Bylaws of the
Senior Computer Users Group of Greater Kansas City
January 4, 2019
ARTICLE I – Name
The name of this organization is Senior Computer Users Group of Greater Kansas City Association, Inc., also known (and hereinafter referred to) as “SenCom.” SenCom is incorporated in the State of Kansas as a not-for-profit corporation.
ARTICLE II – Objective
SenCom is dedicated to serving people age 50 years or older who use or want to explore computer related technologies to enhance their talents or share their knowledge.
ARTICLE III – Governance
SenCom is organized exclusively for educational and/or scientific purposes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
No part of the net earnings of the organization shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of SenCom’s purpose. No substantial part of the activities of the organization shall be carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation and the organization shall not participate in, or intervene in, (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this document, this organization shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by an organization exempt from Federal Income Tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding sections of any future Federal Tax Code, or (b) by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under Section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding sections of any future Federal Tax Code.
Upon the dissolution of the organization, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service, or corresponding sections of any future sections of Federal Tax Codes, or shall be distributed to the federal government or to a state or local government for public purposes.
ARTICLE IV – Membership and Structure
Section 1 Any person 50 years of age or older who lives in the greater Kansas City area is eligible to join SenCom as either a regular, participating or lifetime member.
Section 2 Regular members in good standing are persons who have paid dues and who attend regularly scheduled meetings and other SenCom-sponsored functions, including participation in computer classes or workshops.
Section 3 Participating members are regular members in good standing who volunteer to support SenCom’s activities by serving on the board of directors and/or by teaching classes, developing course materials, maintaining equipment and facilities, or any other ongoing assistance to achieve SenCom’s objectives.
Section 4 Lifetime membership may be granted by the board of directors.
Section 5 SenCom is governed by a board of directors, outlined in the following article.
Section 6 The board reserves the right to authorize the addition of corporate and/or professional affiliate members at which time such criteria will be specified.
Section 7 The board reserves the right to authorize a partnership or affiliation with any external group or organization that may desire same with SenCom.
ARTICLE V – Board of Directors
Section 1 Board Members
The board of directors shall consist of four (4) elected officers: president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. At any given time, the board may also include up to ten (10) additional directors.
Section 2 Qualifications
To qualify for a term as an elected officer or to serve as a board director, a member must be in good standing as determined by these bylaws.
Section 3 Term of Office
The normal term for the four elected officers shall be two years. Directors may serve indefinitely at the pleasure of the president.
Section 4 Vacancy in Office
A vacancy in any elective office other than president shall be filled by the board.
Section 5 Duties of Officers
Officers shall perform the duties provided in this section and such other duties as prescribed for the office in these bylaws, as assigned by the president and in the adopted parliamentary authority (see Section 8).
Item A The president shall:
1) Preside at all regular SenCom meetings and all board meetings.
2) Appoint up to ten (10) directors to serve on the board. Each director shall serve as committee chair of the function they represent.
3) Be an authorized signatory on checks.
Item B The vice-president shall:
1) Perform all duties in absence of the president.
2) Fill the unexpired term in the office of president if necessary.
3) Be an authorized signatory on checks.
Item C The secretary shall:
1) Record the minutes of SenCom board meetings and the Annual Meeting of Members.
2) Maintain SenCom’s bylaws document.
3) Perform any and all duties usual to the office of the secretary.
4) Be an authorized signatory on checks.
Item D The treasurer shall:
1) Keep an accurate account of all transactions of monies received or paid out, with supporting documentation.
2) Assure appropriate approvals and signatures on all expenditures, and the authorized signatures on checks.
3) Make a monthly financial report to the board.
4) Make all necessary tax/governmental reports on a timely basis to assure SenCom is in compliance.
Section 6 Removal from Office
Grounds for removal from office include members who fail to perform the assigned duties, or who miss three consecutive or any four of six regularly scheduled board meetings. Any such proceedings shall be approved by vote during a regular meeting of the board.
Section 7 Board Decisions
All decisions on behalf of SenCom shall be made during the regular meetings of the board. Any matter subject to voting shall be decided by a simple majority of quorum. A quorum is established upon the presence of at least half the voting board members.
Except for the president, all officers and directors are entitled to vote. The president votes only when necessary to break a tie. Past presidents may participate in all board meetings, however do not have voting privileges. Voting by proxy is permissible upon formal request. The president may authorize a vote by email or phone on SenCom business needing approval between board meetings.
Section 8 Formal Process
Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised shall be used in the event of procedural disagreements.
Article VI – Dues, Fees and Finances
Section 1 Membership Dues and Other Fees
Item A The dollar amount for SenCom’s annual membership dues and for any other fees paid by members or non-members shall be determined by vote of quorum during the regular meetings of the board.
