Bylaws

THE LAKE HIGHLANDS JUNIOR WOMEN’S LEAGUE

ARTICLE I: Name

The name of the organization is the Lake Highlands Junior Women’s League (LHJWL).

ARTICLE II: Purposes

Section 1.  The Object of the LHJWL is to instill a sense of community for young women in Lake Highlands through volunteer and social activities.

Section 2.  The Goals of the LHJWL are:

  1. To hold an annual fundraiser, Run the Highlands 5K and 1 Mile Family Walk, to benefit beautification projects in Lake Highlands.
  2. To hold bi-annual social events.
  3. To advocate, support and provide information about Lake Highlands businesses and organizations.

Section 3.  The organization is organized for the charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code or corresponding section of any future Federal tax code (hereinafter “Internal Revenue Code”).

ARTICLE III: Relationship with the Lake Highlands Women’s League (LHWL)

Section 1.  Approval from the LHWL Executive Board is needed for the following:

  1. By Laws
  2. Standing Rules
  3. Amendments
  4. Fund Raising and Philanthropies

Section 2.  LHWL shall elect a LHJWL Liaison.

  1. Shall be a member of the LHWL Executive Board.
  2. Shall be given minutes of the LHJWL meetings.
  3. Shall attend LHJWL Board meetings.

Section 3.  Monthly financial and philanthropy reports and all minutes shall be submitted to the LHWL Treasurer.

Section 4.  LHJWL members shall become members of the LHWL as provided in Article II, Section 1, B of the LHWL Bylaws.  There shall be no joint membership in the LHWL and the LHJWL.

Section 5.  LHJWL Members will not have voting rights or social privileges in the LHWL.

Section 6.  LHWL reserves the right to dissolve the affiliation.

Section 7.  The LHJWL shall default to the LHWL Bylaws at such time that a situation arises which is not covered by the LHJWL Bylaws alone.

ARTICLE IV:  Members and Dues

Section 1.  Classes and Election of Members.  The LHJWL shall have two classes of members.

  1. Active Members:
    1. Active members must live within the Lake Highlands High School boundaries as defined by the Richardson Independent School District.
    2. Active membership shall consist of no more than 125 Active Members.
    3. Active members may remain active in the group until the member’s youngest child enters first grade or they reach the age of 39 as of June 1 of the current year.
    4. An Active Member desiring to become inactive must do so by June 30 of the current year.
    5. Every Active Member who is not an officer or Committee Chair must serve on a committee.
    6. Membership requirements are as follows:
      1. Each member must attend 4 out of 5 general membership meetings.  If a member must miss         more than one meeting, the member may make up a meeting by completing additional service hours for the Fun Run.
      2. Each member must actively serve on one committee and attend meetings as appropriate.
      3. Each member must attend the Fun Run the last weekend of April.
      4. Each member is required to obtain at least $100 cash minimum from a sponsor (or sponsors).
      5. Each member is required to sign-up 4 people or one family membership for the Fun Run (this may include you and your own family). Give names to race logistics chairperson for credit.
      6. Each member is required to work a shift before, during or after the run.
    7. If a member becomes inactive due to a move out of the neighborhood and then moves back to the neighborhood, she may be put at the top of the waiting list when she moves back.
    8. If a member fails to meet any of the above requirements she will be placed on probation for the following year (see Section C.)
  2. Prospective Members
    1. A waiting list of Prospective Members will be kept and those listed will be admitted in chronological order at the first regular Lake Highlands Junior Women’s League meeting.
    2. In order to be placed on the waiting list, a Prospective Member must meet all Active Member requirements listed in Article IV, Section 1, A.
    3. A Prospective Member may elect to delay Active Membership for one year and remain at the top of the waiting list.  If the Prospective Member decides not to join the next year she will be removed from the waiting list.
    4. An Active Member may only nominate two prospective members for the waiting list at any one time.
  3. Probationary Members
    1. An Active Member will be placed on probation for the following year if she does not complete all of    the requirements listed above in Section A.
    2. If a Member is placed on probation and does not completely fulfill the membership requirements during her probation year, she will be removed from the group.
    3. The Parliamentarian will keep record of those on probation.
  4. Sustaining Members
    1. A member of at least five years status as an Active Member in good standing may petition for status as a   Sustaining Member.
    2. A Sustaining Member will not have voting rights.
    3. A Sustaining Member will have social privileges.
    4. A Sustaining Member will not be subject to annual review but may be re-activated and placed at the top of the waiting list if wishing to return to Active membership.
    5. A former member of five years status as an Active Member in good standing may return as a Sustaining Member.
    6. A sustainer representative will serve as liaison between will be the active membership and sustainer group and will be appointed by the nominating committee.
    7. Sustainer status is terminated upon entering LHWL as a member, or after being a sustainer for five years.
    8. Sustainer status does not automatically place a LHJWL member on the LHWL waiting list.  If a LHJWL   member wants to pursue membership in the LHWL she must apply for status with that organization.

Section 2.  Dues.  Dues will be $30.00 per year for Active Members and $20 for Sustaining Members due at the May general meeting and delinquent on June 15.

ARTICLE V:  Officers and Their Election

Section 1.  Officers and their election:

  1. The officers of the LHJWL shall consist of a president, 2 vice presidents, a secretary, a treasurer, and a parliamentarian.
  2. Officers, with the exception of parliamentarian, shall be elected by ballot at the May general meeting.  However, if there is but one nominee for an office, election for that office shall be by a voice vote.
  3. Officers shall assume their official duties in June and shall serve a term of one year or until their   successors are elected.
  4. No officer shall serve in the same office for more than two consecutive terms.  One who has served more than one half of a term shall be credited with having served a complete term.

