Constitution & Bylaws - 2024

ARTICLE I - NAME

The name of the group shall be The Coastside Women’s Club a California 501(c)3 Corporation, hereinafter referred to as CWC.

ARTICLE II - PURPOSE

The purpose of the club is to provide social, charitable and educational activities for the coastside communities. The sole fundraising purpose of the club is to provide scholarships for Half Moon Bay High School seniors planning to attend a community college, university or post-secondary vocational school.

ARTICLE III - FISCAL YEAR

The Fiscal year of the Club shall begin on the first day of June and end on the last day of May each year.

ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Membership

a. Membership in this Club shall be open to any female resident of the coastside communities.

b. Members moving from the coastside area who wish to retain membership may do so with

payment of annual dues.

c. Upon the death of a member, a donation in her memory shall be made in accordance with

the member’s wishes or the wishes of her family.

Section 2. Dues

  1. Dues are set annually at the March Board Meeting.
  2. Dues are payable beginning May 1st and are delinquent after July 15th.
  3. Dues received from new members joining after January 1 shall be fifty percent (50%) of the annual dues amount.
  4. Members resigning or moving in mid-year will not receive a pro-rated refund.
  5. Up to 20 women who are not coastside residents may be members of the Club.

ARTICLE V - CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Section 1. Conflict of Interest

CWC members and their immediate family members (including children, siblings, grandchildren) are not eligible for scholarship awards.

ARTICLE VI - NON-DISCRIMINATION

Section 1. Non-Discrimination

With the exception of limiting membership to women, the CWC does not discriminate in the award of scholarships or in all other activities on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, national origin, race, color, age, religious creed, marital status, or disability.

ARTICLE VII - OFFICERS AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Section 1. Officers

a. The elected officers of the Board shall consist of a President, Program Director, Membership Director, Fundraising Director, Scholarships Director, Treasurer, Secretary, Parliamentarian, Newsletter Editor, Technology Director, Special Events Director, Communications Director, Interest Group Director, and Past President.

b. Elected officers will serve a term of one fiscal year from June 1st to May 31st.

Section 2. Duties and Job Descriptions

President of the Club is Chairman of the Board and shall:

  1. Preside at all meetings. In the event of absence, appoint a President Pro-Tempore to preside at the meeting.
  2. Appoint ad hoc committees and chairs as necessary. The President may attend committee meetings at her discretion.
  3. Send an agenda to Board members one (1) week prior to each Board meeting.
  4. When appropriate, the agenda shall contain proposed motions to be voted upon.

Programs Director shall:

Schedule and coordinate a minimum of four General Meetings during the fiscal year.

Membership Director shall:

  1. Coordinate with the Treasurer to maintain an up-to-date membership list and inform the Technology Director and Newsletter Editor of any changes.
  2. Revise and prepare the Membership Directory in collaboration with the Tech Team.
  3. Coordinate a minimum of two evening Socials.

Fundraising Director shall:

  1. Establish a fundraising committee.
  2. Serve as Director of all fundraising activities. Present plans for such activities to the Board for approval.

Scholarships Director shall:

1. Serve as Chair of the Scholarship Committee.

2. Whenever an opening occurs, the Scholarship Director shall work with the Parliamentarian to find candidates to fill the position.

3. The Parliamentarian shall present the new candidate(s) to the Board for approval.

4. In October, the Director meets with the Scholarship Committee to discuss the proposed budget. Based on the budget, the committee recommends the number of scholarships to be awarded and the amount of each scholarship grant. In addition, the committee reviews and selects the criteria for awarding scholarships based on financial need and academic achievement.

5. In October, the Scholarship Director shall recommend to the Board the number of scholarships to be awarded, the size of the scholarship grants and the criteria used for selecting scholarship recipients.

6. After Board approval, the recommendation is then voted upon and approved by the membership at a General Meeting.

7. The Scholarship Director shall work with the Half Moon Bay High School Guidance Department to ensure that the candidates referred for scholarship consideration are well qualified in terms of the selection criteria.

8. The Committee shall interview the candidates and select those who will receive scholarships.

Treasurer shall:

  1. Handle the club funds, receive and disburse authorized funds and keep an account of same.
  2. Plan the Budget with the President, Membership Director, Fundraising Director and Scholarships Director following the Board summer Planning Meeting. Then, present the budget to the Board for approval prior to presenting the budget at the September General Meeting for general membership approval.

  3. Submit a written financial report to the Club at each Board meeting.

  4. Submit an annual report on spending for the past fiscal year at the Planning Meeting.

  5. Prepare the Treasurer’s books for annual review by the tax accountant.

  6. File all Federal and State government forms as required by law in a timely fashion.

  7. Purchase and keep up to date adequate liability insurance.

Secretary shall:

  1. Take minutes of all Board Meetings and General Meetings and send them to the Board members for review within two weeks after the meeting.
  2. Maintain and oversee the Club’s calendar to reflect all General Meetings and Board Meetings.
  3. Ensure that all the above information is provided to the Technology Director and Newsletter Editor.

