TheShorebirds.net
 The Official Site of the Delmarva Shorebirds' Fan Club

 

BY-LAWS OF THE DELMARVA SHOREBIRDS FAN CLUB

 

ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of the Club shall be the Delmarva Shorebirds Fan Club.

ARTICLE II – OBJECTIVE

The objective of the Delmarva Shorebirds Fan Club is to nurture and develop individual and community interest in, and support of, projects associated with the Delmarva Shorebirds Fan Club, players and families.

ARTICLE III – ELIGIBILITY

Any person and /or business who is willing to actively support the Fan Club’s objectives and by completing the application and tender dues. Persons under 18 years of age may join as non-voting members as part of a Household Membership.

ARTICLE IV – MEMBERSHIP

1. Membership Classes: There are three (3) types of memberships available to anyone who is eighteen (18) years of age or older:

    1. Single membership
    2. Household membership A Household Membership includes up to two adults and all dependent, unmarried children up to age 18 residing in the same household.
    3. Corporate membership

Registered in authorized representatives name only

 2. Application: The application, consisting of name, address, telephone number will be filled out and submitted to any Officer of the Fan Club or mailed to the Fan Club’s address. Please note that the e-mail assess field is optional. All applications must be accompanied with the appropriate dues.

3. Dues: Dues are to be reviewed as deemed necessary and established by a majority vote of the members present at the November meeting.

4. Honorary Memberships: Complimentary one-year or honorary lifetime memberships may be awarded to any individual by a majority vote by the Board of Directors.

5. Expulsion: Any member who does not comply with the objectives

of the Fan Club may be expelled by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

6. Corporate Dues: Any business enterprise may join as a Corporate

Member for an annual membership fee (dues) to be established by the Board of Directors.

7. Membership Term: Renewal of membership shall be due on the

first of March of each calendar year. Any member who does not renew within sixty (60) days of the March renewal date will be dropped from membership.

8. Partial Terms: Members who join the Fan Club after August 1 pay half the regular membership dues and their membership shall be active until March 1 of the following year.

 

ARTICLE V – CODE OF CONDUCT
  1. No member shall act in a way that is detrimental or unbecoming to the image or objectives of the Fan Club.
  2. Reprimand/warning shall be issued, in writing, to the individual for the first offense by either the President or Vice-President.
  3. If said member continues in such a manner, he or she will be automatically brought before the Board of Directors.
  4. If a member is expelled, there will be no refund of membership dues.

ARTICLE VI—OFFICERS AND DUTIES
  1. President: The President shall preside at all general meetings of the Fan Club. The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer and have general supervision of the Fan Club. The President shall have the power to establish committees and appoint committee members, chairpersons, and other positions as deemed necessary. The President and/or Vice-President shall serve as ex-officio members of all committees. All appointments shall be subject to approval by the Board of Directors.
  2. Vice-President: The Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President in his or her absence. The Vice-President and/or President shall serve as ex-officio of all committees.
  3. Secretary: The Secretary shall take the minutes, attendance, and keep permanent records of all meetings of the Fan Club. The Secretary shall answer correspondence as directed by the President and keep an up-to-date record of membership. Any other correspondence must be approved by the Secretary or other Board of Directors members before being posted or circulated.
  4. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall receive all funds of the Fan Club and disburse them as directed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. Only the Treasurer or President shall be authorized to issue checks. All checks must be signed by two designated officers. The Treasurer and the President are designated to sign checks, however, in the absence/unavailability of one of the before mentioned officers, either the vice-president and /or secretary may substitute for either or both. The treasurer shall be authorized to appropriate a sum of money not to exceed two hundred dollars ($200.00) for the reimbursement of voucher expenses incurred on behalf of the Fan Cub. A written receipt is required for any reimbursement. The Treasurer shall provide a written financial report at all monthly meetings.
  5. Board of Directors: The Board of Directors of the Fan Club shall consist of seven (7) members, a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and three (3) Directors. Additionally, one (1) alternate shall be elected to serve as a Director in case of vacancy. The members of the Board of Directors shall conduct business and perform duties of the Fan Club as necessary or as designated in the By-Laws.

