The Sacred Dance Guild

Sacred Dance Guild Bylaws

These bylaws were approved by the membership at the Annual Membership Meeting, July 25, 2005, in New London, Connecticut. Amended July 20, 2007

Article I – Name
The name of this organization shall be the Sacred Dance Guild, hereinafter called the Guild.

Article II – Purpose
The purpose of the Guild shall be to stimulate interest in dance as a spiritual art form, and to function as a clearing house for sacred dance activities and as a resource for sacred dance education and leadership.

Article III - Membership

Section 1. Qualifications

Membership shall be open to all persons who agree with the purpose of the Guild as stated in Article II. A member in good standing is any member who is current in dues payment or who has been designated an honorary member.

Section 2. Categories

The categories of membership shall include: individual: student; senior; group; honorary; and life.

Section 3. Privileges

Privileges shall include voting (one vote per individual, two votes per group), reduced rates at Guild sponsored workshops and Festivals (four group members may attend at member rates), receiving the Sacred Dance Guild Journal and all general mailings (two copies each to a group),and attending Affiliate events at Affiliate member rates.

Article IV –Finances and Dues

Section l. Finances

Financial responsibility for the Guild rests with the Board of Directors.

Section 2. Dues

The membership dues amounts and structure shall be proposed by the Board of Directors and established by vote of the membership.

Section 3. Fiscal Year

The fiscal year shall be set by the Board of Directors.

Section 4. Designated Funds

a. The Board of Directors shall maintain the Sacred Dance Guild Memorial Endowment Fund, and shall establish policies for its use.

b. The Board of Directors may designate and budget for specialized funds from time to time as deemed in the best interest of the Guild.

Article V – Governance and Administration

Section 1. Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall consist of the five Officers, named in Article VI. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the management and administration of the Guild in all its respects and for all purposes. The Executive Committee shall have the power to conduct the business of the organization except that which is retained by the membership or by the Board of Directors as provided by these bylaws.

Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be as provided in Article XII.

Section 2 Board of Directors

The Board of Directors shall consist of the Executive Committee, the Chapters Director, Education Director, Festivals Director, Finance and Development Director, Membership Director, Public Relations Director, Regions Director, Resources Director, Web Communications Director, and Youth Director.

The Board of Directors articulates and implements the purpose of the Guild as set forth in Article II.

The Board of Directors shall be responsible for adoption of the annual budget, evaluate contracts for

management services, and establish polices based on recommendations of Directors and the Executive Committee.

Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be as provided in Article XII.

Section 3. Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee shall consist of all Past Presidents able to serve and shall be chaired by the most recent Past President available to serve.

The Advisory Committee shall function in an advisory capacity to the President and the Board of Directors.

Article VI – Officers

The Officers shall be: President, President Elect, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Article VII – Duties of Officers

Section 1. President

The President shall be the principal officer of the corporation. The duties of the President include those customary to the position of President, such as presiding at meetings of members, the Executive Committee, and the Board of Directors; and serving as ex officio member on all committees of the Guild. The President shall sign and execute contracts and agreeements in the name of the Guild, shall appoint members to committees as designated in these bylaws, and shall perform such other duties as are necessarily incident to the office of the President or as may be prescribed by the Executive Committee.

Section 2. President Elect

The President Elect shall perform the duties of the President in the event of the President’s absence, shall be responsible for Guild correspondence as requested by the President, and shall have such other duties as the President or the Executive Committee may assign.

Section 3. Vice President

The Vice President shall oversee the conformance of Guild Committees to Guild Bylaws and Policies, and shall have such other duties as the President or the Executive Committee may assign.

Section 4. Secretary

The Secretary shall ensure that notice required by these bylaws is given and

shall attend all meetings of the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, and the membership, and keep a record of all proceedings. The Secretary shall receive reports from the Archives Committee and communicate them to the Board. The Secretary may perform any other duties incident to the office of Secretary or assigned by the President or the Executive Committee.

Section 5. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall keep an account of all moneys received and expended for the use of the Guild, shall make disbursements authorized by the Board of Directors, shall oversee Guild cash flow, budget and investments, shall make recommendations to the Board regarding monetary resources of the Guild, and shall make a report at the Annual Membership Meeting or when called upon by the President.

The funds and books in the Treasurer’s hands shall at all times be subject to verification and inspection by the Board of Directors.

The Treasurer shall sit on the Finance and Development Committee.

Article VIII – Duties of Directors

Section 1. Chapters Director

The Chapters Director shall serve as advisor to the Chapters, shall aid in the creation of new chapters, and shall maintain appropriate Chapter records and policies. The Chapters Director shall have such other duties as may be prescribed by the President or the Board of Directors.

The Chapters Director shall be chair of the Chapters Committee.

Section 2. Education Director

The Education Director shall initiate, coordinate, and review education, advocacy, Journal, youth, and other program materials and information, including all materials published by the Guild, shall maintain the policies pertaining to Education, and may have such other duties as requested by the President or the Board of Directors.

The Education Director shall be chair of the Education Committee.

