San Antonio Poets Association

ARTICLE I—NAME

The name of this organization shall be the San Antonio Poets Association.

ARTICLE II—PURPOSE

The purpose of this Texas nonprofit corporation, which is a chartered chapter of the Poetry Society of Texas, shall be "to stimulate, cultivate, and perpetuate the art of poetry writing and its appreciation."

ARTICLE III—MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. An active member must reside in the vicinity of San Antonio or in a nearby area. Each must have paid dues on the date they joined and on every anniversary date thereafter, and be active in the affairs of the Association. Active members only shall be eligible to hold office, to vote in any matter of business, and to participate in contests sponsored by the Association. In order to vote, members must be present.

Section 2. Honorary members are subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. This is an honor bestowed upon those who have made a contribution toward advancing the purposes of the Association. They shall be exempt from payment of dues. They may act as advisors if called upon to do so. Honorary members are not eligible to enter contests or to vote.

Section 3. Non-resident membership is open to those living outside the San Antonio area who do not have access to a local poetry society. They must have dues paid on the date they joined and on every anniversary date thereafter, and be active in the affairs of the Association through direct participation, mail, or e-mail. Non-resident members are ineligible to hold office and must be present to vote or participate in contests sponsored by the organization.

ARTICLE IV—OFFICERS

The elected officers of the Association shall be the President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer. The appointed officers of the Association shall be the Parliamentarian and Historian. Past presidents of the Association may serve as advisors or as part of an advisory board if called upon to do so.

ARTICLE V—EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The affairs of the Association shall be conducted by an Executive Committee. This committee shall consist of the officers and the chairman of each standing committee. The immediate past president shall serve as a defacto member (without voting privileges) of the committee in an advisory position for two years. Five shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of Executive Committee business. Executive Committee meetings shall be held as often as deemed necessary by the President and shall be recorded by the Recording Secretary or an appointed committee member in the absence of the Recording Secretary.

ARTICLE VI—ELECTIONS

Section 1. The term of office for elected officers shall be for two years. The President may not be re-elected immediately, but may be elected to serve again after an interim period of two years. By vote of the Association the offices of Treasurer, Corresponding Secretary, and Recording Secretary may be re-elected for consecutive terms.

Section 2. Nominating Committee. In February of election years, two members at large elected by the membership and one member of the Executive Committee appointed by the President shall comprise the Nominating Committee. They shall present their nominations to the assembly in March, one month before the election in April, and those elected shall be installed in May. Nomination and election procedures shall be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order.

ARTICLE VII—APPOINTIVE OFFICES

Standing Committee Chairmen, the Historian, and the Parliamentarian are appointed by the President for terms of two years and may be reappointed as necessary.

ARTICLE VIII—MEETINGS

Regular meetings shall be held monthly, beginning in September and extending through May. A quorum shall consist of a majority of all members of the Association. Special meetings may be called at the discretion of the President. Special meetings of the Executive Committee may be called by the President and a vote from Executive Committee members may be taken electronically (by e-mail). A quorum shall consist of five members of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE IX—AMENDMENTS

Amendments to the Bylaws may be made at any regular meeting, provided written notice of the proposed amendments are filed with the Recording Secretary at the preceding meeting and written copies of the proposed amendments are furnished to the members at the preceding meeting. Proposed amendments shall also be posted to the Association's Web site. In order that the proposed amendments may be adopted, they must receive two-thirds majority vote of those present.

ARTICLE X—DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Officers shall perform such duties as ordinarily pertain to their respective offices as follows:

President: The President shall preside at meetings of the Association and the Executive Committee and shall perform such duties as ordinarily pertain to the office. The appointment of special committees shall be made by the President in consultation with the Executive Committee. All deeds and documents shall be signed in the name of the Association by the President and attested by the Treasurer. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees, and the immediate past President shall serve as a non-voting member of the Executive Committee for the two year term following his or her own presidential term. In the event an elected or appointive office is vacated, the President may appoint someone to this office with the approval of the Executive Committee.