    The term of office will be three (3) years beginning at the end of the Annual meeting that is held in October unless a quorum is not present at the October meeting. The terms of the Directors shall be staggered so that one term expires each year. The 2004 election shall elect three Directors. The candidate receiving the greatest number of votes is elected to a three-year term, the candidate receiving the next highest number of votes is elected to a two-year term and the candidate receiving the third-highest number of votes is elected to a one-year term. From thenceforth, one Director will be elected each year to a three-year term.
     

    6.
  6. Board of Directors Meetings: The Board of Directors shall conduct business as necessary between the Fan Club meetings and other duties as assigned by the By-Laws. The Board of Directors shall report actions to the membership at the next regular meeting. A minimum of four (4) members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the Board of Directors meetings.

ARTICLE VII - ELECTION OF OFFICERS

1. Eligibility: Any member in good standing and at least 18 years of age by October 1, is eligible for an officer position. No member shall hold more than one (1) office at a time.

2. Annual Meeting: The October meeting is designated as the Annual meeting.

3. Nominating Committee: At the September meeting, the President shall appoint a Nominating Committee to be composed of three (3) members of the Delmarva Shorebirds Fan Club. The Nominating Committee will formulate a slate of nominees to be presented to the general membership at the Annual meeting. Prior to the Annual meeting, the Nominating Committee will determine that the chosen candidates will accept their offices if elected. The term of the Nominating Committee is from its appointment in September until their selections are handed to the President at the Annual Meeting.

4. Other Nominations: In addition, nominations for any office from the floor by any member 18 years of age or older will be accepted at the Annual meeting when the slate of nominees is announced. A Fan Club member may be nominated for any office until so elected to an office. (A member may hold only one office.) Majority Vote: The new officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the eligible voting members as determined by the secretary at the Annual meeting and will assume full responsibilities at the end of that meeting.

5. Parliamentarian: During the Annual meeting, the President shall appoint a non-officer member to serve as Parliamentarian for the purpose of conducting the annual elections.

6. Quorum: The Parliamentarian will determine if a quorum is present. A quorum shall consist of at least four (4) members of the Board of Directors plus at least three (3) non-elected members eligible to vote. If a quorum is not present, the election will be postponed until the next scheduled meeting. If a quorum is present, the Parliamentarian will ask those members eligible to vote to identify themselves. The Parliamentarian will then ask for the slate of nominees from the Nominating Committee. The Parliamentarian will read the list of candidates aloud and ask the nominees who are present to identify themselves. Candidates selected by the Nominating Committee do not have to be present to be eligible. Nominees from the floor do not have to be present to be elected, provided they have expressed in writing beforehand that they would serve if elected to that office.

7. Conduction of Election: The Parliamentarian shall then conduct the elections in the following order; President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, the three directors, and finally, the Alternate Director. Each office will be voted on individually by paper ballot.

8. Candidates for Office: The Parliamentarian will read the Nominating Committee’s candidate for that office and then ask if there are additional nominations from the general members. After reaching the point when no more nominations are offered, the nominations for that office will be declared closed.

9. Balloting for Officers: If no other nominations have been offered in addition to the candidate selected by the Nominating Committee, that candidate will be declared elected. If there are more than one candidate for an office, the Parliamentarian will ask for the candidates to identify themselves and at that time, the candidates may make comments pertinent to their ability and desire to hold that office if they wish. Paper ballots will then be distributed by the Parliamentarian to eligible voters. Voters will write in the name of their selection for that office. The ballots will be collected and then read aloud by the Parliamentarian, one by one, and tallied. A majority of those present will determine the elected officer.

