Constitution and Bylaws of the North Coast Fossil Club

ARTICLE I. NAME
The name of the organization shall be North Coast Fossil Club.

ARTICLE II. PURPOSES
The purposes and objectives of the North Coast Fossil Club (a.k.a. NCFC) shall be:
(A) To foster the closer association of persons interested in fossils.
(B) To promote the safe and responsible collection, study, preparation and display of fossils.
(C) To encourage interest and education in paleontology, geology, and related topics.

ARTICLE III. ORGANIZATIONAL FORM AND RESTRICTIONS
(A) NCFC shall be a nonstock, nonprofit corporation for educational and recreational purposes.
(B) No part of any net earnings shall be for the private benefit of club members.
(C) The private property of the members of this corporation shall not be liable for the debts of this corporation, and shall be wholly exempt therefrom.
(D) NCFC and its board members assume no liability for any harm to person or property in connection with any field trips, meetings, or other NCFC functions.

ARTICLE IV. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Qualifications
(A) Membership shall be open to anyone who is interested in fossils and agrees to abide by the Constitution and Bylaws of the NCFC.
(B) Membership will be required for regular participation in NCFC's activities.

Section 2. Types of Membership
(A) The types of memberships shall be: Individual, Family, Junior, and Honorary, as defined in the Bylaws.
(B) Non-member subscriptions to the club newsletter may also be offered.

Section 3. Dues.
(A) Annual dues shall be required for membership, except for elected Honorary members.
(B) Dues amounts shall be determined by the Board of Directors, and collected by the Treasurer in the manner prescribed in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE V. OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
Section 1 Officers.
(A) Officers of NCFC shall consist of President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
(B) No officer shall hold the same office for more than 2 years in succession. If no candidate can be found to run for the office at the end of the 2 years, the Board of
     Directors will have the authority to appoint a member to fill that office, not to exclude the current office holder.  Appointment to take place after ratified by membership
     at a regular meeting.

Section 2. Board of Directors
(A) The Board of Directors (a.k.a. The Board) shall consist of the officers plus 3 Members-at-Large.
(B) Duties, authority, and elections of Board members shall be as prescribed in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE VI. MEETINGS
Section 1. Regular Meetings and general meeting policies
(A) A Regular Meeting of NCFC shall be held each month at a time and place announced by the Board
(B) A quorum at regular meetings shall consist of at least 20% of the membership and two officers.
(C) Votes and other official actions at meetings require a quorum, except for the special case described in the Bylaws under "Replacement of Officers & Board Members"
(D) Only paid up members 18 years of age or older may vote.
(E) A majority vote shall be required for passage of motions at regular and Board meetings.
(F) Proxy voting shall not be permitted at regular or Board meetings.
(G) Meetings may be conducted in a formal or informal democratic manner at the discretion of the presiding officer, however, upon request by any member, formal
      parliamentary procedure as defined in Robert's Rules of Order will be invoked to resolve questions or disputes.

Section 2. Board Meetings.
(A) The President shall call Board meetings as required, with a minimum of 2 per year.
(B) Board members are expected to regularly attend Board meetings.
(C) Committee chairpersons may be requested to attend Board meetings as needed.
(D) All NCFC members are welcome at Board meetings.
(E) Only Officers and Members-at-Large may vote at Board meetings.
(F) A quorum for board meetings requires 3 or more Board members, including two officers.

ARTICLE VII. ORDER OF AUTHORITY
(A) The order of authority on any decisions and votes, from highest to lowest authority, shall be as follows: 1. The Constitution and By Laws, 2. A vote of the general
      membership, 3. A vote of the Board, and 4. Individual officers and members. The Constitution and Bylaws shall have the highest and final authority unless amended
      by the procedures outlined herein.
(B) Lower-precedence entitles may not override voted-upon decisions of a higher authority on any specific question or policy, nor attempt to undermine such decisions by
     any means.

ARTICLE VIII. AMENDMENTS AND REVISIONS TO CONSTITUTION OR BYLAWS.
(A) Proposed changes to the Constitution or Bylaws must be presented at a regular meeting at least one month prior to the meeting at which the changes are voted
     upon.
(B) The Constitution and Bylaws may be amended or revised only by a two-thirds vote of the membership present at a regular meeting, providing a quorum is present.

