Dynamic Resource Alliance
BYLAWS
The name of the Corporation
shall be: Dynamic Resource Alliance.
Section 1:
Dynamic Resource Alliance is an organization dedicated to the
ideal of providing a full range of complementary services to
businesses through membership networking and referral
opportunities. Each occupational endeavor is
represented by one member and conflicts of interest are
disallowed.
Section 2:
A
“referral” is defined as a contact arranged between two members
or between a member and a non-member, which could potentially
lead to a business transaction for a member. The contact
must be expecting a call; i.e., it must be a “warm” referral.
Section 3: The basic
goal of the Corporation shall be to enhance its members’
businesses and careers through the interchange and development
of leads and not for pecuniary profit.
Section 4: The
Corporation shall not be used in any way for political purposes
nor shall it actively participate in the political candidacy of
any person or cause.
ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP AND
CLASSIFICATION |
Section 1:
(a)
The membership of
the Corporation shall consist of men and women of good character
and community standing residing or having other community
interests within the New Jersey area and each member shall have
one vote. Membership shall be owned only by individuals,
not by corporations or other entities.
(b)
The membership of
the Corporation shall be composed of occupations listed on the
official membership category list adopted by the Board from time
to time. A member may control only one of these
occupations, must work regularly in that occupation, and must
have an appropriate level of experience. Any disputes as
to areas covered by a membership category shall be decided by
the Board of Trustees.(c)
Prospective
members must have been recommended for membership by an existing
member of the Corporation, and shall submit a bio to the
Membership Chairperson consisting of (i) a completed bio form
and a signed ethics and requirements form. The Membership
Chairman shall then make arrangements to interview the
prospective member, which may be conducted by telephone.
Following such interview, the Membership Chairman shall present
the application for membership to the Board of Trustees at its
next scheduled meeting, and shall make a brief presentation to
the Board regarding the proposed member. The Board of
Trustees shall thereupon vote on the issue of admitting the
prospective member. Approval of the new member shall
require a 2/3 majority vote of the Board of Trustees at a
meeting in which a quorum is present. In lieu of voting on
the admission of prospective member, the Board of Trustees may
instead vote (by a simple majority vote) to table prospective
member. Each prospective member must have an established
client base with contacts at the executive / decision maker
level that would be mutually beneficial to the other members of
the Corporation. (d)
The Corporation is committed to a policy against
discrimination based on race, color, sex, national origin, age,
ancestry, handicap, sexual orientation or marital status.
(e)
Memberships are non-transferable and cannot be sold.
(f)
Occasionally, a slight overlap of occupations will occur and
conflicts of interest will
become apparent. In case of a conflict, the proposed
member must write a letter outlining the specific areas covered
by his or her category. The letter must then be approved
by the Board of Trustees.
(f)
If a member changes the category which he or she
represents, the Board of Trustees
shall have the right to approve or disapprove the new category.
Section 2: Member
must be active in the Corporation. The Board of Trustees has the
right to extend a “Leave of Absence” to any member. Dues
will continue to be due in full during the Leave of Absence.
A majority vote by the Board of Trustees, after reviewing the
member’s participation in total, is required. This may be
done for vacation, illness, accident, personal items, etc.
The “Leave of Absence” can be for up to two calendar months.
It must be reviewed at that time.
Section 3: Any member
may resign from this Corporation at any time. The resignation
shall be submitted in writing to the Board of Trustees and shall
become effective when accepted by the Board. Membership
fees and quarterly dues are not refundable.
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ARTICLE IV: TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP |
Section 1:
Members are required to sign and abide by the following
“Commitment”:
(a)
Sign Ethics and Requirements.
(b)
Attend at least 75% of scheduled meetings of the members.
Section 2:
Any member
more than thirty (30) days in arrears in the payment of dues
and/or financial obligations to the Corporation shall stand
suspended and shall be notified forthwith in writing by the
Secretary of the Corporation. Such member, upon payment of
the arrears and upon making application for reinstatement to the
Board of Trustees, may, by majority vote of the Board of
Trustees (quorum required) be reinstated within thirty (30) days
of the date of aforesaid written notice from the Secretary.
If such member does not make full payment of the amount in
arrears and apply for reinstatement within ten (10) days of the
date of the aforesaid written notice, the member shall be
dropped from the membership and shall be notified forthwith in
writing by the Membership Chairperson.
Section 3:
(a)
From time to time, the Board of Trustees shall review the individual
active members based on the following criteria: regular
attendance at member meetings, which is vital to the successful
functioning of the Corporation, and participation in corporate
activities, quantity and quality of referrals provided, number
of guests and new members generated, compliance with the
member’s Commitment under Section 1, and overall contribution to
the success and development of the Corporation.
(c)
At the discretion of the Board of Trustees, any member
who, without excuse shall fail
to regularly attend member meetings, actively participate in the
activities of the corporation, generate a sufficient quantity
and quality of referrals, guests or new members, or otherwise
contribute to the success and development of the Corporation
shall, at the direction of a 2/3 majority vote of the Board of
Trustees (quorum required) be terminated and shall be notified
thereof in writing by the Secretary.