Section 3. Festivals Director

The Festivals Director shall advise and support festival planning committees, shall serve as liaison with the Executive Committee, shall review, evaluate, and make recommendations for future festival sites and programming, and shall maintain policies pertaining to festivals. The Festivals Director shall have such other duties as may be prescribed by the President or the Board of Directors.

The Festivals Director shall receive reports from the Awards Committee and relay them to the Board of Directors.

The Festivals Director shall be chair of the Festival Oversight Committee

Section 4. Finance and Development Director

The Finance and Development Director shall oversee a comprehensive development program to sustain the Guild, including funds for the annual operations budget, special gift campaigns and other projects.

The Finance and Development Director shall sit on the Finance and Development Committee.

Section 5. Membership Director

The Membership Director shall oversee membership management through identification of member needs, evaluation of member services, and maintenance of policies pertaining to membership, and may perform other such duties as the President or the Board of Directors may assign.

The Membership Director shall be chair of the Membership Committee.

Section 6. Public Relations Director

The Public Relations Director shall supervise all external communications, as approved by the Executive Committee, to publicize the Guild, and shall maintain the policies pertaining to Public Relations. The Public Relations Director may have such other duties as the President and the Board of Directors may assign.

The Public Relations Director shall receive reports from the Collegial Relations Committee and relay them to the Board of Directors.

The Public Relations Director shall be chair of the Public Relations Committee.

Section 7. Regions Director

The Regions Director shall facilitate communication and provide support for unchaptered members in their regions, and where appropriate, promote the development of chapters within those regions. The Regions Director shall maintain policies pertaining to regions, and may have other duties as requested by the President or the Board of Directors.

The Regions Director shall be chair of the Regions Committee.

Section 8. Resources Director

The Resources Director shall maintain a library and/or database of resources

pertaining to the Guild and sacred dance, shall respond to inquiries for research and resource materials in accordance with policies established by the Executive Committee, and shall maintain the policies pertaining to Resources. The Resources Director shall have such other duties as may be assigned by the President and the Board of Directors.

The Resources Director shall be chair of the Resources Committee.

Section 9. Web Communications Director

The Web Communications Director shall manage the Guild Website, shall review, evaluate, and make recommendations on the contents, organization, and style of the Website, and shall maintain the policies pertaining to the Website. The Web Communcations Director may have other duties as requested by the President or the Board of Directors.

The Web Communications Director shall be chair of the Web Communications Committee.

Section 10. Youth Director

The Youth Director shall be responsible for involving youth in existing SDG activities and maintaining lines of communication with younger members, shall encourage mentoring and other supportive relationships between youth and adult members, and shall assist youth in developing their own programs, in cooperation with the Education Director. The Youth Director shall maintain policies pertaining to youth and may have other duties as requested by the President or the Board of Directors.

The Youth Director shall be chair of the Youth Committee.

Article IX – Duties of Advisory Committee Members

Past Presidents shall serve on the Advisory Committee in an advisory capacity to the President and to the Executive Committee. Past Presidents may have such other duties as requested by the President.

Article X – Elections, Terms, and Succession

Section 1. Election of Officers

a. Elections shall be by ballot received from Guild members in advance of or at the Annual Membership Meeting.

b. Nominees are elected by a simple majority.

Section 2. Terms of Office

a. The term of office for the Guild Officers and Directors shall be one year. The Guild Secretary and Treasurer may serve for up to three terms.

b. The term of office for Officers and Directors shall run from one Annual Membership Meeting to the next, or as determined by Board policy.

Section 3. Succession

a. The Vice President shall normally succeed to the position of President- Elect and the President-Elect shall succeed to the position of President.

b. The general practice shall be that each Director shall be chair of the corresponding committee, this committee to include three persons who shall be rotating: the Director to retire after serving three years (the third year as Chair), the Director Elect serving a second year in preparation for becoming Director, and one new member, the Director Designate, to be elected annually by the Guild membership.

Article XI – Removal From Office and Filling Vacancies

Section 1. Removal from Office

a. An elected Officer or Director who does not maintain active membership shall be removed from office.

b. In the event that an elected officer or Director is not serving in the best interests of the Guild or does not discharge duties as stated above, said elected officer or Director is subject to removal from office by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 2. Vacancies

Vacancies are filled by Presidential appointment, subject to approval by the Executive Committee.

Article XII – Meetings

Section 1. Meetings

a. The Annual Membership Meeting shall be held at a location, date and time determined by the Executive Committee.

The Annual Membership Meeting shall be for the election of Officers and Director Designates, and for whatever other business shall properly come before the meeting. Items of business shall be decided by a majority of the votes cast by Guild members and received by the Guild in advance of or at the Annual Membership Meeting. Notice of the Annual Membership Meeting accompanied by a detailed agenda shall be sent to members in the Sacred Dance Guild Journal, unless otherwise provided.

b. The Executive Committee shall hold a minimum of one meeting per year. The business before the Executive Committee shall be decided by a majority of the votes cast by the Executive Committee members present at the meeting, or by mailed ballot.

c. The Board of Directors shall hold a minimum of one meeting per year. Agenda items shall be decided by a majority of the votes cast by Board members present at the meeting, or by mailed ballot.

