PROPOSED BYLAWS of THE OLD SAINT BARTHOLOMEW CHAPTER

of THE SOUTH CAROLINA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

 

ARTICLE I.          IDENTIFICATION

Section 1.            The name of this organization shall be The Old Saint Bartholomew Chapter, hereinafter referred to as OSBC, of the South Carolina Genealogical Society, hereinafter referred to as SCGS. OSBC may be commonly used in place of the full name.

Section 2.            The area served by OSBC shall be Colleton County and its neighboring counties, especially those townships of adjacent counties which once were part of Colleton District.

Section 3.            OSBC shall be an all-volunteer, non-profit, non-political, and non-sectarian organization.

ARTICLE II.         OBJECTIVES

Section 1.            The role of OSBC is to collect, preserve, and archive genealogical materials, with particular interest in being a resource site for the ancestry of the people of Colleton and nearby counties. This role includes promoting interest and providing presentations and/or publications for education and for expanding understanding of our earlier peoples.

Section 2.            OSBC shall strive to maintain The Colleton Genealogy Center (or The Center) as a local space to organize and preserve genealogical lineages and such useful documents as are entrusted to us. OSBC will endeavor to make these materials available to members and to visitors who come to the Center for local research.

Section 3.            OSBC shall strive to publish quarterly a newsletter, The Rice Planter. This newsletter should provide the membership with basic happenings and the current status of OSBC, with particular emphasis on local genealogical research, studies of area family lines, and similar information.

Section 4.            We adhere to and support the objectives stated in the SCGS bylaws.

ARTICLE III.        MEMBERSHIP, FISCAL PERIOD, AND DUES

Section 1.            Membership in OSBC shall be open to any person interested in genealogy and in the objectives of OSBC and of SCGS.

Section 2.            Membership may be Individual, or Family (two persons at the same address), and is to be by submission of a completed application and by payment of annual dues. A third category of membership shall be Associate, whereby a member of another chapter of SCGS may hold membership in OSBC as well.

Section 3.            OSBC membership may begin anytime during the year. New OSBC members joining after September 1st will not be eligible for SCGS membership until the next fiscal year.

Section 4.            The fiscal year shall run from January 1st through December 31st.

Section 5.            OSBC shall pay SCGS their portion of the members’ dues as soon as practical in each fiscal year.

Section 6.            OSBC may reduce its membership dues to one-half of the customary annual amount for any new member joining after September 1st.

Section 7.            Membership dues shall be payable as soon as possible after January 1st. Since no mechanism exists for paying SCGS dues multiple years at a time, OSBC dues should also be paid annually. Members more than 3 months late in payment of dues will become inactive and will be taken off of publications lists. Active reinstatement will occur with late payment, but back issues of current publications may not be sent unless specifically requested.

Section 8.            The amount of the annual dues shall be set by the OSBC Board and approved by the membership. Dues should be paid to OSBC, and given or mailed to the OSBC treasurer.

ARTICLE IV.        MEETINGS

Section 1.            OSBC shall hold monthly meetings except for July, August, and December. Programming at meetings should allow for expression of the various fields and interests of genealogy.

Section 2.            All OSBC members, including Associate members in attendance at a meeting, may vote. Members present shall constitute a quorum.

Section 3.            OSBC, in place of a June meeting, and at its discretion, may hold a Colleton Genealogy Workshop, consisting of morning speakers on various genealogical topics, and an afternoon of assisted research for attendees in the Colleton Genealogy Center.

ARTICLE V.         THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1.            The Board of Directors of OSBC (or Board) shall consist of the elected officers of the chapter.

Section 2.            The Board shall have authority over OSBC affairs during the interval between meetings of the membership.

Section 3.            The current President and Secretary shall serve as Chairman and Secretary of the Board as well.

Section 4.            The Board shall meet at the call of the President, or of three of the Board members, or upon petition of one-third of the members of OSBC.

Section 5.            Three members of the OSBC Board shall constitute a quorum to transact business.

Section 6.            In the case of the need of immediate action, the President may take a vote of the Board by email or by phone, to be documented promptly in writing, and given to the Secretary for the records. At least 3 affirmative votes must be received for the proposal to carry.

ARTICLE VI.        OFFICERS/DUTIES

Section 1.            The elected officers of OSBC shall be the President, the Vice President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Newsletter Editor, and the Historian/Archivist. Terms shall be for 2 years.

Section 2.            The election shall take place on even years, at the November OSBC meeting. Service shall begin the following January 1st.

