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Download By-Laws as of 5-25-21

Guild Policies and Procedures

• Section I.  GENERAL GUILD MEETINGS
  • 1.01 General meetings of the Guild will be held at Grace United Methodist Church, 300 E. Gartner, in Naperville on the second Tuesday of every month beginning at 7 p.m. The meeting date and/or location may be changed for the purpose of avoiding holidays or church events or to correspond with special Guild activities or programs. Changes will be announced at the Guild meeting and in the Guild newsletter at least two months ahead.
  • 1.02 The regular meeting shall consist of brief announcements, show-and-tell, a program and refreshments. Door prizes may be awarded. The standard guest fee of $10 will be assessed for programs involving paid speakers.
  • 1.03 Members and guests will be asked to wear nametags at general meetings, workshops and special Guild events. Individuals not wearing nametags at Guild meetings are ineligible to win door prizes
  • 1.04 Other area organizations, including charitable groups and Guilds, may display quilts for the purpose of selling raffle tickets at regular general Guild meetings. This activity should be limited to one quilt per meeting. Organizations should be directed to contact the President for arrangements.
  • 1.05 Due to the style and complexity of Guild programs, young children and infants are discouraged from attending. Minor children must be accompanied by an adult and should sit with the supervising adult member. Disruptive children will be asked to leave.
  • 1.06 In the case of dangerous driving conditions, or other local/national serious emergency, the RQG President, Vice President and Programs Chair will make a decision about canceling the meeting before 5:00 on the day of the meeting. Members will be notified by email and/or by phone by members of the Board. To prepare for this the Board members will receive a "Calling Tree" list immediately after the membership sign-up is complete. This "Calling Tree" procedure will also be employed in the case of a tragedy within the membership of the guild.
• Section II. MEMBERSHIP
  • 2.01 Membership shall be limited to 250 members.
  • 2.02 The annual membership fee is $35. Members will pay $20 if joining after January 1.
• Section III. MEMBER RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
  • 3.01 Members shall be given priority with regard to membership renewal and workshop registration. After an announcement at two Guild meetings, workshops shall be open to non-members.
  • 3.02 The Guild newsletter will be published monthly and sent out at least one week prior to meetings. Members may elect to receive the newsletter by regular mail or e-mail notification. Any remaining newsletters will be made available to members and guests at the meetings.
  • 3.03 Every member is expected to work a minimum of 2 hours a year toward the biennial Quilt Show or other major fund-raising activities designated by the Board.
  • 3.04 Regular members are entitled to attend Board meetings but should notify the President or the meeting hostess in advance about their intention to attend.
  • 3.05 Any questions about or disagreements with a Board decision or policy should be brought to the attention of the President or a Board member at the earliest opportunity. If a satisfactory explanation is not received, members may seek further explanation from other Board members. Members may also express their opinion on any issue to the full Board at its monthly meeting. In order to avoid misunderstandings, undercurrents and factions, members are strongly encouraged to bring opposing viewpoints to the Board's attention, with the understanding that the decision of the Board shall be considered final.
  • 3.06 Any regular Guild member may see the permanent records of the Guild. Requests should be made through the president or the appropriate officer.
  • 3.07. The Guild may enter into contracts with members in their capacity as teachers and speakers. Fees for such activities will be negotiated by the Program Programs Chair.
  • 3.08 Regular members may borrow items from the Guild library for up to one month. The current overdue fine for books and other printed materials is 50¢ per month. The overdue fine for videotapes is $1.00. The Library Committee may charge members the replacement cost of any unreturned materials.
• Section IV. GUILD WORKSHOPS
  • 4.01 In general, Guild workshop fees are to be based on a participant "break-even point," which determines the minimum number of participants needed for the workshop to break even. In general, this "break even point" should be equal to about 80% the number of available workshop spaces.
  • 4.02 Non-members may be assessed a higher workshop fee if so designated by the Board.
  • 4.03 Workshop materials/supply fees are sometimes charged by the workshop instructor to cover the cost of materials that she/he provides. Unless otherwise stipulated by the workshop instructor, these fees are not included in the Guild workshop fee and must be paid directly to the instructor on the day of the workshop.
• Section V. SOLICITATION
  • 5.01 No one (including members) may sell, solicit for sale, advertise, display or otherwise promote the sale of any goods or services of any type at Guild meetings. Guest speakers, Guilds or other not-for-profit groups may, on a case-by-case basis, sell their own merchandise or raffle tickets as specifically permitted by the Guild.
  • 5.02 Advertisements for private workshops, classes or non-Guild related events and services may be placed in the Guild newsletter at the rates of $50 for a full page, $25 for a half page, $12.50 for a quarter page and $5 for an eighth of a page.
