By Laws
Preamble
The Emerald Guild Society ( hereafter The Society ) was founded in April 1992 and incorporated in 1996 as the Emerald Guild Ltd. The organization shall be known as The Emerald Guild Society.
Purpose
To establish a guild of Irish and Americans of Irish heritage to promote cultural awareness and fraternal organization and to provide a forum for discussing and addressing mutual concerns and interests.
Motto
The motto of the Emerald Guild Society is and shall be:
CAIRDEAS AGUS DILSEACHT - FRIENDSHIP AND LOYALTY
Article 1 Meeting of The Society
Meetings will be held every month except July and August for the transactions of such business as properly comes before the organization. The date of each meeting shall be determined by the President and all members will be informed in writing of chosen date and location. Members shall be expected to dress in business attire and conduct themselves in a professional and decorous manner. Meetings shall be for members only. At all meetings twenty ( 20 ) members shall constitute a quorum.
Article 2 Membership
Membership shall be open to all, meeting all of the following criteria:
1. Be a Resident Manager or Superintendent.
2. Be of Irish heritage.
3. Be sponsored by 2 members in good standing.
4. Be of good moral character.
5. New members must be approved by a majority of the Board.
Any member wishing to introduce a new member must obtain an application form from the registrar and return to same for board consideration.
Article 2a Honorary Life Membership
Honorary life membership may be bestowed on members who have retired from the industry. If a retired member has been in good standing for five (5) years, his/her name may be submitted to the board for consideration. After notification of the membership the nomination will be voted upon at the next membership meeting. Honorary life members will pay no dues but may not vote or run for elected office. They may attend all meetings and functions in the same manner as regular members.
Article 3 Officers
There shall be five ( 5 ) elected officers.
President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Registrar.
All officers shall be automatically members of all committees.
Article 3a President
The President shall preside at all meetings of members and of the board of directors. The President shall have general supervision of the affairs of the club and shall appoint all committee chairs. The President shall have the deciding vote in matters where a majority is not achieved, at both general and board meetings.
Article 3b Vice-President
The Vice-President shall preside at all meetings in the absence of the President. He/She shall assist the President in whatever manner the President may require to ensure the smooth operation of the Society.
Article 3c Secretary
The Secretary shall keep minutes of all general membership and board meetings, and shall be responsible for serving notice on all members and directors regarding the location and time of all meetings. The Secretary shall perform such other duties that shall from time to time be assigned by the Board. No records may be kept in loose leaf books.
Article 3d Treasurer
The Treasurer shall keep accounts of receipts and disbursements. He/She shall have custody of the funds of the Society and shall pay all debts which shall have been legally contracted by the Society . He/She shall make available at all meetings a recent statement of the Society's funds and make available the accounts of the Society for inspection at reasonable notice. The Treasurer and President or Vice- President must sign all checks, with all three officers required to sign all checks over $5000. All expenditures must be approved by the board at monthly meetings. No records may be kept in loose leaf books.
Article 3e Registrar
The Registrar shall keep an up to date list of all members. He/She shall accept applications for new members and report said applications to the board for consideration . The Registrar will keep track of attendance at meetings and will collect dues. He/She will be automatically the chair of the membership sub committee. No records may be kept in loose leaf books.
Article 4 Board of Directors
The Board of Directors shall consist of nine ( 9 ) members, the officers plus four ( 4 ) members elected by the general membership of the Society. The Board shall be responsible for the property, affairs and activities of the Society. The Board shall meet once a month or whenever called by the President to consider such matters as may come before them. All board members shall automatically be members of all committees. Board members must attend at least six ( 6 ) general and six ( 6 ) board meetings each year. At Board meetings five ( 5 ) directors shall constitute a quorum.
Article 4a Elections
Elections shall be held in February of each year. All candidates must be in good standing and be active members for at least one year. Nominations for elections shall be made from members present at the January meeting. Elections shall be by majority vote of members present at the February meeting. To be eligible to vote a member must be in good standing, dues up to date.
Article 4b Resignations
Any director may resign from office at any time. Such resignation shall be in writing and shall take affect at the time of its receipt by the President of the Society.
Article 4c Removal
Any director or member may be removed at any time with cause by a majority vote of the board then in office, provided full notification is given to the entire board.
Article 4d Board Vacancies
Should a vacancy occur on the board, nominations shall be taken at the next members meeting to fill that vacancy. Nomination will follow the normal process and the nominee must meet the criteria stated in " Elections " paragraph of the by- laws. If a vacancy occurs too close to the next meeting to inform all members then the nomination process will be delayed one month. Elections to fill vacant positions will be the following month and the person/s elected will serve the remainder of that term.
Article 5 Sub-Committees
There will be six ( 6 ) sub-committees:
Employment Referral, Educational, Social, Fund Raising / Journal, Membership and Audit.
Sub-committee chairs will be appointed by the officers and the members of sub-committees approved by the board. Sub-committees should report to both the board and the general membership in a timely manner. Members may serve on more than one committee. New sub-committees may be added at the discretion of the board.
Article 6 Dues
Dues are due on January 1st of each calendar year. All members who are delinquent on April 30th will be dropped after proper notification. Dropped members will lose all privileges of the club. Members who are dropped may apply for reinstatement after six ( 6 ) months. The application shall be reviewed by the board and decided upon. Should a member be reinstated, back dues must be paid plus a fee of $100 to a total of $300 maximum. Any member who resigns from membership may also apply for reinstatement providing that resignation was in writing and sent to the board in a timely manner. Reinstated members may not be required to pay back dues or fees solely at the discretion of the board.
Article 7 By-Laws How Amended
Any member may submit a request to change the by-laws. The proposed changes should be submitted to the board in writing, identifying the existing by-law and the requested changes. After review by the board the proposed change will be sent to all members for a vote at the next meeting. To change a by- law a vote in favor of the change by two thirds of the membership present at a meeting shall be required. This is to be done in a timely manner. The by-laws may be amended but may never be repealed
Article 8 Trustees
A five ( 5 ) member Board of Trustees shall be established to oversee the Society. The initial trustees will be appointed from the Society's founding members and Steering committee. The Trustees brief will be to help keep the Society true to its founders ideals. Trustees are automatically members of the audit committee and must review the Societies books at least once a year. When a vacancy occurs on the Board of Trustees, the remaining members will co-opt a member to fill that post.
Article 9 Insignia
The Insignia of the Emerald Guild Society shall be :
A Shield showing a crest with the four Provinces of Ireland topped by a Claddagh emblem and the New York city skyline flanked by the Stars and Stripes and the Irish Tri-color above a scroll reading "Emerald Guild Society".