Section 3.            The President:

a.       Shall be the chief executive, administrative, and legal officer of OSBC.

b.       Shall preside at all meetings of OSBC and of its Board, and shall call special meetings of OSBC and of the Board when necessary.

c.       Shall follow standard, simple, parliamentary procedures.

d.       Shall see that all decisions of the OSBC membership and of the Board are faithfully executed.

e.       Shall appoint necessary committee members and chairs, with approval of the Board, and shall serve as an ex-officio member of all committees, except for the nominating committee.

f.         Shall sign letters and documents necessary to carry out the will of OSBC.

g.       Shall, with Board approval, fill any vacated Board position, until the next election.

h.       Shall prepare an annual report of the Chapter’s activities, to be sent to the SCGS President no later than January 15th yearly.

i.         Shall see that OSBC programs of interest are publicized not only to members but, when beneficial, to the general public.

j.         Shall, with the Historian/Archivist, be a conduit for receiving and handling inquiries for local genealogical information.

k.       The President shall be responsible for signing and submitting all leases for the Colleton Genealogy Center.

l.         The President or a designee, such as The Director, shall try to keep a website for posting of pertinent OSBC information and links.

Section 4.            The Vice President:

a.       Shall preside in the absence of the President, and shall fill the office of President in case of vacancy.

b.       Shall annually see that a site is provided for OSBC meetings, with appropriate scheduling and acquisition of keys.

Section 5.            The Secretary:

a.       Shall keep a record of the proceedings of the OSBC meetings and the Board meetings, and shall read or otherwise distribute the minutes at the next meeting.

b.       Shall provide a brief summary of the minutes to the Newsletter Editor for inclusion in the next Newsletter.

c.       Shall provide the President with a copy of all meeting minutes for inclusion in the annual report to SCGS.

d.       Shall keep and have available at all meetings a copy of the Bylaws of OSBC.

e.       May help the President publicize meetings to the membership and to others.

f.         Shall carry on any official correspondence requested by other officers.

Section 6.            The Treasurer:

a.       Shall receive all funds of OSBC, deposit them in the bank, and pay all regular and recurring bills of OSBC. The Board should approve all OSBC bills that are non-recurring and over $100. In the absence of the Treasurer, the President shall perform the duties until return of the Treasurer, or in case of vacancy, until the President and Board shall appoint a successor to serve.

b.       Shall pay the recurring costs of operating The Colleton Genealogy Center, including the payment of annual rent, annual liability insurance, and the calculated portion of annual fire insurance.

c.       Shall make available at each meeting a written financial report, a copy of which shall be submitted to the Newsletter Editor.

d.       Shall keep membership records, including a list of active members, and a current mailing list, to be available to officers, and especially to the Newsletter Editor for OSBC mailings.

e.       Shall prepare an annual financial report and an annual membership report for submission to SCGS in the OSBC Annual Report.

Section 7.            The Historian/Archivist:

a.       Shall receive and keep materials of a genealogical nature deemed useful to The Colleton Genealogy Center.

b.       Shall keep an inventory of all materials deposited in The Center.

c.       Shall notify the Newsletter Editor of new acquisitions and donations.

d.       Shall direct the functions of The Center, under the guidance of The Board.

e.       Shall, with the President, try to be responsive to inquiries about genealogical information which OSBC or The Center may have.

Section 8.            The Editor of the Newsletter:

a.       Shall prepare, edit and mail to the OSBC membership a quarterly newsletter, The Rice Planter.

b.       Shall provide quarterly to the Treasurer a list of costs incurred in providing the newsletter.

c.       Shall maintain an up-to-date mailing list of other SCGS chapter newsletters, for the purpose of exchanging newsletters. Any exchanges of other chapters which are received by The Editor are to be given to the Archivist for filing.

Section 9.            The Director:

a.       Shall serve as a liaison between OSBC and the Board of Directors of SCGS.

b.       Shall try to attend all SCGS Board meetings, and shall report pertinent actions back to OSBC, either by direct report at the next meeting or by report in The Rice Planter.

ARTICLE VII.       COMMITTEES

Section 1.            Nominating Committee

a.       Three members shall be appointed by the President and approved by the Board preferably in May, but at least by September, of each even year.

b.       The committee shall, at the October OSBC meeting, present its proposed slate.

Section 2.            Other Committees

a.       From time to time the President may see need to form a committee to work on various areas of emphasis to OSBC. Such committees might include Cemetery, Membership, Programs, Publicity, Workshop, and others.

ARTICLE VIII.     AMENDMENTS

Section 1.            Proposed Bylaw amendments, as approved by the Board of Directors, shall be posted on the website or printed in the newsletter at least 30 days before the meeting for consideration.

Section 2.            These Bylaws may then be amended or changed by a two-thirds majority of members present at the regular or called meeting of OSBC.

 

ARTICLE IX.        DISSOLUTION OF CHAPTER

Section 1.            In case of dissolution of OSBC, any permanent records or funds shall be turned over to SCGS --- as the final authority of OSBC --- for safekeeping, until such time as a new chapter under SCGS is formed to encompass the area of Colleton County or of old Saint Bartholomew’s Parish.

These Bylaws were updated and adopted by an affirming vote of at least two-thirds of the OSBC members present at the __________ meeting.

 

____________________________________                            _____________________________________

                 President of OSBC                                                                             Secretary of OSBC