ByLaws

JEWISH GENEALOGY SOCIETY OF LONG ISLAND, INC.

BYLAWS

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of this Society shall be the Jewish Genealogy Society of Long Island, Inc.

ARTICLE II: NOT-FOR-PROFIT CHARACTER

The Society shall be organized and exist as a not-for-profit corporation under the laws of the state of New York, no part of the net earnings of which shall inure to the benefit of any private individual, except those who may at some future date be employed to serve the Society.

ARTICLE III: OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the Society shall be to:
1) Collect, preserve, and disseminate knowledge and information with reference to Jewish genealogy.
2)  Encourage interested persons to pursue and preserve genealogical data.
3)  Provide opportunities for the sharing of Jewish genealogical information.
4)  Publish material in the field of Jewish genealogy.

ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Any individual or institution willing to promote the objectives of the Society, upon written application and payment of prescribed dues, may be deemed eligible for membership.
Section 2.Any member who shall fail to pay dues by March 1, after written notice of arrears from the Vice President of Membership, shall be dropped from the membership roster.

ARTICLE V: OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1. The elected officers shall consist of the President, the Vice-President of Membership, Vice-President of Programs, Secretary, and the Treasurer.
Section 2. The Board of Directors shall consist of up to fifteen persons, namely: the five elected officers, up to nine members at large (See Article VI Section 2), and the most immediate available Past-President of the Society, who shall be an ex-officio voting member of the board. All Past Presidents shall sit on the Presidents Council, which shall serve as an advisory body to the Board as non-voting ex-officio members. All members of the Board shall be members of the Society.

Section 3. The Board shall make all decisions for the Society in keeping with its bylaws and not conflicting with any decisions reached by the membership at a properly called meeting of the Society.

Section 4. The Board shall meet as frequently as needed to carry on the business of the Society. A meeting of the Board may be requested by any two members of the Board. The Secretary shall notify all Board members, including ex-officio, of the time and place of each meeting giving at least 5 business days advance notice or less with two thirds Board approval.

Section 5. Any member of the Board who resigns, or who is absent from three consecutive meetings of the Board without indicating valid cause, may be dropped from the Board, and the unexpired term shall be filled by the selection of the Board from among the roster of members.

Section 6. The Board shall determine the dates and nature of all meetings and events of the Society with due consideration being given to any expressed wishes of the membership.

Section 7. A quorum of the Board shall consist of a majority of the members of the board. In the absence of a quorum, the Board may propose suggestions for an ensuing meeting, but no action shall be taken until a quorum is present. In the event of need for urgent action, the President may circulate any matter to the Board for a decision by mail, email or phone; provided however, that any decision so reached shall be ratified at the next meeting. Decisions shall be by majority vote of the quorum.

Section 8. A director may be removed by two-thirds vote of the board of directors then in office, if:
(a) the director is absent and unexcused from two or more meetings of the board of directors in a twelve month period. The board president is empowered to excuse directors from attendance for a reason deemed adequate by the board president. Or:
(b) for cause or no cause, if before any meeting of the board at which a vote on removal will be made the director in question is given electronic or written notification of the board’s intention to discuss her/his case and is given the opportunity to be heard at a meeting of the board.

Section 9. In the case of a vacancy for any member of the Board who is removed, resigns, or cannot continue to serve, the unexpired term shall be filled by the President from among the roster of members.

ARTICLE VI: ELECTIONS

Section 1. No later than September 30 each year, the Board shall appoint a Nominating Committee, consisting of a Chairman, selected from the Board membership, one additional member of the Board, and one member at large.
Section 2. The Nominating Committee shall propose a slate of officers plus up to nine additional members of the Board, and shall furnish its results to the Secretary no later than October 31.The annual number of At-Large members will be up to the Board’s discretion to satisfy the Society’s needs.

Section 3. At least three weeks in advance of the Annual Meeting, the  Secretary shall distribute to the membership the call for the Annual Meeting, by any reasonable medium, and will inform membership of the slate proposed by the Nominating Committee.

Section 4. Any member shall have the right to propose alternative candidates for office or for the Board provided that such nominations, supported by five percent signatures of members in good standing, are submitted in writing to the Secretary at least two weeks prior to the Annual Meeting. In the event of such proposals, it shall be the responsibility of the Secretary to prepare a complete slate of candidates, which will be presented at the Annual Meeting for the election.

