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By-Laws

Sat, 05/07/2011 - 20:47 — cmsadmin

Adopted December 9, 2001
Revised March 2007

  1. Name
    1. The organization shall be called Arlington Business and Civic Circle (ABCC).
  2. Purpose
    1. Understand and promote the businesses of other members;
    2. Enhance business skills and knowledge;
    3. Expand members' professional networks to provide better service to our clients; and
    4. Make a contribution to our communities with commitments of time and/or money.
  3. Definitions
    1. Various terms are used throughout this document and are defined in the sections indicated below:
      1. Regular Member
      2. Associate Member
      3. Executive Committee
      4. Membership Committee
      5. Qualified Referral
      6. Quorum Vote
  4. Membership Standards
    1. Applicants / Membership Process
      1. There shall be only one Regular member per professional category. Each member may represent only one category.
      2. There may be more than one Associate member per professional category. Each member may represent only one category.
      3. If an applicant presents a potential category conflict with a Regular Member, the Membership Committee will work with the applicant and Regular Member to attempt to resolve the conflict before deciding on the status of the applicant.
      4. Guests may attend three meetings before they are required to submit an application for membership.
      5. Applications for membership will be submitted to the Membership Committee for review and approval. The Membership Committee should grant membership to individuals who fulfill their membership responsibilities.
      6. A membership is assigned to an individual, not the company he or she represents. A member may change the professional category he or she represents as long as the change does not create a category conflict with another member.
    2. Ongoing Membership Standards
      1. Membership shall be continuous as long as the member is considered a Regular Member, as described below.
      2. Active participation in the group is critical to the success of each member and the group as a whole. Members are expected to attend all group meetings.
      3. Members may designate other individuals within their company to attend on a permanent, temporary or alternating basis.
      4. Members may designate a substitute to participate on their behalf if they are unable to attend a meeting. Members who secure a substitute will not be counted as absent. Substitutes may not be members of ABCC.
      5. Regular members are required to attend a minimum of 75% of regular meetings during each six-month term. Those who fail to meet this attendance requirement may not be allowed to renew their membership as Regular members for the following term. These members may become Associate members for the subsequent term. The member may not apply for Regular membership again until he or she has remained an Associate member for a full six-month term.
      6. Associate members are required to attend a minimum of 25% of regular meetings during each six-month term. Associate members who fail to meet this attendance requirement may not renew their membership for the following term.
      7. Associate members' positions are not protected. More than one Associate member of the same profession can become a member of ABCC. If someone of the same profession applies to become a Regular member, the Membership Committee may offer the Associate member the opportunity to apply as a Regular member as well. If the Associate member applies for full membership, the Membership Committee will determine which application will be accepted.
      8. Associate members are not eligible to vote or become officers. They are expected to do one-on-one meetings and will be invited to do presentations.
      9. Members are expected to learn about other members' businesses, remain aware of potential opportunities for other members and give Qualified Referrals.
      10. A member gives a Qualified Referral when he or she
        1. Connects another member to an individual or business that has expressed a need for their product or service;
        2. Connects another member to an individual that could refer business to the member; or
        3. Brings a guest to a meeting.
      11. Members are expected to help keep the group successful and growing by promoting the group, volunteering for leadership or committee assignments, lending expertise or general assistance, etc.
      12. Members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner within the group and especially with referrals passed from another member. High quality service to mutual clients is critical to the ongoing success of each member and the group.
      13. Members must respect the privacy of client information and ensure the confidentiality of mutual clients.
    3. Dispute Resolution
      1. Disputes may arise in various areas such as (but not limited to), category definitions, quality of service, quality of referrals, etc.
      2. In dealing with any disputes that involve clients, any resolution should place the highest priority on maintaining the high quality service and confidentiality expected from members.
      3. Members are expected to first try to resolve disputes amongst themselves, as professionals.
      4. Any disputes that cannot be resolved between members should be referred to the Membership Committee for review and a recommendation.
      5. Dispute reolutions proposed by the Membership Committee shall be binding on members.
      6. Members not satisfied by a Membership Committee resolution can appeal the decision to the full membership.
  5. Meeting Format
    1. Meetings shall be held on Wednesday mornings, begin promptly at 7:30 a.m. and end promptly at 9:00 a.m. The membership can change the location of the meeting with a Majority Vote.
    2. The suggested meeting format is
      1. Informal Networking, welcome 7:30 a.m. - 7:45 a.m.
      2. Members' 60-second introductions 7:45 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.
      3. Scheduled 10-minute presentation 8:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
