RICIGS By-laws

BY-LAWS
of
THE ROCK ISLAND COUNTY ILLINOIS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

Article 1: NAME

Section 1:

The name of this organization is the Rock Island County Illinois Genealogical Society, hereinafter called the Society.

Article 2: PURPOSES

Section 2:

The purposes of the Society shall be to:

Preserve and perpetuate members' ancestral records and assist each other in genealogical research.

Discover, collect and preserve any materials which may help to establish or illustrate the history of the Rock Island County area and all of Illinois.

Publish historical and genealogical materials covering, but not limited to, this area.

Establish and maintain a genealogical library to aid research through purchases, exchanges, donations, contributions and Society projects.

Receive and hold gifts of real and personal estate from any source for the benefit of the Society.

Conduct or sponsor lectures, discussions, workshops and conferences aimed at improving our knowledge of genealogical research methods and the resources available.

Article 3: INCORPORATION

Section 3:

The Society shall be incorporated under the general Not-for-Profit Corporation Act of the State of Illinois.

For the purposes of incorporation the registered office of the Society shall be at 2916 27th Ave., Rock Island, IL 61201, and the registered agent shall be Dean Ring at the above address, and the Board of Directors shall be the elected officers, the immediate past president, and the standing committee chairpersons specified in these by-laws and the Standing Rules of the Society.

The Treasurer shall file an annual report with the Secretary of State on forms provided by that office by 01 August, each year, with filing fees paid by the Society.

The By-laws of the Society shall not conflict with the Act, especially in the event of a merger, consolidation or dissolution and distribution of assets.

Article 4: MEMBERSHIP

Section 4:

Membership in the Society shall be open to all who are interested in the purposes of the Society.

There shall be the following classifications of membership: charter, regular, family, student, contributing and life.

a. Charter: Those members enrolled by December 31, 1973. These members pay less than regular members.

b. Regular

c. Family: Family membership shall be $2.00 more for each additional member at the same address. Only the initial member shall receive a copy of the quarterly.

d. Student: Grade, high school & college.

e. Contributing

f. Life

Membership dues shall be fixed by the Board of Directors annually and announced in the third edition of the Society's quarterly publication.

The Society's membership year shall be on a calendar year basis, from January 1 to December 31. Dues are payable on or before January 1 and are delinquent at the end of February. Members admitted after November 1 shall be credited as dues paid for the next year.

Article 5: ELECTED OFFICERS

Section 5:

Elected officers shall be members of the Society.

Elected officers shall be:

a.	President
b.	First Vice-President (Programs)
c.	Second Vice-President (Projects)
d.	Recording Secretary
e.	Corresponding Secretary
f.	Treasurer

Elected officers shall be elected for one year and shall serve no more than two consecutive terms, except for the Treasurer who may not serve more than five consecutive terms.

The President shall:

a.	Supervise the work of the Society.
b.	Preside at all meetings of the Society.
c.	Represent the Society with the Illinois Genealogical Society.
d.	Appoint/terminate chairpersons of standing committees with the advice and approval of the Board of Directors.
e.	Act as custodian of the Society's Post Office box.
f.	Receive and distribute mail to the appropriate officer, committee or project head.
g.	Remove monies received by mail, annotate the mail on the amount received and provide the monies to the Treasurer for accounting and deposit.
h.	Be an ex-officio member of all committees and projects, except the Nominating Committee.
i.	Coordinate all committee functions.

The First Vice President shall:

a.	Perform the duties of the President in his/her absence or inability to serve.
b.	Perform such other duties as assigned by the President.
c.	Prepare the annual program plan of the Society for regular meetings, special workshops and represent the Society in planning the annual joint genealogical conference.
d.	Prepare news releases on Society programs

The Second Vice President shall:

a.	Assume the duties of the President in the absence of the President and First Vice President or their inability to serve.
b.	Assist in the organization and staffing of projects undertaken by the Society.

The Recording Secretary shall:

a.	Record, through minutes, the business of all meetings of the Society and the Board of Directors.
b.	Maintain the official record of the by-laws, Standing Rules (policies and procedures) and Minutes and have them available at every meeting.
c.	Maintain the office of record of all manuscripts, completed project working papers, and other documents of the Society not otherwise specified in these by-laws and the Standing Rules.

