Kalamazoo Garden Club
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Organized 1928 • Federated 1934

By-Laws

ARTICLE I. Name
The name of this organization shall be the Kalamazoo Garden Club.

ARTICLE II. Purpose
The purpose of this organization shall be:
1. to stimulate and further the interest in horticulture, landscape design, and flower arranging;
2. to encourage a program of conservation and protection of all natural resources;
3. to promote the interests of the Federated Garden Clubs of Michigan and the Kalamazoo Garden Council, Inc.;
4. to coordinate the interests of the members and bring them into a closer relationship of mutual helpfulness; and
5. to involve each member as an active participant.

ARTICLE III. Membership
Membership in the Club shall be Active (limited to 50) and Associate.
1. An Active Member shall:
a. attend a minimum of eight meetings, workshops, district meetings or conventions annually, with exceptions considered individually;
b. serve as hostess once every three (3) years, and as assistant hostess once in each of the intervening two (2) years;
c. pay annual dues to include:
(1) regular club dues;
(2) annual dues to the Federated Garden Clubs of Michigan;
(3) annual dues to the Kalamazoo Garden Council, Inc.; and
d. serve on at least one committee.
2. An Associate Member shall:
a. be a member of long standing who is unable to meet the requirements of an Active Member. Membership must be approved by the Board of Directors;
b. serve as an assistant hostess if possible;
c. participate on committees and programs, when appropriate;
d. pay annual dues to include:
(1) regular club dues;
(2) annual dues to the Federated Garden Clubs of Clubs of Michigan; and
(3) annual dues to the Kalamazoo Garden Council, Inc.
3. The Board of Directors may bestow an honorary lifetime membership on persons who have contributed outstanding services to the club. To become an Honorary Member requires the approval of two-thirds of the entire Board of Directors. Honorary Members shall not be required to pay dues and shall not be counted for purposes of determining if a quorum is present at a meeting.

ARTICLE IV. Officers
1. The Elected Officers of this organization shall be:
a. President
b. First Vice President (Chairman of Programs)
c. Second Vice President (Chairman of Hostesses and Meeting Places)
d. Recording Secretary
e. Corresponding Secretary
f. Treasurer
2. These officers shall compose the Executive Committee and shall perform the duties prescribed by these By-Laws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Club. They shall:
a. act when necessary on matters of policy and administration;
b. act in exigencies; and
c. make a report to the Board of Directors of any actions taken and request ratification.

ARTICLE V. Dues
1. Dues shall be determined by the Board of Directors with recommendations from the Committee on Finance, subject to a majority vote by the membership.2. Active and Associate Members’ fees shall include annual dues to be paid to the Treasurer of:
a. Federated Garden clubs of Michigan, Inc.; and
b. Kalamazoo Garden Council, Inc.
3. Dues shall be payable in June. Members, whose dues have not been paid by September 1, will be removed from the membership roster.

ARTICLE VI. Meetings
1. There shall be twelve (12) regular meetings held on a Friday of each month that shall include a minimum of six (6) business meetings. A minimum of one business meeting and one Board meeting shall be held each quarter
2. The annual meeting shall be held in June.
3. The Executive Committee shall meet at the request of the president.
4. The Board of Directors shall meet at the request of the president or of three members of the Board.
5. A quorum shall be defined as follows:
a. one member over half of current active membership for an annual, regular or special meeting;
b. for an executive committee meeting three (3) members; and
c. for a Board of Directors meeting eight (8) members.

ARTICLE VII. Election of Officers
1. All officers shall be of one (1) year. No member may occupy the same office for more than two (2) consecutive terms.
2. A proposed slate of officers shall be presented by the Committee on Nominations at a meeting during the second quarter of the Club’s fiscal year.
3. The election of officers shall be no later than April 30th.
4. Vacancies in office shall be filled by the Committee on Nominations.

