2.1 VOLUNTEERS Volunteers with the Chapter are bound by the Chapter Constitution and Bylaws and the Chapter agreement with EWB-USA.

Transcription

1 CONSTITUTION ARTICLE 1 - NAME, LOCATION AND OBJECTIVE 1.1 NAME This organization is a chapter of the parent organization, Engineers Without Borders-USA. As such, the name is The Portland Chapter of Engineers Without Borders-USA and can be abbreviated as EWB-Portland. The organization shall be referred to throughout this document as the Chapter. The parent organization shall be referred to throughout this document as EWB-USA. 1.2 LOCATION The Chapter geographic boundaries shall be defined as the area including Oregon and Southwest Washington. The headquarters of the Chapter shall be located in Portland, Oregon. 1.3 OBJECTIVE The objective of the Chapter is to facilitate the involvement of people from Oregon and Southwest Washington in EWB-USA, in a manner consistent with the objectives of EWB-USA. In pursuit of the objectives, the Chapter shall not operate in conflict with the Constitution, Bylaws, Rules of Policy and Procedure, or other guidelines of EWB-USA, where applicable. ARTICLE 2 - VOLUNTEERS & MEMBERSHIP 2.1 VOLUNTEERS Volunteers with the Chapter are bound by the Chapter Constitution and Bylaws and the Chapter agreement with EWB-USA. 2.2 MEMBERSHIP Membership to EWB-USA is encouraged, but not required, to volunteer with the Chapter. A volunteer becomes a member by registering with EWB-USA and paying annual dues in accordance with EWB-USA policy. Only members of EWB-USA have the right to vote in the Chapter elections, are eligible to travel on EWB-USA projects, are eligible serve on the Steering Committee, and receive all other member benefits according to EWB- USA policy Engineers Without Borders - USA. All Rights Reserved Page 1 of 12

2 ARTICLE 3 - STEERING COMMITTEE 3.1 FUNCTION The Steering Committee shall manage the affairs of the Chapter in accordance with the laws under which the Chapter is organized and within the provisions of the Constitution. Thus, the Steering Committee has the principal responsibilities of developing chapter level policy, authorizing financial expenditures, and generally directing the business of the Chapter. The Steering Committee shall approve all policies developed before they are enacted. 3.2 MEETINGS Meetings of the Steering Committee may occur in person, via telephone conference call or via other electronic means. Steering Committee voting may be conducted as a voice vote or via a proxy as provided in the Bylaws All Steering Committee officers shall be responsible to attend ALL Steering Committee meetings either in person or via proxy. If there are extenuating circumstances that prevent the officer from fulfilling this responsibility, these should be explained to the President, who may opt to excuse the officer from attendance. 3.3 OFFICERS The Steering Committee, in which the governance of the Chapter shall be vested, shall consist of the following officers. All have the right to vote on issues brought before the Steering Committee When a project or committee is represented by more than one person, one vote will be counted for each project or committee Past President President President-Elect Treasurer Secretary Events Chair Fundraising Chair Membership Chair Publicity Chair Project Team Leads Member at Large 3.4 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS Presidential elections shall be held annually during the month of June. All members of the Chapter are eligible to vote The overall role of President is assumed to be a three year commitment, and is divided into three separate offices: President-Elect, President, and Past President Engineers Without Borders - USA. All Rights Reserved Page 2 of 12

3 The President-Elect shall be elected by the Membership annually according to Article 1 of the Bylaws At the time of the annual election, the President-Elect from the previous year assumes the role of President At the annual election, the President from the previous year assumes the role of Past President. 3.5 PRESIDENTIAL TERM OF OFFICE The term of office for each of the presidential offices is one year. This term shall begin on the first day after the member has taken the office. 3.6 PRESIDENTIAL VACANCIES If there is a midterm vacancy in the office of Past President, then the office shall remain vacant until the annual election If there is a midterm vacancy in the office of the President, then the President-Elect shall prematurely assume the office of President and shall appoint an assistant who shall serve in the role of President-Elect for the remainder of the term. At the next annual election, the President shall serve one more term, and a new President-Elect shall be elected If there is a midterm vacancy in the office of President-Elect, then the President shall appoint an assistant who shall serve in the role of President-Elect for the remainder of the term. The next annual election shall be a special election, whereby both the President-Elect and the President are elected. 3.7 OFFICER APPOINTMENTS The President shall appoint all other officers on the Steering Committee. 3.8 OFFICER TERM OF OFFICE All appointed officers, except for the Treasurer, shall serve a term of one year. The treasurer shall serve a term of two years. Terms begin the day after the officer has been appointed. 3.9 OFFICER VACANCIES In the event of a midterm vacancy in any of the appointed offices, the President shall fill the vacancy with a new appointee, who shall serve for the remainder of the term. During the vacancy, the responsibilities of the vacant office can be assumed by other members of the Steering Committee Engineers Without Borders - USA. All Rights Reserved Page 3 of 12

