CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF THE NANAIMO FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY
CONSTITUTION
In accordance with the Societies Act of British Columbia
- The name of the organization shall be the Nanaimo Family History Society
(hereinafter referred to as the Society) - The purposes are:
A. To further the study of genealogy and family history in the various areas of interest to members.
B. To collect and preserve materials relevant to genealogical research with special emphasis on local sources.
As Approved, February 2024 by Registrar of Companies, Province of British Columbia
BY-LAWS
Article 1. Membership
Article 2. The Executive Committee
Article 3. Duties of the Executive Committee
Article 4. Committees
Article 5. Meetings
Article 6. Quorums
Article 7. Finances
Article 8. Bylaws and Standing Rules
ARTICLE 1. MEMBERSHIP
- Anyone may apply to become a member of the NFHS by completing the application form and paying the annual dues. Membership in the NFHS shall be individual, senior, family, student, and honorary.
- A senior member is defined as one who has reached the age of 65 years or more. A family member is defined as any second member of a family who resides at the same address as another member. A student member is defined as any person who is attending school or full time further education and under the age of 25.
- Honorary Membership may be awarded to individual members for outstanding service to the NFHS. Honorary members shall have all the privileges of members and shall be exempt from payment of dues. Recommendation of Honorary members can be made by the general membership by a letter signed by four members in good standing and submitted to the Executive Committee for their approval at least 30 days in advance at the next Annual General Meeting (AGM). Consideration will then be given by the Executive Committee and if approved the recipient will be acknowledged at the next AGM. It is the responsibility of the Executive Committee to ensure that all honorary members are approved at an Executive Committee meeting. There shall be no more than 12 honorary members at one time.
- Membership in any of the above categories shall be entitled to vote at general meetings and the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
- Any individual member in good standing is entitled to:
a. Attend and vote at general meetings of the NFHS;
b. Stand for election to the Executive Committee;
c. Be appointed to various responsibilities as required by the Executive Committee;
d. Have free access to research material;
e. Receive a copy of the quarterly newsletter;
f. Attend any scheduled Executive Meeting.
Membership term is from January 1 to December 31 of each year and dues shall be payable by January 1. - Members shall be in good standing when they have paid their current dues. Members shall not be in good standing when they have not paid the current dues before the AGM.
- A person shall cease to be a member of the NFHS by presenting a resignation in writing to the Secretary; on his/her death; on being expelled; or having failed to pay dues before the AGM.
ARTICLE 2. THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
- The Executive Committee of the NFHS shall be elected by the eligible members present at the Annual General Meeting. Following the elections, the Executive Committee, so elected, shall meet and shall decide who is to hold amongst themselves the executive positions.
- The Executive Committee of the NFHS shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Program Director, Membership Director and Privacy Officer, Newsletter Editor, Communications Director, and Education Director.
- A meeting of both the old and new Executive Committees shall be held, prior to the next monthly general meeting of the NFHS following election, for orientation and exchange of records and supplies.
- The Executive Committee shall serve for one (1) year or until the next annual election.
- The Executive Committee shall have the right to refuse to admit any person or institution to membership or expel any member from membership if found to have misappropriated funds, engaged in unethical genealogical practice, or wilfully violated any rule of the NFHS.
- Any member of the Executive Committee who is absent from two (2) consecutive Executive Committee meetings may be required to furnish an adequate explanation for his or her absence, failing which the President shall declare the position vacant.
- Any vacancy on the Executive Committee may be filled by appointment for the remainder of the term. Any such appointment would be agreed upon by a majority of the Executive Committee.
- No member shall hold more than one office on the Executive Committee or Standing Committees of the NFHS, except as provided in Article #2 (7).
ARTICLE 3. DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
PRESIDENT – shall, preside at all meeting of the NFHS, exercise general supervision over the committees and affairs of the NFHS, co-sign cheques for approved expenditures, ensure annual audit of NFHS finances as specified under Treasurer duties, be an ex-officio member of all committees, except the Nominating Committee, and prepare a report to be presented at the Annual General Meeting. The President may appoint the Chair of each committee except the Nominating Committee, with the approval of the Executive Committee. A person may not serve as President for longer than 3 consecutive years.
VICE PRESIDENT – shall, in the absence of the President, act in the President’s place; assume the duties of the President should the President be unable to complete his or her term, and assume the duties as determined by the Executive Committee. The Vice President shall be one of the co-signors of cheques for approved expenditures. The Vice President may supervise Committees assigned by the Executive Committee.