Parliamentarian shall:

  1. Establish and chair a Nominating Committee to recruit and recommend candidates to fill vacancies for both the Board of Directors and the Scholarship Committee for the next fiscal year or whenever an opening occurs.
  2. Review the Bylaws annually and recommend updates and other changes that are then approved by the Board and the general membership.
  3. Follow Robert’s Rules of Order for all meetings.

Newsletter Editor shall:

Requirement: This position requires strong digital skills and a willingness to commit to finalizing the Newsletter especially during the last 2 weeks of the month.

  1. Manage the monthly cycle of the CWC Newsletter, Harbor Views.
  2. Work collaboratively with Board members and Interest Group leaders for content.
  3. Work collaboratively with the Technology Team to ensure that the Newsletter output can be delivered in a .pdf format.

The Technology Director shall:

  1. Coordinate all CWC correspondence being delivered to CWC membership and the website visitors on technology platforms that provide state-of-the-art technology.
  2. There shall be a focus on security, reliability, and strong technical support, as well as ubiquitous access across all common platforms – PC, Apple IOS, MacBook, iPhone, Android phone, etc.
  3. No other distribution tools shall be utilized without the approval of the Technology Director.
  4. Make Zoom access available for all Board meetings.

Special Events Director shall:

  1. Solicit input from Board members, membership and community leaders on timely topics for Special Events.
  2. Appoint a committee to assist with set-up, clean-up, beverages, food, and supplies for each event.

Communications Director shall:

  1. Be responsible for publicizing the club in the community.
  2. Serve as the primary liaison with the Chamber of Commerce.
  3. Act as liaison with Board members in the preparation of press releases concerning club activities.

Interest Group Director shall:

  1. Communicate with all Interest Group leaders and report activities to the Board.
  2. Coordinate and report Interest Group information to the membership through the CWC Newsletter.

Past President shall:

  1. Attend Board meetings and be available for advice.
  2. Act as Club Historian.

 

 

ARTICLE VIII - Meetings

Section 1. Club Functions

  1. A Board meeting shall be held once per month, between August and May.
  2. The Incoming President will hold a Planning Meeting in June or July for the Board and committee chairs.
  3. There will be at least four General Meetings each year scheduled by the Board.
  4. At the discretion of the Board, a scheduled Social event may include Club business and be considered a General meeting.
  5. Zoom access will be available for all Board meetings.

Section 2. Guests

  1. Members are entitled to bring a guest to Club functions.
  2. Guests may attend two activities per year excluding fundraising events. If continued participation is desired, annual dues must be paid.

ARTICLE IX - VOTING

Section 1. Voting Members

Each member of the Board of Directors is eligible to vote on all club proposals. Any Board position shared by two members shall entitle each member to one half (½) vote when both Directors are present. If a position is shared and only one of the Directors is present, that Director has a whole vote. Board members are responsible for their votes, and proxies are allowed only when the proposed motion is included in a duly noticed and timely agenda. Only then can the absent member forward her proxy to the Board President indicating her vote (yay, nay, abstain).

Section 2. Quorum

a. A majority of Board members constitutes a quorum.

b. In the absence of a quorum at a Board Meeting, no formal action shall be taken except to postpone a vote to a subsequent meeting when there is a quorum.

c. Passage of a motion requires a simple majority (ie, one more than half the members present).

d. The President does not vote unless there is a tie that needs to be broken.

ARTICLE X - NOMINATING COMMITTEE

Section 1. Appointment of Committee

The Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the Parliamentarian in December. It shall be composed of two Board members and three members chosen from the membership-at-large. The list of proposed candidates is presented to the Board in January. No commitments shall be made or implied to a Board candidate without prior approval by the Board. The Committee shall work in collaboration with the Board to ensure that all candidates for potential Board positions are fully informed about the roles and responsibilities of the position. The Parliamentarian will prepare a slate of officers to be presented and voted on by the Board at the February Board Meeting and to the membership for election at the General Meeting in March.

Section 2. Additional Nominations

At the March General Meeting, additional nominations may be made from the floor.

Section 3. Membership Notification

The membership shall be advised of the Committee’s selection by publication of the nominated slate of officers in the March issue of the Newsletter.

Section 4. Installation

Installation of new officers shall take place at the May General Meeting.

ARTICLE XI - BYLAWS

These Bylaws may be accepted, altered, or amended by a majority vote of Board members present at any Board meeting, provided a quorum is present and a copy of the proposed amendment(s) are provided to each Board member at least one week prior to said meeting. This must be followed by the amendment being presented at a General Meeting and approved by a majority vote of the membership who are present.

ARTICLE XII - DISSOLUTION

Upon dissolution, after paying its debts, the Board shall designate the remaining assets to another tax exempt group such as another 501(c)3 or to a federal, state, or local government for a public purpose.