4 3.10 OFFICER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Existing officers shall assist with the identification and transition-training of replacement officers Past President Provide advice and historical information about past chapter operations to the Steering Committee Assist in the development of policy pertaining to the overall operations of the Chapter Attend all Steering Committee meetings in person or by proxy and perform the duties assigned to him or her by the President President Coordinate between the Chapter, State Chapter, the West Coast Region and EWB-USA Ensure that all resolutions of the Chapter are carried into effect Have signatory power over the Chapter bank account Initiate ad hoc committees as s/he sees fit Develop policy pertaining to the overall operations of the Chapter with the steering committee Attend and preside over in person or via proxy all Steering Committee meetings President-Elect Attend, in person or via proxy, all Steering Committee meetings Take initiative to learn the role of President Perform the duties and exercise the powers of the President in his/her absence or disability Assist the President in the development of policy pertaining to the overall operations of the Chapter Maintain current information about the activities of the Projects and communicate this periodically to the Steering Committee and to the Chapter Membership Perform the duties Treasurer Receive, record and account for income and distribute, record and account for all approved expenditures of the Chapter Develop policy pertaining to the accounting oriented operations of the Chapter Prepare the financial section of the Annual Report of the Chapter Be responsible for the accounts of the Chapter and be subject to audit as prescribed in the Bylaws of the Chapter Have signatory power over the Chapter bank account Hold responsibility for the Post office box keys 2011 Engineers Without Borders - USA. All Rights Reserved Page 4 of 12

5 Attend all Steering Committee meetings in person or via proxy and perform the duties Secretary Take minutes at Steering Committee meetings and distribute electronically within four days of the meeting Write a summary of the Chapter Meetings and post to website within four days of the meeting Solicit, and monitor overall content and structure of the website and coordinate all administrative users Maintain documentation for the Chapter operations Coordinate the drafting of the Chapter Annual Report Coordinate annual elections Attend all Steering Committee meetings in person or via proxy and perform the duties Maintain records of active, pending and completed projects for the Chapter Events Chair Create, chair, and maintain the records of the Events Committee Develop policy pertaining to the events oriented operations of the Chapter with the Events committee Maintain current information about the activities of the Events Committee and communicate this periodically to the Steering Committee and to the Chapter Membership Schedule, plan and coordinate regulate Chapter meetings Attend all Steering Committee meetings in person or via proxy and perform the duties Coordinate with Fundraising Chair on all major events Create new events Prepare and submit to the Treasurer in April a Events Committee budget Fundraising Chair Create, chair, and maintain the records of the Fundraising Committee Develop policy pertaining to the fundraising oriented operations of the Chapter with the Fundraising committee Maintain current information about the activities of the Fundraising Committee and communicate this periodically to the Steering Committee and to the Chapter Membership Develop, administer and organize all fundraising activities Work in conjunction with the Treasurer to collect and record all fundraising monies 2011 Engineers Without Borders - USA. All Rights Reserved Page 5 of 12

6 Prepare and present an Annual Fundraising Report to the Steering Committee detailing the past year's fundraising events, to be complete for April 1 st Attend all Steering Committee meetings in person or via proxy and perform the duties Coordinate with Events Chair on all major events Prepare and submit to the Treasurer in April a Fundraising Committee budget Membership Chair Create, chair, and maintain the records of the Membership Committee Develop policy pertaining to the membership oriented operations of the Chapter with the Membership Committee Maintain current information about the activities of the Membership Committee and communicate this periodically to the Steering Committee and to the Chapter Membership Recruit new chapter members and maintain a database of current member information including, membership classification, telephone number, address, occupation, volunteer hours and volunteer interests and abilities Maintain the privacy of the information collected about chapter members Work in conjunction with other committee chairs to connect members with volunteer opportunities within the Chapter Attend all Steering Committee meetings in person or via proxy and perform the duties Follow up with parties interested in volunteering/membership Prepare and submit to the Treasurer in April a Membership Committee budget Publicity Chair Create, chair, and maintain the records of the Publicity Committee Develop policy pertaining to the publicity oriented operations of the Chapter with the Publicity Committee Maintain current information about the activities of the Publicity Committee and communicate this periodically to the Steering Committee and to the Chapter Membership Publicize the mission, goals, activities and events of the Chapter and EWB-USA Develop the necessary materials (e.g. pamphlets, flyers, press releases) to facilitate relations between the Chapter and the public Attend all Steering Committee meetings in person or via proxy and perform the duties Prepare and submit to the Treasurer in April a Publicity Committee budget 2011 Engineers Without Borders - USA. All Rights Reserved Page 6 of 12

