West Shore Orchid Society BY-Laws

---

I. Name

The name of the society shall be the West Shore Orchid Society of Northern Ohio.

II. Objective

The society shall be non-profit with the purpose of bringing together for the study and
education those persons who are interested in orchids.

III. Members

There shall be two classes of members; Regular members and honorary lifetime members.
Regular members are those persons whose dues are paid in accordance with these by-laws.
Honorary are those persons chosen by this society to be so honored because of their efforts
and outstanding contributions to the society and/or field of orchids. Honorary members shall
not pay dues.

IV. Elected Officers

The officers of the society shall consist of a president, a vice-president, a secretary, a treasurer, and a trustee . who shall hold office for two years or until their successors are elected.

• President - It shall be the duty of the president to preside at all meetings of the society and of the executive committee; to see that the by-laws are enforced; to have general supervision over the affairs of the society. The president , vice-president,  the secretary or treasurer shall sign all written contracts or agreements. The president shall have the authority to appoint special committees or chairmen of such committees to perform special tasks or functions that may arise.
• Vice-President - In the absence or disability of the president, the vice-president shall preside at all meetings and shall have all the powers residing in the president. In the event of the death of the president, the vice-president shall become the president. The vice-president shall be responsible for the planning of the programs for the regular meetings of the society starting with the April meeting of his/her term and ending with the February meeting of the next term.
• Secretary - The secretary shall keep a true record of all meetings of the society and the executive committee. The secretary shall make all necessary arrangements for meetings. If the president and vice-president are absent at a meeting the secretary shall preside at the meeting. The secretary shall submit a summary of the activities of the society for each year to be included in a history of the society.
• Treasurer - The treasurer shall collect all dues. The treasurer shall hold all moneys received by the society and disperse same using guidelines approved by the executive committee. The treasurer shall be responsible for the safekeeping of financial records and contracts. The treasurer’s books and accounts shall at all times be open to inspection by the regular members of the society. The president or vice-president, shall also be authorized to sign checks whenever necessary. It shall also be the duty of the treasurer to maintain an up-to-date membership roster.
• Trustee - The trustee shall audit the treasurer’s books prior to the February meeting and report findings at the February meeting.

V. Appointed Positions

• Newsletter Editor - The newsletter editor shall prepare and mail a newsletter prior to each meeting. The newsletter editor shall also be a member of the executive committee.
• Study Group Coordinator - The study group coordinator shall plan and schedule a series of programs each year. The study group coordinator shall be a member of the executive committee.
• American Orchid Society Representative - The AOS representative shall be a member of the American Orchid Society and shall report to the society on the activities of the American Orchid Society.
• Mid-American Representative - The Mid-American representative shall represent the society at the Mid-American Orchid Congress and shall report to the society on the activities of the Mid-American Orchid Congress.
• Historian - The historian shall maintain a record of the activities of the society.
• Web master/technology coordinator - The web master should be responsible for maintaining the club web page as well as all social media accounts. web master  is also responsible for maintaining and supplying the technology used by the club for the meetings.

VI. Committees

• Executive committees - There shall be an executive committee consisting of all the elected officers, the newsletter editor, the study group coordinator, and the retiring president. It shall be the duty of this committee to conduct the affairs of the society, to have charge of the finances and all executive work between meetings and to report its actions to the regular meetings of the society. The executive committee shall meet in January, March, May, July, September, and November.
• Nominating Committee - The nominating committee shall consist of one member at large elected at the summer meeting and the two immediate past presidents. The nominating committee shall secure candidates for all offices of the society and report its slate of officers at the December meeting of the society.

VII. Elections

Election of officers shall be at the December meeting, in even numbered years, which meeting
is designated as the annual meeting. The newly elected officers shall preside at the February
meeting.

VIII. Meetings

The regular meetings of the society shall be held on the third Wednesday of February, April,  May, June, September, October, and December unless otherwise arranged by the executive committee. The summer meeting shall be a picnic and auction held on a Sunday in August. Special meetings
may be held at the call of the president.

IX. Dues

The annual dues of the society shall be payable at the December meeting for the following
year. Any member who shall fail to pay his/ her dues after notice and is not paid up by the
February meeting shall be dropped from membership. New members joining the society at or
after the picnic shall be considered paid for the following year.

X. Affiliations

The society shall maintain good standing in the American Orchid Society and the Mid-American
Orchid Congress.

XI. Quorum

A quorum shall consist of twenty regular members present at a regular meeting.

XII. Change of By-Laws

These by-laws may be changed or amended at any regular meeting of the society by a two-
thirds affirmative vote of the regular members present. The executive committee shall present
the revisions or amendments to be proposed at least one regular meeting before voting.

XIII. Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in “Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised” shall govern the society in all
cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these by-laws.