BELLE HAVEN WOMEN S CLUB CONSTITUTION ARTICLE I. NAME The name of this organization shall be the Belle Haven Women s Club. ARTICLE II. OBJECT The object of this club shall be to stimulate interest in the cultural, physical, and civic life of the community. ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP Qualifications for admission to membership in this Club shall be residence in Belle Haven (as described in the original plat on file in Fairfax County Court House), a willingness to promote the welfare of the Club by regular attendance, and a cheerful acceptance of duties. ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS Section 1. The Officers of this Club shall consist of a President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Communications Secretary, and Treasurer, all of whom shall be elected at the annual meeting in May. These Officers shall serve for one year and may be eligible for re-election to a second term, but no member shall serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office. Section 2. The President shall fill by appointment any vacancies that occur during the year among Club Officers. ARTICLE V. EXECUTIVE BOARD The Officers, together with the Chairs of the Standing Committees, Sections, and Presidents of affiliated Clubs, all of which draw their membership from the Belle Haven Women s Club, and the immediate past President shall constitute the Executive Board.
ARTICLE VI. MEETINGS The Club shall hold at least seven (7) General Meetings of the Club or Events from September to May. The Annual Meeting shall be held in May, at which time the yearly report of the President shall be presented and Officers shall be elected for the coming year. ARTICLE VII. AMENDMENTS This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of those members present at a Club meeting, provided the proposed amendment has been submitted to the membership at least 30 days prior to the meeting.
BELLE HAVEN WOMEN S CLUB BY-LAWS ARTICLE I. DUTIES OF OFFICERS Section 1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club and shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Club. She shall appoint Committee Chairs, a Parliamentarian, and make any other essential appointments to the Executive Board. She shall notify each member when annual dues are payable. She shall be a member ex-officio of all Standing Committees, Sections, and affiliated Club boards. Section 2. The Vice President shall assume the duties of the President in event of her absence or resignation. She shall be Chair of the Program Committee. Section 3. The Recording Secretary shall take minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Club and of the Executive Board meetings. Section 4. The Communications Secretary shall send notices of Club meetings, and shall take care of all correspondence relative to the Club as requested by the President. She shall maintain an accurate electronic mailing list of Club members, and shall be responsible for purchasing stationery and postage as necessary. She shall have overall responsibility for the Club's Website. Section 5. The Treasurer shall have charge of Club funds and disbursements as approved by the President and Finance Committee. The Treasurer shall be a member of the Finance Committee. Section 6. The Officers and Chairs shall turn over all records to their successors before July 1, the beginning of the new Club year. ARTICLE II. NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS Section 1. The Nominating Committee shall consist of at least five members. The President of the Belle Haven Women s Club shall appoint two members from the Executive Board and designate the temporary Chair of the Committee. Each Section and affiliated Club shall appoint one member who is not a member of the Belle Haven Women s Club Executive Board. No more than half of the members of the Nominating Committee may have served in that capacity in the previous two years.
Section 2. At the February Board meeting the President shall announce her appointments for the Nominating Committee and call upon the Section Chairs and affiliated Club Presidents to announce their selections. Section 3. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of Officers to be presented at the Annual General Meeting in May. Nominations may be made from the floor provided the nominee s consent has been given. Election of Officers shall be by a two-thirds vote of those members present at the May meeting. ARTICLE III. STANDING COMMITTEES Section 1. There shall be the following Standing Committees whose Chairs shall be appointed by the President: Cookbook, Finance, Membership, Publicity, Web Administrator, and Historian/Archivist. Additional membership of the respective Committees shall be appointed by the Chair of each Committee, with the exception of the Finance Committee. Section 2. The Finance Committee shall consist of the appointed Chair, the Club Treasurer, and another member designated by the President. The Finance Committee shall be responsible for the maintenance of a contingency fund of at least $4,000 at the close of the Club year. The two members of the Finance Committee, other than the Treasurer, shall audit the Treasurer s books by July 1. ARTICLE IV. EXECUTIVE BOARD Section 1. The Executive Board shall comprise the elected Officers, Chairs of Sections and Standing Committees, Presidents of affiliated Clubs, Parliamentarian, and any other essential appointments made by the President. The immediate past President shall be an ex-officio member for one year. Section 2. The Executive Board shall have the power to transact the business of the Club on behalf of the membership. All important actions of the Executive Board shall be recorded by the Recording Secretary and made available to any member on request. Meetings of the Executive Board may be called by the President or any five members of the Board.