ARTICLE IX DISSOLUTION.
(A) Upon dissolution of the corporation, all assets and funds remaining after the corporation's operating expenses have been paid will be passed on to other organizations
     devoted solely to benevolent purposes.

BYLAWS
ARTICLE I. DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.
Section 1. The President:
(A) Shall be the chief officer of NCFC, and preside at regular and Board meetings.
(B) Shall appoint initial standing and special committee chairpersons.
(C) Shall facilitate communication and cooperation among all members and committees of NCFC, outside organizations, and the public.

Section 2. The Vice President:
(A) Shall preside at meetings in the absence of the President.
(B) Shall assist the president and other Board members as needed

Section 3. The Secretary:
(A) Shall record minutes at each meeting and present them at the following meeting.
(B) Conduct club correspondence as needed.
(C) Be the custodian of all official papers and records of the club.
(D) Preside at meetings in the absence of the President and Vice President.

Section 4. The Treasurer:
(A) Shall collect, and issue receipts for, all dues, donations, and other income to NCFC.
(B) Shall disburse funds at the authorization of the Board
(C) Shall maintain an orderly bookkeeping ledger of all income and expenses of NCFC.
(D) Shall issue a written report each month of all NCFC income and expenses.
(E) Shall maintain membership records and issue membership cards.
(F) Shall print and distribute NCFC rosters as requested by the Board.
(G) Shall submit records for audit by a committee appointed by the Board, on a biannual basis or as requested by the Board.

Section 5. Board of Directors:
(A) Shall make decisions on any matters not specified in the Constitution and Bylaws or voted upon by the membership at a regular meeting.
(B) Shall authorize expenditures to be carried out by the treasurer or other officer.
(C) May, upon review and a hearing, expel from NCFC any member who is disruptive or disorderly during NCFC functions, or who does not abide by the Constitution and
     Bylaws.

ARTICLE II. COMMITTEES AND PROGRAM DIRECTORS.
(A) Standing and special committees shall be created and dissolved by the Board as needed.
(B) The positions of Program Director and Editor shall be considered heads of standing committees.
(C) The Program Director shall help arrange for speakers and other programs at monthly meetings.
(D) The Editor shall coordinate production of the Newsletter and other publications of NCFC.
(E) Chairpersons of each committee shall enlist participants and call committee meetings as needed.
(F) Committee chairpersons will report their progress at each regular meeting or as requested by the Board.
(G) If a committee chairperson cannot continue his duties, the Board will appoint a willing replacement.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP TYPES
(A) Members must meet all qualifications described in the Constitution and Bylaws.
(B) A Family Membership includes those family members within one household as listed on the membership application. The head of the household shall sign the
     membership application and be responsible for the safety and actions of the participating family members.
(C) Individuals must be at least 18 years of age to be considered for Individual membership.
(D) Junior Membership is available to individuals under 18. Junior members have restrictions on voting and field trip participation as outlined elsewhere in the Constitution
      and Bylaws.
(E) Honorary members may be created by vote of the Board or general membership to acknowledge the special achievements or exceptional contributions of certain
     members. Honorary members are exempt from dues but bound by all other aspects of the Constitution and Bylaws.
(F) Subscriptions to NCFC newsletter may be offered on a non-member basis. Such subscribers have no membership privileges, but may participate from time to time as
     guests subject to guest restrictions, as outlined below.
(G) Guests may attend a limited number of NCFC meetings at the discretion of the board, but must be accompanied by an adult member acting as sponsor.
(H) Guests, and members less than 18 years old, may not participate in field trips unless permitted by the site owner and manager, and unless accompanied by an adult
     member willing to assume responsibility for the minor's or guest's actions and safety.

ARTICLE IV. NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
Section 1. Election Procedures
(A) Each position of the Board of Directors (officers and Members-at-large) shall be Elected annually.
(B) At the regular October meeting the presiding officer shall appoint a Nominating Committee, consisting of three members, to nominate candidates for all Board
     positions.
(C) Candidates must be paid up members at least 18 years of age, willing to accept the duties of the respective office.
(D) At the November regular meeting, the Nominating Committee shall present a list of candidates, at which time any additional nominations will be accepted from the
     floor.
(E) Elections shall take place at the regular December meeting, or if they cannot be held in December for any reason, at the next available regular meeting.
(F) Where two or more persons are nominated for an office, voting shall proceed by secret ballot.
(G) The candidate receiving the greatest number of votes for each office (whether a majority or not) will be declared elected, and shall take office as of February 1.
(H) The President shall not vote except to break a tie.

