The Bylaws Committee is unlike any of the other NAWIC Committees– it is solely responsible for the maintenance of the association’s bylaws. This committee provides the necessary communication to both the NAWIC Board and membership pertaining to the bylaws- including, but not limited to, proposed changes and amendments. Bylaws are the most important document of any association. Without bylaws, an organization would have no structure and, potentially, anarchy would rule. Two types of governing instruments, bylaws and standing rules, detail specific policies and procedures to be followed as NAWIC conducts business. Despite having the same functional objective, these two instruments complement each other and are not interchangeable. Bylaws are the written rules that have been agreed upon to confirm how decisions can be made and the business of NAWIC performed. As NAWIC grows and changes, the bylaws can be amended to meet the needs of the association, and this is where the committee comes into play. Bylaws specifically state what rights the members have within an organization and how much power an assembly has to make its decisions. Bylaws address the number of board members and their terms, voting rights and privileges, approved business activities, appointment of officers and establishment of committees, quorum percentages, annual meeting frequency, procedures for amending the bylaws and for dissolving the organization, and any other issues that are part of the management of the association. NAWIC supplemented the bylaws by implementing standing rules. Standing rules are rules or resolutions that are of a long-term (or standing) nature. These rules generally only deal with administrative matters and function under the umbrella of NAWIC’s Bylaws. Standing rules are administrative in nature, and establish specifics for conducting chapter business, such as the time, date and frequency of meetings, whether to have certain officers, and the number of those officers, chapter dues rates and other administrative functions. Standing rules are to be reviewed for compliance annually by the Chapter Board of Directors, and at least biennially by the National Bylaws Chair.
The Bylaws Committee is responsible for gathering the information necessary to draft or amend the bylaws. The committee should also gather all existing organizational policies and
8.
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator