BYLAWS OF THE NORTHWEST SUBURBAN GENEALOGY SOCIETY
Article I: Name and Non-Profit Status
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Northwest Suburban Genealogy Society, hereinafter called the Society (or NWSGS).
Section 2: The Society shall be a non-profit, tax-exempt organization as provided under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
ARTICLE II: Purpose
The objectives of the Society shall be to promote the study of genealogy; to assist members with educational programs and workshops in genealogy and family history; to encourage and assist members with genealogical research; to encourage the preservation and safeguarding of municipal, township, county, state and federal public records; to promote publication of related materials for public use; and to assist libraries in the procurement and preservation of books and other records of genealogical significance.
ARTICLE III: Membership
Section 1. Any person interested in the purposes of the Society shall be eligible for membership.
Section 2: Application for membership shall be submitted with dues to the membership chair or paid online.
Section 3: There shall be the following classifications of memberships: individual, family and honorary. All current life memberships shall be honored. Honorary memberships shall be given at the discretion of the Executive Committee. Annual dues for memberships shall be determined and approved by the Executive Committee.
Section 4: A family membership shall be two persons residing at the same address.
Section 5: Membership dues are payable annually as of August 1. Members not renewing by August 31 shall be dropped from membership. New members joining after March 1 shall receive complimentary membership for the remainder of the fiscal year and be considered full members for the following fiscal year.
Section 6: Each member is entitled to one vote in the business of the Society when present at general meetings.
ARTICLE IV: Officers
Section 1. The officers shall be president, a first vice president, a second vice president, a secretary and a treasurer.
Section 2. The Society shall be governed by an Executive Committee consisting of the officers, the chairs of permanent committees and the immediate past president. The permanent committees shall be: newsletter, publicity, library, ways and means, archivist and website.
Section 3. Officers shall be installed at the May general meeting and shall hold office for two years. An interim vacancy of any office shall be filled by appointment by the president with the approval of the Executive Committee.
Section 4. A nominating committee of three members shall be announced at the March general meeting and shall present a slate of officers at the April general meeting.
Section 5. The election of officers shall be held at the May general meeting. The officers shall be elected from the slate submitted by the nominating committee and nominations from the floor.
ARTICLE V: Duties
Section 1. The president shall preside at all meetings of the Society and of the Executive Committee.
Section 2. The first vice president shall serve as program chair and shall preside at any meeting in the absence of the president.
Section 3. The second vice president shall serve as membership chair and shall preside when both the president and first vice president are absent.
Section 4. The secretary shall keep minutes of all Executive Committee meetings and all General Society meetings where a vote is required. The secretary shall handle all correspondence.
Section 5. The treasurer shall ensure all funds are deposited in an account or accounts in the name of the Society, at a bank approved of by the Executive Committee. The treasurer shall issue checks and make withdrawals against such accounts for the payment of expenses of the Society, or at the direction of the Executive Committee. The president shall also be authorized to sign checks. The treasurer shall prepare a proposed annual budget for the following fiscal year and submit it to the Executive Committee at the May board meeting. The Executive Committee will vote on the budget before the first general meeting of the fiscal year.
ARTICLE VI: Meetings
Section 1. General Society meetings shall be held once a month, except June, July, August and December on dates and places that the Executive Committee is able to reserve. Other meetings may be held at the direction of the Executive Committee.
Section 2. The Executive Committee shall meet once a month following the General Society meeting unless otherwise designated. Only those members defined in Article IV, Section 2 shall have voting privileges.
Section 3. If not otherwise provided for in the bylaws, Roberts Rules of Order shall prevail.
Section 4. Ten percent of the members of the Society shall constitute a quorum at a general meeting. A majority of the members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum at a board meeting.
Section 5. In case of an emergency, a special meeting of the Executive Committee may be conducted by telephone, email or video meeting. Any motion passed by a telephone, email or video meeting shall be confirmed and recorded at the next Executive Committee meeting.
ARTICLE VII: Committees
Section 1. The permanent committees (see Article IV, Section 2) shall be appointed by the president with the approval of the Executive Committee.
Section 2. The president, with the approval of the Executive Committee, shall appoint any additional committees as needed to carry out the functions of the Society.
Section 3. Special Interest Groups shall be created as needed to fulfill the interests of the membership.
ARTICLE VIII: Amendments
Section 1. These bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the members present at a General Society meeting.
Section 2. A proposed amendment shall be submitted to the membership in writing at least two weeks prior to the meeting at which a vote will be taken.
Section 3. Copies of the current bylaws and all amendments shall be kept by the president, first vice president and secretary.
Section 4. Each member shall have access to a copy of the current bylaws.
ARTICLE IX: Finance
Section 1. The fiscal year shall begin on August 1.
Section 2. An Audit Committee shall be appointed by the president to audit books of the Society annually or (and) at the change of treasurer.
Section 3. No part of the net earnings of the Society shall benefit or be distributed to its members, directors, officers, or other private persons, except that the Society shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Article II.
Section 4. No member, director or officer of the Society shall be personally liable for any indebtedness or liability of this Society and any and all creditors of the Society shall rely only on the assets of the Society for payment.
Section 5. Upon the dissolution of the corporation, the Executive Committee shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all the liabilities of the corporation, dispose of all the assets of the corporation exclusively for the purposes of the corporation in such manner, or to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational or scientific purposes as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provisions of any future United States Internal Revenue Law), as the Executive Committee shall determine. Any of such assets not so disposed, shall be disposed of by the Circuit Court of the county in which the principal office of the corporation is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations as said court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purpose.
ARTICLE X: Enabling Act
These bylaws will go into effect upon adoption.
Revised April 2014
Revised October 2021