BYLAWS OF Somali Youth of Rochester Outreach Program (S.Y.R.O.P)
ARTICLE I — NAME AND PURPOSE
Section 1 — The name of the organization shall be Somali Youth of Rochester Outreach Program. It shall be a nonprofit organization incorporated under the laws of the State of New York. Section 2 — Somali Youth of Rochester Outreach Program is a 501(c)3 exclusively organized to help young people build st
rong character and realize their full potential as responsible citizens and leaders. Our main purpose is to provide a safe haven filled with hope and opportunity, ongoing relationships with caring adults and life -enhancing programs to young people. ARTICLE II — MEMBERSHIP
Section 1 — Eligibility of membership: Application for membership shall be open to any Somali youth residing in the greater Rochester area which supports the purpose statement in Article I, Section 2. Membership application is granted after completion and receipt of a membership form and monthly dues. All membership shall be granted upon a majority vote of the board. Section 2 — Monthly Dues: The amount required for monthly dues shall be $10 a month. Continued membership is contingent upon being up-to-date on membership dues. Section 3 — Rights of Members: Each member shall be eligible to appoint one voting representative to cast the member's vote in the elections. Section 4 — Resignation and Termination: Any member may resign by filing a written resignation with the secretary. Resignation shall not relieve a member of unpaid dues, or other charges previously accrued. A member can have their membership terminated by a majority vote of the board of directors. ARTICLE III — MEETINGS OF MEMBERS
Section 1 — Regular Meetings: Regular meetings of the members shall be held bi-weekly, at a time and place designated by the chair. Section 2 — Annual Meetings: An annual meeting of the members shall take place in the month of September, the specific date, time and location of which will be designated by the chair. At the annual meeting, the members shall elect directors and officers, receive reports on the activities of the association, and determine the direction of the association for the coming year. Section 3 — Special meetings: Special meetings may be called by the chair, the Executive committee, or a simple majority of the board of directors. A petition signed by 10 percent of voting members may also call a special meeting. Section 4 — Notice of meetings: All notices for the meetings will be announced on the Somali Youth of Rochester Outreach Program's page. Section 5 — Quorum: The members present at any properly announced meeting shall constitute a quorum. Section 6 — Voting: All issues to be voted on shall be decided by a majority of those present at the meeting in which the vote takes place. ARTICLE IV — BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1 — Board role,size, and compensation: The board is responsible for overall policy and direction of the youth group, and delegates responsibility of day-to-day operations to the staff and committees. The board shall have up to 30, but not fewer than 15 members. The board receives no compensation other than reasonable expenses. Section 2 — Terms: All board members shall serve a 1 year term, but are eligible for re-election for up to five consecutive terms. Section 3 — Board elections: New directors and current directors shall be elected or re-elected by the voting representatives of members at the annual meeting. Directors will be elected by a simple majority vote of members present at the annual meeting. Section 4 — Election procedures: A board development committee shall be responsible for nominating a slate of prospective board members representing the youth group's diverse constituency. In addition, any member can nominate a candidate to the slate of nominees. Section 5 — Officers and Duties: There shall be four officers of the board, consisting of a President, Vice-President, Treasurer and secretary. Their duties are as follows:
- The President shall convene regularly scheduled board meetings, shall preside or arrange for other members of the Executive Committee to preside at each meeting in the following order: Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary.
- The Vice-President shall chair committees on special subjects as designated by the board.
- The Treasurer shall make a report at each board meeting. The treasurer shall chair the finance committee, assist in the preparation of the budget, help develop fundraising plans, and make financial information available to board members and the public.
- The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping records of board actions, including overseeing the taking of minutes at all meetings, sending out meeting announcements, distributing copies of the agenda to each member, and assuring that records are maintained. Section 6 — Vacancies: When a vacancy on the board exists mid-term, the secretary must receive nominations for new members from present board members two weeks in advance of a board meeting. These nominations shall be sent out to board members with the regular board meeting announcement, to be voted upon at the next board meeting. These vacancies will be filled only to the end of the particular board member's term. Section 7 — Resignation, termination, and absences: Resignation from the
board must be in writing and received by the Secretary. A board members shall be terminated from the board due to excess absences, more than three unexcused absences from board meetings in a year. A board member may be removed for other reasons by a three-fourths vote of the remaining directors. Section 8 — Special meetings: Special meetings of the board shall be called
upon the request of the chair, or one-third of the board. Notices of special meetings shall be sent out by the secretary to each board member at least a week in advance. ARTICLE V — AMENDMENTS
Section 1 — Amendments: These bylaws may be amended when necessary by
two-thirds majority of the board of directors. Proposed amendments must be submitted to the Secretary to be sent out with regular board announcements. CERTIFICATION
These bylaws will be approved at a meeting of the board of directors by a majority vote on September, 28, 2013.
