The Tallahassee ParrotHead Club, Inc.
Bylaws
As of January 1, 2009
Article I. Identity The following Bylaws shall govern the operation of the Tallahassee Parrot Head Club, Inc.; a Florida Non Profit Corporation referred to as the “Club”.
Section 1. Name The Club shall be called the Tallahassee ParrotHead Club, Inc.
Section 2. Purpose The Club is organized to gather Parrot Heads around the Big Bend together for a good time and to create and engage in community service projects. The Club is a means of social interaction with likeminded people interested in the lifestyle and music of Jimmy Buffett and embodying a tropical spirit.
Section 3. Motto The Club motto will be “ Party with a Purpose”.
Article II. Membership, Dues and Meetings
Section 1. Club Membership
Membership in the Club shall be open to all, regardless of sex, creed, national origin or sexual preference. Each member of the Club shall be referred to in these Bylaws as a “Member” and all Members of the club shall be referred to collectively as the “Membership”. Members must also meet the membership requirements specified in Article II, Section 2 of these Bylaws.
All members attending any club function will be held accountable for his/her own actions and shall not hold the Club responsible for his/her actions.
Section 2. Requirements for Membership
The requirements for membership in the Club shall be as follows:
1. A Member must pay membership dues upon joining the club on a pro-rated schedule set and approved by the Executive Committee. Hence thereafter, dues must be paid by the last day in the month of January.
2. A Member must not owe any money to the club for dues or other expenses.
3. A Member must have an interest in Jimmy Buffett’s music.
4. A Member must have an interest in community service and environmental concerns.
5. A Member must have a commitment towards the success and achievement of the goals of the Club.
Section 3. Denial of Membership
The Executive Committee may deny membership in the Club to any person whom the Executive Committee determines by a unanimous vote does not meet the requirements for membership set forth in Article II, Section 2 of these Bylaws.
Section 4. Expulsion from Membership
The Executive Committee may expel any Member whom the entire Executive Committee determines no longer meets the requirements for membership set forth in Article II, Section 2 of these Bylaws. This must be done by unanimous vote. The vote thus terminates such Member’s membership in the club and all rights and privileges associated therewith, with no refund of club dues.
Section 5. Payment of Dues
1. Payment of dues will be made annually by the end of the month of January for all members. Notification for payment of dues will be by the first meeting in December. For new members, dues will be pro-rated quarterly.
2. By a majority vote, the Executive Committee can waive, reduce or extend the deadline of dues for any member due to financial hardship. Requests for such provisions must be submitted in writing to any member of the Executive Committee within 30 days of the membership dues renewal date.
3. Refunds of dues are only made with the majority vote of the Executive Committee.
4. Any persons wishing to terminate his/her membership between membership dues renewal dates will not be refunded any portion of his/her dues without a majority vote of the Executive Committee.
5. Any person who has not paid dues by January 31st will be considered to have his/her membership terminated and only payment of dues in full plus a $5 late fee will reinstate his/her membership.
6. Dues can be increased or decreased with the majority vote of the Executive Committee.
7. Membership shall be defined as any single adult eighteen years of age or older. Parakeets (children) under the age of eighteen are included in the parent/guardian membership.
Section 6. Types of Memberships
1. Full Membership – entitled to all rights and privileges of the Tallahassee Parrot Head Club, Inc., including but not limited to: run for office, chair a committee, be a member of a committee, vote, earn Parrot Points, and be eligible for Club tickets.
2. Honorary Membership – a non-dues paying member entitled to all rights and privileges of the Tallahassee Parrot Head Club, Inc., including but not limited to:, chair a committee, be a member of a committee, vote, earn Parrot Points, and be eligible for Club tickets. An Honorary Membership will be given upon majority vote of the Executive Committee yearly.
3. Lifetime Memberships – Effective November 2006 no Lifetime Memberships will be granted. All previous Lifetime Memberships will be honored.
Section 7. Types of Meetings
1. Social Meetings of the Membership (Phlockings) shall be held on the first and third Wednesday of every month at a time and place to be determined by the Executive Committee and communicated to the membership through the email, website and newsletter.
2. Business Meetings (Parlays) - The Executive Committee will meet every other odd month. The EC will set the meeting schedule for the following year and relay to the membership by email, website, and/or newsletter before January 1st. The Captain can convene additional meetings at his/her discretion. All Executive Committee meetings are open to all members of the organization but only Executive Committee members can vote at Executive Committee meetings.
Article III. Officers and Administration
Section 1. Executive Committee
1. All elected and appointed members of the Executive Committee must be current members in good standing with the Club. In the event that an elected officer fails to meet the membership requirements at any time during his/her term, he/she will receive written notice from the Executive Committee that a 30 day grace period will be offered to correct the disqualifying event. At the end of the grace period, any elected officer who has failed to meet the membership requirements will forfeit his/her position on the Executive Committee.
