Article I: Name The name of this organization shall be Shreveport Writers Club.
Article II: Purposes The purposes of the organization are:
- to promote interest in writing
- to develop our talents as writers
- to encourage fellow writers
- to establish place and time for meetings to accomplish these goals
Article III: Membership and Dues
Section 1: Membership is open to any person interested in writing.
Section 2: Annual dues shall be set by the Executive Board and shall be payable
at the June meeting of each year to cover the following twelve months.
Section 3: A member who does not pay by the July meeting will receive a notice
in August. If dues are not paid by the August meeting, the member will be
dropped in September.
Section 4: Updated membership rolls will be distributed at the September and
January meetings.
Section 5: Visitors are always welcome at meetings, but only paid members have
voting rights and the right to participate in round-robin readings, critique meetings, focus groups, or members-only activities sponsored by SWC. Members will enjoy reduced contest entry fees.
Article IV: Meetings
Section 1: Monthly meetings
- Meetings will be held the first Saturday of each month, unless the first Saturday is a holiday or the meeting location is closed, in which case the meeting will be held the second Saturday of the month.
- Meetings will be held at the Broadmoor Public Library, or other suitable location as may be selected by the Programs Committee.
- The December meeting will be a banquet or party at a time and location convenient for members to invite guests. A program may be planned.
Section 2: Special meetings may be called and workshops and seminars may be scheduled by any committee, upon approval by the Executive Committee. Business requiring a vote by the membership will only be conducted at regular monthly meetings, January through November.
Section 3: A quorum for the conduction of business shall be the voting members present at any regular monthly meeting of the club.
Section 4: Business meetings shall be conducted according to basic rules of procedure to assure order and courtesy, but without requiring iron-clad adherence to any particular rules of order.
Article V: The Executive Committee
There shall be an Executive Committee the members of which shall consist of the following:
A secretary elected by the Membership
A treasurer elected by the Membership
The Chair of each Standing Committee
The members of the Executive Committee shall serve one year terms, beginning in February. At its meeting in February, the members of the Executive Committee shall elect a Chair of the Executive Committee who will preside over the meetings and assure that the functions of the Executive Committee are fulfilled.
Elections for Secretary and Treasurer will be conducted at the first Club meeting in January.
The Treasurer shall be responsible for collecting dues and making deposits to the club accounts; making monthly financial reports to the Club; writing checks to pay Club obligations; and contacting delinquent members. The Treasurer shall work closely with the Membership Committee to maintain an accurate roster of dues-paying members.
The Secretary shall keep a permanent record of Executive Committee meetings and Club correspondence.
At the time of election, the members present, and voting may vote to combine the offices of secretary and treasurer for that election year.
Each Standing Committee shall elect a Chair and Vice-Chair in January.
A member may serve as Chair of only one committee. If the Committee Chair is already serving on the Executive Committee in another capacity (officer or Committee Chair) the Vice Chair of the Committee shall serve on the Executive Committee.
The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping a permanent record of all regular Club meetings, and Club correspondence.
The duties of the Executive Committee are to assure that the duties of the Standing Committees are being fulfilled, to oversee all aspects of Club functions, and to conduct long-term planning of Club activities, projects and functions. The Executive Committee is responsible for authorizing expenditures for Club business and the benefit of the Club.
The Executive Committee shall meet in February of each year and no less than 4 additional times throughout the year. The Executive Committee shall meet at times and places convenient for its members to receive reports from the secretary / treasurer and the Committee Chairs regarding the status of Club programs and activities. The Executive Committee is responsible for creating and coordinating a Quarterly Club Events Calendar and assuring that activity entered on the Quarterly Club Events Calendar is being facilitated by the Chair and members of the appropriate Standing Committee.
The dates and times and locations of Executive Committee meetings shall be noticed at least 10 days in advance by email notice to all members. Meetings of the Executive Committee may be in person or by video conferencing / zoom If the meeting will be conducted by video conferencing, the meeting notice must include the videoconferencing link.
Any three members of the Executive Committee may call an Executive Committee meeting at any time by giving notice to the Secretary / Treasurer and providing 10 days’ notice to all members by email of the date, time and manner or location of the meeting. If the meeting will be conducted by video conferencing, the meeting notice must include the videoconferencing link.
ARTICLE VI STANDING COMMITTEES
- There shall be standing committees, as follows:
A Membership Committee
A Program and Activities Committee
A Focus Group Committee
A Media Committee
The Membership Committee shall be responsible for maintaining the membership roster of the Club, maintaining records of dues-paying members, and purging non-dues paying members form the roll.
The Membership Committee shall work closely with the treasurer to maintain an accurate record of dues-paying members and to assure that late-dues notices and notices of termination of membership are issued.
The duties of the membership committee also include cultivation of new members. It is the duty of the Membership Committee to assure that at least one of its Committee members will attend the regular First Saturday Club meeting to greet any visitors, inform them of the means of becoming a Club member, and securing their contact information for Club records.
The Programs and Activities Committee shall be responsible for assuring that the Club has a meeting location each month, notifying members of the meeting location date and time each month; securing a speaker or program for each regular monthly meeting, and planning Club activities such as public readings, attendance at public events, contests, spring and fall functions, and the Christmas meeting and program.
The Chair of the Programs and Activities Committee shall assure that one member of that Committee will be present at the regular monthly meeting and the third Saturday critique meeting to preside over the meeting.
The Focus Group Committee shall be responsible for identifying Club member interests in specific focus areas and coordinating small groups of members who may meet outside of regular Club meetings for the purpose of focusing on specific interests.
The Media Committee shall be responsible for establishing and maintaining the Club’s social media presence such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and website, and responding to inquiries submitted electronically through those sites. The media committee shall also be responsible for advertising and publicizing Club meetings and Club events.
Each Standing Committee shall elect a Chair and Vice-Chair at its first meeting in January. The Chair or Vice-Chair so elected shall serve on the Executive Committee. The member of the Standing Committee who serves on the Executive Committee shall be responsible for providing reports of the Standing Committee’s activities to the Executive Committee and obtaining Executive Committee approval for any expenditures of Club funds.
Standing Committees shall meet at dates and times convenient for committee members. Meetings shall be noticed by email to the committee members and by posting on Facebook and the Club’s website.
A quorum shall consist of the number of Standing Committee members present for a duly noticed committee meeting. Committee decisions shall be by majority vote of those present.
Club members may serve on more than one Standing Committee and until Club member participation is sufficient to permit otherwise, a Club Member may serve as Chair or Vice-Chair of more than one Standing Committee. However, a member elected Chair of more than one Standing Committee shall fill only one position on the Executive Committee. Any Standing Committee whose chair also serves as chair of another Standing Committee shall elect another member in the Committee to serve as the Committee representative on the Executive Committee.
Upon enrollment, new members shall be asked to join a committee.
Current members shall be requested to select committee membership in December for the next calendar year. The Membership Committee working with the Club Secretary shall maintain the list of Standing Committee assignments.
Article VII: Amendment
Any member of the club may propose amendment to these bylaws, by submitting a suggestion in writing to any member of the Executive Committee for review at the Executive Committee’s monthly meeting. The Executive Committee will present the proposed change to the membership at the next club meeting, to be voted on at the following club meeting. Alternatively, the Executive Committee may send notice of the proposed amendment to members by post or email at least 10 days before a monthly meeting, when a vote may be taken. Changes may be made by a simple majority of the members present at a regularly scheduled club meeting. Changes should not be proposed or voted on in November or December.
Created November 2, 2013
Revised August 2023
Shreveport Writers Club 