Charter/By-Laws
Matters not covered by this Charter/By-Laws shall be
determined at the discretion of the President and with
the concurrence of the other Officers and shall be
brought to the attention of the membership for their
concurrence, or refusal, at the next ARTICLE VI Meeting. These Original Charter/By-Laws
were established on the 26th
day of July, 1985
at Juneau, Alaska; and are subject to the final approval
of the membership at large.
By: /s/ O. R. Kent
/s/ Mary M. Zahn
O. R. Kent
Mary M. Zahn
Co-Founder
Co-Founder |