Section 5. The elections shall be held at the Annual Meeting in December of each year. Terms of both officers and members of the Board shall be for one year subject to re-election. No individual shall serve as president for more than four years consecutively.

Section 6. At the conclusion of the Annual Meeting, any new officers and Directors shall be considered to be in office.

ARTICLE VII: DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

Section 1.  Officers
A. President:

  • Shall be the principal executive officer with the responsibility for general supervision of the affairs of the Society.
  • Shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and of the Society, but shall not vote on any matter except in the event of a tie.
  • May designate either Vice-President, or in case of absence, the Treasurer, to function when the President is unavailable.
  • With the approval of the Board, shall appoint all committees and shall serve ex-officio except on the Nominating Committee.

B. Vice-President of Membership

  • Shall substitute in the absence of the President and shall carry out whatever responsibilities may be assigned to that person by the President. (In his or her absence the Vice-President of Programs, or in his or her absence the Treasurer)
  • Shall maintain the official membership list and be responsible for soliciting new members and retaining existing members.
  • Shall be responsible for the collection of dues

C. Vice-President of Programs:

  • Shall plan for and implement programs for all meetings consistent with the objectives of the Society. Plans must have the approval of the President.

D. Treasurer

  • Shall have custody of the funds of the Society; shall deposit them in insured financial institutions or invest them pursuant to policy established by the Board; shall pay all bills, and shall be responsible for the collection of any debts owed to the Society.
  • There shall be an annual review of the Society’s financial records by 1 or more persons, independent of the Board.
  • The signatures of two officers shall be required for the withdrawal or disbursement of funds in excess of five hundred dollars ($500).

E. Secretary

  • Shall keep a permanent record of the proceedings of the Society and of the Board.
  • Shall coordinate announcements and venues for Board meetings.
  • Shall be responsible for all of the Society's incoming and outgoing correspondence.

Section 2. Non-Officer Roles (To be performed by Board members or designees.)
A. Communications Director

  • Shall be responsible for coordinating the content and distribution of the Society’s publications and external communications to members and prospective members.

B. Webmaster

  • Shall be responsible for the design and maintenance of the Society’s website.
  • The Webmaster shall update the Society’s website according to input from the Board. Updates to the  website shall be accomplished in a timely fashion so that the information on the site is current and accurate.

C. Members at large

  • Shall perform such duties as requested by the President.

ARTICLE VIII: MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS

Section 1. The Society shall hold an Annual Meeting on a Sunday in December each year at a place selected by the Board. Due notice of the meeting and its agenda, including the report of the Nominating Committee, shall be circulated to the membership at least three weeks in advance of the meeting.
Section 2. Regular meetings of members of the Society shall take place at such times and places as the Board shall determine.

Section 3. For the transaction of any business requiring the approval of the membership at large, a quorum shall consist of ten percent of the members in good standing or ten members present, whichever is greater.

Section 4. Decisions shall be by majority vote of members in good standing which shall be present. A member whose dues shall be current shall be considered a member in good standing.

Section 5. The latest available edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern all meetings of the Society.

ARTICLE IX: FEES AND DUES

Section 1. Charges, fees, and dues shall be established by vote of the Board of Directors, which shall have the right to establish classes of membership.
Section 2. Dues are payable in advance and become due on the first day of the fiscal year. Members joining after October 1 shall have their dues include membership through the subsequent year-end. It shall be the responsibility of the Vice President for Membership to bill the members at least six weeks prior to the beginning of the fiscal year.

ARTICLE X: FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year of the Society shall begin January 1 and end December 31.

ARTICLE XI: DISSOLUTION

Upon the dissolution of the Society, the Board of Directors shall, after payment of all liabilities, dispose of all the assets of the corporation exclusively for the purposes and in such manner or to such an organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, religious or scientific purposes as shall at that time qualify for exemption under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.

ARTICLE XII: AMENDMENTS TO BYLAWS

Amendments to these bylaws shall be proposed in writing. They may be offered by any member of the Society in good standing, provided they are accompanied by ten signatures of other members in good standing. The Secretary shall circulate such proposals to the Board of Directors, which must approve by two-thirds of its membership. Upon approval by the Board of Directors, the amendment(s) shall be subject to ratification by a majority of the membership at the subsequent Annual Meeting or at any meeting of the Society provided the amendment(s) shall have been distributed three weeks before the meeting.
Originally accepted: January 1998
Revised: March 2003, January 2004, December 2011, December 2014, October 2016 and December 2019.