Article I

The Organization

The Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Baltimore, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as "The Society") is a fraternal order of men of Irish decent currently operating as a 501 (C)(3) Charitable Organization.

Article II

Membership

A. Gentlemen, age twenty-one years and over, being natives or descendants of natives of Ireland and of good moral character, shall be eligible for admission to active membership.

B. Application for membership shall be in writing in such format as approved by the officers of The Society. The application shall bear information on the applicant’s lineage from Ireland.The application shall bear the signatures of the applicant and two members in good standing. Application approval is at the discretion of the officers of The Society.

C. The Society may confer honorary membership on anyone (regardless of Irish heritage) providing that person is proposed by a member in good standing and approved by the officers of The Society. Honorary members are not allowed to vote or hold office.

D. Any member found guilty of engaging in activity reflecting discredit on The Society or its officers shall be liable to censure, suspension or expulsion.

Article III

Dues

A. The annual dues shall be set by the officers of The Society.

B. Dues shall be payable by March 1 of each year.

C. Members who fail to pay their dues by March 1 shall be considered not in good standing, and ineligible to vote or hold office.

D. A member not in good standing can pay dues and reinstate his good standing.

Article IV

Officers

A. The Society shall be governed by elected officers consisting of: President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Third Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and the Chairman of the Board of Stewards.

B. Officers are elected for a one-year term beginning on March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day) and ending on the following March 16.

C.The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of The Society.

D. Officers and Stewards may be removed from their positions for non-performance, continued absence or conduct reflecting discredit on The Society.Motions for such action will be submitted to the Officers and Stewards for decision.A majority vote will determine the outcome.

Article V

Board of Stewards

A. The Board of Stewards shall consist of the two most recent Presidents and three additional members appointed by the President. Those appontees shall serve a one year term each.

B. The Immediate Past President shall be the Chairman of the Board of Stewards.

C. The Board of Stewards shall have the following responsibilities:

  • 1.Organize and implement the annual luncheon including selection of venue, speakers, honored guests, program and menu (subject to final approval by the Board of Officers).
  • 2.Oversight on elections and procedural issues.
  • 3.Assist and advise the President of The Society.
  • 4.Review charges/complaints brought upon members/officers of The Society (see Article II, Section D) and vote with the Officers to determine action to be taken.

Article VI

Committees

A. The Membership Committee shall oversee recruitment and approval of all new members.

  • 1.This committee shall consist of three members appointed by the President of The Society.

B. The Finance Committee shall oversee the financial and insurance matters of The Society.

  • 1.This Committee shall consist of 5 members including the President, Chairman of the Finance Committee, Treasurer, Counsel and one member at large appointed by the President.
  • 2.The Finance Committee shall be responsible for the oversight of all finance, tax, insurance and legal matters of The Society.
  • 3.The Finance Committee shall report to the Officers of The Society.

C. The Nominating Committee shall select and deliver a list of nominees to the Board of Officers for the following fiscal year.

  • 1.This committee shall consist of five members selected by the President of The Society by January 1 each year.

D. Other committees to deal with the web site, charitable giving, fundraising or other functions shall be formed as needed by the President of The Society and report to the Officers of The Society.

Article VII

Duties of Officers

A. President:

  • 1.Shall preside at all meetings and functions of The Society and perform all other duties specifically assigned to him by these by-laws.
  • 2.Shall appoint the members and chairman of such committees as provided for in these by-laws and other committees as needed.
  • 3.Shall authorize chairman of committees to sign contracts and agreements on behalf of The Society.
  • 4.Shall co-jointly with the Treasurer be empowered to disburse the funds of The Society as directed by the Officers.
  • 5.Shall be empowered to call special meetings of The Society under such terms and conditions as he deems necessary and proper.

B. First Vice President:

  • 1.Shall assist the President and conduct scheduled meetings in the President’s absence.
  • 2.In the event of death, resignation or removal of the President, the First Vice President shall succeed to that office and the Second and Third Vice Presidents would move up in office accordingly.

C. Treasurer:

  • 1.Shall keep the moneys and securities of The Society including: deposits, withdrawals, transfers, purchase and sale of securities, as approved by the Officers.
  • 2.Shall pay all customary obligations of The Society and those approved by the Officers.
  • 3.Shall keep suitable and proper books of account and record therein all receipts and disbursements.
  • 4.Shall render a report of the finances of The Society at all meetings.
  • 5.Shall assist the Finance Committee in filing the necessary tax return at the end of each fiscal year.
  • 6.In the event of the death, resignation, or removal of the Treasurer, the President, with the advice and consent of the Board of Officers and Board of Stewards, shall appoint a Treasurer of the Society to serve the remainder of the term of that Treasurer who died, resigned, or was removed.