7 Project Leads Attend all Summit Meetings in person or via proxy and perform the duties assigned to him or her by the President Evaluate projects for completion by the Chapter and assist chapter members with the submission of Project Application Forms to the EWB-USA Technical Advisory Committee Establishing project teams, schedules and goals Member at Large Attend all Steering Committee meetings in person or via proxy and perform the duties Perform duties as assigned by the President 3.11 ASSISTANTS With the exception of the Past President, President, and President-Elect, all Steering Committee Officers have the option of appointing an Assistant to their position, who when directed by the officer, may act in the role of that officer with all rights and responsibilities of the office PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS It is expected that all Steering Committee officers will fulfill the duties assigned to them in this Constitution and Bylaws. If the officer is unable to fulfill the duties of the office, he or she has the responsibility to bring this fact to the attention of the Steering Committee and ask for assistance, and if assistance cannot be provided, he or she must relinquish the office through a written statement to the Steering Committee. ARTICLE 4 - AMENDMENTS 4.1 PROPOSALS Any Member of the Chapter may present a proposal to amend the Constitution or Bylaws of the organization. The proposal is to be in writing and presented to the Steering Committee. 4.2 CONSTITUTIONAL Amendments Amendments to the Constitution shall require a consensus of the Steering Committee. A consensus shall consist of all members voting either affirmative or abstain. 4.3 BYLAWS Amendments Amendments to the Bylaws shall require a two thirds majority vote of the Steering Committee. ARTICLE 5 - MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 2011 Engineers Without Borders - USA. All Rights Reserved Page 7 of 12

8 5.1 BENEFITS TO INDIVIDUALS No part of the net earnings of the Chapter shall inure to the benefit of any private individual. 5.2 POLITICAL BIAS No substantial part of the activities of the Chapter shall be lobbying, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation. The Chapter shall not participate in, nor intervene in (including publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. 5.3 DISSOLUTION, ASSETS Should dissolution of the Chapter occur, the assets remaining after the payment of the debts of the Chapter shall be conveyed to EWB-USA Engineers Without Borders - USA. All Rights Reserved Page 8 of 12

9 BYLAWS ARTICLE 1 - ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT-ELECT 1.1 The President-Elect shall be elected in a general election by Members of the Chapter through ballot voting. Votes may be cast electronically. 1.2 Elections shall be held no later than the last day of October of an election year. 1.3 All Members of the Chapter may nominate one or more qualified members of the Chapter for the office of President-Elect. 1.4 Nominations shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary. 1.5 Following the collection of all nominations, ballots shall be prepared and distributed to the membership in person at the Chapter Election. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. 1.6 A simple majority of voters shall carry the voting results. ARTICLE 2 - QUORUM 2.1 At least 51 percent of the Steering Committee Officers shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business in the Steering Committee. ARTICLE 3 - MEETINGS 3.1 Regular meetings of the Steering Committee shall be held monthly or as directed by the President. 3.2 Chapter Meetings shall be held at regular intervals. ARTICLE 4 - NOTICE OF MEETINGS 4.1 Notice of meetings shall be published on the Chapter website. Announcements will be distributed to the Chapter mailing list via . ARTICLE 5 - ORDER OF BUSINESS 5.1 The order of business shall be that prescribed by the President Engineers Without Borders - USA. All Rights Reserved Page 9 of 12

10 ARTICLE 6 - DUES 6.1 Annual dues for defraying the general expenses of the Chapter shall be as directed by EWB-USA. ARTICLE 7 - SAVINGS CLAUSE 7.1 Should any section of the Constitution or Bylaws be found to be illegal, the remaining sections shall remain intact and in force. ARTICLE 8 USE OF CHAPTER AND PROJECT FUNDS 8.1 TERMS OF REFERENCE Program work completed within a region of a country or with the same NGO. A program may include numerous projects. It is expected that a program will last at least 5 years. No expenses are incurred by a program; only projects within the program. Project an effort undertaken within a program. A project has a specific scope and purpose. It is expected that projects will be monitored for 5 years after completion. Projects must go through TAC review and reimbursable expenses may be incurred by a project. Chapter General Funds (EWB-USA unrestricted funds): funds deposited into the chapter general account without specific earmark for a specific program or project Project funds: funds deposited into a specific project or program account. It is possible that funds would be designated for a specific project within a program, or to a program in general. As noted above, a program does not incur expenses outside of the projects that are within the program. Direct expenses: project expenses incurred to purchase supplies and equipment, hire in-country labor, pay for project-related services such as laboratory fees, and similar expenses Indirect expenses: travel and living expenses incurred by travel teams required to assess or implement a project including immunizations, airfare, transport, room, board, and similar expenses 8.2 GENERAL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND USE OF FUNDS Project teams are granted the responsibility to decide on allocation of Project Funds. Teams are expected to honor any commitments or obligations related to the funds in their accounts such as reporting requirements for grant funds, specific requirements or exclusions attached to donated funds, resolutions passed by the Steering Committee regarding project expenses. Project teams are expected to openly report their allocation of Project funds. Project teams are expected to abide by EWB-USA financial policy. The Steering Committee is granted ultimate responsibility for the allocation of Chapter General Funds. The Steering Committee may delegate to the Projects Committee the responsibility of evaluating proposed allocations of Chapter General Funds and making recommendations to the Steering Committee. Guidelines for evaluation of proposed allocations are included in the following section. 8.3 GUIDELINES FOR ALLOCATION OF CHAPTER GENERAL FUNDS This section provides an incomplete list of guidelines for allocation of Chapter General Funds. It is recognized that each proposed allocation will include a variety of unique considerations that cannot be foreseen. These guidelines are intended to help guide the chapter in making case-by-case decisions related to proposed allocations 2011 Engineers Without Borders - USA. All Rights Reserved Page 10 of 12

