By-Laws of the Governor Dummer Academy Allies (amended 5/2010) Article I The name of this organization shall be the Governor Dummer Academy Allies, Hereinafter called the Allies. It shall operate within the organizational structure of the Governor Dummer Academy and the Head of School or his/her designee. Article II The purposes of The Allies shall be to promote the interests of Governor Dummer Academy, to further close cooperation and understanding within the GDA community, and to raise and allocate funds to enrich the overall experience of the GDA student body and its faculty. Article III Membership Each parent, stepparent or guardian of a GDA pupil shall be a voting member of the Allies. Article IV Meetings of the Members of the Allies Section 1. An Annual meeting of the Allies shall be held during the spring of each year for the purpose of passing the annual budget, voting on nominated candidates, and granting requests for additional allocations of funds and transacting any other such business as may be necessary. Section 2. There shall be as many additional meetings of the Allies during the school year as deemed necessary by the President of the Allies. Section 3. Written notice of each Allies meeting stating the place, day and time, shall be posted on the GDA website at least ten days (including Sundays and holidays) before each meeting. Section 4. At any meeting of the Allies fifteen (15) members shall constitute a quorum. Less than a quorum may adjourn or close a meeting that has been duly called. The vote of a majority of members voting in person or by proxy shall be sufficient to transact business. Each member shall be entitled to vote upon any question at any meeting of the Allies. Article V Executive Committee Section 1. There shall be an Executive Committee that shall manage the affairs of the Allies. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Head of School s spouse and Development office rep, ex officio. - 2 -
Article VI Officers Section 1. The Officers of the Allies shall be: President, Vice President (President-elect), Secretary and Treasurer. Section 2. Officers shall be elected from the members of the Allies. The Nominating Committee shall propose candidates for election at the May meeting of the Allies. All candidates nominated for office shall have consented to serve prior to their election. Section 3. Duties for each elected office shall be outlined in Article VII Duties of Officers. Article VII Duties of Officers Section 1. The President shall be elected for a one year term and shall serve as chief executive of the Allies and shall preside at all meetings of the Allies and its Executive Committee. The President will provide all officers with a copy of the Allies By-Laws after each election. Officers are responsible for knowing and upholding all requirements and guidelines as stated. The President shall maintain regular communication between the Head of School or his/her designee. The President shall be the Chair of the Nominating Committee and an ex officio member of all other committees. The President shall have the power to sign, endorse or otherwise negotiate checks and similar instruments payable to the Allies or its order. Upon completion of his/her term, the President will provide documentation as collected in the Allies Binder for reference and guidance of the president-elect. Section 2. The Vice President (President-elect) shall be elected to serve a one years term before becoming President of the Allies. The Vice President will hold check writing privileges as outlined in Article VII, section 4. The Vice President shall assume any and all duties as may be assigned by the President. Section 3. The Secretary shall be elected to serve a term of two years. The Secretary shall keep a true record of all meetings of the Executive Committee and of the Allies as usually pertain to the office. In the absence of the Secretary from any meeting, a temporary secretary shall be designated by the presiding officer to record the proceedings of said meeting. Section 4. The treasurer shall be elected in alternate years from the secretary to serve a term of two years. The Treasurer shall, subject to the direction and under the supervision of the Executive Committee, have charge of all funds of the Allies and the care, custody, collection and disbursement of its funds. The Treasurer, the President, and the Vice President shall have power to sign, endorse or otherwise negotiate checks and similar instruments, payable to the Allies or its order. Two signatures shall be required for checks written on the Allies accounts in
- 3 Section 4 (continued) amounts over $1000.00. All Allies bank accounts will be under the custodianship of the GDA financial office. Any questions regarding banking policy will be directed to the CEO of the Academy. The Treasurer shall keep, or cause to be kept, the accounts of the Allies. The Treasurer will prepare a monthly report for the review by the committee at least 2 days prior to the monthly meeting. At each Annual Meeting of the Allies, the Treasurer shall render a report concerning the financial affairs of the Allies. The Treasurer will consult with the President to prepare an annual budget each Spring for the upcoming fiscal year to be reviewed by the Executive Committee prior to being voted and approved by the Allies at the designated Spring meeting. Article VIII Committees Section 1. The Executive Committee of the Allies shall determine whatever standing committees are deemed necessary for the management of the Allies. They shall establish the term of office for each committee Chair and the framework within which each committee shall function. Section 2. The President shall establish any ad hoc committees deemed necessary upon approval of the Executive Committee. Section 3. The Committee Chairs shall render regular reports to the Executive Committee in the plans and progress of the committees activities. Article IX Vacancies Section 1. The Executive Committee, by a majority vote, shall choose a successor(s) to serve the unexpired term(s) of any elected officer of the Executive Committee or Chair of any committee of the Allies. Section 2. In the event of a temporary incapacity or absence of any officer of the Executive Committee the President shall appoint another member of the Allies to the Executive Committee to serve for a temporary term and shall define that term. Section 3. In the event that the President is unable to succeed to the position of the Chair of the Nominating Committee, the Executive Committee shall elect an individual who has served at least two years as an Executive Committee Member to serve as the Chair of the Nominating Committee. The required two years of service need neither be consecutive or immediately prior to the election of the Executive Committee. Section 4. In the event the President-elect is unable to succeed to the position of President, the Executive Committee shall elect an Interim President who shall serve until such time as the Nominating Committee shall nominate and the members of the Allies shall elect an individual to serve as President.
- 4 Article X Nominations Section 1. There shall be a Nominating Committee, the Chair of which shall be the President of the Allies. The Chair shall choose one or more members representing the four grades of the school. A member of the Nominating Committee may be nominated for election to any office or to the Chair of any Committee of the Allies Section 2. The Nominating Committee, after consulting with the officers, shall submit nominations for election by the Allies at the last Spring business meeting (May) of the fiscal year. Article XI Allocation of Funds Requests for allocation of funds may be applied for in writing to the Executive Committee. The amount of the request, how the funds will be used and how it will benefit the majority of the student body will be included in this request. Funds will be allocated by the Allies and the Executive Committee to the general following criteria: That a majority of GDA students will benefit from the allocation by improving educational enrichment, quality of life or hospitality. The annual budget for the upcoming fiscal year will be ratified by majority of those parents in attendance at a designated Spring meeting. The Executive Committee of the Allies is authorized to allocate up to $1500.00 between meetings. Committees of six or more Allies appointed by the Officers can be authorized to allocate funds as pertaining to the purpose of the committee as defined. At least three Executive Officers must sit on boards authorized to allocate funds. Article XII Fiscal Year The fiscal year of the Allies shall start in the first day of July of each calendar to coincide with the fiscal year of the Governor Dummer Academy.
- 5 Article XIII Parliamentary Authority Parliamentary authority for the Allies shall be the most recently revised edition of Robert s Rules of Order. Article XIV Amendments These by-laws may be altered, amended or repealed by a vote of the majority of the members of the Allies Executive Committee at any meeting called for that purpose, the written notice of which shall be given to the members at least ten days (including Sundays and holidays) before. Approved 5/2010