Nevada Now Bylaws

Date of Adoption ___________


ARTICLE I.     NAME

The name of the organization shall be Nevada NOW (National Organization for Women)

ARTICLE II.      PURPOSE

Nevada NOW’s purpose is to take action through intersectional grassroots activism to promote feminist ideas, lead social change, eliminate discrimination, and achieve and protect the equal rights of all genders in all aspects of social, political and economic life.

ARTICLE III.     MEMBERSHIP

Any person who subscribes to NOW’s purpose and who is a member of National NOW may, upon payment of dues, be a member of Nevada NOW with all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities thereof. 

ARTICLE IV.     POLICY

The Chapter shall be bound by the National NOW bylaws and policy. 

ARTICLE V.     MEETINGS

The Chapter shall hold at least eight (8) membership meetings each year.  One of these meetings, designated the annual meeting, shall be the meeting at which election of officers shall take place. Additional rules regarding the number and types of meetings shall be contained in the operating rules of the Chapter.

ARTICLE VI.     DUES

Section 1

Dues and specifics relating thereto shall be set forth in the operating rules of the Chapter. 

Section 2

The fiscal year shall be January 1 to December 31

ARTICLE VII.     OFFICERS/BOARD

Section 1

The officers shall be an Executive Director and a Treasurer, and such other offices as may be determined by the operating rules.  The composition and duties of the Board of Directors, if any, shall be specified in the operating rules of the Chapter. 

Section 2

The officers and board shall be elected annually at the annual meeting.  The time and date of the annual meeting shall be set forth in the operating rules of the Chapter.

ARTICLE VIII.     COMMITTEES

Type of Committees, their purpose, leadership, and membership shall be determined by the operating rules of the Chapter.

ARTICLE IX.     NOMINATIONS

The nominating procedure shall be determined by the operating rules of the Chapter.

ARTICLE X.     ELECTIONS

Officers and board members must be elected by a majority vote, or a majority of preferences counted in the final tally, if preferential voting is used.  All members of the Chapter are eligible to vote and must be notified of the election by the procedure prescribed in the operating rules of the Chapter. Other specific provisions relative to elections are detailed in the operating rules of the Chapter.

ARTICLE XI.     NATIONAL BOARD MEMBERS REPRESENTING ELECTORAL WESTERN DISTRICT

Western District Board members shall be elected in the number, manner, and timing determined by the national bylaws and National Credentials Committee. All Chapter members must be notified 30 days in advance of this election. Further procedures for the election of Western District board members shall be detailed in the operating rules of the Chapter.

ARTICLE XII.     GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

There must be a grievance procedure specified in the operating rules of the Chapter.

ARTICLE XIII.     OPERATING RULES OF THE CHAPTER

There shall be a set of operating rules for the Chapter which must detail the items referred to in these bylaws and may contain any other operating rules the Chapter wishes.  The operating rules must be accepted by a 2/3 vote of the Chapter members present and voting must provide a method for amending the rules to give the membership written notice of an intended change and require a 2/3 vote of the membership present and voting.

ARTICLE XIV.     AMENDMENTS

These bylaws may be amended by a 2/3 vote at any meeting of the Chapter providing:

  1. Proposed amendment has been submitted to the Executive Director 60 days in advance of the meeting.

  2. Members must receive notification of proposed amendments in advance of the meeting or published in an every member publican 30 days in advance of the meeting.

ARTICLE XV.     DISSOLUTION

The Chapter may be dissolved upon a 2/3 vote of its members present and voting.  Upon dissolution of the Chapter, the board and officers shall, after paying or making provisions for payment of all liabilities of the Chapter, remit all remaining assets to National NOW or any local unit of NOW.

CHAPTER OPERATING RULES

  1. Meetings
    Chapter meetings shall be held at least eight (8) times a year, at such dates, times, and places as determined by the chapter board.  One of these meetings, designated the annual meeting, shall be the meeting at which election of officers shall take place. Any number present shall constitute a quorum.

