Constitution and By-Laws

CONSTITUTION OF THE PRINCE WILLIAM BREWER’S GUILD
(Link to Word Document)
(Effective 6/30/2013)

ARTICLE ONE

Section 1. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Prince William Brewer’s Guild

Section 2. Purpose

The purpose of the Prince William Brewer’s Guild shall be to encourage all members:
To mature as brewers and beer enthusiasts;
To promote the dissemination of knowledge in the art of brewing;
To encourage and reward individuals dedicated to the brewing arts;
To educate the beer connoisseur in identifying the components of beers;
To foster the responsible use of the products of our craft; and
To celebrate the fruits of our labors. 

Section 3. Membership

The membership of this Guild shall be open to any person who enjoys fine beers, either by making their own or by enjoying the work of others.

Section 4. Headquarters

The headquarters of this Guild shall be 2221 William Harris Way, located in Woodbridge, VA, until such as the member occupants relocate, the member occupants leave the Guild or the membership, by resolution, decides to locate elsewhere.



ARTICLE TWO

Government


Section 1. Supreme Law

All legislative and executive powers shall be given to and controlled by the Board of Directors.*1

The Board of Directors shall consist of all the elected officers of this Guild.




Section 2. Elected Officers

The elected officers of this Guild shall be: President, Vice-President, Secretary/ Treasurer, Activities Director, and Membership Director. An elected office may be occupied by more than one person subject to Board approval.

Section 3. Term of Office

All offices shall be held for a period of one year, commencing at the June meeting following elections, and terminating at the August meeting, one year later. The final month is an internship period for newly elected officers.

Section 4. Removal from Office

Any officer missing three Board of Directors meetings and/or six membership meetings during his/her term of office, without reasonable excuse, shall be removed from office and replaced as soon as possible.
A reasonable excuse shall be determined by the Board of Directors.

Any officer, as determined by a majority of the Board of Directors, found not performing his/her duties, may be removed from office, subject to the approval by a majority vote of the membership at the next membership meeting following a report from the Board of Directors to the membership.

Section 5. Vacancy of Office

Any interim vacancy on the Board of Directors shall be filled by appointment by the Board of Directors, subject to the approval by a majority vote of the membership at the next membership meeting following the vacancy.
In the event the membership votes down the appointment by the Board of Directors, there will be open nominations for the vacant office and an election held at said membership meeting to fill the vacancy.

Section 6. Returning of Prince William Brewer’s Guild Property

All elected officers and any members, upon completion of their term in office or assignment, shall return to the Prince William Brewer’s Guild any and all papers, documents, and property deemed to be important to the operation and history of, and belonging to, said Guild.
Failure to comply may result in expulsion from the Guild and civil action if deemed necessary.








ARTICLE THREE
Duties of Elected Officers

Section 1. President

The duties of the President shall be as follows: 

 a. To uphold the Constitution and By-Laws of the Guild

 b. To interpret the Constitution and By-Laws of this Guild when necessary.

 c. To set the theme and agenda for the meetings.

 d. To call meetings to order and conduct them in an orderly manner.

 e. To call for special meetings when necessary.

 f. To form committees when necessary.

 g. Shall be an ex officio member of all committees.

 h. Shall have no vote on motions made at membership meetings and/or Board of Directors meetings, except to break a tie.

Section 2. Vice-President

The duties of the Vice-President shall be as follows: 

 a. To assist the President with his duties.

 b. To coordinate and organize Guild competition efforts as the head of the Competition Committee.

 c. To present certificates of achievement.

 d. If the President is absent from a meeting, the Vice-President shall assume the President's power for that meeting.

Section 3. Secretary/ Treasurer

The duties of the Secretary / Treasurer shall be as follows: 

 a. To take the minutes of Board of Directors meetings and membership meetings

 b. To maintain a file of all minutes

 c. To submit minutes to the President for publication on the Guild website.

 d. If the President and Vice-President are both absent from a meeting, then the Secretary shall chair the meeting.
  
 e. To administer the Guild's finances.

 f. To collect and document monies owed to the Guild.
  
 g. To reimburse expenses incurred by members on behalf of the Guild.

 h. To submit a report to the Board of Directors on a quarterly basis, or when requested by the President.

 i. To maintain the inventory and disperse of Guild gear, e.g. t-shirts, hats, glasses and more.


Section 4. Activities Director

The duties of the Activities Director shall be as follows: 

 a. To arrange to have guest speakers and demonstrations at membership meetings.

 b. To arrange the Guild festivals.

 c. To arrange for tours, workshops and seminars in which the Guild may participate.

d. To oversee raffles and auctions at events and membership meetings.

Section 5. Membership Director

The duties of the Membership Director shall be as follows: 

 a. To maintain a current roster.

 b. To issue membership cards

 c. To organize membership drives.

 d. To proctor nominations and elections.








ARTICLE FOUR
Quorums

Section 1.

A voting quorum at a membership meeting shall be no less than ten percent (10%) of the paid membership as reported by the Membership Director at the last Board of Directors meeting previous to the membership meeting where a vote(s) is (are) to be taken.
A quorum at a Board of Directors meeting shall consist of one half of the Board of Directors plus one.

