Club By-Laws

 

1. Board: The Board of Directors of this club.

2. Director: A member of this club’s Board of Directors.

3. Member: A member, other than an honorary member, of this club.

4. Quorum: One-third of the club membership; a majority of directors for the Board.

5. RI: Rotary International.

6. Year: The 12-month period that begins on 1 July.

 

 

Section 1 – The Board of Directors. The Board of Directors of the Carlisle Rotary Club will consist of the President, President- Elect, Vice President, Immediate Past-President, Treasurer, Secretary, RI Foundation Chair, up to seven Directors at Large and may include a sergeant-at-arms. The Secretary and Treasurer will be appointed each July by the Board of Directors on a year-to-year basis.

 

Section 2 - Non-voting Members. The Board of Directors may also appoint Club Members at Large to the positions of Assistant Treasurer and Assistant Secretary who will assist the Treasurer and Secretary with their duties and be non-voting members of the Board of Directors.

 

 

Section 1 – Election of Board Members. At a regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Carlisle Rotary Club in December of each year, the nomination and board approval of the open positions for Board of Directors for the following year, beginning July 1st will occur at the call of the Club President. The nominations for open positions for the Board of Directors will be presented to the Club at large by a nominating committee consisting of the three most recent Past Presidents who are still active members of the Carlisle Rotary Club. The nominating committee will present to the Board and the Club the names of proposed Board Members. The new Board Members will be presented to Club membership at the Club Assembly usually held in January of each year. In addition, at the Club Assembly, nominations will be accepted from the floor. If Rotary Members are nominated for Board positions in excess of the number of open positions, the election of Board of Directors will be deferred to the next regular meeting of the Carlisle Rotary Club, at which time the election will occur by secret ballot. Those receiving the greatest number of votes will be elected by the Club Members present to a three-year term as a member of the Board of Directors. The term of Directors will be extended if they later serve as Officers of the Carlisle Rotary Club.

 

Section 2 – Election of Officers. The Officers of the Club and the new Vice-President will be appointed and elected by the Board of Directors in December of each year and approved by the Club Assembly, usually held in January, for the following Rotary Club year extending from July 1st to June 30th of each year.

 

Section 3 — A vacancy on the Board or any office shall be filled by the remaining members of the Board.

 

Section 4 — A vacancy of any officer-elect position or director-elect position shall be filled by the remaining members of the Board-elect.

 

Section 5 — Terms of office for each role are as follows: the President, President-Elect, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Sergeant-at-arms serve a one-year term of office. Directors serve on the board for a three-year term.

 

 

Section 1 – President. It shall be the duty of the President to preside at meetings of the Club and Board and to perform such other duties as ordinarily pertain to his/her office. The President may designate a member(s) of the board to take and maintain the minutes of board meetings and to address any issues that may come up with the venue of the club meetings. The President will update the committee list in June of each year with the help of the board.

 

Section 2 – President-Elect. It shall be the duty of the President -Elect to preside at meetings of the Club and of the Board in the absence of the President and to perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the President or the Board. The President-Elect also prepares the board meeting minutes. The President-Elect will succeed the President beginning July 1, of the new Rotary year.

 

Section 3 - Vice-President. It shall be the duty of the Vice-President to preside at meetings of the Club and Board in the absence of the President and the President-Elect and to perform such other duties as ordinarily pertain to his/her office or as may be assigned by the President. The Vice-President will succeed to the duties of the President-Elect beginning July 1 of the new Rotary year.

 

Section 4 – Secretary & Assistant Secretary. It shall be the duty of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary to keep the records of membership, record the attendance at meetings, send out notices of meetings of the Club, Board and Committees which may be in any manner reasonably calculated to reach the recipient, record and preserve the minutes of such meetings, make the required reports to Rotary International, including the semiannual reports of membership, which shall be made to the General Secretary of Rotary International on January 1st and June 1st of each year, and including prorated reports to the General Secretary on October 1 and April 1 of each active member who has been elected to membership in the Club since the start of the July or January semiannual reporting period, the report of changes in membership, which shall be made to the General Secretary of Rotary International, the monthly report of attendance at the club meetings which shall be made to the District Governor immediately following the last meeting of the month, collect and remit to Rotary International subscriptions to The Rotarian and perform such other duties as usually pertain to his/her office. The Assistant Secretary will assist the Secretary with the performance of his or her duties.

