POLICIES & CONSTITUTION
As a social organization that serves women from many different cultures, it helps to run our club with formal governance. When our founders created BBNC in 1948, they created a Constitution that grows and changes along with our club.
BIRMINGHAM BLOOMFIELD COMMUNITY HOUSE NEWCOMERS CLUB
Founded in 1948 as a nonprofit organization
CONSTITUTION – March 2023
The name of this Club shall be the Birmingham Bloomfield Newcomers & Neighbors Club aka BBNC Tax ID Number 38-2384012.
ARTICLE II: PURPOSE
Its purpose is to help newcomers to, as well as long term residents of, the Greater Metro Detroit area become acquainted with one another and their community.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1 Membership is a privilege not a right and is subject to approval.
Definition in accordance with the membership management program.
a. Active Member – An active member is a member who has paid or is exempt from paying.
b. Lapsed Member – a member who has not renewed (paid) their membership for the current year.
c. Pending New – someone who has completed an online application. Applications can be pending new if they are awaiting approval, denial and/or payment has not been received.
d. Archived Member – previously active members whose details have been archived.
e. Contact – Everyone in the member management program is a contact.
f. Honorary Member – Past Presidents exempt from paying dues.
Section 2 Each active member is entitled to access the current online membership directory. This directory and all supplements are for the exclusive use of the membership and may not be distributed to any other persons or organizations, commercial or otherwise.
Section 3 The use of membership data for any kind of business is not allowed. The use of Club meetings or activities for the promotion of any business is also not allowed unless approved by the Executive Committee.
Section 4 BBNC events are meant to encourage a positive and welcoming environment. Any disagreements with other members or club policy should be discussed away from official events and off public platforms. Any club policy issues should be directed privately to any member of the board.
ARTICLE IV : FINANCES
Section 1 – Budgets
a. At the September Board meeting the Treasurer must present the budget for approval, to be
finalized by the October Board Meeting.
b. All expenditures not included in the budget must be voted on separately by the Executive Committee.
c. The Treasurer shall balance the books at the close of each fiscal year (July 1 – June 30).
d. A financial report (actual expenses versus budget) should be issued at the end of each month and presented to the board.
Section 2 – Reimbursement
Activity Leaders and Board Members are responsible for submitting their reimbursement requests in a timely manner and prior to June 30th of the same fiscal year. In order to get reimbursed, paper or digital receipts must be provided to the treasurer, except in cases where a receipt is not possible (such as tips).
Section 3 – Fiscal Year-End Review
The BBNC will annually prepare and file financial statements and reports as required by law, utilizing such financial professionals, when deemed necessary by the Board.
ARTICLE V: WELCOME EVENT
The Club shall meet at least 5 times between September and May for a welcome event.
ARTICLE VI: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND ELECTED OFFICERS
The Club is governed by the Executive Committee and the Board Members.
Section 1 – Executive Committee
a. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Past President.
b. The primary function of the Executive Committee is to provide leadership to the club and overall, ongoing directions to the Board during monthly meetings.
c. The Executive Committee authorizes and monitors all the programs and activities of the Board Members and Activity Leaders to ensure compliance with the constitution and the purpose of the club.
d. The Executive Committee shall facilitate and preside over internal meetings.
e. The Executive Committee shall act on behalf of the club between board meetings. The Executive Committee shall report all its actions to the Board at the next board meeting.
Section 2 – Elected Officers
a. These are President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.
b. The Elected Officers shall act in good faith to promote the purpose of the club.
c. The President shall be selected from the Board Members of the previous three Boards and automatically serve as Past President the following term.
d. If a vacancy occurs in an elected office, the Executive Committee shall appoint a successor for the balance of the term.
e. If a Past President is unable or unwilling to serve, a Past President or a member from a previous Executive Committee shall be selected to serve in the position.
Section 3 – Duties of Officers
a. The President shall serve one full year term and will preside at all meetings and have general supervision of the Club. The President shall appoint all Activity and Administrative Leaders. The President shall be an ex-officio member (by right of office) of all committees.
b. The Vice President shall assume the duties of the President in their absence and shall be of assistance to the President.
c. The Secretary shall keep a record of all proceedings of the Club, handle all correspondence, and be responsible for all clerical revisions of the constitution. Clerical revisions (spelling, punctuation, etc.) of the constitution do not need approval of the Board.
d. The Treasurer shall be custodian of all club funds, make disbursements of the funds when authorized by the Board, maintain necessary financial records, and submit required IRS forms.
e. The Past President shall serve as Election Chairperson, Parliamentarian and Advisor. She may not hold the position of President in the future. A Past President shall become a lifetime member of the Club exempt from payments of dues.
f. The President and Vice President shall have administrative site access to the official BBNC Website, Wild Apricot, all Social Media accounts, Zoom and all other official BBNC accounts and tools used by the club to manage membership, activities, and information.
g. The President or Vice President shall grant site access to members as needed to perform their club tasks.
ARTICLE VII: BOARD
Section 1 The Board shall consist of the Executive Committee and the Activity/Administrative Leaders chosen by the President.
Section 2 The board shall meet once a month September through May and may meet during summer (June, July, August) as deemed appropriate.
Section 3 Board Members are expected to attend the board meetings and to fulfill their assigned duties. Board members must be activity leaders or hold an administrative leadership position.
Section 4 The role of the Board is to maintain a constructive partnership with the Executive Committee to transact the business of the club, set strategic plans, and approve proposed activities throughout the year according to the purpose of the club.
Section 5 Each Board Member will make decisions based on a personal examination of the facts, acting with transparency, integrity and in the best interest of the Club as a whole.