SECRETARY – shall, keep minutes of the Annual General Meeting and all Executive Committee meetings, read, post or circulate minutes as required, prepare an agenda for each Executive Committee meeting, forward a copy of the Executive Committee minutes to all members of the Executive Committee before the next General meeting. The Secretary shall conduct the general correspondence of the NFHS, keep and maintain all records and documents of the NFHS except those assigned to others; at year-end, file all correspondence and Committee reports in the NFHS record file. The Secretary shall supervise the pick-up and distribution of the incoming mail, prepare the notice of the Annual General Meeting for publication in the newsletter, and keep a copy of the bylaws. The Secretary shall read the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting at the Annual General Meeting unless otherwise directed by the Executive Committee.
TREASURER – shall, receive all monies collected and arrange all payments due by the NFHS; keep and maintain a record of all receipts and expenditures, and have available at all times a record of the financial status of the NFHS. The Treasurer shall co-sign cheques with either one of the President or the Vice President, in the presence of each other. The Treasurer shall present a financial report at each Executive Committee meeting, present a full financial statement for the year at the Annual General Meeting, prepare books for an annual informal audit of the finances to be conducted by a person external to and unrelated to the executive, prepare an annual budget in consultation with the Executive Committee, and book all meeting rooms. The Treasurer shall issue tax receipts for all donations ensuring the donation is properly valued if it is other than cash and ensure that all required governmental documents be filed with the appropriate authority in a timely manner.
PROGRAM DIRECTOR – shall be responsible for arranging the monthly General Meeting guest speaker.
MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR and PRIVACY OFFICER– shall, maintain a list of paid up members of the NFHS including their home and email addresses and telephone numbers in accordance with the provincial government guidelines on “Fair Information Practices”, collect annual dues, submit all monies collected to the Treasurer for deposit noting the member’s name and amount collected, and in consultation with Treasurer issue receipts to paid-up members. The Membership Director and Privacy Officer shall prepare a package of information to be given to all new members joining the NFHS, produce a nametag for each member and ensure the nametags are available at each monthly meeting of the NFHS. The Membership Director and Privacy Officer shall present a report at each Executive Committee Meeting and the Annual General Meeting. The Membership and Privacy Officer shall ensure executive members understand and practice information privacy protection of members’ personal information.
NEWSLETTER EDITOR – shall be responsible for editing and publishing a quarterly newsletter in the most cost-effective manner. Each publication must contain the address of the NFHS, the date of publication, a president’s report, and the names and positions of the Executive Committee. On availability, queries, family histories, and genealogical articles of interest will be published. A notice of the Annual General Meeting will be published before the meeting. All invoices and receipts are to be given to the Treasurer for reimbursement. The editor is responsible to ensure distribution to the membership.
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR – shall be responsible for establishing and directing the Communications Committee, including but not limited to timely notification of meetings and events to NFHS members, and all public print and electronic advertising.
EDUCATION DIRECTOR – shall be responsible for arranging educational activities and events as directed by the executive.
ARTICLE 4. COMMITTEES
1. The President may, in consultation with the Executive Committee, appoint the Chair of each committee and may establish or discontinue committees
2. The chair of a standing committee shall serve for one (1) year or until the next Annual General Meeting.
3. Committee chairs shall, at the request of the President, attend an Executive Committee meeting.
4. Committee chairs may select committee members, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.
5. Committee chairs shall prepare an outline of any proposed expenditures for the use of the Executive Committee in preparing the annual budget.
6. Committee chairs are responsible for forwarding reports to the Executive Committee along with all receipts for purchases to the Treasurer.
7. The Nominating Committee shall consist of two members in good standing. The chair is responsible to prepare a slate of nominations for elective offices which shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee and announced to individual members at least 14 days before the Annual General Meeting.
a. All candidates must have a nominator and seconder before they will be considered eligible for the election.
b. If the nominee is not present at the time of nomination, the nominator must have written assurance from the candidate that they will stand for executive committee.
8. The President is ex-officio member of all committees, except the Nominating Committee.
9. The Communications Committee shall be responsible for the following:
a. Oversee the construction and maintenance of social media platform(s) as directed by the executive which may include but is not
limited to Facebook.
b. Construct and maintain a web-site for the NFHS. The Webmaster is responsible to construct and keep up-to-date the Web pages of the NFHS assuring all information posted is accurate and available to the public at large. Items that may be included are constitution and bylaws, names of the Executive Committee, events, membership, NFHS holdings, projects, obituaries, history of the NFHS, links of a genealogical nature and other items that may arise.
c. Notify the NFHS membership of upcoming events or items of interest via email and monitor all incoming e-mails. The email Monitor is responsible to check the NFHS incoming email and distribute as appropriate. In addition, the email Monitor shall keep an up-to- date listing of the NFHS members and send email notices of meetings along with other information that may arise.
