Untitled Document

By-Laws of Students Offering Support (SOS)

ARTICLE I – NAME, MISSION & COLORS

SECTION 1. The name of this organization shall be Students Offering Support, (also known as SOS)

SECTION 2. The mission of this organization is to introduce high school co-eds to the
impact they can have on their community as they themselves conduct the
business each year of identifying community needs and creating a plan of
fund raising and service that will assist in meeting those needs. Our goal is
to fulfill this mission while providing an enjoyable and fun means of uniting
our community youth.

SECTION 3. The official colors of this organization shall be determined at a later date.

ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1. Eligible Members:
A. The membership of this organization shall be limited to all Charter
Members and High School Co-eds selected for membership that will be
entering either 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade.
B. Each member is required to complete at least 12 hours of community service
per year for each grade.
SECTION 2. Membership Cap:
A. This organizations membership shall be capped at 125 members.

SECTION 3. Classification of membership:
A. ACTIVE – Active members are those currently attending a local high
school (public or private) who are in good standing with the club and are
actively fulfilling all membership requirements.
B. NON-RESIDENT – Non-resident members are members who have
served a minimum of one semester in the organization as an active member
and who now attend senior high school out of the area. All Non-resident
members are required to pay dues each year, but are excused from all other
service and financial requirements of membership.
B. ALUMNAE – Alumna are all members who have graduated from high school
in good standing with the organization.

SECTION 4. Membership Requirements for Active Members:
A. Annual dues must be paid by June 15th.
B. Each member must serve on a minimum of one committee and satisfactorily
complete the requirements of that committee.
C. Each member must complete 12 hours of service each year.
D. Each member is required to pay additional financial obligations that have
received the majority vote of membership with a quorum present.

E. Each member must contribute to at least one of the yearly “special need”
drives.
F. Each member must not exceed 2 unexcused absences from monthly general membership meetings. Acceptable excuses for absences are: out of
town, personal illness, illness of a family member, death of a friend or
family member, college testing and school related extra-curricular activities that the member is directly involved with as a member. Three additional service hours can be substituted for an unexcused absence.
G. Any active member that encounters an extended illness will be permitted
to submit a request to the Executive Board, while still “in good standing,” asking that their requirements be reduced to reflect those
of members with a non-resident status. The vote must pass with a
majority vote of the Executive Board.

SECTION 5. Expulsion of Members:
A. Causes for expulsion are: failure to meet any one of the membership
requirements.
C. When it has come to the attention of the Executive Committee, by written notice, that a parent or member’s numerous actions have a negative
impact on the mission of the club, its leaders and/or a particular member,
the matter will be brought to the Executive Committee and their Advisors.
If the majority of the Executive committee agrees, the following will happen:
1.PARENT ISSUES:
a. The President and/or Corresponding Secretary will issue a written
warning.
b. If any negative actions or comments continue, the parent will be asked
to have no further communication with this organization and is
removed from any role she is currently serving in the organization.
c. If any negative actions or comments continue, as a last resort, the son
or daughter will be dropped from membership.
2. MEMBER ISSUES:
a. The President and/or Corresponding Secretary will send a written
warning.
b. If any negative actions or comments continue, the member will be
issued a second warning.
c. If any negative actions or comments continue, as a last resort, the
Member will be dropped from membership.

SECTION 6. Membership Selection:
A. The Membership Committee shall consist of the Membership chair, his/her Advisor, Parent Advisor, Executive Advisors and one member representative from each school represented in the club; to be slated by the Membership Chair and approved by a majority vote of the Board at the January Board Meeting.
B. The Membership Committee will have the sole responsibility of selecting the new members for the coming year.
C. New members will be selected by a majority vote of the Membership
Committee with a quorum present.
D. Membership proposal forms are to be sent with the January newsletter.
E. A candidate for membership must be proposed by either an alumnae
or active member and must have one active member sign as an
endorser. A member can propose up to 5 members and endorse up to
3 members.
F. All proposals must be received by the Membership Chairman prior to
the February general membership meeting. Entering seniors may be eligible.
G. The Membership Committee must strive to maintain a membership
balance between, local high schools, grades, and sexes. No school shall
exceed 30 members and no one class shall exceed a 35% representation of the club. The incoming freshman class shall not exceed 20 members.
G. Dues of new members must be paid within 45 of the receipt of the invitation or the membership is forfeited.
1. Follow-up phone calls must be made by a member of the Membership
Committee to any new member that has not paid his/her dues, 10 days prior to the due date.