 

Section 5 – Treasurer & Assistant Treasurer. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to have custody of all funds, accounting for same to the Board of Directors monthly and the Club annually and at any other time upon demand by the Board and to perform such other duties as pertain to his/her office. Upon retirement from office, he/she shall turn over to the successor or to the President all funds, books of account or any other Club property in his possession. The Assistant Treasurer will assist the Treasurer in the performance of his/her duties.

 

Section 6 — Director. A director shall attend club and Board meetings. Directors serve as lane chairs and committee chairs as appointed by the President.

 

Section 7 – Sergeant-at-arms. The duties of the Sergeant-at-arms will include assisting with the setting up of the weekly meeting and the duties as are usually prescribed for this office and such other duties as may be prescribed by the President or the Board.

 

 

Section 1 — Annual Meeting. An annual meeting of this club shall be held at the Club Assembly, normally held in January of each year at which time the election of officers and directors to serve for the ensuing year shall take place. 

 

Section 2 — Club Assemblies. There shall be at least two Club Assemblies held in June and January of each year at the call of the Board of Directors.

 

Section 3 – Regular Meetings. The regular weekly meetings of this club shall be held on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. Due notice of any changes in locations in or canceling of the regular meeting shall be given to all members of this club. One-third of the membership shall constitute a quorum at the annual and regular meetings of this club.

 

Section 4 – Board Meetings. Regular meetings of the Board shall be held on the second Thursday of each month. Special meetings of the Board shall be called by the President, whenever deemed necessary, or upon the request of two Members of the Board, due notice having been given.

 

Section 5 – Quorum for Board Meetings. A majority of the voting Board Members shall constitute a quorum of the Board.

 

 

Section 1 – Annual Dues. The membership dues shall be those dues established by the Board of Directors, payable quarterly, semiannually, or annually, with the under standing that a portion of the annual membership dues shall be applied to each member's subscription to The Rotarian magazine and the District Assessment.

 

Section 2 – Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY). Every club member is expected to support The Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY) program. Annually contributing money to the RI Foundation, be it only $10 or $20, is expected of every club member. Members are encouraged to become EREY Sustaining Members by annually contributing $100. When club members have contributed a total of $1,000, they will be recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow. Club members who contribute $1,000 annually will be inducted into the Paul Harris Society.

 

The business of this club shall be transacted via voice vote or ballot, as determined by the President to be most appropriate to the issues(s) being decided.

 

 

 (a) The President shall, subject to the approval of the Board, appoint the following standing Lanes of Service:

Club Service
Vocational Service
Community Service

Youth Service
International Service

(b) The Club Service Lane, Vocational Service Lane, Community Service Lane, Youth Service Lane, and International Service Lane shall each consist of a Chair, who shall be named by the President from the Membership of the Board.

 

 

(a) Club Service. This Lane shall devise and carry into effect plans which will guide and assist the members of this club in discharging their responsibilities in matters relating to Club Service. The Chair of the Club Service Lane shall be responsible for regular meetings of the Lane and shall report to the Board on all Club Service activities.

 

(1) The Chair of the Club Service Lane shall be responsible for all Club Service activities and shall supervise and coordinate the work of all committees appointed for Club Service including the scheduling of club socials.

 

(2) The Club Service Committee shall consist of the Chair of the Club Service Lane and the Chair of all committees appointed for Club Service.

 

(b) Vocational Service. This Lane shall devise and carry into effect plans which will guide and assist the members of this club in discharging their responsibilities in their vocational relationships and in improving the general standards of practice in their respective vocations. The Chair of this Lane shall be responsible for the Vocational Service activities of the club and shall supervise and coordinate the work of any committees that may be appointed for Vocational Service. These will include Career Development, Rotary Means Business, and Vocational Awareness Committees.