Section 1:
The
officers of the Corporation shall consist of a President, Vice
President, Secretary and Treasurer who shall be elected annually
by a majority vote of the Board of Trustees of the Corporation
at its first meeting followed by the annual meeting of the
members. All officers must be current members of the Board
of Directors. The President may not hold office for more
than two consecutive terms or until his or her successor is duly
elected or appointed as provided by these bylaws. In the
event that any office becomes vacant for any reason whatsoever,
the vacancy shall be filled forthwith by the Board of Trustees.
Section 2: The
President shall serve as the executive officer of the
Corporation, preside at all meetings of the membership, be an ex
officio member of all committees (except the Nominating
Committee), exercise general supervision over affairs of the
Corporation, perform such other duties as are ordinarily
incumbent upon a President and report to the Board of Trustees.
Section 3: The Vice
President shall perform such duties that are ordinarily
incumbent upon the Vice President and such other duties as may
be assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees.
Section 4: The
secretary shall keep and maintain the minutes of the meetings of
the Board of Trustees and business meetings, and shall conduct
all correspondence as may be required by the President or Board
of Trustees and shall generally perform such duties that are
ordinarily incumbent upon a Secretary.
Section 5:
The
Treasurer shall keep and maintain records of all financial
actions of the Corporation which shall include all records of
membership initiation fees, dues, fines and all monies collected
and disbursed. The Treasurer shall prepare annual
statements for the Corporation and generally perform such duties
that are ordinarily incumbent upon a Treasurer.
Section 6:
Checks
issued by the Corporation shall require the signature of two
officers of the Corporation where the amount shall exceed
$500.00; provided, however, that the signature of only one
officer of the Corporation shall be required for checks of
$500.00 or less.
Section 1: The
Corporation shall be governed by a Board of Trustees.
Section 2:
The Board
of Trustees shall consist of seven (7) members elected by the
membership. The initial Board of Trustees for the first
year of operations shall be as set forth in the Corporation’s
Certificate of Incorporation. The President shall preside
over the Board of Trustees and be the Chairman of the Board.
In the event of a Trusteeship becoming vacant for any reason
whatsoever prior to the end of the holder’s term, such vacancy
shall be filled by action of the Board of Trustees, and such
appointee shall serve for the duration of the term of the
individual being replaced. Each Trustee shall be an active
member in good standing.
Section 3: The Board
of Trustees shall have control and management of the
Corporation’s activities, determine all policies, discipline
members, and generally supervise the affairs of the Corporation.
Section 4: The Board
of Trustees shall meet the first and third Thursday of each
month at it’s discretion, or at such other times as the Board
shall determine. A majority of the Board of Trustees shall
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. A
majority vote of those present (quorum required) shall be
necessary to give effect to any action of the Board.
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ARTICLE VII – INDEMNIFICATION OF TRUSTEES, OFFICERS, AND AGENTS
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Section 1:
Authority to Indemnify.
The Corporation may indemnify every Trustee, officer, employee
and other corporate agent of the Corporation as defined in, and
to the full extent permitted by, Section 15A:3-4 of the New
Jersey Nonprofit Corporation Act, as the same may be amended
from time to time.
Section 2:
Insurance.
The Board of Trustees of the Corporation may cause the
Corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any
corporate agent against any expenses incurred in any proceeding
and any liabilities asserted against him or her in his or her
capacity as corporate agent, whether or not the Corporation
would have the power to indemnify him or her against such
liability under the provisions of this Article.
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ARTICLE VIII – ELECTION
PROCEDURE |
Section 1:
The initial Board of
Trustees shall serve for a term of two years. Thereafter,
the Board shall be subject to election by the members in
accordance with the following staggered election procedure:
(a)
No later than April 21, 2005, the Board shall designate three
(out of the initial seven) Trustee positions which shall be
subject to a new election at the annual meeting of the members
scheduled for April 21, 2005. Trustees elected at said
election shall serve for a two year term, and these three
Trustee positions shall then be subject to new elections at the
annual meeting of members in odd numbered years.
(b)
The remaining four initial Board of Trustee positions shall then
be subject to a new election at the annual meeting of members
scheduled for April 2006. Trustees elected at said
election shall serve for a two year term, and these four Trustee
positions shall then be subject to new elections at the annual
meeting of members in even numbered years.
(c)
An election of Trustees as provided above shall be held each
year at the annual meeting of members, commencing with the April
21, 2005 annual meeting. The annual meeting will then be
held on the first regular meeting in April.
Section 2: Voting shall be by
written ballot and shall not be cumulative. There shall be
no voting by proxy or absentee ballot.
Section 3: At a regular meeting of
the meeting of members at least six (6) weeks prior to the date
of the annual meeting, the President shall appoint a committee
to be known as the Nominating Committee. This committee
shall consist of any three (3) members at least one of whom
shall be a Trustee and at least one of whom shall not be a
Trustee. The President shall designate the chairman of
this committee. The duties of this committee shall be to
make nominations, with the consent of those nominated and to
prepare a ballot for the election of Trustees.