ARTICLE V. MEMBERSHIP Section 1. Any Club member who moves out of Belle Haven may retain her active membership by payment of annual dues. ARTICLE VI. DUES Section 1. Annual dues shall be payable September 1. Any member whose dues have not been paid by October 1 shall have her name deleted from the Club membership. Section 2. Any member whose name has been deleted from the membership roster for nonpayment of dues may be reinstated within the current fiscal Club year on payment of delinquent dues and an additional reinstatement fee. Section 3. All dues for new members are payable within 30 days. Any new member admitted after February 1 shall pay half the annual dues for the remainder of the Club year. Section 4. Any member who is delinquent in payment of Event attendance fees (see Article IX) may be asked to pay any outstanding fees in order to be readmitted to membership during the annual renewal process. It is expected that all members remain current with all dues and Event attendance fees in order to remain in good standing with the Club. As such, payment of any and all dues and Event attendance fees may be considered by the Board to be a prerequisite to BHWC membership. If a member does not pay all fees owed, her name may be deleted from the Club s membership roster. Any member whose name has been deleted from the roster for non-payment of Event attendance fees may be reinstated on payment of any and all delinquent fees. Section 5. The annual dues shall be recommended by the President and Vice President, in consultation with the Treasurer and Finance Committee, and approved by the Executive Board, subject to the following: Annual dues may be increased up to and including 5% per year without requiring a vote of the Club membership. Additional increases require a two-thirds vote of the Club membership and shall be presented no later than 30 days before the annual meeting in May. Honorary memberships are awarded to long-term members at the discretion of the Executive Board. ARTICLE VII. QUORUM Twenty-five members shall constitute a quorum for General Meetings of the Club. Five members shall constitute a quorum for meetings of the Executive Board. Should the Executive Board be unable to meet in person regarding a time-sensitive financial or other policy, a quorum may be reached by electronic poll, providing such meeting is recorded in the Club s official written minutes.
ARTICLE VIII. SECTIONS AND AFFILIATED CLUBS Section 1. Ten or more members with a specific interest may form a Section with the approval of the Executive Board and the Club membership. Section 2. Any Section having a membership of 25 or more is entitled to become an affiliated Club, provided two-thirds of the membership of that Section so desire, and further provided that all members are members of the Belle Haven Women s Club and continue such membership. Section 3. Each Section and affiliated Club shall elect its own officers and devise rules for its own government, providing such rules do not conflict with the Constitution and By-Laws of the Belle Haven Women s Club, and that its affairs shall be conducted according to parliamentary law. There shall be no additional dues collected by the various Sections. Section 4. Membership in the various Sections or affiliated Clubs shall be open to all members of the Belle Haven Women s Club. Section 5. Any Section that wishes to cease to function may request to be dissolved by the Executive Board and shall be so dissolved. ARTICLE IX. MEETINGS AND EVENTS Section 1. The meetings and Events of the Club shall be held at such time and place as shall be determined by the Executive Board. Section 2. A regular meeting may be postponed or a special meeting called by the President with the concurrence of a majority of the Executive Board, provided due notice is given to the membership of the Club. Section 3. A fee may be charged for attendance at certain Events, such fee to be set by the Executive Board upon recommendation of the Event Chair. Members are expected to pay for attendance at Events where a fee is charged. Failure to pay Event attendance fees may result in a member being refused re-admission to the Club during the annual dues process, until such time as any outstanding obligations are satisfied. On satisfaction of any outstanding Event attendance fees, a member may be re-enrolled in the Club.
ARTICLE X. GUESTS Section 1. A Belle Haven resident who is not a Club member may attend as a guest one regular Club meeting and one meeting of each Section and affiliated Club during any Club year. Section 2. Guests may be invited to Club Events at the discretion of the Event Chair, subject to payment of any applicable guest fees. A guest fee, to be set by the Executive Board upon recommendation of that meeting s Event Chair, may be payable by members bringing guests to Club meetings or Events. There shall be no guest fee for Section meetings. Section 3. A prospective member may attend one regular Club meeting without payment of the guest fee, and one meeting of each Section and affiliated Club. ARTICLE XI. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY The parliamentary authority of the Club shall be Robert s Rules of Order Revised. ARTICLE XII. AMENDMENTS The By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of those members present at a regular monthly or special Club meeting, provided the proposed amendment has been submitted to the membership at least 30 days prior to the meeting. The Constitution and By-Laws of the Belle Haven Women s Club were adopted in 1936. They were amended in 1965, 1975, 1986, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2014 and 2015.