 

(c) Community Service. This Lane shall devise and carry into effect plans which will guide and assist the members of this club in discharging their responsibilities in their community relationships. The Chai r of this Lane shall be responsible for the Community Service activities of the club and shall supervise and coordinate the work of any committees that may be appointed for Community Service.

 

(d) Youth Service. This Lane shall devise and carry into effect plans which will guide and assist the members of this club in discharging their responsibilities in matters relating to Youth Service. The Chair of this Lane shall be responsible for the Youth Service activities of the club and shall supervise and coordinate the work of any committees that may be appointed for Youth Service.

 

(e) International Service. This Lane shall devise and carry into effect plans which will guide and assist the members of this club in discharging their responsibilities in matters relating to International Service. The Chair of this Lane shall be responsible for the International Service activities of the club and shall supervise and coordinate the work of any committees that may be appointed for International Service.

 

 

(a) The President shall, subject to the approval of the Board, also appoint committees under each of the five lanes of service as he/she may deem necessary. The President and President-Elect shall propose to the Board of Directors the committee structure and committee assignments no later than the June Board of Directors' Meeting. An updated list of committees and designated chairperson(s) assigned to each service lane will be printed in the Club’s Directory.

 

(b) The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees and, as such shall have all the privileges of membership thereon.

 

(c) Each committee shall transact such business as is delegated to it in the by-laws and such additional business as may be referred to it by the President or the Board. Except where special authority is given by the Board, such committees shall not act until a report has been made to the Board and approved by the Board.

 

(d) Where feasible and practicable in the appointment of such committees, there should be provision for continuity of membership, either by appointing one or more members for a second term or by appointing one or more members for a two-year term.

 

 

(a) Rotagraph Newsletter. This committee shall endeavor, through the publishing of a monthly club bulletin, to stimulate interest and improve attendance, announce the program of the forthcoming
meeting, promote fellowship, contribute to the Rotary education of all members, and report news of the club, of its members and of the worldwide Rotary program.

 

(b) Membership Committee. This committee shall consider all proposals for membership and shall thoroughly investigate the character, business, social and community standing, and general eligibility of all persons proposed for membership and shall report their decision on all applications to the Board. This committee shall devise and carry into effect plans.

 

(I) to give prospective members information about the privileges and responsibilities of membership in a Rotary club,

 

(2) to give the members, especially the new members, adequate understanding of the privileges and responsibilities of members

 

(3) to give the members information about Rotary, its history, object, scope, activities, and

 

(4) to give the members information as to developments in the administrative operation of Rotary International. In addition, this committee or a separate committee may be appointed to meet with new members following their induction to the club and review the duties and responsibilities of the members. The chair of the committee will appoint a sponsor for all new members.

 

(c) Programs Committee. This committee shall prepare and arrange the programs for the regular and special meetings of this club. The Vice President chairs this committee.

 

(d) Public Relations Committee. This committee shall devise and carry into effect plans to give the public general information about Rotary, its history, object, and scope; and to secure proper publicity for the club.

 

(e) The Four- Way Test Committee. The Four-Way Test Committee will consist or 3 to 4 Past Presidents, who will recommend to the Board a Club Member for the annual Four-Way Test Award, which exemplifies the Four Way Test criteria to the committee. This nomination should be approved by the Board in October or November and the Four Way Test Award should be presented to the recipient at the Holiday/December meeting of the Club.

 

 

Section 1 — At the beginning of each fiscal year the Board shall prepare or cause to be prepared a budget of estimated income and estimated expenditures for the year, which, having been agreed to by the Board, shall stand as the limit of expenditures for the respective purposes unless otherwise ordered by action of the Board. The proposed budget should be drafted by the Treasurer, President and President-Elect and presented to the Board of Directors no later than the May board meeting. The Board of Directors must approve the budget at the June Board of Directors' Meeting.