ARTICLE III – MEETINGS

SECTION 1. GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS
A. General Membership Meetings shall be scheduled monthly August through May.
SECTION 2. BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEETINGS
A. Monthly meetings shall be scheduled August through May and shall precede the monthly general membership meeting.
B. The newly appointed BOG shall meet prior to the summer break to receive notebooks and to vote on the new parent advisor. Last year’s Parent Advisor will attend this meeting.
SECTION 3. EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETINGS
A. The Executive Board shall meet prior to the BOG meetings on a monthly
basis; August through May.
B. The newly elected Executive Board shall meet prior to the summer break to
discuss and appoint the Board of Governors and to slate a Parent Advisor.
SECTION 4. BOARD OF ADVISORS
A. The Board of Advisors shall meet 3 times a year.
1. Fall Meeting – To discuss the business of the year ahead.
2. Winter – To discuss upcoming elections
3. Spring – To discuss the past year and recommendations
SECTION 2. SPECIAL MEETINGS
A. Special meetings may be called by the president with the consent of the Executive Board. B. The Board of Governors shall meet monthly prior to the general meeting. C. A special meeting of the Club may be called by the President upon request of twenty-five (25) members of the Club. Notice of special meetings shall be in writing and the members must receive this notice at least two (2) days before the date of the special meeting.
E. A special BOG meeting can be called by the President or special issue brought b before the Board of Governors upon the request of ten (10) members of the B BOG or twenty-five (25) members of the Club. Notice of special meetings h shall be in writing and all BOG members must receive this notice at lease two 2 (2) days before the date of the special meeting.
F. A special Executive Board meeting can be called by the President or special issue brought before the Executive Board upon the request of ten (10) members of the BOG or twenty-five (25) members of the Club. Notice of special meetings shall be in writing and all Executive Board members must receive this notice at least two (2) days before the date of the special meeting.
ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS & RESPONSIBILITIES
SECTION 1. The OFFICERS of the corporation shall be referred to as the Executive Board and are elected for a one year term. They are as follows: President of Operations, President of Incorporation, Vice President of Correspondence, Vice President of Finance, Vice President of Membership, Vice President of Procedure, Vice President of Records, and Vice President of Service.

SECTION 2. RESPONSIBILITIES:
A. President of Operations –
1. Presides at all meetings of the Executive Board and Board of Governors. 2. Ensure that his/her board is carrying out their responsibility.
3. Collect all Chairperson reports and reviews them before passing them to
the President Elect.
4. The President is to be unbiased and encourage communication.

B. President of Incorporation –
1. Shall perform all duties in the absence of the President of operations.
2. File all paperwork to incorporate.
3. File all paperwork to obtain 501-(c3) tax exempt status.
4. File with the state of Florida for tax exemption.
5. Responsible for maintaining corporate records up-to-date.
6. Secure speakers for meetings as needed.

C. First Vice President of Correspondence –
1. Shall compose and mail a monthly newsletter within one week of the general meetings.
2. Shall send article submission reminders to all committee chairs and members who have an upcoming event one week prior to deadline.
3. Maintain the names, addresses, emails, and phone numbers of all the members and update them on a continual basis as needed and include all changes in the monthly newsletter.

D. Vice President of Membership –
1. Record service hours for each member.
2. Prepare a mid-year report for each member that will be provided to the Parent Advisor by the second week in December.
3. Advise individuals who are not fulfilling their service requirement.

E. Vice President of Finance -
1. Open bank account for club.
2. Balance checkbook, write checks, and deposit checks.
3. Prepare a monthly written report to be shared with the membership.
4. Make all financial forms available to the membership and to all chairpersons.
5. Work with the parent advisor at the end of the year to prepare a suggested budget for the following year.

F. Vice President of Procedure –
1. Deliver an inspirational message at the general membership meetings.
2. Maintain order at all meetings.

G. Vice President of Records –
1. Take attendance at every meeting.
2. Send written notice to any member who has 2 unexcused absences.
3. Take minutes at both the monthly executive committee.
4. Type minutes and include them in the Executive Board’s meeting reminder, post them on the SOS website every month, and maintain them in the corporate book.
5. Send reminders to Board of Governors and advisors one week prior to monthly meeting.

H. Vice President of Service –
1. Identify and publicize all service opportunities.
2. Send reminder emails to members one week prior to the service opportunity that has been signed up for.
3. Identify a member to take attendance at each event.
4. Report hours to the VP of Records within one week of the date of service.
5. Sit on the Community Donations Committee and work closely with the Community Donations Chairperson in deciding the slate of non-profit organizations to possibly receive grant monies from our organization.

SECTION III - RESIGNATION & VACATED OFFICES:

A. Any resignation from membership, office, or chair position must be submitted in writing to the Executive Board.
B. If an Executive Board position has been vacated it shall be filled as follows:
The Nominating Committee will hold an emergency meeting to discuss and select nominees to fill any and all vacancies. Special consideration shall be given to the moving up of current officers in a sequential manner as talents and responsibilities afford. The decision of the Nominating Committee must be approved by a majority vote of the BOG with a quorum present. The nominee/nominees shall be presented to the Board, at the next scheduled Board meeting, and must be approved by a majority vote of those members present. (Notification must be given to all board members of the issue and pending vote a minimum of 24 hours prior to the meeting.) No officer is disqualified from serving on the nominating committee in this situation.