2. The Club will be managed and operated by the Executive Committee, which is composed of the following individuals: Captain, First Mate, Scribe, Purser, and three (3) Members at Large (Crew Members).
3. All members of the Executive Committee will be entitled to a vote (and shall by available by any means) on all matters of administration unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws.
5. A quorum of at least five voting members must be present for a vote to be valid.
6. In the event that any business must be decided by the Executive Committee between scheduled meetings, the Captain may conduct a meeting by telephone or email of each member of the Executive Committee, either individually or as a group.
7. Each member of the Executive Committee will be selected by a majority vote of ballots received from the Membership.
Section 2. Period of Service
Section 3. Officers and Duties
1. Captain (President)
a. The Captain shall be the Chief Executive Officer and liaison with other local groups and Parrot Head Clubs.
b. The Captain shall chair meetings of the Executive Committee.
c. The Captain shall recommend all committee chairmen and any other appointive officers with the approval of the majority vote of the Executive Committee and shall make any other appointments deemed necessary by that body.
d. The Captain shall oversee the Wednesday night socials.
e. The Captain will distribute Club concert tickets.
2. First Mate (Vice President)
a. The First Mate shall assist the Captain in administering the business of the organization and shall preside in the absence of the Captain and shall succeed to the term of Captain if the Captain is unable to serve out the term.
3. Scribe (Secretary)
a. The Scribe shall keep the minutes of the Executive Committee meetings.
b. The Scribe shall furnish copies of the minutes to all Executive Committee members, appointed officers and to others designated by the Executive Committee or the Captain. Minutes will also be published on the Internet and available either on email or hard copy to the membership by request.
c. The Scribe is responsible for writing and submitting the semi-annual and annual reports to the Parrot Head in Paradise Club, Inc.
d. e. Upon leaving office, the Scribe shall turnover the materials, books, notes, and records, for the present and prior years, in good condition, to the succeeding Scribe.
4. Purser (Treasurer)
a. The Purser shall assume the responsibility for the financial matters of the Club, including designing a budget to be approved by a majority of the Executive Committee.
b. The Purser shall have the books of the Club ready no later than ten days after a request for examination by any member in good standing.
c. The Purser shall prepare quarterly reports for presentation to the Executive Committee.
d. Upon leaving office, the Purser shall turnover all funds, records and books in good order to the succeeding Purser.
5. Crew Members (Members at Large)
a. It is the responsibility of the Crew Members to attend the Executive Committee meetings and to present in good faith, the issues and concerns of members of the Club.
b. A Crew Member may accept a request by the Executive Committee or the Captain to serve as its special agent in specific matters.
Section 4. Replacement of Members of the Executive Committee
1. Within 30 days of the withdrawal of any member of the Executive Committee except the Captain, the Election Committee will solicit nominations for candidate for replacement. Elections for replacement officers will occur in accordance with procedures outlined for special elections.
2. In the event of the vacancy of any position on the Executive Committee, the Captain can present nominations for temporary replacement until the special election can be held. The candidate must be approved by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.
3. Special elections would be held to replace Executive Committee vacancies that would last in excess of six months of the next general election for that position.
4. Recalls of any member of the Executive Committee can be made by any member upon presentation of a petition, which describes the reason for the recall. The petition must be signed by at least 33% of the membership. The vote from only those members in good standing at the date on which the petition is presented to the Election Committee will be considered.
5. The recall of any elected officer may be affected for any of the following reasons:
a. Mental or physical disability resulting in substantial inability to execute the duties of that office,
b. Malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance of office.
6. Upon presentation of such a petition to the Executive Committee, the Election Committee shall supervise the voting, receive and count ballots and to certify the results, in writing, to the Executive Committee. Such petition, together with a ballot, shall be made available to the membership at least 15 days before voting.
7. Balloting rules of a regular election shall apply. Ballots must be received either by mail, email, or in person on the date the vote is taking place.
8. In all recall elections, a minimum vote of 33% of the membership must be received in order to affect a recall. Two-thirds of the ballots cast will determine approval.
9. The Election Committee shall inform the membership in writing of the results no later than ten (10) days following the recall of the officer.
Section 5. Committee Chairpersons
1. The Captain can select any necessary committee chairpersons from the membership at large subject to approval of a majority vote of the Executive Committee to serve in committee positions, which the board has created.