D. Secretary:

  • 1.Shall keep an account of all proceedings and present the minutes of each meeting for approval at the following meeting.
  • 2.Shall send out meeting notices at least 10 days prior to the scheduled meeting date.
  • 3.Shall tend to correspondence of The Society whenever necessary.Shall perform other duties as deemed appropriate by the Officers.
  • 4.In the event of the death, resignation, or removal of the Secretary, the President, with the advice and consent of the Board of Officers and Board of Stewards, shall appoint a Secretary of the Society to serve the remainder of the term of that Secretary who died, resigned, or was removed.

Article VIII

Meetings

A. The Society shall hold 4 quarterly meetings of the entire general membership.

  • 1.Notice of these meetings shall be mailed out by the Secretary at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting.
  • 2.A minimum of 25 members in good standing shall be required for a quorum.
  • 3.Voting on issues will be determined by a show of hands on all issues, unless the Board of Stewards requires a roll call.
  • 4.Majority will rule, unless stipulated otherwise in these by-laws.

B. Officer meetings will be monthly or as deemed necessary by the President.

  • 1.These meetings shall consist of elected Officers, the Board of Stewards and others as deemed necessary by the President.
  • 2.A minimum of five officers is required for a quorum.
  • 3.Officers must be notified a minimum of 5 days prior to a meeting.

C. Committee meetings will be held as deemed necessary by the committee chair of a specific event or the President of The Society.

Article IX

Election of Officers

A. The President of The Society shall appoint a Nominating Committee as provided for in Article VI of these by-laws.

B. The Nominating Committee shall deliver a proposed slate to the Board by January 15 of each year.

C. The Secretary shall inform all of the members in good standing of the proposed slate at least 30 days prior to the stated election meeting.

D. Nominations for office in opposition to those designated by the Nominating Committee will be accepted provided at least 15 members in good standing affirm their support in writing and provided further that such nominations are placed in the hands of the Secretary of The Society at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of the election meeting.

E. Nominations from the floor will not be allowed except when necessary to fill a vacancy caused by withdrawal of a nominee.

F. A majority of those voting at the election meeting as indicated by a show of hands shall be sufficient for the election of new offices.

G.     1. I n case of questions as to a clear majority, a written vote or roll call vote may be called for by the Board of Stewards.

        2. Only members in good standing are allowed to vote or hold office.

        3. The Board of Stewards shall officiate over the election.

H. The Nominating committee may nominate an officer to another term in the same position or nominate someone who has previously held that position.

Article X

Funds of The Society

A. The Finance Committee shall oversee the operating and trust funds of The Society.This will be a standing committee.

B. A proforma operations budget will be prepared by the Finance Committee prior to the first quarter general meeting. Proforma budgets will also be prepared by committee chairs and presented to the President for approval prior to major events.

C. Financial decisions involving the day-to-day operations of The Society will be decided by a majority vote of the Finance Committee and reported to the Board of Officers at the next meeting.

  • 1. Three (3) members of the Finance Committee shall constitute a quorum.
  • 2. Committee votes and actions should be recorded and delivered to the Secretary for inclusion in the minutes.

D. Extraordinary expenses (e.g., purchases, donations, unbudgeted and non-traditional expenses exceeding $300.00, capital expenditures, etc.) will be presented to the Officers for approval.Majority vote will rule.

Article XI

Expenses of The Society

A. Committee chairmen are authorized to contract expenses that are reasonable, customary and within submitted budget for the function for which they are responsible.Any item that is a significant increase (15% or more) over the previous year or different from those historically associated with the function should be brought to the President (who shall consult with the Treasurer) prior to commitment on that expense.

B. All invoices for payment of function expenses shall be reviewed and approved by the committee chairman prior to presentation to the Treasurer for payment.

C. Meeting expenses in excess of $300 must be approved by the President and the Treasurer.

D.Total expenses for a fiscal year shall not exceed the annual budgeted amount without prior authorization of the Board of Officers.

E. Miscellaneous Expenses:From time to time, certain other minor expenses may be incurred on behalf of The Society by a member of the Board of Officers.Said expenses shall be considered reimbursable if the following criteria are met:

  • 1. Those expenses were incurred while acting on behalf of The Society.
  • 2. A receipt and brief written explanation supporting the expense is given to the Treasurer.
  • 3. These expenses do not exceed $200 per occurrence or $300 in any given month.

F. Exceptions to the above or items not specifically addressed in this Article must be approved in advance by the Finance Committee or the expenses will not be considered reimbursable.

Article XII

Amendments

A. All proposals to amend these by-laws shall be submitted in writing to the President at a regular meeting of the Board of Officers.It shall be signed by at least 25 members in good standing.

B. If the Board of Officers reports favorably upon any amendment submitted, discussion and voting of such amendment shall be assigned as special business for the next scheduled meeting.

C. Notice of such meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least ten (10) days prior to the date of that scheduled meeting.A copy of the amendment shall be included with the meeting notice.

D. These by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote as cast at that meeting.The Board of Stewards shall determine if a roll call vote is needed.