Item B The board reserves the right to waive membership dues for participating and lifetime members, as described in Article IV Section 3 and 4 of these bylaws.
Item C Annual dues shall be payable in full on or before the anniversary of each member’s individual membership date.
Section 2 Membership Expiration
Membership and its privileges shall expire if dues are not paid within 30 days after the anniversary date. The board reserves the right to extend this period to 60 days on an individual case basis.
Section 3 Fiscal Period
SenCom’s Fiscal Year is from May 1 through April 30.
Section 4 Budget
The board reserves the right to require preparation of an annual budget subject to approval by the board.
Section 5 Audit
The board reserves the right to request an audit of all financial records.
Section 6 Approval of Expenditures
SenCom shall not be liable for any expenditure not specifically provided for in the annual budget made by any member on behalf of SenCom without prior approval of the board.
If an approved annual budget does not exist, then all expenditures must have board approval.
Section 7 Property
The resources of SenCom are for the exclusive use of the organization.
ARTICLE VII – Meetings
Section 1 General Monthly Meetings
SenCom conducts ten (10) general monthly meetings throughout the year that feature a presentation on a topic of interest.
Section 2 Annual Meeting of Members
Whereas nine of the ten general monthly meetings described in the preceding section are open to the public, the May meeting is restricted to SenCom members. It is during this Annual Meeting of Members that the board of directors will conduct any business of SenCom that requires disclosure to and/or voting by the general membership.
Section 3 Monthly Board of Directors Meeting
The board of directors meets monthly throughout the calendar year. The board reserves the right to adjust the meeting time and place as needed. The president may call a Special Meeting of Board Members and shall provide a notice of not less than three (3) days.
ARTICLE VIII – Nominations and Elections of Officers
Section 1 At least thirty (30) days prior to the Annual Meeting of Members, a nominating committee, consisting of at least three members shall be appointed by the board of directors, and approved by vote during a regular meeting of the board. The committee shall prepare a slate of at least one name for each officer whose term is expiring.
Section 2 Election of officers shall be held during the Annual Meeting of Members. In addition to the slate of names presented by the nominating committee, any member may nominate or be nominated from the floor. The nominee must agree to serve if elected. Those elected shall assume the office immediately.
Item A The normal term of office shall be two years.
Item B To prevent simultaneous office vacancies, the board reserves the right to declare election of two officers for either a one-year abbreviated term or a three-year extended term. The other two officers shall serve the normal term of two years. The secretary shall keep a record of the current terms and expiration dates for each officer. Any adjustment to terms of office shall be approved by vote during a regular meeting of the board.
ARTICLE IX – Grievance or Removal of Members Procedure
Section 1 In addition to any other ground or cause, any member who violates the bylaws or whose conduct discredits SenCom or who brings SenCom into bad repute before the public, or whose continued conduct is objectionable to other members of SenCom, may be suspended, denied any or all privileges of membership, or expelled from SenCom by vote of board of directors.
Section 2 Any SenCom member may request the suspension, denial of privileges, or expulsion of any other SenCom member by advising the board in writing of such request, along with a summary of the grounds supporting such request.
Section 3 Upon receipt of such a request, the board shall provide the member whose suspension or expulsion is sought with a copy of the request for such suspension or expulsion and the board shall schedule a meeting to consider such request. The request and notice of the meeting of the board shall be given by first class or certified mail sent to the last address of the member shown on SenCom’s records. Notice shall be deemed to have been given on the date such notice is mailed.
Section 4 The meeting to consider a request to suspend or expel a member shall be scheduled not less than fifteen (15) days after such member has been given written notice of the request for suspension or expulsion, including the reasons therefore.
Section 5 At the meeting of the board, the subject member shall be afforded an opportunity to be heard, orally and/or in writing, and to be represented by counsel if so desired.
Section 6 The effective date of any decision to suspend or expel a member shall not be less than five (5) days after the meeting of the board at which such decision is made. Any member expelled from SenCom shall receive a refund of membership dues adjusted for the balance of remaining membership time.
ARTICLE X – Amendments
Proposed changes to these bylaws may be made by any member in good standing and must be presented in writing at a meeting of the board and approved by two thirds of the board members present and voting.
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify the foregoing bylaws were duly adopted initially on April 6, 2001 and as amended on March 7, 2008 and January 4, 2019.
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/s/ Frank Cockrell, Secretary
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(Date)
We hereby certify these bylaws were duly amended by the board to include prescribed wording necessary to qualify this organization for 501(c)(3) tax exempt status on October 15, 2002.
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/s/ Frank Cockrell, Secretary
(Date)__________________
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/s/ Mike Hurley, Treasurer
(Date)_________________