Section 2. Quorum Requirements

a. A quorum for Annual Membership Meetings shall be a total of five percent of the voting members, to include a minimum of two Officers and two Directors.

b. A quorum for Executive Committee meetings shall be three Executive Committee members.

c. A quorum for the Board of Directors meetings shall be seven members, to include at least three Directors and at least two Officers.

Article XIII – Standing Committees and Other Committees

Section 1. Nominating Committee

a. The Nominating Committee shall consist of three Guild members who shall be rotating: one member to retire after serving three years (the third year as Chair), and one new member being appointed by the President each year.

b. The Nominating Committee shall present a slate of nominees for Officers and Directors Designate. All Nominees must be Guild members in good standing.

c. The Nominating Committee reports to the President.

Section 2. Awards Committee

a. The Awards Committee shall consist of three Guild members who shall be rotating: one member to retire after serving three years (the third year as Chair), and one new member being appointed by the President each year.

b. The Awards Committee shall review applications and name recipients of tuition waivers, scholarships, and grants, for review and approval by the Board of Directors.

c. The Awards Committee reports to the Board of Directors through the Festivals Director.

Section 3. Bylaws Committee

a. The Bylaws Committee shall consist of three Guild members appointed by the President.

b. The Bylaws Committee shall review the Bylaws at least once every five years and recommend amendments to the Executive Committee, under the conditions described in Article XVII, Amendments to the Bylaws.

c. The Bylaws Committee reports to the President.

Section 4. Collegial Relations

a. The Collegial Relations Committee shall consist of a minimum of two Guild members appointed by the President.

b. The Collegial Relations Committee serves as the liaison with organizations with which the Guild maintains reciprocal or membership agreements, and encourages mutual collegial affiliation support.

c. The Collegial Relations Committee reports to the Board of Directors through the Public Relations Director.

Section 5. Archives Committee

a. The Archives Committee shall consist of a minimum of two Guild members appointed by the President.

b. The chair of the Archives Committee shall be the Archivist of the Guild. The Archivist shall archive materials of the Guild according to accepted standards in the discipline, shall maintain contact with depositories of past Guild archives, and may have other such duties as the President and the Board of Directors may assign.

c. The Archives Committee reports to the Board of Directors through the Secretary.

Section 6. Other Committees

a. Other committees may be appointed by the President as needed.

b. Officers and Directors of the Guild may form ad-hoc committees of

members to assist them in carrying out their duties. The committees shall be in addition to and may include members of the Directors’ standing committees provided for in Article VIII of these bylaws.

Article XIV – Chapters

Section 1. Establishment of Chapters

a. To further the purpose of the Guild, Chapters of the Guild may be formed.

b. To initiate a Chapter, at least ten Guild members within a geographically contiguous area shall sign a petition to the President with copies to the Guild Chapters Director and the Guild Regions Director.

c. The Executive Committee shall confirm acceptance of chapter petitions.

d. The proposed chapter shall acquire legal status by obtaining a Federal Employment Identification Number and incorporating where appropriate.

e. The Guild Board of Directors and the proposed chapter shall sign the Chapter Agreement. The Guild shall add the new chapter to its 501(c)3 group exemption list.

f. The Board of Directors shall determine policies regarding chapters, these policies to include but not be limited to petition requirements, chapter activities and finances, active status conditions, and chapter boundaries.

Section 2.Guild Dissolution

If a chapter should not meet established conditions to maintain active status, the process for its dissolution shall be initiated according to policies approved by the Board of Directors.

Article XV – Regions

Section 1. To further develop the Guild, geographical areas, known as Regions, may be recognized by the Board of Directors which shall approve all policies regarding Regions.

Section 2. Regions shall be served by a Regional Director, who shall be a member of the Regions Committee.

Article XVI – Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the current edition of Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Guild in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws and any special rules of order the organization may adopt.

Article XVII – Amendments to the Bylaws

Section 1. The Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Guild membership, voting by ballot at the Annual Membership Meeting or by mail/email.

Section 2. Proposed amendments, approved by the Board of Directors, shall be distributed to Guild members via email or mail not less than 45 days prior to the vote scheduled.

Section 3. Amendments to the Bylaws shall take effect at the adjournment of the meeting at which they are adopted unless otherwise provided.

Article XVIII – Indemnification

The Guild may, by resolution of the Executive Committee, provide for indemnification by the Guild of any and all of its Directors and Officers or former Directors and Officers against expenses actually and necessarily incurred by them in connection with the defense of any action, suit, or proceeding in which they or any of them are made parties or a party by reason of having been Directors or Officers of the Guild, except in relation to matters as to which such Director or Officer or former Director or Officer shall be adjudged in such action, suit, or proceeding to be liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his or her duty and to such matters as shall be settled by agreement predicated on the existence of such liability for negligence or misconduct. The Guild may purchase insurance for such indemnification.

Article XIX – Dissolution

In the event of dissolution of the Guild, remaining assets after the satisfaction of all obligations of the Guild shall be distributed for purposes within the scope of Internal Revenue Service Code 501(c)(3) or amendments thereof.