ARTICLE V - ELECTIONS

A. The Nominating Committee shall consist of the Executive Board and
the Executive Advisors.
B. Members of the Executive Board seeking reelection to any position on
the Executive Board will be disqualified from serving on the Nominating Committee. His/Her Advisor is disqualified as well. If the Nominating Committee falls below 6 members, then the Executive Board will elect a member of the board and an advisor to serve on the Nominating Committee. This process is to be the result of a majority vote of the Executive Board.
C. The Election Meeting will be the April general membership meeting
and the officers shall be elected by a majority vote of those present.
D. A candidate must have fulfilled all membership requirements by
March 31st and currently be in good standing in order to be qualified to run for office.
. E. The Nominating Committee shall meet prior to the April election meeting to review all nominations and determine whether each candidate is qualified to run for office.
F. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a chart that includes hours earned and meeting attendance for general and board meetings that
reflects the information as it pertains to each nominee. This comprehensive chart is to be displayed at the election meeting and the Parent Advisor is to verbally share the pertinent information prior to the vote being taken for each individual office.

ARTICLE VI – APPOINTMENTS

A. All committee chairs will be appointed by the President and approved
by a majority vote of the Executive Board.
B. The Parent Advisor shall be selected and appointed by a majority vote of
the Executive Board with the approval of a majority vote of the Board of Governors.

ARTICLE VII – BOARD OF GOVERNORS & REQUIREMENTS

A. The Board of Governors is composed of the Executive Board and all
appointed committee chairmen. Also referred to as the Board or BOG
B. All committee chairmen are required to earn 8 service hours.
C. It is the responsibility of the committee chairs to report service hours to
the VP of Membership that have been offered and earned through his/her committee.
D. All Board of Governors shall attend a minimum of five (5) Board meetings and may not exceed three (3) unexcused absences.
1. A Board member shall submit an excuse to the Recording Secretary
within one week of the meeting date. An excused absence is the same as that outlined in ARTICLE II – SECTION 3-F.
E. All committee chairs shall submit a complete written report within one
month of completing their project/responsibility in order to fulfill their
Board responsibility.
F. If a Board member has not fulfilled his/her board obligations then he/she
will be required to obtain an additional four (4) hours of service in order
to remain “in good standing.”

ARTICLE VIII - STANDING COMMITTEES

A. The following are standing committees with an appointed chair:
Board Training
By-laws / Chaplain
Directory
Community Grants
Family Event
Guest Speaker
Membership Photographer/Historian
Public Relations/Publicity
Website

B. The following are standing committees with appointed co-chairs and
fulfill the requirement laid out in Article II – Section 3-B:

Carnival / Country Day
Class Projects
Fund Raising Project
Holiday Dance
Movie Nights
Special Need Drives
C. Special ad-hoc committees can be added as needed and approved by a majority vote of the Board of Governors.

ARTICLE IX – PARENT ADVISOR & SUSTAINING ADVISOR

SECTION 1. PARENT ADVISOR
A. The Parent Advisor shall be selected and appointed by a majority vote of
of the Executive Board. The Nominee will then require the approval of a
the Board of Governors by a majority vote of the newly appointed BOG.
1. Each member of the Executive Board will submit a written nominee
at the meeting. They will be opened and read by the President. Discussion will follow and a vote will be called for.
B. The Parent Advisor is to serve in an advisory capacity only and does not have
the power to make any decisions effecting the club without first consulting the entire Executive Board and receiving approval by a majority vote of the officers.

ARTICLE X – BOARD OF ADVISORS

SECTION 1. The Board of Advisors shall consist of the advisors of the officers and committee
chairs.

ARTICLE XI – VOTING

SECTION 1. QUORUM
A. Membership:
1. One third of the current (updated) membership shall constitute a quorum at any general membership meeting.
B. Board of Governors:
1. One half of the current (updated) Board Of Governors shall constitute a quorum at any Board meeting.
C. Membership Committee:
1. One half of the Membership Committee, including a minimum of three adults, shall constitute a quorum at Membership meetings
D. Special Issues:
1. In order to override an Executive Board decision a quorum will constitute sixty-five (65) percent of the current (updated) membership.
2. Executive Board & Advisors Special Meeting- A quorum for these special
Meetings will be 75% of those eligible to attend.

SECTION 2. MAJORITY
A. The majority vote is considered to be one more than half of the members
at the meeting with a quorum present.
SECTION 3. VOTES
A. The President is not to have a vote unless required to break a tie.
B. All votes must be determined by a majority vote and with a quorum present
when noted.
(see Article XI – Section 1 to see what constitutes a quorum.)
I. Any issue can be brought for a vote by a motion being made and seconded and opportunity for discussion has been allowed.
J. With regard to any special meeting or issue (ie. That mentioned in
ARTICLE II Section 5-B) any officer or advisor with a vested interest
in the outcome must excuse themselves completely from any discussion
or vote.

ARTICLE XII – AMENDING OF BYLAWS

SECTION 1. The bylaws of the organization may be amended at any general membership
meeting by a majority vote of the entire membership. If the proposed amendment has been presented in writing to the entire membership two (2) weeks prior to the meeting then the bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of those voting, a quorum being present.

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