      4. Referrals and testimonials 8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.
      5. Officer reports 8:45 a.m. - 8:55 a.m.
      6. Announcements 8:55 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
    3. Members will periodically be responsible for the 10-minute presentation and may, at their discretion:
      1. Present information about their business.
      2. Educate the group about a business (e.g., marketing, networking, etc.) concept you have used or recently learned; or
      3. Arrange for a qualified guest speaker to present information on a business concept; the guest speaker should not treat this as a sales presentation.
    4. During the last meeting of every month, the time allocated for the 10-minute presentation will be used to discuss organization business, administrative issues, civic projects, etc. This time can also be used for guest speakers from community or civic organizations.
    5. Meetings will not be held on holidays. A Quorum vote of the membership is required to cancel regularly scheduled meetings.
    6. In case of inclement weather, meetings will follow the school-closing schedule of the Arlington County Public Schools, as reported by local media. When the County schools are closed, no meeting will be held; if County schools are opening late, members who choose not to attend will not be considered absent.
  6. Leadership
    1. The elected leadership shall consist of a President, Membership Coordinator, Secretary/Treasurer and Civic Coordinator. These four, plus the most recent past President, shall comprise the Executive Committee. Members are required to have fulfilled their obligations to ABCC as described in this document for at least one full term of six months before being eligible to hold an elected position.
    2. The Membership Coordinator shall appoint two members, who are not part of the Executive Committee, to service with the Membership Coordinator on the Membership Committee.
    3. The President shall preside over meetings, ensuring that the begin and end on time, welcome and announce visitors, and chair the Executive Committee.
    4. The Membership Coordinator shall keep a roster of all members, track qualified referrals passed and received, preside over meetings if the President is absent, and chair the Membership Committee.
    5. The Secretary/Treasurer shall oversee the finances of the group, collect dues, make disbursements, keep a log of attendance and maintain a schedule of members responsible for 10-minute presentations.
    6. The Civic Coordinator shal seek input from the members on possible civic projects, research potential time and financial costs, report on active projects and recommend future projects to the membership.
    7. The Executive Committee in responsible for maintaining the viability of the group. The Executive Committee may present recommentations on issues such as (but not limited to): meeting format, membership criteria, promotion of the group, administrative funcations, etc. All recommendations are subject to a Majority Vote of the membership.
    8. The Membership Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving applications for membership, resolving disputes between members, encouraging regular attendance by all members and following up with visitors.
    9. Elected leaders shall serve a term of six months.
    10. The Membership Committee is responsible for identifying members who are capable and willing to serve as elected leaders. The Membership Committee will seek input and interest from all members and present nominees to the membership at the first meetings in December and June.
    11. Nominations may also be made from the floor during the election meeting.
    12. Elections will be held on the second meetings in December and in June. New officers will begin their terms at the first meetings in January and July.
    13. The Executive Committee may appoint a licensed attorney to act as General Counsel for the group. The General Counsel is not considered to be a member, is not bound by any obligations of membership, is not required to pay dues and does not receive or make referrals, but may attend regular meetings of ABCC.
  7. Finances
    1. Dues are collected semi-annually, on January 1 and July 1 of each year. Regular member dues are $50 per six-month term. Associate members' dues will be $40 per six-month term.
    2. New members will be charged a pro-rated amount so that all member dues are collected at the same time. New members who join in the last month of a dues period will be charged the full semi-annual dues and their membership will extend through the upcoming dues period.
    3. Members who do not remit dues within 30 days will forfeit their membership.
    4. All expenditures over $50 require a Majority Vote of the membership; the Executive Committee may approve expenditures under $50. A disbursement not to exceed $100 may be made to a charitable organization invited to make a presentation to the group.
    5. The group is not a charitable organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Code, and therefore may only solicit donations on behalf of other charitable organizations. No donations will be accepted directly by the group.
  8. By-law Changes
    1. A majority Vote of the Membership may change the organization by-laws. Proposed changes will be presented and read at two meetings prior to a vote being taken.
    2. All items that require a Majority Vote will be approved if they receive a number of votes greater than half of the number of Regular Members.
    3. All items that require a Quorum Vote will be approved if they receive a number of votes greater than half the number of Regular Members in attendance at the meeting when the vote is taken. A Quorum Vote may only be taken if at least 60% of Regular Members are present at the meeting when the vote is taken.
  9. Document History
    1. This document was originally adopted on December 9, 2002, by the founding members.
    2. Amended May 28, 2004. Paragraph 5.d. updated to reflect indented time for community speakers.
    3. Amended March 7, 2007. Paragraph 4.a.ii updated to move category conflict resolution to the Membership Committee.