The Union's By-laws

ARTICLE I - MEMBERSHIP

There shall be eight classes of membership in the Union.

ARTICLE II - DUES

Annual dues/or changes in the dues structure shall be determined by the Board of Directors in accordance with Article X of these by-laws.

ARTICLE III - PRIVILEGES OF MEMBERSHIP

All individual members in good standing shall be entitled to vote and participate in all activities of the Union.

Any local Bird club or individual in Minnesota may be elected to membership by the Board of Directors at any meeting thereof.

The term of Single, Family, Supporting, Youth, Foreign, and Corporate members shall continue from year-to-year unless forfeited for non-payment of dues or terminated by action of the Board of Directors.

Each membership in good standing shall receive a subscription to The Loon and Minnesota Birding.

Membership renewal is due during the month of the annual renewal date.

Any member who has not paid his/her annual dues within three months of his/her renewal date shall no longer be a member of the Union and his/her name shall be removed from the Union’s mailing lists, unless the Board of Directors intervenes.

ARTICLE IV - GOVERNING BODY BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1

The governing body of the Union shall be the Board of Directors. The Board shall be composed of the five (5) officers of the Union, the Immediate Past President, the Editor of The Loon, the Editor of the Newsletter, and permanent Committee Chairpersons or their designated representative.

All terms of office shall be one calendar year. A quorum shall consist of one- third (1/3) of the Board of Directors positions, of which two (2) must be elected officers.

Section 2

The Board of Directors shall determine and establish Union policies and programs, acting always in the best interests of the majority of the members.

They shall have the power to fill any interim vacancies of the Union officers due to death, resignation or termination. They (being the Board of Directors) shall appoint the editor of The Loon and the editor of Minnesota Birding.

All elected officers and editors must be members in good standing of the Union.

They shall have the power to remove any officer or editor for cause, by a two-thirds vote of members present at any Board Meeting, providing the Board has a legally constituted quorum.

There shall be at least three regular meeting of the Board held annually. At least one regular Board meeting may be held outside of the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

The regular meetings of the Board shall be subject to call by the President on five (5) days notice. In the absence of a meeting call by the President, any three Board members may call a meeting on five (5) days notice.

ARTICLE V - OFFICERS

Section 1

The officers of the Union shall be as follows: President, Vice President, Membership Secretary, Secretary and Treasurer. They shall be elected at the Annual Meeting of members for a term of one year, or until their successors are elected. In case of death or resignation of any officer, the Directors may appoint a successor to fill the unexpired term. The officers shall draw no salary.

Any member in good standing shall qualify as a candidate for Office. All Officers shall be responsible to the Board of Directors.

Section 2

The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Union. He/she shall preside over all meetings during his/her term in office, including meetings of the Board and membership, shall appoint all committee chairpersons to serve during his/her administration and shall perform all duties and direct and guide all programs under the direction of the Board of Directors.

The Vice President shall: perform the duties of the President in absence or incapacity; and is responsible for the Annual Meeting.

The Membership Secretary shall keep a record of the membership of the Union and shall receive payment of dues.

The Secretary shall: keep a record of the proceedings of all meetings of the Union and shall record all policy decisions; furnish essential information concerning operations to the Union publications so that the membership may be kept informed on activities of the Union; handle all correspondence which does not come under the responsibility and jurisdiction of the Committee Chairpersons or other officers. He/she shall be directly responsible to the President.

The Treasurer shall: receive all union monies from every source whatsoever and shall make such disbursements as may be authorized by the Board of Directors; is authorized by the Board of Directors to sign checks on the Union bank accounts in payment of authorized Union obligations; shall keep a full and accurate account of all Union income and disbursements. The Treasurer may be bonded in an amount ordered by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer’s books may be subject to an audit by an Audit Committee appointed by the President with the concurrence of the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall present a financial statement to the Annual Meeting of the Membership in December. He/she shall be responsible to the President.

Each officer shall submit an up-to-date job description.

ARTICLE VI - COMMITTEES

The following are the governing committees of the MOU, the chairpersons of which are members of the MOU Board of Directors. The committee chairpersons shall be approved by the elected officers of the Union.

Permanent committees need to be approved by the Board.

Each committee chairperson shall submit an up-to-date job description.

Committee chairpersons and committee members must be members in good standing of the Union.

ARTICLE VII - UNION PUBLICATIONS

The official publications of the Union shall be known as The Loon and Minnesota Birding. The Loon shall be published quarterly and sent to each member of the Union in good standing.

Minnesota Birding shall be published regularly and sent to each member of the Union in good standing.

The content of the publications shall be at the discretion of the respective editors.

ARTICLE VIII - ANNUAL MEETING

The Annual Meeting, consisting of the Paper Session, Business Meeting and occasional Banquet, shall be held on the first Saturday of December. Twenty-five (25) members shall constitute a quorum to transact business at the Business Meeting.

ARTICLE IX - FISCAL YEAR

The Fiscal year shall be from November 1 thru October 31.

ARTICLE X - AMENDMENTS TO THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION AND BY-LAWS

The Articles of Incorporation and By-laws may be amended in any manner permitted by the Minnesota Non-Profit Corporation Act, as it may be amended from time-to-time.


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