 

Section 2 — The treasurer shall deposit club funds in financial institution(s) designated by the Board, divided into two parts: club operations and service projects.

 

Section 3 — All expenses of the Club shall be processed for payment by the Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer. At each monthly meeting, the Board shall review all payments made by the Treasurer of Assistant Treasurer for the preceding month.

 

Section 4 — The need for an audit and the type of audit shall be determined from time to time by The Board.

 

Section 5 — An annual financial statement of the club shall be provided to club members.

 

Section 6 - The fiscal year of this club shall extend from July 1st to June 30th, and for the collections of members' dues shall be divided into quarterly periods extending from July 1st to September 30th, and from October 1st to December 31st, from January 1st to March 31st and from April 1st to June 30th. The payment of per capita dues and magazine subscriptions to Rotary International shall be made on July 1st and January 1st of each year on the basis of the membership of the club on those dates.

 

 

 

Section 1 — A member (proposer) shall provide a candidate’s name to the Membership Chair and Club Secretary. A transferring or former member of another club may also be proposed for membership by the former club. Alternatively, anyone may apply to become a member by completing the standard application form and submitting it to the club. All proposals and applications will be kept confidential unless the Board instructs otherwise.

 

Section 2 – The candidate’s name will be read in front of the membership at two consecutive meetings. If a club member objects to the candidate, he or she must submit a written objection including reasons for the objection to the Board within seven days of the second reading.

 

Section 3 — The Board shall ensure that the candidate meets all of Rotary’s membership requirements and will consider objections submitted by any club member. Approval shall require a majority vote of the members of the Board present. If approved despite the objection, the proposed member is elected to membership.

 

Section 4 — The Board shall inform the Membership Committee and Club Secretary of its decision who shall then notify the proposer or applicant. If the decision of the Board is favorable, the prospective member is invited to join the club, educated about Rotary and membership requirements, asked to sign an application (if not already done), the “Expectations of New and All Active Members” form and to allow his or her name to be conveyed to the club.

 

Section 5 - Following the member's election to membership as herein provided, the Club Secretary shall report his or her name to the General Secretary of Rotary International. The member shall be formally introduced and inducted as a new member at a regular meeting of the Club.

 

Section 6 – Those members meeting the requirements of article 7, section 3 (b) of the club Constitution (referred to as the rule of 85) qualify as Emeritus Members. The board will approve all valid requests for Emeritus status. Emeritus members are still active members and must pay RI and district dues in the amount determined by the club’s treasurer and approved by the board. Their dues will be exempt from that portion of the dues that is related to the incidental cost of attending club meetings (e.g., the cost of meals); however, Emeritus Members are required to pay the standard meal cost for any meeting they attend.

 

The club may elect honorary members from the community as prescribed in Article 7, Section 7 of the club’s constitution.

 

Family membership. An active member may sponsor another person as an alternate to the membership of the active member. The alternate member may be young adult children of the primary member or a partner or spouse. Alternate members do not pay dues separate from the primary member. Alternate members can attend meetings and events in the primary member's place or come along with their family member Rotarian by purchasing an additional meal.

 

Student membership. A college student at least 18 years of age actively matriculating in a Cumberland County institute of higher learning or be resident in Cumberland County may be admitted to student membership by completing the regular application and be approved by the board. Student members do not pay dues. Student members may attend meetings and events by purchasing a meal at the regular price.

 

 

Any resolutions or motions to commit the club to any position or action shall first be reviewed and approved by the Board. If resolutions or motions are first offered at a club meeting, they shall be sent to the Board without discussion.

 

 

These Bylaws may be amended at any regular club meeting. Changing the club’s bylaws requires that written notice be sent to each member 10 days before the meeting, that a quorum be present for the vote, and that two-thirds of the votes support the change. Changes to these bylaws must be consistent with the Standard Rotary Club Constitution, the RI Constitution and Bylaws, and the Rotary Code of Conduct.

 

The Board of Directors formally adopted these by-laws on May 9, 2024.

The membership of the Carlisle Rotary Club formally accepted these by-laws on June 6, 2024.