The Corresponding Secretary shall:

a.	Advise the membership of notices of meetings of other societies and other services offered.
b.	Respond to correspondence not otherwise assigned to committees; log correspondence received to assure timely response by the Society.
c.	Assist the President in the preparation of correspondence.
d.	Maintain the current correspondence file; provide closed correspondence files to the Recording Secretary.

The Treasurer shall:

a.	Receive and have custody of all funds of the Society and shall deposit them in the name of the Society in such local financial institution in such type of accounts as may be approved by the Board of Directors.
b.	Keep accurate records of receipts and disbursements in a ledger and submit them for audit December 31st.
c.	Disburse Society funds by numbered check, signed by the Treasurer or the President, and as approved by the Board of Directors or the membership.
d.	Give a report of the financial status of the society at each meeting of the Board of Directors and regular meetings of the membership.
e.	File papers necessary to register the Society as a tax exempt organization under the Federal Internal Revenue Code and the State of Illinois.
f.	Shall be bonded, the amount to be determined by the Board, and the cost of bonding paid by the Society.
g.	File an annual report with the Illinois Secretary of State as specified in Article 3, Section 3 of these by-laws.

Article 6: MEETINGS

Section 6:

Regular meetings of the Society shall be held monthly, January through November. Time and place of regular meetings shall be specified in the Standing Rules.

The annual dinner meeting shall be held in November.

Special meetings or workshops may be held subject to the approval of the Board of Directors and the concurrance of the membership.

Fifteen members shall constitute a quorum for regular, annual and special meetings.

Article 7: BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 7:

The elected officers, standing committee chairpersons, immediate past president, and three members-at-large shall constitute the Board of Directors. At-large members will be elected to serve a three year term in rotation.

The Board of Directors shall be subject to the will of the membership.

Regular meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held monthly. Special meetings shall be at the call of the President, or any two elected officers provided that prior notice has been given. Six (6) members of the Board shall constitute a quorum.

The Board of Directors shall:

a.	Transact the business of the Society.
b.	Make recommendations to the membership to further the aims and objectives of the Society.
c.	Review and reaffirm, or revise and update the job descriptions and standing rules, as appropriate.
d.	Approve the financial institution and types of accounts in which Society funds are deposited and the disbursements of those funds.
e.	Create special committees and projects as necessary.
f.	Approve appointments and terminations of committee chairpersons made by the President.

No one shall hold more than one elected office at any one time.

Article 8: STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES

Section 8:

There shall be the following standing and special committees and others as deemed necessary by the Board of Directors, their duties to be listed in the Standing Rules.

a.	Registrar
b.	Sales and Publications
c.	Library
d.	Printing
e.	Quarterly
f.	Cemetery
g.	Queries and Research
h.	Computer Interest

The following special committees shall be established with duties and functions as specified in the Standing Rules.

a.	Auditing
b.	Budget and Finance
c.	Nominating

Article 9: PARLIAMENTARY RULES

Section 9:

Roberts Rules of Order shall govern parliamentary procedures of the Society unless otherwise specified in these by-laws or in the Standing Rules.

Article 10: DISSOLUTION

Section 10:

The Society may be dissolved by meeting the requirements of the Illinois Not For Profit Corporation Act. Assets remaining after satisfaction of liabilities shall be distributed to a designated organization of similiar objectives exempt under Section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code or the Federal, State, or local government for public purpose.

Article 11: AMENDMENTS

Section 11:

These by-laws may be amended at any regular meeting of the membership by a two-thirds vote of the members present, provided that twenty days previous notice has been given to voting body of the membership.

Click here to see the Standing Rules
Article 12: STANDING RULES

Section 12:

Standing Rules may be adopted, revised or suspended at any meeting of the Board of Directors, by a majority vote, without prior notice.

Approved 22 October 1991
Revised 27 April 1993
Reviewed 13 July 1994
Revised 23 February 1999
Revised 22 February 2000
Revised 26 October 2004