Section 2.  Nominating Committee

  1. The nominating committee will be composed of the Executive Board (President, VP Ways & Means, VP Membership, Secretary, Treasurer, and Parliamentarian) and two members at large who are not current officers, at least one of who did not attend Lake Highlands High School.
  2. The committee is responsible for soliciting nominations and selecting and ensuring commitment from the proposed officer slate for the upcoming year.
  3. The committee will meet in April and present a full slate of officers at the May general meeting.

Section 3.  Vacancies.  Any vacancy occurring in the Executive committee shall be filled by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Executive committee.  Any vacancy occurring in the chair positions will be appointed by the President.

ARTICLE VI:  Duties of Officers

Section 1.  The President.

Duties of the President are as follows:

  1. Board chair
  2. Nominating Committee member
  3. Attend all meetings involving groups outside of LHJWL
  4. Attend any necessary meetings with LHWL
  5. Creates and prints agendas for officer and general membership meetings.
  6. Sets up meeting dates, times, & locations
  7. Maintains the LHJWL Bylaws
  8. Preside over LHJWL general membership meetings
  9. Official LHJWL spokesperson at LHJWL and community events
  10. Liaison to Fun Run Advertising/ Publicity Chair as spokesperson
  11. Review monthly and end of year officer reports to stay “up to speed” on all committee and overall LHJWL information
  12. Maintains communication with LHWL liaison.
  13. Must be a former board member.

Section 2.  The Vice-Presidents.

Duties of the 1st Vice-President Ways & Means are as follows:

  1. Board member
  2. Nominating Committee Chair
  3. Manages Nominating Committee process including scheduling, sending and receiving nominating committee forms, soliciting names and confirming member-at-large positions on Nominating Committee, conferring with President on End of Year reports, running Nominating Committee meetings, coordinating commitment calls to potential new officers, presenting Officer slate for vote at final meeting
  4. Preside over LHJWL meetings in President’s absence
  5. Liaison to Fun Run Logistics Chair – attend all meetings

Duties of the 2nd Vice-President Membership are as follows:

  1. Board member
  2. Nominating Committee member
  3. Tracks current members returning for next year
  4. Maintains membership waiting list and calls potential new members in order on waiting list
  5. Tracks membership dues
  6. Tracks resignations throughout the year.
  7.  Liaison to Social Events Chair – attend all meetings.

Section 3.  The Secretary.

Duties of the Secretary are as follows:

  1. Board member
  2. Nominating Committee member
  3. Works with President to set the calendar for the year
  4. Sends out meeting reminder postcards
  5. Tracks officer and general meeting attendance
  6. Maintains and distributes to membership the minutes from every LHJWL officer and general membership meeting
  7. Maintains a history of the LHJWL year including minutes, pictures, socials held, fundraising results and philanthropy efforts
  8. Coordinate all collected media clippings with Publicity and Fun Run Advertising Chairs to use as marketing materials
  9. Liaison to Social Fun Run Community Carnival Chair – attend all meetings

Section 4.  The Treasurer.

Duties of the Treasurer are as follows:

  1. Board member
  2. Nominating Committee member
  3. Provides checks and balances for all LHJWL money.
  4. Manage officer budgets
  5. Maintains accounting information
  6. Reimburses members for LHJWL expenses
  7. Distributes checks to vendors as appropriate
  8. Liaison to Fun Run Sponsor Chair – attend all meetings

Section 5.  The Parliamentarian.

Duties of the Parliamentarian are as follows:

  1. Board Member
  2. Nominating Committee member
  3. Ensures all meetings, votes and business of LHJWL follow proper parliamentary procedure
  4. Ensures consistency and smooth transition from year to year
  5. Contacts membership  to fulfill requirements after receiving  records from secretary, VP Membership, Fun Run and sponsor chairs (membership meeting attendance, membership Sponsor requirement, and membership registration requirement)
  6. Should be President from previous year
  7. Maintains list of members on probation.
  8. Liaison to Philanthropy Projects Chair – attends all meetings

Section 6.  All officers shall:

  1. Perform the duties outlined in these bylaws and those assigned from time to time
  2. Deliver to their successors or the president all official material pertaining to their office before the June Board meeting at which their successors assume their duties

ARTICLE VII:  Committees

Section 1.  Creation and Authority.  The LHJWL shall have the following committees, each will have a chairman and a liaison from the executive board listed in Article VI.

  1. Fun Run Committee.
    1. Chaired by the Fun Run Logistics Chair and the Advertising Chair
    2. Supports all fun run advertising (speaking obligations to homeowner associations, school, brochure delivery)
    3. Responsible for all activities to support race (logistics, permits, registration, t-shirts, awards and ceremony.
  2. Social Committee
    1. Chaired by the Social Events Chair and the Fun Run Community Carnival Chair.
    2. Plan and implement the carnival after the fun run including the entertainment, food, soliciting in-kind donations, and set up for awards ceremony.
    3. Plan the social events throughout the year to further the mission of meeting others and establishing roots in Lake Highlands.
  3. Philanthropy Committee
    1. Chaired by the Philanthropy Projects Chair, the Fun Run Sponsor Chairs and the Publicity Chair.
    2. Solicit sponsors for the fun run including ( new, returning, corporate, and family sponsors).
    3. Research and implementation of funds raised by the fun run to improve Lake Highlands.

Section 2.  Members and Committees.  Each member must actively serve on a committee and attend committee meetings as appropriate.  Selection of committee is made on the membership form yearly.  One third of the membership will serve on each committee.

ARTICLE VIII:  Meetings

Section 1.  Regular meetings of the LHJWL will be held in the months of September, November, February, April and May.  Time and date to be established by the executive board at its June board meeting.

Section 2.  Board meetings of the LHJWL will be held in the months of June, August, November, January, and May.  Time, date and location are to be established by the president.