• Section VI. GENERAL BOARD POLICIES
  • 6.01 Two or more members may hold the same Board position as co-chairs except members of the Executive Committee, which consists of the president, vice president, secretary and treasurer.
  • 6.02 Board members who are unable to attend a regular Guild meeting or a Board meeting should notify their co-chair, if applicable, or the Vice President in order to make sure someone is available to perform their duties. Their substitute may be either a Board member or a regular member serving on the committee in question or approved by the Board.
  • 6.03 Guild officers and committee chairs may recruit and appoint non-Board member volunteers to assist them in carrying out some of their responsibilities with the approval of the Board.
  • 6.04 Board members are responsible for updating office and committee job descriptions. They must be completed by the January Board meeting so they can be passed on to the Nominating Committee Chair.
  • 6.05 The Guild may exchange information with all other Guilds regarding workshops, quilt shows, etc., for the purpose of publicizing the information at Guild meetings and in the Guild newsletter without charge provided the classes and/or programs are being sponsored by a Guild, or not-for-profit quilting group and not by an individual or a business.
• VII. SPECIFIC BOARD MEMBER PROCEDURES
  • 7.01 The President may designate the Vice President or another Board member to serve as contact person and liaison to Grace United Methodist Church or any other facility used by the Guild.
  • 7.02 The President, with the approval of the Board, may recruit volunteers to serve on various ad hoc committees. Those committees include, but are not limited to: the Nominating Committee, the Audit Committee and the By-Laws Committee.
  • 7.03 The Immediate Past President is an ex-officio non-voting Board member and, as such, attend any Board meetings.
  • 7.04 The Vice President should be completely familiar with the Guild By-Laws and the Policies and Procedures so that she/he may advise the President on matters addressed in these documents. She/He should also make note of any Board decisions that impact the By-Laws or the Policies and Procedures and see that appropriate changes are made.
  • 7.05 The Secretary will write thank-you notes for any donations of materials and/or time to the Guild. This includes the church where meetings are held and any janitorial staff involved. She/He will also send cards or flowers to Guild members as directed by the Board.
  • 7.06 The Treasurer will report at every Board meeting the current monthly income, expenses, and balances in the Guild account(s).
  • 7.07 Each quarter, the Treasurer will provide a statement of income and expenditures to be published in the Guild newsletter. Special fund-raising events will be given a separate budget, which will be maintained by the event chair or the designated treasurer for the event and will be reported separately in the Guild newsletter.
  • 7.08 The Guild may establish a separate bank account and appoint a separate Treasurer for major fund-raising events. If a separate bank account is established, seed money will be transferred to that account for the duration of the event. One month following the conclusion of the event, any remaining seed money and profits will be transferred back to the general account.
    • a) In general, all requests for reimbursement must be accompanied by receipts. The Treasurer may, at her/his discretion, accept a "lost receipt" form in place of a receipt provided the amount does not exceed $20. Reimbursement requests should be reasonable and, if not clearly apparent from the receipt, should be accompanied by an itemized list of expenses.
    • b) All fund-raising activities should have separate budgets, with proposed expenses and projected income approved in advance by the Board members or committee chairs that submit expenses within the budget should be automatically paid.
    • c) Any expense item involving a contract or long-term commitment of Guild funds must be approved by the Board prior to signing. This will provide the Treasurer with adequate warning and documentation to payout the amounts due. This would include speakers, a change in meeting room fees, workshops, bus trips or any other item that must be arranged in advance.
    • d) Expenses that are assumed to be a part of the normal Guild budget for a Board member (such as cups and coffee for Hospitality), should be automatically paid. Expenses should be reasonable and within the Guild's overall budget.
    • e) The general membership may not request reimbursement for Guild expenses without prior approval of the Board.
    • f) Any item falling outside these guidelines will require a two-thirds Board approval and may not be paid out for 30 days.
  • 7.10 The Program Planning Chair is responsible for corresponding and contracting with speakers and for preparing the program and workshop schedule one year or more in advance. The Chairperson should also prepare an estimated budget for the next year's programs, as well as a list of programs, speakers, and workshops for publication in the July newsletter and for posting on the RWQG website.
  • 7.11 The Program Planning Chair should try to provide a wide range of programs reflecting the different interests and skill levels of the Guild membership. She/He also shall attempt to offer at least one program a year by a non-traditional quilter or on a non-traditional or ethnic quilting style.