ARTICLE FIVE
Election of Officers

Section 1. Eligibility

Any person who has been a paid member for at least six (6) months and is in good standing with this Guild may run for an elected office.

Section 2. Nominations

Nominations will open at the April membership meeting and will close at the June membership meeting before balloting commences. The method of collecting nominees' names shall be done at the discretion of the President or whoever is chairman at those meetings.

Section 3. Balloting

A secret ballot election shall be held at the June membership meeting. Only paid members with a membership card may vote. The President shall determine how the secret balloting will take place.

Section 4. Tally

The President shall form a committee of three members not running for office to tally the ballots.
After tabulating the results, the committee shall submit a report to the President as soon as possible, but no later than the next Board of Directors meeting. If any or all of the committee wish to present the report at the Board meeting instead, they may do so.

The new officer(s) for each office shall be that person(s) with a plurality of the votes for that office.




ARTICLE SIX
Installation of Officers

Section 1. New Officers

At the June membership meeting, officers-elect will begin a one month internship. Installation of the new officers shall occur at the August meeting.

Section 2. Officers Filling Vacancies

Any officer filling a vacancy shall be installed at the meeting at which the membership voted its approval.

Section 3. Certificate for Outgoing Officers

All outgoing officers shall be awarded a Certificate of Achievement in appreciation of their terms in office at the June meeting following their departure from office.


ARTICLE SEVEN
Meetings

Section 1. Membership Meetings

Membership meetings shall be held on the first Sunday of each month at 12:00 p.m. at a location determined at the previous month’s meeting, unless otherwise specified by the Board of Directors. The location and any changes in time will be posted to the Guild website. The exceptions being the months there is a Festival or other special event.
All members are encouraged to attend these events and meetings. These dates and events will be posted to the Guild’s website.


Section 2. Board of Directors

Board of Directors meetings shall be at a time and place called by the President.
All officers are required to attend and submit a report pertinent to their office. Also, any member may attend these meetings.




ARTICLE EIGHT
Amendments

Section 1. Resolutions

From time to time it may be necessary to modify this Constitution and By-Laws. The procedure shall be as follows: 

 a. Any individual, or committee, or the Board of Directors may write a resolution to modify this Constitution and By-Laws. It shall include the reason for the change, the article, the section, the paragraph, etc., where the change will occur, and what the change will be.

 b. If an individual member has drafted a resolution, he/she may present it to the Board of Directors for presentation to the membership or bring it to a membership meeting for presentation to the membership. The purpose of presenting it to the membership is to inform them about it.

 c. After presentation the membership shall vote on whether or not to accept the resolution for consideration.

 d. The resolution shall be posted in the newsletter after the initial membership approval.

 e. At the next membership meeting, the resolution will be voted on by the paid membership. A 2/3 majority is required for the resolution to be adopted.







BY-LAWS OF THE PRINCE WILLIAM BREWERS GUILD
(Effective 6/30/2013)

ARTICLE ONE
Membership

Section 1. Membership

Membership lasts one year from the time the Membership Director records the members name in the roster.

Section 2. Dues

Dues shall be determined by the Board of Directors and approved by the membership.

Section 3. Returning Members

After one year membership, dues will be required to continue as a member. All renewals will be counted from the member’s original starting month.

Returning members who do not renew shall be placed on an inactive list. If a returning member has not renewed for a period of five years, his/her name shall be dropped from the list.

Section 4. Couples Membership

A Member’s spouse or significant other shall be considered a non-voting member for the purposes of all Guild activities, unless they are a full dues paying member.


Section 6. Honorary Membership

The Board of Directors may elect to designate any person an Honorary Member of the Guild for a time period determined by the Board at the time of dispensing such Honorary Membership.

Section 7. Membership Agreement

The Board of Directors shall codify a membership agreement that is required for all members. The agreement shall outline acceptable behavior and risks assumed by members.

Section 8. Membership Cards

The Guild shall provide to each member a card designating them as a member of the Prince William Brewer’s Guild. Each card shall be minimally provided with name and a method to determine the member’s expiration date and current status. The card shall be required for all discounts and voting privileges except where waived by the Board of Directors or vendor. 


ARTICLE TWO
Competitions

Section 1. Number

There will be at least three (3) Guild-sponsored competitions per year. These competitions may at the discretion of the Board of Directors, be open to other clubs and may be sanctioned by the BJCP/AHA. Sanctioning of these two competitions shall not be a requirement for holding them.

Section 2. Other Competitions

The Board of Directors reserves the right to involve this Guild in organizing competitions other than the two mentioned above, an example of which would be a home brew competition at a county fair. If the Board of Directors chooses to organize such a competition, every effort shall be made to have it sanctioned by the BJCP/AHA. 

Section 3. Rules and Awards

The rules and awards for competitions shall be determined on a per competition basis and will be published in the newsletter at least three (3) months prior to the competition. 


ARTICLE FIVE

Section 1. Effective Date

This Constitution and By-Laws shall be considered in effect when approved by at least two thirds of the membership present at the membership meeting where this document is put to a vote.



*Notes and Board Decisions;

*1 “Supreme Law” Inherent in the executive powers of the Board of Directors is the ability to remove a person from the membership for cause. (2013)

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