Article I – Name

This organization shall be known as Writers' Bloc.

Article II—Object

The purpose of this club is to support, nurture and develop all

aspects of writing and publishing products of members of this

organization.

Article III – Membership

A. Anyone interested in writing and meeting with others of like interests is welcome to become a member.

B. Prospective members may attend two meetings prior to payment of dues.

C. Club membership list is confidential and must not be used in the promotion of business interests or given out to nonmembers.

Article IV – Dues

A. The annual dues shall be an amount set by the Board of Directors. Dues should be paid in September and would be delinquent after the October meeting.

B. Dues must be paid by the November meeting in order for the member’s name to appear in the directory and have voting privileges.

C. All dues will be paid to the Treasurer.

D. Paying full membership dues will reinstate delinquent members.

E. Dues for first time members joining after the October meeting will be prorated by 1/12th of regular dues per each month missed. If joining after April 30, the dues shall be one half regular dues for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Article V – Fiscal Year

The Fiscal year will be September 1 through August 30.

Article VI – Meetings

A. Meetings shall be held on the fourth Monday of each month, September through August, unless proper notice 30 days in advance is given to the membership and published in the paper. B. Roberts Rules of Order, current version, shall govern all meetings.

Article VII – Officers

A. The Nominating Committee will present a slate of officers at the regular June meeting to be voted on at the July meeting and be installed at the September meeting. If there are two or more candidates for any post, the voting will always be by secret ballot. The candidate with the most votes will be elected to the position.

B. The officers shall consist of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Newsletter Editor, Historian, Hospitality Coordinator, Parliamentarian and Director of Publicity.

C. The officers will serve one year from time of installation until the following September.

D. Resignation of an Officer:

1. When an Officer-Elect resigns before being installed, the Nominating Committee shall fill the vacancy and a second election will be held to fill that post.

2. When an Officer resigns during his/her term, the vacancy shall be filled by the Executive Board.

Article VIII – Executive Board

A. The Executive Board shall consist of the elected officers and any standing committee chairpersons.

B. The Executive Board shall be the governing body of the organization

C. Duties of the Executive Board:

1. To coordinate the plans and activities of the

organization.

2. To appoint the chairpersons of the

committees.

3. To appoint a nominating committee.

4. To determine the amount of monies given to program speakers.

5. Shall audit Treasurer’s books in August of each year.

6. Shall determine the dollar amount of yearly dues each year prior to the September meeting.

D. Quorum – Board meetings may be conducted with a minimum of five board members present.

E. No major decision to commit this organization on any matter shall be considered by the organization until the Executive Board has approved it.

Article IX – Duties of Officers

PRESIDENT:

1. Shall preside at all organization meetings and shall act as Chairperson of the Executive Board.

2. Shall appoint Special Committees.

3. Shall be ex-officio member of all Special Committees, except the nominating committee.

4. Shall appoint the By-Laws Revision Committee when deemed necessary.

VICE PRESIDENT:

1. Shall preside in the absence of the President.

2. Shall be in charge of the programs and shall

appoint persons to assist him/her.

3. Shall be responsible for the purchase of the gift for

the outgoing President.

SECRETARY:

1. Shall keep minutes of all meetings of the

organization and the Executive Board.

2. Shall read minutes at each meeting.

3. Shall coordinate with Treasurer and complete all

data and arrange for printing and distribution of the directory.

TREASURER:

1. Shall be in charge of receiving and distribution of all monies of the organization.

2. Shall submit written or oral report at the general meetings and the Executive Board meetings.

3. Shall make the year-end, fiscal report to the Executive Board at the August meeting of the Board.

4. Shall coordinate with the Secretary and complete all data and arrange for printing and distribution of the directory.

5. Shall keep a running list of all paid members and the date they joined and submit each new name to the Newsletter Editor.

Article X – Duties of the other officers and Special Committees:

A. Historian: Shall collect all items of interest concerning the organization and shall keep them in a scrapbook.

B. Director of Publicity: Shall submit the monthly meeting notice in the Hood County News and the Shopping Spot two weeks before the meeting and work with other chairmen for their publicity needs.

C. Newsletter Editor: Shall prepare a monthly newsletter and snail mail or e-mail to all members at least 6 days before the meeting.

D. Hospitality Coordinator: Shall coordinate volunteers to provide refreshments for all monthly meetings and be the backup in emergencies.

E. Parliamentarian: Shall make all procedure decisions in case of a dispute. Shall chair the nominating committee and be its fifth member.

F. Critique Coordinator: The President may appoint a member to facilitate the critique session according to the groups rules of critique.

G. Chips Coordinator: Shall receive and arrange for printing of the Chips Anthology. This Chairman may select other committee members as needed.

Article XI – Revisions

These Bi-Laws may be amended or revised once a year after review by the Executive Board. Revisions will be voted on by the membership.

All committee chairpersons shall keep a notebook during each term of office and pass it on to the incoming chairperson at the joint meeting of the new and outgoing boards.