Updated October 25, 2020
BY-LAWS
SMOKY MOUNTAIN CHAPTER
CHILDREN’S INTERNATIONAL SUMMER VILLAGES, INC.
ARTICLE I. NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Smoky Mountain Chapter of Children’s International Summer Villages, Inc.
ARTICLE II. AREA OF JURISDICTION
The area of jurisdiction shall be Knoxville and surrounding areas including Oak Ridge, Maryville, Alcoa, and Sevierville. Delegates and leaders outside this area of jurisdiction may be included in the Smoky Mountain Chapter upon recommendation of the Board of Directors. Participation as a delegate or leader is contingent upon his/her agreement to attend necessary meetings and participate in Chapter activities.
ARTICLE III. AFFILIATIONS
The Smoky Mountain Chapter is a chapter of Children’s International Summer Villages, Inc., which serves as the United States Association of Children’s International Summer Villages, and through this affiliation, is also associated with the International Association of Children’s International Summer Villages. It is non-profit.
ARTICLE IV. OBJECTIVES
1. To promote the principals of Children’s International Summer Villages, Inc., specifically,
A. To conduct charitable, scientific, and educational programs in order to further foster and promote understanding among the peoples of the world in the interest of world peace.
B. To promote respect for the dignity of man and his constructively creative capacity.
C. To promote among all peoples an awareness of world citizenship.
D. To derive through research some of the basic principals for promoting international understanding and awareness of world citizenship.
E. To improve the tools and techniques for research in the study of cross-national contact.
F. To disseminate information pertaining to the above purposes.
2. To select and send children and adult delegates to participate in CISV programs, e.g., Villages, Interchanges, Summer Camps, and Seminar Camps, to learn to live peacefully with individuals from other countries and other cultures.
3. To sponsor CISV programs in the Smoky Mountains area. These programs shall include Villages, Interchanges, Summer Camps, Seminar Camps, and Local Work.
4. To cooperate with other groups and organizations having similar goals.
ARTICLE V. MEMBERSHIP
1. Membership in the Smoky Mountain Chapter of CISV shall be open to all persons subscribing to the objectives and purposes of the organization without regard to race, creed, or color.
2. There shall be 5 classes of membership: Sponsor, Patron, Family, Individual, and Honorary Life.
3. Annual dues shall be assessed of all members. The amount of dues shall be determined by the Board of Directors and shall be payable annually on January 1. Adult leaders, children, and families must be members of the Smoky Mountain Chapter of CISV at the time of acceptance as a delegate to Village, Interchange, Summer Camp, or Seminar Camp, or as a Junior Counselor or Junior Leader.
4. Voting privileges shall be extended to adult individuals who are members in good standing.
ARTICLE VI. OFFICERS’ TITLES and RESPONSIBILITIES
The officers of the organization shall be President, President-Elect, Vice Presidents (3), Secretary, Treasurer, Risk Manager, and Members at Large (3).
1. PRESIDENT shall
A. Preside at all regular and special meetings of the Chapter, Board of Directors, and Executive Committee.
B. Be an Ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee.
C. Appoint committee chairs and fill officer vacancies in consultation with the Board of Directors.
D. Serve as a member of the Chapter Board of Directors as Immediate Past President.
2. PRESIDENT ELECT shall
A. Perform all duties of the president in his/her absence.
B. Share responsibilities with the president for coordinating the work of the committees.
C. Be responsible for planning and implementing the annual Fall and Spring meetings.
D. Serve as president at the completion of his/her predecessor’s term.
3. VICE PRESIDENTS, one each for Communications, Finance, and Programs, shall
A. Perform such duties as may be assigned by the President or Board of Directors.
B. Coordinate the work of committee chairs in their respective work areas.
C. Assist with identification and recruitment of potential delegates and leaders to Villages, Interchanges, Summer Camps, and Seminar Camps.
D. Serve as liaisons to one or more standing committees.
4. SECRETARY shall
A. Keep a full and complete record of all business of the Chapter, including Minutes of the General meetings and meetings of the Board of Directors.
B. File the complete set of Minutes and Treasurer’s reports in the official record of the Chapter annually.
C. Send notification of regular Board meetings, with the Minutes of the previous Board meeting, to all Board members.
D. File the Minutes and Treasurer’s reports with the National President, National Administrative Secretary, and National Liaison monthly.