ARTICLE VIII: ACTIVITY LEADERS AND ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERS (LEADERS)
Section 1 Activity Leaders have autonomy in leading their free events if they adhere to the club’s constitution, spirit, and purpose. Notification of the Board is required, even for free events, unless they are reoccurring. Those events requiring a fee must obtain approval from the Board.
Section 2 Administrative Leaders are members performing any administrative or supportive work in an official capacity for the club.
Section 3 All Leaders are appointed by the President.
Section 4 Each Leader should receive a description of duties. A copy of the Constitution can be found on the Club website.
ARTICLE IX: ELECTION PROCEDURE
Section 1 Elections shall be held in May during an election meeting on a date designated by a majority vote of the Board.
Section 2 All current Board Members and those from the previous two years are invited to the election meeting to nominate the Elected Officers
- a. The first ballot will be for President.
- 1. The Past-President will open nominations to the floor.
- 2. Nomination will be open for seconding.
- 3. The Past-President will then ask the person nominated if they are willing to serve.
- 4. If more than one person is nominated, each nominee will have up to 5 minutes to state why they are best suited for the position.
- 5. Once all nominees are heard, anonymous ballots will be cast.
- 6. The Past-President and Treasurer will tabulate the results.
- b. The second ballot is for Vice President, following the same procedure listed above.
- c. The third ballot is for Secretary, following the same procedure listed above.
- d. The fourth ballot is for Treasurer, following the same procedure listed above.
Section 3 No uninvited members or proxies allowed. Only active members may vote.
Section 4Results of the election meeting are considered public upon adjournment. The Past-President will send out an email to membership with the results of the meeting and the Webmaster will post it on the website.
ARTICLE X: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Robert’s Rules of Order Revised shall govern the Club.
ARTICLE XI: GUESTS
Section 1 Guests are prospective members who may attend up to two free activities before paying dues as long as the activity leader and hostess, if applicable, are notified in advance.
Section 2 An activity leader may request approval from the Board to allow guests to attend a paid event on an exception basis.
ARTICLE XII: REVISIONS
Section 1Revisions, approved by a 2/3 (two-thirds) majority of the Board, may be made to this Constitution at any regular meeting.
Section 2 Revisions must be communicated to the active membership.
ARTICLE XIII: ACTIVITIES CONSISTENT WITH TAX EXEMPT STATUS
The club shall not, for the entirety of its existence, engage in any activity that would be inconsistent with maintaining a tax-exempt status under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c) (4) and related regulations, rulings, and procedures.
ARTICLE XIV: DISTRIBUTION OF ASSETS ON DISSOLUTION
Upon dissolution, the Club shall only distribute its net assets after payment of debts to organizations qualifying for tax-exempt status under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) and qualified under the laws of the State of Michigan to receive distributions from nonprofit organizations.
ARTICLE XV: COMPLAINTS AND DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE
Section 1 All complaints regarding the behavior of a member that is not acting in the best interest of the club should be referred to the Executive Committee who should attempt to resolve the matter in conjunction with the member concerned. The Executive Committee reserves the right to any of, but not limited to, the following actions: suspension of member(s) from the Club’s online communication channels, revocation of online communication channel privileges, suspension from activities, revocation of membership.
Section 2 The decision of the Executive Committee is final and in effect through the remainder of the BBNC fiscal year. If the former member applies for membership in subsequent years, her membership must be reviewed and voted on by the Board for acceptance or rejection.
Section 3 Any member whose membership has been revoked may not attend any club activity as a guest.
STANDING RULES
A. General Membership
1. These rules may be changed at any time by a majority vote of the Board.
2. The Board may not vote on a Standing Rule that conflicts with the Constitution of the Birmingham Bloomfield Newcomers & Neighbors Club.
3. No commitments for the Club shall be made by any individual member without approval of the Board.
4. Dues:
A. Details:
i. Yearly dues of $55.00 (per active member) are payable starting August 1st of each year.
ii. Dues are not refundable unless membership is revoked.
iii. New members who join on or after March 1st will have a reduced membership fee of $30.00. This member will then be charged the full dues at the start of the new fiscal year.
B. Renewal notices should be sent by mid-August. At this point membership status is Pending Renewal. A member whose membership status is pending renewal has the same rights as an active member.
C. If a member has not renewed the membership by mid-September, their membership status becomes lapsed. A lapsed member does not have access to the members-only pages. A lapsed member may renew their membership. They will be required to renew their membership before signing up for online events.
D. All lapsed members must renew their membership by October 1st.
E. The records of members who do not renew by November 1st will be archived.
5. Members may reside in any zip code area of the Greater Detroit Metro area.
6. All activities and projects will be conducted from a non-partisan, non-political standpoint at all times.
7. Only active members in good standing may participate in Club activities. Former members and others may not participate except as allowed under guest privileges.
8. If a member cancels a reservation for an activity or event, the fee is non-refundable unless otherwise noted.
9. All contracts of over $100.00 must be approved by the President and the Treasurer.
10. All profits made by any activity group must be returned to the treasurer, who will place it back into the general funds.
11. The WhatsApp Manager may suspend privileges of members who violate the club’s WhatsApp code of conduct repeatedly
B. Board
1. The Board should have a minimum of 11 members consisting of the Executive Committee and Activity and/or Administrative Leaders appointed by the President
2. Each Activity Leader is responsible for the organization and supervision of their activity and for any connected special interest activities.
C. Activity Groups
1. Activity groups shall be formed or discontinued by majority vote of the Board. Leaders shall be selected from the active membership.
2. These groups shall meet at times and places of their own choosing, being careful not to conflict with other groups whenever possible and alerting the Event Manager who oversees the Master Calendar.
3. The Activity Leaders are obligated to maintain the costs within the budget and deliver the related receipts to the Treasurer on a timely basis.