  • 7.12 The Programs Chair may recruit RWQG members in good standing to serve as Workshop Hostesses. These hostesses should be carefully trained to serve as the official Guild representative at RWQG-sponsored workshops. They will provide or arrange transportation for the workshop presenter, assist the presenter in conducting the workshop as necessary, and coordinate any needed set-up and clean-up of speaker materials or equipment. In return, workshop hostesses do not have to pay the workshop registration fee. They are responsible for any material or kit fees that may apply.
  • 7.13 The Public Relations Chair is responsible for making sure photographs are taken at Guild events for use in the Guild scrapbook.
  • 7.14 The Librarian will provide an updated electronic list of current library materials to the newsletter/website editor by the February Board meeting for the purpose of updating the website.
  • 7.15 The Librarian may organize subscription drives for quilt-related publications and organize group purchases for quilt-related books.
  • 7.16 The Special Events Chair may conduct a block-of-the-month program as a block raffle. She/he also may organize other programs, such as secret pals, quilt progressives, quilting bees, mini-workshops, etc., to supplement meeting programs. The Special Events Chair will coordinate the purchase of materials and the assembly of kits for as needed.
  • 7.17 The Membership Committee will drop members whose dues remain unpaid as of July 1.
  • 7.18 The Membership Chair shall update and distribute the "RQG Membership Booklet" and the Guild brochure
  • 7 .19 The Membership Chair will collect and maintain member information using the RQG "Skills and Interest Survey". Each new member will complete the survey at the time of member registration. Current members will be invited to update their survey information as part of their membership renewal. The purpose of the survey should be clearly explained.
• VIII. AD HOC COMMITTEES
  • 8.01. The Nominating Committee will consist of one or more chair persons who are members of the Guild but who are not currently serving on the Board and of any other members they wish to recruit. The committee's function is to recruit members to serve on the RQG Board and to recruit one or more people to serve on the next Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee and its chair shall:
    • a) Get updated job descriptions for each Board position from the Guild president or her appointee at or before the January Guild meeting.
    • b) Conduct a search aimed at identifying potential candidates to serve on the Board as well as a Nominating Committee Chair for the upcoming year. This can be done using recommendations from other Guild members - especially the Guild president and other Board members - and the "RQG Skills and Interest Survey."
    • c) Solicit and compile the names of potential candidates, verifying in advance, that prospective candidates are willing to accept the positions for which they are nominated.
    • d) Submit a recommended list of candidates to the Board for its consideration and approval on or before the March Board meeting. This list should include at least one, but not more than three, people for each Board position.
    • e) Once approved, submit the slate of recommended candidates to the Newsletter Editor for publication in the May newsletter.
    • f) Present the recommended slate to the membership at the May meeting and take the names of other candidates who are willing to serve.
  • 8.02 The Audit Committee will consist of one Board member other the Treasurer and one member-at-large. It is this committee's responsibility to review the Guild finances at the end of the program year and submit an annual report to the Board by the June Board meeting. The Treasurer may attend the audit to answer questions and provide clarification.
  • 8.03 The By-Laws Committee, which is chaired by the Vice President, will consist of additional members with Board experience. At least one must be a current Board member. It is the committee's responsibility to review the RQG By-Laws and the Policies and Procedures to determine if they need updating or revising. The By-Laws should be reviewed annually and updated no more than once a year. For routine changes, the following timeline is recommended. Major revisions will follow the same steps but may require a longer timeline.
• July/August Board Meeting - Form By-Laws Committee. Invite Guild members to comment on or suggest By-Laws changes in writing or in person at the August or September Board meetings.
• August/September Guild Meeting - Announce that the Board will vote on recommended changes to the RQG By-Laws at the October Board meeting. Invite members to submit their own suggestions to the By-Laws Committee Chair prior to the September Board meeting.
• September Board Meeting - Hear comments or suggestions regarding By-Laws from Guild members.
• October Board Meeting - The By-Laws Committee should submit recommended changes to the Board. The Board may also hear additional comments or suggestions from non-Board members. Discuss the recommended changes and either reject or approve them. Publish the final recommendations in the next newsletter so members will have time to review them prior to the next regular Guild meeting.
• November Board Meeting - The Board will amend the recommended changes to the By-Laws, if so mandated by the membership. If additional changes have been made to the By-Laws, the final recommendations should be published in the December newsletter.
• December Guild Meeting - Present recommended By-Laws changes to the membership. Member comments are limited to 2 minutes each. Additional changes may be made following the discussion, but only if approved by a majority of the members present.
• February Guild Meeting - If not already approved, the Guild should vote to accept any final By-Laws changes.
• March Guild Meeting (or before if available) - Revised bylaws will be published to the Web site shortly after having been approved by the membership. The newsletter/website editor will update the website.