E. Be responsible for correspondence incident to the business of the Chapter.
5. TREASURER shall
A. Collect and be custodian of all funds received.
B. Pay the Chapter’s bills in a timely manner.
C. Keep a written record of all money received and disbursed.
D. Serve as a member of the Finance committee.
E. Prepare written monthly reports to be presented to the Board of Directors.
F. Prepare semianual reports to be presented to the membership at the Fall and Spring General meetings.
G. Submit a written report and supporting documentation annually for audit, and participate in audit interviews.
6. RISK MANAGER shall
A. Coordinate the work of committee chairs in their respective areas including Property & Risk Management and Travel & Insurance
B. Ensure all Chapter programming is compliant with CISV USA and CISV
International safety standards
C. Work closely with the President to lead the Chapter in responding to crisis situations.
D. Serve as liaison with National Risk Manager and Regional Risk Manager
E. Obtain a 3-year accreditation by successfully completing CISV’s Risk
Management training
7. MEMBERS AT LARGE, one each from the Knoxville area, the Maryville/Alcoa area, and the Oak Ridge area, shall
A. Perform such duties as shall be assigned by the President or Board of Directors.
B. Assist the Vice Presidents of Communications and Programming in recruiting and public relations efforts.
ARTICLE VII. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
1. MEMBERS
The Board of Directors shall consist of the officers listed above, the Chairs of Standing Committees, the immediate Past President, and a Junior Branch representative. In a case where the immediate Past President is not also the Chapter Representative, the individual serving as Chapter Representative shall also be a member of the Board of Directors.
2. RESPONSIBILITIES
A. Conduct business of the chapter between General meetings and make recommendations concerning major activities of the Chapter.
B. Receive, review, and approve committee reports.
C. Approve the official annual budget of the Chapter and all such expenditures of committees, officers, or other expenditures not included in the approved budget.
D. Elect persons nominated by the President to fill vacancies that may occur on the Board of Directors.
E. A Past President, approved by the Board of Directors, shall serve as the Chapter Representative (Trustee) to the CISV National board of Trustees.
3. MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
A. Meetings of the Board shall be held monthly or as often as deemed necessary by the President.
B. Meetings must be called upon the request of five members of the Board of Directors.
4. QUORUM
At least seven members of the Board of Directors must be present in order to transact business at a meeting.
5. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
A. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, three Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Immediate Past President, President Elect, and three Board Members at Large.
B. The Executive Committee may exercise all the powers of the Board between regularly scheduled meetings of the Board.
C. At least five members of the Executive Committee must be present in order to transact business at a meeting.
6. ACTION WITHOUT A MEETING
Action of the Board or the Executive Committee may be taken without a meeting by a quorum of members if (1) the President has made a good faith effort to consult all members entitled to vote and (2) the action is approved, orally or in writing, by a majority of those members consulted. A written record of the action taken and the votes cast for and against the action shall be presented to the Board at the next regular meeting.
ARTICLE VIII. ELECTIONS
1. The elected officers of the Chapter shall be President, President Elect, three Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Risk Manager, and three Members at Large.
2. A Nominating Committee shall be appointed annually by the President.
3. A Nominating Committee shall submit at least one candidate, whose consent shall first be obtained, for each office.
4. Provisions shall be made for nominations from the floor when the office slate of the Nominating Committee is presented for election. Nominations from the floor must be for persons whose consent has first been obtained.
5. Elections shall be by written ballot when there is more than one candidate for an office.
6. The terms of office of all officers shall be for one year. Officers may be elected for an additional one-year term, but no officer shall serve for more than three consecutive years in any one office, except by vote and on request of at least three-fourths of the Board of Directors.
7. Officers of the Chapter shall be elected by the Chapter membership at the Annual Spring Meeting.
8. Officers elected in the spring shall begin immediately attending meetings with the person whose office they will assume, but will not officially begin their terms until after the first board meeting held after the Annual Spring Chapter meeting.
Outgoing officers shall be responsible for orientation of incoming officers before the first board meeting.
The newly elected Treasurer will assume office in January of the following year with the outgoing Treasurer responsible for filing the books for annual audit at the end of the fiscal year.
ARTICLE IX. MEETINGS OF THE MEMBERSHIP
1. The organization shall hold two General meetings of the membership each year, one in the fall and one in the spring. Notice of each meeting shall be provided to the membership.
2. Other General meetings may be called at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Upon the written request of ten members of the organization, a meeting of the membership must be called.
ARTICLE X. STANDING COMMITTEES
1. Standing committees may include the following: By-laws, Communications, Newsletter, Website, Public Relations/Recruiting, Membership, Finance, Community Shares, Fundraising/Grant Writing, Property/Risk Management, Scholarship, Programs, Fun Days, Hospitality, Host Program Planning, Interchange, Training, Selection/Debriefing, Junior Branch Advising, Local Work, Long Range Planning, or others as deemed necessary.
2. The President, in consultation with the Board of Directors, shall appoint chairs of committees.
3. Special committees shall be appointed as deemed necessary by the President and/or the Board of Directors or as recommended by the membership at a General meeting.
ARTICLE XI. AMENDMENTS
Amendments to these by-laws may be made by a two-thirds vote of those members in good standing present at any General meeting, provided that written notice of such meeting has indicated that changes in by-laws will be discussed and voted upon at such meeting. Changes in these by-laws shall become effective immediately upon adoption.
ARTICLE XII. RULES OF OPERATION
The rules contained in the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order will govern this organization in all cases in which they are applicable and not inconsistent with the by-laws.
ARTICLE XIII. DISSOLUTION
In the event of the dissolution of the Smoky Mountain Chapter of CISV, Inc., the assets of the Chapter after payment of all debts and expenses shall be transferred to the National Organization of CISV, Inc.
As proposed to the membership October 25, 2020