2. No appointed chairperson will have a vote in any Executive Committee decision.
3. The Executive Committee will define the tasks of the appointed chairpersons.
4. The Executive Committee will determine the committee chairpersons' terms of office.
5. The appointed chairperson may be removed by a 2/3 vote of the Executive Committee.
6. The appointed chairperson may appoint his/her own committee members.
7. The appointed chairmen may include, but are not limited to the following:
a. Gretchen Everhart Chair – This includes collecting school supplies, etc for the students of Gretchen Everhart Elementary, and coordinating getting the supplies to our Gretchen Everhart Elementary rep.
b. Chili Cook-Off Chair – includes entering the Club into St. George Island Chili Cook-Off, coordinate selling of items as phundraising portion, coordinate decorating of booth, coordinate volunteers for the weekend, etc.
c. Community Service Chair – includes building community relations, coordinating with community/Club to get us more involved (i.e. Habitat for Humanity)
d. Elections Chair – includes coordinating and running yearly elections and, if needed, special elections. Should know the election information in the Bylaws inside out and backwards (as well as front-wards).
e. Membership/Welcoming Committee Chair – includes new member welcome, keeping track of membership information, welcoming new members, collect dues and turn them in to Purser, send personal welcome email to new members, etc.
f. Newsletter Chair – includes writing newsletter, submitting newsletter to the PHIP Newsletter Contest, and getting newsletter to web team for inclusion on the website.
g. Parade Chair – works with Springtime Tallahassee and Winter Festival Parade to enter us into parade and make sure we are legit (i.e. Insurance), share needed information to Club members regarding parade, coordinate theme.
h. Parrot Points/Nametags Chair – includes keeping track of points, make name tags for each member in attendance of event after event.
i. PHrenzy Chair – include coordinating location, publicity, ticket sales, food, silent auction, music, room nights, decorations, insurance (if needed) etc for event. Get pre-approval of Executive Committee before signing any contracts. Coordinate payment of
j. PHundraising Chair – coordinate phundraising efforts for all smaller phundraising events that arise throughout the year.
k. Publicity Chair – includes publicizing our Club (i.e. getting Social information in newspaper), coordinating publicity teams for big events (i.e. Phrenzy), etc.
l. Relay For Life Chair – includes attending Relay information meetings, signing up Club, coordinating volunteers/walkers, tent, theme, etc.
m. Shell Point Chair – coordinate quarterly clean-ups of Shell Point Beach. If needed, coordinate additional clean ups. One clean-up should coincide with the PHIP National Clean Up (usually in September). Coordinate the Clubs involvement in the Shell Point Regatta.
n. Social Chair – coordinate social functions for Club members (i.e. Barnacle Bill’s, 5th Wednesdays, etc).
o. Website Chair – includes working with web designer(s) to brand THPC, get website up to date, and maintain website. Includes working with other chairs to get their updated info to include on the website.
At the first Executive Committee meeting in January the above committees will be divided up among the Executive Committee members to oversee the completion of these events maintaining communications with the Committee Chair.
* Other chairpersons may be established and appointed as the Executive Committees see fit.
Election Committee
1. A person who is not planning on running for office will be nominated and presented to the membership via email by September 1. Any nominee receiving negative votes from 25% of the current membership shall be withdrawn and a new chairperson nominated.
2. The Election Chairperson shall select an Elections Committee, which shall consist of at least two members not running for office.
3. The chairman and committee will be responsible for collecting and tabulating the voting responses and for communicating and certifying the results of any elected officer of the Executive Committee.
4. The Election Committee is responsible for preparing a ballot for publication either in the newsletter, by email, and on the web site (or all of the above) at least 15 days before the ballots are to be counted.
The Elections Chairman can be removed for failure to perform his/her duties in a timely and objective fashion by a 2/3 vote of the Executive Committee.
Article IV. Nominating and Voting
Section 1. General Information
1. The Executive Committee can call for a vote at any time for any reason by a majority vote. Only the Executive Committee can present motions to be voted on by the general membership or before the Executive Committee. Members may propose items for voting through any member of the Executive Committee, especially the Members at Large.
2. The Executive Committee will not endorse any candidate, for any office, within the Club or outside the Club.
3. Any election or voting for any reason not otherwise covered in these Bylaws which require membership vote will be advertised through the newsletter, website, and email and all results will be based on majority votes of present membership or responding members if the vote is held by mail/email.
4. Any items to be voted on by the general membership must be communicated to the members at least 15 days prior to the deadline for voting. The Executive Committee will determine the deadline by which mail-in votes must be postmarked and only these responses will be counted.
5. For voting by mail, the ballot will contain the name and address to which the ballot must be returned with a clear communication of the deadline for the voting.
