The Ina Coolbrith Circle
Constitution
ARTICLE I – NAME
The name of this Organization shall be THE INA COOBRITH CIRCLE.
ARTICLE II – MISSION
SECTION I – The Mission of the Organization shall be the promotion of the art of poetry, the study of the history and the literature of California, the discussion of the works of California writers, the assembling and the preservation of the personal and literary reminiscences of California writers, and such other activities as may be decided by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE III – MEMBERS
SECTION I – The membership of the Organization shall consist of the following classifications: Active; Sustaining; Life; and Honorary. Obligations and privileges of members shall be set forth in the By-Laws.
ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS AND ORGANIZATION
SECTION 1 – Decisions on matters of business, policy and activities of the Organization shall be vested in a Board consisting of nine to twelve Directors. The Directors shall be selected among the membership by the Board itself, and inducted on a voluntary basis. The obligation to serve on the Board of Directors is open-ended, with no restriction as to length of service.
SECTION 2 – A President, two Vice-Presidents, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and such other officers as may be deemed necessary shall be chosen from among the Board of Directors. Where this is not possible, the Board will poll the membership for volunteers. The Directors may have an assortment of responsibilities as the Board determines (such as Membership, Hospitality, Website Maintenance, Programs, Contests, etc.).
SECTION 3 – The duties of the officers shall be such as usually pertain to like officers in similar organizations or shall be set forth within the Board itself. The officers shall serve without remuneration.
ARTICLE V - MEETINGS
SECTION 1 - Regular and special meetings of the Organization and meetings of the Board of Dirctors shall be set as to time and place by the Board.
ARTICLE VI - AMENDMENTS
This Constitution may be amended at any regular meeting of the Organization provided the proposed amendment shall have been presented in writing to the Board and to the Secretary six weeks before a meeting or have been presented in writing or orally to the membership at a preceding regular stated meeting. A three-fourths vote of members in good standing present shall be necessary for adoption. Such amendment shall be considered in effect at the end of the meeting where approved unless otherwise stated.
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BY-LAWS
ARTICLE 1 - MEMBERSHIP
The membership of the Organization shall consist of the following classifications:
SECTION 1 - ACTIVE MEMBERS shall be such persons––poets, other writers, organizations or individuals interested in promoting the best in California Literary production––who, upon application and investigation, shall be approved by the Board of Directors. They shall have all the rights, privileges and duties usually pertaining to active membership in such organizations.
SECTION 2 - SUSTAINING MEMBERS shall be such Active Members as (a) shall voluntarily pay in advance annual dues as set by the Board of Directors or (b) shall render some signal service to the Circle. Sustaining Members shall be given such special recognition as Sponsors of the Circle as is proper.
SECTION 3 - LIFE MEMBERS shall be Active Members as shall voluntarily pay at one time in Lieu of annual dues a sum set by the Board of Directors. Life Members shall be accorded such special recognition and honors as Sponsors of the Circle as is within the power of the Organization. The dues formula for Life Membership is 10 times the dues for Sustaining Membership.
SECTION 4 - HONORARY MEMBERS shall be elected by the Board of Directors when advisable and shall be persons who have rendered notable service to literature in California or who have attained places of high eminence in the literary arts. They shall not be required to pay annual dues, but shall have all the rights and privileges of Active Membership.
SECTION 5 - STATUS OF MEMBERS. Active Members of all classifications shall be in good standing when their annual dues are paid in advance. In the event that dues are not currently paid, they shall be considered not-in-good-standing until dues in arrears shall be paid. At the end of two years in arrears, they shall be considered as nonmembers until new application is made and approved by the Board and annual dues are paid in advance. If, for good reason, a member gives notice to the Secretary or to the President of a necessary pause in membership status, he may be reinstated without the payment of annual dues accrued while absent. This shall not apply to members who are simply negligent in the payment of dues.
ARTICLE II - DUTIES OF OFFICERS
The duties of the various officers shall be such as usually pertain to like officers in similar organizations.
ARTICLE III - COMMITTEES
Such committees, as from time to time shall be desired and advantageous to the welfare of the Circle, shall be appointed by the President and shall hold office for the term of the Circle year or longer if so designated.
ARTICLE IV - BUSINESS
SECTION 1 - All ordinary business of the Organization shall be allocated to the jurisdiction of the Board of Directors. One special meeting of the Board each year shall be designated "Hail and Farewell", and shall be conducted for (1) completion of business from the previous year, and (2) planning for the following year. This meeting is to be conducted in early summer. Information regarding matters of major importance as well as membership roster information shall be disseminated to the members via post or e-mail.
SECTION 2 - The Board of Directors shall elect its officers. The organizational year shall begin August 31 when annual dues shall be payable and the new officers shall assume office at that time.
SECTION 3 - QUORUMS. A quorum of the Board for business shall be a majority of the members.
SECTION 4 - Roberts' Rules of Order shall be recognized as the basis for all procedures, but in meetings of the Board a degree of informality shall be considered allowable.
ARTICLE V - AMENDMENTS
SECTION 1 - Amendments to these By-Laws shall be the province of the Board of Directors. The By-Laws shall be distributed to all members for review via the website, with any new language the Board has approved. Members in good standing may submit recommendations for amendment of the By-Laws to the Board. Any changes will be considered and made as the Board determines.
Dated September 7, 2024