10. It is the responsibility of the committee chairs to ensure all gathered information is filed with other society holdings.
ARTICLE 5. MEETINGS
1. The Annual General Meeting shall be held in the month of February each year to present the financial reports and to elect the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall decide the time and place. A quorum shall be ten (10) members in good standing.
2. Notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be given to members at least seven (7) days before the meeting.
3. Nominations may also be made from the floor of the Annual General Meeting.
4. Volunteers for committee chairs may also be accepted at the Annual General Meeting.
5. Special meetings may be called at any time by the Executive Committee or upon the request in writing of 10% of the members in good standing, providing 14 days notice of the meeting is circulated to each member specifying the purpose of the meeting.
6. No fewer than eight (8) General Meetings of the NFHS shall be held during the membership year.
7. No fewer than five (5) Executive Committee meetings shall be held during the membership year.
8. The President or any two (2) other members of the Executive Committee may convene a meeting of the Executive Committee as often as necessary to fulfill the purpose of the Executive Committee.
9. Each member of the Executive Committee is entitled to one (1) vote at meetings of the Executive Committee. Voting by proxy is not allowed.
10. A member who has paid current dues may vote at General or Special meetings. Voting by proxy is not allowed.
11. Visitors may attend one (1) NFHS General Meeting without obligation.
ARTICLE 6. QUORUMS
1. A quorum at the Annual General Meeting, General and Special meetings of the NFHS shall be ten (10) eligible members.
2. A quorum at meetings of the Executive Committee shall be five (5) members of the Executive Committee, including at least one (1) of either the President or Vice President.
ARTICLE 7. FINANCES
1. The Executive Committee shall function as the Financial Committee in control of monies belonging to the NFHS.
2. No money shall be spent without previous approval by a majority vote of the eligible members present at an Executive Committee meeting.
3. The signing officers of the NFHS shall be any two (2) of the Treasurer, the President, or the Vice President.
4. The fiscal year shall be from January 1 to December 31.
5. The rate of annual dues for the coming year for the various classes of membership shall be approved on the recommendation of the Executive Committee at any General Meeting of the NFHS by a majority vote of the eligible members present
6. Dues shall be payable by January 1.
7. Members in arrears shall lose the benefits of membership if current dues are not paid by the Annual General Meeting.
8. Dues for new members joining after July 1 shall be one-half the full amount.
9. An Auditor appointed by the Executive Committee shall audit the financial records of the NFHS at the end of each fiscal year.
ARTICLE 8. BYLAWS AND STANDING RULES
1. The members shall adopt, amend or repeal bylaws necessary to carry on the business and activities of the NFHS.
2. Any individual member in good standing may introduce an amendment to the bylaws at any General Meeting by a special motion provided that the Notice of the motion to amend the bylaws has been given in writing to the Executive Committee at least 30 days before the meeting.
3. The Executive Committee may establish, amend or repeal standing rules for the conduct of business not specifically provided for in these bylaws, subject to ARTICLE 8 (1).
4. The Secretary shall keep a record of the standing rules and a copy of the bylaws in the Minutes book.
5. No member may hold more than one (1)Executive position unless there is a vacancy that cannot be filled. If a vacancy on the Executive Committee occurs, the President shall appoint a member in good standing to fulfill the outstanding term. If the positions of President and/or Vice President become vacant, these positions will be filled following discussion and agreement by the remaining executive members.
6. The rules contained in Roberts’s Rules of Order shall govern the NFHS in all cases to which they are applicable, and when they are not inconsistent with the bylaws or the special rules of the NFHS.
7. The activities of the Society shall be carried on without gain for its members and any profits to the Society shall be used for promoting its purposes.
8. In the event of winding up or dissolution of the Society, any funds and/or holdings of the Society remaining after payment of any debts shall be given or transferred to an organization concerned with the same purposes as this Society, as may be determined by a motion of 51% of the general membership.
9. Clauses (7a), (8b) and (9c) of are unalterable.
10. The society holds copyright to all original material generated through research conducted under the direction of the society. THIS PROVISION IS UNALTERABLE.
Revised as approved at the Annual General Meeting held 19 February 2024 (Updated March 13, 2024)