ARTICLE VIII. Duties of Elected Officers
1. The President shall:
a. preside at all meetings of the Kalamazoo Garden Club, the Board of Directors, and the Executive Committee;
b. appoint a Parliamentarian and Historian and all standing and special committee chairmen;
c. appoint an auditor to examine the Treasurer’s books at the end of the fiscal year.
d. be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Committee on Nominations, and
e, supervise the activities of the club and represent it at all official meetings.
2. The First Vice President shall:
a. attend all meetings of the club, the Board of Directors, and the Executive Committee;
b. perform presidential duties in the absence of the President;
c. complete the unexpired term in the event the office of President becomes vacant; and
d. serve as chairman of the Committee on Programs for the ensuing year.
3. The Second Vice President shall:
a. attend all meetings of the club, the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee;
b. perform the duties of the President and First Vice President in the absence of these officers; and
c. secure the hostesses and the meeting places.
4. The Recording Secretary shall:
a. record the minutes of all business meetings of the Club, the Board of Directors, and the Executive Committee;
b. keep a file of all club reports and compile a condensed report of the year’s activities from annual reports of committee chairmen; and
c. keep an up-to-date copy of the By-Laws available at each meeting.
5. The Corresponding Secretary shall:
a. attend to the correspondence of the Club as requested by the President;
b. send the names and addresses of the officers to the membership chairman of the Federated Garden Clubs of Michigan, Inc., and the membership chairman of the Kalamazoo Garden Council, Inc.; and
c. deliver copies of the yearbook to:
(1) Federated Garden Clubs of Michigan Yearbook Chairman (3 copies);
(2) President of the Federated Garden Clubs of Michigan;
(3) Kalamazoo Garden Council, Inc.;
(4) Kalamazoo Gazette;
(5) Kalamazoo Public Library;
(6) District III Director; and
(7) Any Associate Member who has not picked it up at the annual meeting.
6. The Treasurer shall:
a. be custodian of the funds of the Club;
b. collect all dues and receive all moneys belonging to the Club;
c. keep an accurate classified list of club members;
d. keep an itemized account of all receipts and disbursements;
e. send notices by July 1 to those members whose dues have not been paid;
f. pay membership dues to the Federated Garden Clubs of Michigan, Inc. and the Kalamazoo Garden Council, Inc.;
g. present a report at each business meeting of the receipts, disbursements and balance;
h. present bills and obligations when due;
i. present an annual report of all the receipts, disbursements and balance at the first business meeting following the end of the fiscal year;
j. submit the accounts for audit to an auditor appointed by the President at the close of the fiscal year; and
k. serve as Chairman of the Finance Committee.
7. The immediate Past President shall:
a. serve on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors;
b. be an ex-officio member of the Nominating committee; and
c. chair the Membership Committee.ARTICLE IX. The Board of Directors
1. The Board of Directors shall:
a. be composed of the officers, the past-president, and all standing committee chairmen;
b. coordinate and supervise the affairs of the club;
c. transact the general business of the organization and make recommendations to the club;
d. evaluate and approve applications for membership;
e. recommend for approval the budget at the first board meeting of the year; and
f. approve delegates and alternates to the State annual meeting of the Federated Garden Club of Michigan, Inc.

ARTICLE X. Standing Committees
1. The Auditor shall:
a. review the Treasurer’s accounts at the close of the fiscal year;
b. prepare a statement that the accounts have been audited to be filed in the Treasurer’s book; and
c. report to the Board of Directors at the next business meeting.
2. The Communication Committee shall notify the members of the time and place of meetings and special activities of the Club.
3. The Finance Committee shall:
a. be composed of three (3) members: The Treasurer (as chairman), the Ways and Means Chairman, and one member appointed by the President.
b. advise and recommend on financial matters;
c. submit a budget for Board acceptance at the first board meeting and Club approval at the first business meeting.
4. The Historian shall compile the history of the club for a permanent record.
5. The Membership chairman shall:
a. keep a membership roster on file and available at each meeting - this roster to include change of status;
b. receive letters of application for membership and present them to the Board of Directors for consideration;
c. send an invitation for membership and receive the replies; and
d. prepare new members orientation. 6. The Nominating Committee shall:
a. be composed of three (3) members nominated by the Committee on Nominations, one member who has already served the previous year, terms not to exceed two years. The immediate Past President to serve ex-officio;
b. fill any vacancies that occur; and
c. present a slate of officers and nominating committee members at a meeting during the second quarter of the Club’s fiscal year.
7. The Parliamentarian shall:
a. be an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors; and
b. attend all meetings of the club and advise any member on parliamentary questions and procedures.
8. The Program Committee shall be chaired by the First Vice President who shall be responsible for planning and arranging the year’s programs.
9. The Social Committee shall plan and arrange for the annual luncheon and the guest day luncheon and other social events as determined by the Executive Committee.
10. The Ways and Means Committee shall be responsible for raising necessary funds not covered by dues.
11. The Yearbook Committee shall be responsible for preparing the yearbook with the assistance of the Program Chairman and the Second Vice President for distribution at the annual meeting.

ARTICLE XI. Membership Procedures
1. Proposed members shall be invited to visit two meetings of the club.
2. A letter shall be sent by the sponsoring member to the Membership Chairman. The applications shall be presented to the Board of Directors for consideration.
3. The Membership Chairman shall send an invitation to join the club and explain the responsibilities of membership to those approved.
4. Replies shall be sent to the Membership Chairman, who will notify the Communication Chairman of acceptance.