Section 4:
At
least five (5) weeks before the annual meeting, the Nominating
Committee shall submit a list of nominees to the membership at a
regular bi-monthly meeting. Within one (1) week following
the Nominating Committee’s submission of the list to the
membership, nominations from the floor of a regular meeting of
the members may be made and when so made together with the list
submitted by the Nominating Committee shall then be the list of
nominees submitted to the members for election of the Trustees.
Section 5: At the regular meeting
prior to April 21st, the Secretary shall distribute, collect,
and count the ballots and report the results to the membership.
A majority of all votes cast shall be necessary to determine the
choice of any Trustee to be elected. In the event that any
ballot does not show a majority for any nominee for any
particular Trustee, a second ballot shall be held. In the
second ballot, only the two (2) nominees receiving the highest
number of votes in the first ballot shall be eligible.
Prior to the second ballot the two (2) nominees receiving the
highest number of votes in the first ballot shall have a
speak-off; each such eligible nominee shall be allotted five (5)
minutes.
Section 6: In the case of a
vacancy in the office of president, the Vice President shall
succeed to the office. In the case of a vacancy in the
office of Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary or other Board
members, the vacancy shall be filled by the Board of Trustees.
Section 7: In the event, after
election and prior to installation, of disability or inability
of a Trustee, the vacancy shall be filled by the Board of
Trustees.
Section 8: Only members in good
standing shall be eligible to hold office and vote.
Section 1:
The
Corporation shall hold
bi-monthly meetings starting at 7:15 AM or such other time and on such a
day and place as shall be determined by the Board of Trustees.
Each meeting shall feature one (1) or two (2) members for the
Feature Speaker as designated on a revolving basis by the
Membership Chairperson. Problems or complaints will not be
aired at a regular meeting, but will be referred to the Board of
Trustees. The Corporation may hold such other meetings as
the President may desire. The regular bi-monthly meetings
shall end no later than 8:30 AM except on special occasions as
approved by the Board of Trustees.
Roberts Rules of Order
shall govern the procedures for running the meetings of members.
Section 2:
The
annual meeting of the Corporation shall be the third regular
weekly meeting in April.
Section 1:
Each
new member of the Corporation shall pay a membership fee.
The payment of said fee to be prerequisite to admission of
membership, payable prior to becoming a member. The
membership fee is nonrefundable unless the applicant is refused
membership.
Section 2: A member shall be
regarded in good standing if he or she is not more than thirty
(30) days in arrears in payment of any indebtedness.
Section 3:
The fiscal year of the
Corporation shall be from January 1st of each year
until December 31st next following.
Section 4: The amount of the
membership fee shall be set from time to time by the Board of
Trustees.
Section 1:
The
Board of Trustees shall determine the number and purpose of all
special and standing committees necessary to the achievement of
the objectives and purposes of the Corporation.
Section 2:
The
President shall, immediately following his or her election,
appoint the chairpersons and members of all committees, and
shall announce such appointments not later than May 1st
following his or her election.
Section 3:
The Committee on Attendance.
The Membership Committee shall take attendance at each meeting,
promote a full attendance at all meetings, and report attendance
to the Trustees at each Board of Trustees meeting.
Section 4: The Committee on
Membership shall use the Corporation membership categories
determined by the Board of Trustees from time to time for
classification of new members (only one category per member).
Section 5:
The Program Committee shall
designate one or two members to be first week Hosts – second
week Featured Speakers.
Section 6: The Publicity Committee
shall promote the activities of the Corporation through the
media, such as cocktail parties, elections, meetings, speakers,
etc.
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ARTICLE XII – MISCELLANEOUS
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Section 1:
Any
person who is proposed and accepted for membership in the
Corporation shall be deemed to have accepted these bylaws and
subsequent changes, and shall be bound by them in all respects.
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ARTICLE XIII –
RESPONSIBILITY FOR
TAX RETURNS/USE OF INCOME |
Section 1:
The
Board of Trustees is responsible for filing any and all tax
returns required to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service
and State taxing authorities. Any income received by the
Corporation shall be applied only for the purposes of the
Corporation, and no part of the income shall inure to the
benefit of any trustee, officer or member.
Section 1:
Upon
recommendation of the Board of Trustees, these bylaws my be
amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the active members present
at any regular weekly meeting of the members, a quorum being
present. Written notice of the proposed amendment shall
have been given to each member at least two (2) weeks prior to
the meeting at which the vote will be taken. There shall
be no voting by proxy.
Section 1:
Upon
dissolution or winding up of the affairs of this Corporation
after the payment of all outstanding indebtedness of the
Corporation, no liquidating or other dividends or other
distribution of the property owned by the Corporation shall be
declared or paid to any private individual, but the net assets
of the Corporation shall be distributed to one or more
organizations described in Section 501© (6) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
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