10. Balloting for Directors: After the four officers have been elected, then the nominations for one (1) Director will be considered. (except for the 2004 election which will elect three (3) Directors for staggered terms as described earlier herein) The Parliamentarian will again read aloud the candidate selected by the nominating Committee. A Candidate so nominated by the Nominating Committee does not have to be present. The Parliamentarian shall then ask if there are additional nominations for Director from the general members. After reaching the point when no more nominations are offered, the nominations for Director will be declared closed.

11. If no other nominations have been offered in addition to the candidate selected by the Nominating Committee, that candidate will be declared elected.

If there is more than one candidate nominated for Director, the Parliamentarian will ask for the candidates to identify themselves and at that time, the candidates may make comments pertinent to their ability and desire be a Director if they wish. Paper ballots will then be distributed by the Parliamentarian to eligible voters.

(For the 2004 election in which three Directors are elected, eligible voters will write in three names as their selections for Directors. The ballots will be collected and then read aloud by the Parliamentarian, one by one, and tallied. The 2004 candidate receiving the highest number of votes is elected to a three-year term, the 22004 candidate receiving the next-highest number of votes will be elected to a two-year term, and the 2004 candidate receiving the third highest number of votes is elected to a one-year term.)

If during elections, a Director is elected to another office, that director must resign from being a Director and a new Director is elected at this time during the elections procedure.

12. Balloting for Alternate Director: In a manner similar to #10 above for Balloting for Officers, the position of Alternate Director shall be determined.

13. Balloting Conclusion: At the conclusion of balloting, the Parliamentarian will turn the meeting back to the President. The newly elected officers shall go in service at the close of the Annual Meeting.

14. Vacancies: In the event the President resigns or is unable to perform his or her duties, the Vice-President shall assume the Presidency and a new Vice-President shall be elected. The President shall make appointments to fill vacancies in any other office subject to the approval of the Board of Directors. The person(s) appointed shall serve the un-expired term(s).

 

ARTICLE VIII – MEETINGS

The Delmarva Shorebirds Fan Club will meet at the call of the President. The President shall direct the Secretary to notify members of the time and place of the next meeting by mail in a timely fashion. The regular general membership meetings will be held once each month, from September through March, on a pre-selected date by the newly elected Board of Directors.

ARTICLE IX – COMMITTEES
  1. All committees and their chairpersons shall be appointed by the President. The President and/or Vice-President shall serve as ex-officio members of all committees.
  2. Any member of the Fan Club may be chairperson or co-chairperson of a committee. A member of the Board of Directors must serve as a member/liaison on each committee.
  3. The committee chairpersons shall have the right to select additional committee members from the membership, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors, in addition to the President and/or Vice President.
  4. Standing Committees: The standing committees are as follows; Nominating Committee, By-Laws Committee, Welcome/Housing Committee, Activities Committee, Clubhouse Provisions Committee, and Membership Committee. Other committees may be formed at the President’s discretion.
  5. Committee Duties: The primary duty of the Nominating Committee is to recruit qualified candidates to hold the elected positions. The primary duty of the By-Laws Committee is to conduct a yearly review of the By-Laws and suggest changes for consideration by the membership. The primary duty of the Activities Committee is to the Fan Fest and other club activities. The primary duty of the Welcome/Housing Committee is to find housing for the players and provide food and decorations for the players’ clubhouse. The primary duty of the Membership Committee is to recruit new members and volunteers for the Fan Club table at games.

 

ARTICLE X – AMENDMENTS

Amendments to the By-Laws must be given to a By-Laws committee appointed by the President at the January general membership meeting. The proposed amendment changes suggested by the By-Laws Committee will be sent to the Board of Directors for their review at a special meeting prior to the February general membership meeting. Those changes that are found to be in the best interest of the Fan Club will be presented to the general membership for ratification and adoption by majority vote of the members present at the February general membership meeting. Additional By-Laws changes may be made from the floor at this general meeting. The By-Laws Committee may continue to receive suggestions for By-Laws improvements during their year of office and then turn these suggestions over to the newly formed By-Laws Committee at the end of their term.

ARTICLE XI – ITEMS NOT COVERED

All items not covered in these By-Laws shall be resolved according to the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.