ARTICLE XII. Amendments
These By-Laws may be amended at any business meeting by a two-thirds vote of active members present, provided the membership has been notified by the Communication Committee, and the proposed amendment has been presented in writing and read at the preceding meeting.

ARTICLE XIII. Fiscal Year
The fiscal year shall be from July 1 through June 30 of the following year.

ARTICLE XIV. Order of Business
1. The Order of Business for the business meetings shall be:
Call to order
Reading of the minutes
Communication from the President
Report of the Corresponding Secretary
Report of the Treasurer
Report of the Board of Directors
Reports of the Standing Committees
Reports of the Special Committees
Miscellaneous business
Adjournment
Program
2. The Order of Business for the annual meeting shall be:
Call to order
Reading of the minutes
Report of the Treasurer
Annual summation report of the officers and committees by the Recording Secretary
Miscellaneous business
Address of the President
Installation of officers
New business
Adjournment

ARTICLE XV. Dissolution
In the event of the Club’s dissolution the Treasurer will pay all outstanding bills and the remaining assets, by vote of the membership, will be distributed to organizations which are qualified for non-profit status as described in Section 501 (C) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

ARTICLE XVI. Parliamentary Authority
Subject to the special rules which have been or may be adopted the rules of parliamentary practice in Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern the proceedings of the club.
The Board of Directors may adopt additional rules and regulations, general or specific, for the conduct of their meetings, and additional rules and regulations, general or specific, for the conduct of the affairs of the Club provided, however, no such additional rule or regulation shall be inconsistent with or in contravention of any provision of these By-Laws.

ARTICLE XVII. Effective Date
These By-Laws shall become fully effective, and shall replace all previous By-Laws as of January 15, 2001. These By-Laws shall be referred to as the Revised By-Laws of the Kalamazoo Garden Club.

Final Adoption March 1979
Revised January 1986
Revised March 1991
Revised March 1993
Revised April 1994
Revised March 1996
Revised April 1997
Revised May 2000
Revised January 2001

Financial
1. Any expense not in the budget must receive approval of the Board or President. 8/26/96
2. Any chairman signing a contract on behalf of the club must first receive approval from the Board or the President. 8/26/96
3. If a hostess opts to have a meeting away from her home and there is a rental or use charge for the facility, the hostess is responsible for the charge. If the Club chooses to move the meeting into a larger facility, the hostess is not charged. 3/31/97
4. Reservations for meals which involve a set number of people will be made directly with the chairman or other specified committee member. 5/22/95
5. No-shows for luncheons /dinners where the Club is charged for the meal will be billed. 5/22/95
6. The Club pays registration fee for the President and Vice-President for annual FGCM convention or substitute delegates if President or VP cannot attend. 3/31/97
7. In case of the death of a member, money raised by a collection is to be put into a designated fund in the Treasury. This money is to be used for a memorial by an appointed committee. 4/28/97
8. In case of the death of a member or immediate family of a member, i.e., spouse, child, etc., flowers will be sent, preferably from the garden of members (in season). Cards will be sent in case of death of extended family member, i.e., parent, sibling, etc. 4/28/97
9. Flowers will be sent to members with serious illness from the garden of members (in season). 4/28/97

Member
1. A leaflet outlining the requirements for active membership will be available to guests at all meetings. 4/28/97
2. A new member joining during the year will be assigned as a co-hostess for a meeting and will be assigned to be on a committee. 3/31/97
3. A sign-in sheet will be placed at the entrance for each club meeting. Members are responsible for signing in. 4/28/97
4. A co-hostess must find her own replacement if she cannot fulfill her duties. 3/31/97.
5. If a committee member is unable to fulfill her duties she shall tell the Chair and ask if she needs to find a replacement. 7/1/97
6. A past member who moves her primary residence out of state can continue to purchase our yearbook and receive our newsletter for $10.00. Her name will not appear in the yearbook. 3/31/97
7. A member who knows that she will miss more than two consecutive meetings should notify the Membership and Communication Chairmen. 3/31/97

General
1. The club will be aware of religious holidays involving our members and will avoid planning meetings on these days. 3/31/97 We do not give out our membership mailing list to non-garden club sources. 2/9/96 (GM)
2. The General Meetings will be held on the second and/or fourth Friday of the month unless there is a conflict with a holiday, speaker, etc. 3/31/97

Formalized April 23, 1997
Revised April 13, 1998

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