11 of Chapter General Funds. Multiple projects within a program will generally be viewed as separate projects for allocation of Chapter General Funds if they are proceeding simultaneously AVAILABLE EWB FUNDS IN SAVINGS ACCOUNT In a six month period, no project should be awarded more than the lesser of: a. 50% of the current available Chapter General funds for Implementation trips. (Intent: To reserve funds for use in other projects.) b. 33% of the current available Chapter funds for Site Assessment trips. (Intent: To reserve funds for use in other projects.) c. $20,000 (Intent: To encourage caution related to very large expenses in a single trip.) d. Allowable amount to maintain a minimum balance of $1,000 in the general Chapter General funds. (Intent: To support ongoing administrative expenses and reserve seed money for fundraising efforts.) These limits may be exceeded through approval from the Steering Committee in the case of extenuating circumstances PROJECT TEAMS FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND AWARENESS To qualify for funds from the Chapter, project teams should adhere to the guidelines of this section Project teams should strive to independently raise at least 25% of direct expenses as defined herein through activities such as: a. Team-organized fundraisers b. Private donations to the project c. Team-lead applications for grants d. Team-lead solicitations for corporate sponsorship Indirect expenses may be partially covered from Chapter General Funds per the following guidelines: a. Transportation, immunizations, and travel insurance are generally expected to be covered by individual team members, representing an in-kind donation. b. In-country living expenses will be covered from Project or Chapter General Funds when the budget allows as determined on a case by case basis. c. When the Chapter does not have sufficient funds to cover in-country expenses for all active projects, priority will be given to cover the in-country expenses of the project teams that are contributing the greatest percentage of independent funding Project teams should demonstrate that their project expenses are kept as conservative as possible while still meeting the objectives of the project and the needs of the community At least one member of each active project team should be present at the Fundraising Committee's monthly meetings and participate in the organization of Chapter fundraising events PROJECT TEAM PREPARATION FOR SUCCESS a. The Chapter recognizes that our best investment of chapter funds is on successful projects. Projects requesting chapter general funds should demonstrate that they are prepared to succeed. The Steering Committee recognizes that projects will proceed at different paces and with different efficiency of resource use due to a variety circumstances, but reserves the right to evaluate project or program past performance and current preparation for success when a competitive interest in funds arise Engineers Without Borders - USA. All Rights Reserved Page 11 of 12

12 8.3.4 PROJECT TEAMS 'IMMEDIATE NEED OF FUNDS' b. Implementation trips in the late stages of organization will receive priority over site assessment trips where conflicts for funding arise EXPENSES WITHIN APPROVED SCOPE OF WORK a. Preference will be given to project expenses that are within the scope of work that was originally accepted by the chapter and approved by EWB-USA. b. Expenses out of the original scope will be considered on a case-by-case basis contingent on: i. Approval of the additional work by EWB-USA TAC, ii. Demonstration by the project team that additional work is critical to ongoing project success, 8.4 FUNDING PRIORITIZATION PROCESS The following process will be used to evaluate proposed allocations: 1. Financial budgets should be presented by the Project teams to the Projects Committee at least once per year but no less than three months prior to any scheduled assessment or implementation trip. 2. The Projects Committee will discuss the request for funds on the basis of the above guidelines/bylaws. 3. The PC will determine if the Chapter is capable of meeting the teams request and the amount of funding that can be provided considering other upcoming Chapter/Project expenses. 4. The PC meeting will then make suggestions to the Steering Committee who will make the final decision on funding allocation Engineers Without Borders - USA. All Rights Reserved Page 12 of 12