Section 2. Replacement of Officers and Board Members.
(A) If any officer or Member-at-Large resigns, does not regularly attend meetings, or otherwise reneges on his or her duties, a replacement shall be nominated by the
     Board and voted upon at the next regular meeting.
(B) If two or more Board members resign during the same month, replacements shall be nominated by remaining board members, or in the absence of remaining board
     members, by any remaining NCFC members at the next regular meeting. At this meeting nominated candidates shall be confirmed or rejected by a vote of the
     membership, regardless of whether a quorum is present. Nominations and elections may proceed at this meeting until a board of at least a president and two officers
     is established. If such a board cannot be established by this means, the NCFC shall be considered dissolved.

ARTICLE V. FISCAL YEAR
(A) The Fiscal Year of NCFC shall run from January I and End on December 31 each year.

ARTICLE VI. AWARDS
(A). The Board of Directors may give an annual "Outstanding Member" award or other awards at their discretion.

ARTICLE VII. ETHICS AND ORDERLY CONDUCT
(A) Members of NCFC are expected to conduct themselves ethically and orderly during NCFC functions, and refrain from any activities that would harm the good name or
     reputation of NCFC.
(B) Members shall not claim or pretend to be conducting NCFC business or work unless they actually are at the time, nor represent themselves to be members of NCFC
     while engaged in any questionable or improper activities on their own time.
(C) No one may make a non-operating expenditure or incur any indebtedness for NCFC without prior authorization of the Board

ARTICLE VIII. SAFETY, FIELD TRIPS, AND LIABILITY DISCLAIMER
(A) Members must recognize that field trips include inherent dangers and risks, and shall hold blameless the officers and members of NCFC for any losses, damages, or
     injuries during such trips.
(B) NCFC and Board members assume no liability for any loss or harm to persons or property in connection with any field trips, meetings, or other functions of NCFC.
(C) The NCFC and its Board members shall not be responsible for any unauthorized expenditure or debt incurred by any of its members.
(D) Members and guests may be required to sign release forms to participate in field trips or other activities.
(E) Members agree to abide by the rules and policies of land owners or quarry managers during field trips.
(F) No minors (persons under 18 years of age) may participate in field trips unless accompanied by an adult responsible for the safety and conduct of said minors.
(G) When the number of persons who may be accommodated on a field trip is limited, preference may be given to members in good standing

ARTICLE IX. FIELD TRIP POLICY
(A) Members MUST BE PRESENT at the meeting prior to the trip to sign up for the field trip. Everyone who signs up at the meeting will be on the trip list, or will be put on the
     waiting list if too many have signed up.
(B) Field trip locations will be disclosed at the aforementioned meeting and not before. An email will be sent out to NCFC members after the meeting with specific information
     concerning the field trip.
(C) After the meeting, any member not in attendance and wishing to go on the field trip may contact the trip leader via E-MAIL only after 12:00 noon on the day of the regular
     meeting. Any openings will be filled on a first come first served basis.
(D) No member can add another member's name to the signup sheet, with the exception of family members for a Family Membership.
(E) Members cannot bring guests to field trips unless the guest becomes a club member.
(F) New members can join the NCFC on the day of the trip if there is space available, plus they must read and sign the official list of trip rules and regulations.
(G) Concerning field trips with a limited number of collecting slots: Members who sign up for a field trip that has a limited number of collecting slots are required to inform the
      trip leader at least 1 day prior to the field trip if they will not be able to attend the field trip.
(H) Concerning field trips with a limited number of collecting slots: Members who fail to inform the trip leader at least 1 day prior to the field trip of their absence from the field
     trip who do not have an emergency situation that prevented their attendance of the field trip will be automatically placed on the waiting list for the next future field trip to
     that same collecting site.

ARTICLE X. MISCELLANEOUS POLICIES
(A) All questions of procedure or order during NCFC meetings not covered by the Constitution and Bylaws shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order.
(B) Use and distribution of the NCFC roster and membership data shall be governed by the Board


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