Vice-President: The Vice-President shall preside at meetings of the Association and fulfill other duties of the President in the absence of the President. The Vice-President shall act as the official host/hostess of the Association and shall be responsible for taking attendance and for the orientation of new members. The Vice-President shall also be a standing member of the Membership Committee.

Recording Secretary: The Recording Secretary shall keep and read the minutes of all regular meetings of the Association and of the Executive Committee.

Corresponding Secretary: The Corresponding Secretary shall conduct the general correspondence of the Association, including sending appropriate greeting cards or flowers in behalf of the Association to members who are seriously ill or bereaved.

Treasurer: The Treasurer shall have charge of all business records; collect dues, prize monies, and contributions for special causes; deposit all funds in the name of the Association in a bank in Bexar County; withdraw funds for expenditures approved by the President and/or the Executive Committee; prepare an annual budget for the Association, and give monthly Treasurer's reports to the membership. The Treasurer shall keep track of the date members joined and paid dues, and will notify members when their annual dues are owed. The Treasurer shall notify the Contest Chairman of members with delinquent dues.

Parliamentarian: The Parliamentarian shall see that procedures of the business meetings are conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order.

Historian: The Historian shall place all publicity clippings of the Association in a scrapbook, along with special letters and photos of the Association's activities.

ARTICLE XI—STANDING COMMITTEES

Program Chairman. The Program Chairman shall prepare and arrange the program for all regular and special meetings subject to the approval of the President.

Contest Chairman. The Contest Chairman shall have custody of the poems, conduct monthly contests, select the monthly contest judges, and announce the monthly winners. The Contest Chairman shall work with the Publications Chairman to provide the winning poems and other selected poems, along with judging sheets, to be published in Inkwell Echoes. The Contest Chairman shall select the Poet Laureate, the four Poet Laureate runners up, and a Poet Laureate Emeritus, if applicable, by the point system approved by the Association.

Publications /Publicity /PST News Chairman. The Publications /Publicity /PST News Chairman, in cooperation with the Contest Chairman and at the discretion of the President, shall oversee the publication of Inkwell Echoes, The Members' Handbook, and any other future publication published by the Association. This chairman shall also release articles for publication to the Poetry Society of Texas and local newspapers when relevant. The Publications/Publicity/PST News Chairman shall have custody of Inkwell Echoes for distribution and sale.

Social Chairman. The Social Chairman shall be in charge of the refreshments each month by enlisting members on a rotating, volunteer basis to provide snacks, drinks, cups, napkins, plates, utensils, and such items needed for service of refreshments. The Social Chairman shall plan any additional social events. This Chairman may select a committee to help with the refreshment duties.

Notifications Chairman. The Notifications Chairman shall notify all members by e-mail or telephone of the upcoming meetings, and shall act as a clearing house of information to notify members of special events, deaths, etc.

Membership Chairman. The Membership Chairman shall be responsible for the growth and maintenance of the membership of the Association. It is incumbent upon the Membership Chairman to stimulate, cultivate, and perpetuate the art of poetry writing. In doing so, the Membership Chairman (and/or members of his or her committee) shall contact and attend poetry events and venues around the city of San Antonio making individuals aware of the Association, shall distribute literature regarding the Association, and shall make additional efforts to promote the Association in order to perpetuate the growth of the Association.

Webmaster. The Webmaster shall be a voluntary position approved by the President. The Webmaster shall maintain the Association's Website, making changes and updating the Website as needed, and shall post poems for the Association's members to the Website at least on an annual basis. Members' poems published in Inkwell Echoes may likewise be published to the Association's Website.

ARTICLE XII—MEMBERSHIP DUES

Membership Dues are $25 per/annum and shall be paid each year in the month the member joined the Association. One copy of Inkwell Echoes will be given with paid dues.

ARTICLE XIII—PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

Any policy or procedure not outlined herein shall follow those set forth by Robert's Rules of Order. The parliamentarian shall be responsible to see that these rules are followed.

ARTICLE XIV—STANDING RULES

Standing rules shall be proposed by the Executive Committee and approved by a majority vote of a quorum of the membership.