6. The Club is not required to pay return postage on any ballots.
Section 3. Nominations and Voting
1. Candidates can run for any elected office by submitting a nomination to the Elections Committee to be included in the ballot so long as the nomination has been in accordance with procedures communicated to the members in the newsletter, by email and on the website.
2. Only members in good standing will be considered for any nomination to any elected position.
3. The nominations will be announced prior to or at the first social in October.
4. Ballots will be distributed at least 15 days before the election.
5. Only ballots received by or at the first meeting in November shall be counted.
6. Ballots must be received either by mail, email, or in person on the date the vote is taking place.
Article V. Miscellaneous
Section 1. Reimbursement of Expenses
If any Member desires to request reimbursement for expenses incurred on behalf of the Club, such request must be made to the Executive Committee and accompanied by proper documentation, including receipts. Requests by members of the Executive Committee for reimbursement shall be made in the same manner, except that such Member shall excuse his/herself from the meeting during the discussion of the reimbursement and will not vote on the same. Any expenses for which reimbursement may be sought should be discussed in advance of payment to receive authorization from the Executive Committee.
Section 2. Bank Accounts and Financial Obligations
1. The funds of the Club shall be deposited in such banks and depositories within 15 days as determined by the Executive Committee and shall be withdrawn only upon checks and demands for money decided by such member(s) of the Executive Committee.
2. Disbursements of the Club funds in excess of $150.00 shall be signed by the two (2) members on file at the bank; Captain, Purser, and a third Executive Committee member shall be on file at the bank.
3. Contractual agreements in excess of $100.00 must be signed by two (2) members of the Executive Committee.
4. If a member's check is returned by the bank for insufficient funds the member must pay the amount of the check and all service fees incurred in cash.
5. Annual recurring fees/costs will be paid without needing the Executive Committee’s prior approval; i.e. PO Box, PHiP Dues, Incorporation fee.
Section 3. Fiscal Year
The fiscal year for the Club shall begin on January 1 and end on December 31.
Section 4. Directories
The following statement is to be added to each printed membership directory: "This directory is for the exclusive use of Tallahassee Parrot Head Club, Inc., members. It is not to be utilized for any purposes not directly associated with the Tallahassee Parrot Heads, nor is to be released to other parties without the approval of the majority of the Club."
Section 5. Budgets for Special Events
All Special Events shall be budgeted to at least "break even" financially. Exception may be made if money is going to a charity. If a deficit appears likely, it will be reported to the Executive Committee within 15 days of the end of the event.
Section 6. Dissolution
Upon dissolution of the Club, the Executive Committee shall, after paying or making provision for the payment of all the liabilities of the Club, distribute all of the assets of the Club, exclusively for pleasure, recreation, or other non-profitable purposes in such manner and to such club(s) or organization(s) qualified under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as the Executive Committee shall determine. Any assets not so distributed shall be distributed in accordance with the direction of any court having jurisdiction in the county in which the principal office of the Club is then located, exclusively for the aforesaid purposes of the Club or to such qualified club(s) or organization(s) as such court shall determine.
Section 7. Amendments to Bylaws
Any member in good standing may propose amendments to these Bylaws to the Executive Committee. Should two (2) or more Executive Committee members endorse further consideration of the amendment; the Captain will convene an Ad Hoc Bylaws Committee to research the matter. The Bylaws Committee will present a recommendation to the membership within 60 days for a vote.
Section 8. Adoption of Bylaws
Adoption of these Bylaws shall be made by majority vote of the entire club membership (as previously defined).
Section 9. Tickets to Jimmy Buffett Concerts
a. Tickets are a privilege, not a right. They are made available to the most "active" club members as a reward for their volunteerism throughout the year. Violation of ticket regulations will permanently remove your opportunity to obtain tickets from the club.
b. The most active members will be given first choice on purchasing tickets through the club. Active members will be decided on the following point system:
Periodically there may be other club functions where points may be earned. Sign-up sheets will be at each function and will be used to determine points. It is the responsibility of each member to sign up at each function. Members’ current point total is always available to upon request of the First Mate.
c. Members must participate in a minimum of two (2) community service events to be considered for club tickets. The event year begins on January 1 and ends December 31 of the following year. Points may be carried over for up to six months if there are no ticket opportunities during a calendar year.
d. If an eligible member turns down his/her ticket option, it passes on to the next eligible active member.
e. Members’ checks for the tickets must be received by the deadline imposed or members will forfeit the option and the check will be returned without tickets. If a check is returned by the bank for insufficient funds, the tickets will be forfeited. All service fees incurred on returned checks will be the responsibility of the member. Cash or money orders will be accepted as payment for tickets as well. (The Club will not be held responsible for cash sent through the mail.)
f. The Club must follow the rules of PHIP or its privilege for club tickets will be forfeited.