  2. Dues
    New members’ dues shall be $35. Reduced dues are available on a sliding scale from $15 to $34.

  3. Officers and Board

    1. The officers and their duties shall be:

      1. Executive Director, who shall be the principal spokesperson and administrator of the chapter and manage the day-to-day affairs of the chapter between board and chapter meetings. The Executive Director shall preside at all board and chapter meetings.

      2. The Directors, who shall assist the Executive Director and chair meetings in the absence of the President.

      3. The Treasurer, who shall receive all funds of the chapter and shall deposit them in such bank as may be designated by the board, and who shall disburse the funds in accordance with the budget or vote of the membership, and who shall make written reports to the board and membership.

      4. The Secretary, who shall take and keep the minutes of both board and chapter meetings and attend to general chapter correspondence.

      5. New board positions may be created at the discretion of the board.

    2. The Executive Director, Directors, Secretary and Treasurer shall constitute the board. The board shall meet at least 4 times a year. The Executive Director or a majority of the board may call board meetings.

    3. Vacancies. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Executive Director or Directors the board will fill by appointment as soon as possible after the vacancy occurs. The office of the Executive Director shall be considered vacant if the Executive Director does not attend a local chapter or state chapter meeting for two months unless there are extenuating circumstances. The board will determine what constitutes extenuating circumstances for each case.

    4. Qualifications and terms of office.

      1. All officers shall have been members of NOW for (2) months prior to election.

      2. All board appointees must be dues paying members and may be appointed to the board before they have been a member for two months.

      3. No person may hold two offices concurrently.

      4. Officer’s terms shall begin in January and shall run for 2 years.

  4. Committees
    The Board shall have the power to appoint committees for specific purposes and dissolve then when these purposes have been fulfilled.  Chairs of said committees shall be members of the chapter and/or board members and shall be appointed by the board.

  5. Nominations
    At lease 30 days before the annual meeting, the names of those persons who have been nominated shall be sent to each chapter member with a notice of the date, time, and place of the annual meeting.  Nominations may also be received from the floor at the annual meeting.

  6. Elections

    1. The election of officers shall take place at the annual meeting, which shall be held in January of each year.

    2. Elections shall be held every 2 years. Preferential balloting shall be used if more than two persons are running for the same office.

  7. National Board Members Representing Electoral Western District
    Western District Board members shall be elected in the number, manner, and timing determined by the national bylaws and National Credentials Committee. All Chapter members must be notified 30 days in advance of this election. Further procedures for the election of Western District board members shall be detailed in the operating rules of the Chapter.  All Chapter members are eligible to vote. 

  8. Grievance Procedure
    In the event of a grievance, each side of the controversy will designate one arbitrator and these two arbitrators will select a third arbitrator.  Any person who has a conflict of interest may not serve as an arbitrator.   The arbitrators will conduct a private hearing on the matter at which both sides to the controversy may present their case.  The arbitrators shall endeavor to resolve disputes to the mutual satisfaction of the parties. 

  9. Chapter Funds

    1. Chapter funds may be used at the discretion of the board.

      1. The board must produce an annual report detailing expenditures and account balances. This report shall be available to all members.

      2. The spending of chapter funds must be agreed upon by the treasurer and a majority of board members

  10. Amendments to Operating Rules

    1. These operating rules may be amended provided that such amendments are proposed by the board or by any five (5) chapter members. Written notice of proposed amendments must be given to all chapter members at least 30 days before the meeting at which the proposed amendment is to be voted on.

    2. Amendments to these Operating Rules must be approved by 2/3 of those members present and voting.

  11. Travel Expenses

    1. Only members may qualify for a subsidy for travel expenses.

    2. Travel subsidies may be given only for NOW sponsored conferences, NOW affiliated conferences, and grassroots lobbying.

    3. To qualify for a travel subsidy, the member must take the following steps:

      1. Request funds from the board

      2. Pledge to be active in NOW for at least one year

      3. Provide a plan for at least one action (whether it be a fundraiser, or a political action (whether or she will perform within a period of a year.

    4. Travel funds will be made available at the discretion of the board.

  12. Public Statements
    Only members authorized by the board can make public statements or share information

 

A downloadable PDF version of these bylaws is available here.