Bylaws

I. Governing Body

The Board of Directors is the Governing Body of the Roswell Photographic Society. The Board of Directors shall be composed of the following: Club President, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Immediate past President, Visual Arts Center Coordinator, and up to 6 additional Board Members duly elected at the Annual Business meeting. The Visual Arts Center Coordinator is the only Board Member not elected by the Club, and is a voting Member.  A quorum will consist of greater than one half of all Board members. The Board may change these by-laws by a 2/3 majority vote of those present when a quorum is present at any duly called Board meeting. All By-Law changes must be approved by the Roswell Recreation and Parks Department.

II. Duties of the Board

The Board will be responsible for setting and approving the annual Club calendar. No event may be added to the annual calendar without Board approval. The Board must approve the annual budget, which must also be approved by a majority vote of Club Members present at a scheduled Club meeting.  The Board will require that the Treasurer report the Club’s financial position quarterly to the Board and the Roswell Recreation and Parks Department. The Board must approve the Nominating Committee Chairperson. The Board also must approve those members appointed by the President to fill Board vacancies or to serve as Committee Chairpersons.  AllBoard votes are simple majority of the quorum. The Board is responsible for setting all Club Policies, which must be consistent with the City of Roswell and Recreation and Parks Department Policies.

III. Club Leadership

Club leadership will be comprised of the officers, at-large Board members, and committee chairpersons.  The officers of the Club will include President, Vice Presidents, Secretary and Treasurer.  Officers are expected to be active in Club activities.

A. Duties of the President.

It is the responsibility of the President to execute the Board-approved calendar. The President is responsible to appoint committee chairs sufficient to carry out the program set by the Board in its annual calendar. The President presides over all Board Meetings and serves as Chair of the Board. The normal term of the President shall be one year.  No individual shall serve more than two consecutive terms as Club President. The President will serve as liaison between Roswell Photographic Society and the Roswell Visual Arts Center Coordinator.

B. Duties of the Program Vice President(s)

The Program Vice President(s) shall be responsible for the oversight of all Club programs including regular meetings with speakers, photo review meetings, shows, competitions, field trips, seminars, and special events.  A committee chairperson may be appointed by the Vice President with Board approval to coordinate the effort of a committee of volunteer members for any of these activities as determined by the Board.

The Program Vice President shall serve as the Club President in the President’s absence or inability to carry out the office.  In the event that the President resigns his/her position before his/her term ends the Program Vice President shall complete the term as Club President. The normal term of the Program Vice President shall be one year. No individual shall serve more than two consecutive terms as Program Vice President

C. Duties of the Club Services Vice President(s)

The Club Services Vice President(s) shall be responsible for supporting the program of the Club by providing communications, membership records, making physical arrangements for Club meetings and events and providing for refreshments.

D. Duties of the Secretary

The Secretary shall record and maintain minutes of all Board meetings, record all election results, record and maintain current membership information including contact information, meeting attendance and dates/attendance for all other functions. The Secretary shall be responsible for the recording of all Club competition results. The Secretary shall maintain minutes for each meeting, provide all board members with copies of the minutes, and file copies with the Roswell Visual Arts Center Coordinator and the City of Roswell Public Relations Coordinator. The normal term of the Secretary shall be one year. No individual shall serve more than two consecutive terms as Secretary.

E. Duties of the Treasurer.

The Treasurer shall keep financial records for the Club, transact Club business (pay bills as authorized, collect receivables, and control the Club bank account), and report the Club’s financial position to the Board quarterly. The Treasurer will file required quarterly financial reports to the Roswell Visual Arts Coordinator.  For events requiring a registration fee, the Treasurer will oversee and control the activities of collecting monies and maintaining registration records.  The normal term of the Treasurer shall be one year. No individual shall serve more than two consecutive terms as Treasurer.

F. Officer Responsibilities

1. All Officers must comply with the Constitution, Organization By-laws, and City of Roswell, Recreation and Parks Department, and Roswell Visual Arts Center Policies and Procedures.

2. Officers are members of a Board of Directors who make decisions on behalf of the Organization. No single Officer or Group of Officers may make a decision in conflict with the Club By-Laws, Resolutions, or Rules

3. No single Officer or Group of Officers may commit to expenditure of Club funds which is not covered by an approved budget or specific Board approval.

4.  The Board of Directors, by majority vote, may approve budget expenditure up to $500.  Any expenditure over $500 must have approval by the general membership.

5. Officers mustbe discreet when operating under the aegis of the City. Any personal concerns or criticisms must be presented as a private citizen. When in doubt, officers should refer such issues to the Roswell Visual Arts Center Coordinator.

IV. Committees

The officers of the Club may appoint committees to carry out the Club’s annual program as determined by the Board. Committee Members must abide by the Clubs By-Laws and the policies of the Roswell Visual Arts Center and Roswell Recreation and Parks Department.

V. Membership Qualifications

Membership in the Roswell Photographic Society is open to anyone.  A simple application is required for the purpose of record keeping.

This information will be used for club purposes only and will not be released to any other source.  No membership dues shall be charged, although donations for Club development will be accepted. All persons are invited to participate in all programs and use all facilities of the Roswell Parks and Recreation Department regardless of race, color or national origin. To remain an active member, a new application must be submitted annually.

VI. Annual Election Procedures

A.  The Board of Directors will submit a name for chairperson of the Nominating Committee to the Board for approval 90 days prior to the annual business meeting.

The Board of Directors creates the Nominating committee and the Nominating committee presents a slate of nominees to the membership 1 month prior to the election.  Members may nominate from the floor and these nominees must be added to the slate.

B.  Board Members take office immediately upon election. Club Officers take office on the next January 1st following the election.

VII. Meetings

A. At the regular Club meeting, business is conducted and Club announcements made.  The specific agenda for Club meetings will be the responsibility of the Club President.  The purpose of the monthly meetings will be consistent with the Club mission. The meetings should be held in an approved location and should be announced in Club publications and to the public.

B. At the Photo Review Meeting, business may be conducted and Club announcements made. The purpose of the Photo Review Meeting is to use a competitive format to promote and teach excellence in photography consistent with the Club mission. Guidelines for Photo Reviews are published on the Club Website.

VIII. Special Events

The Club may hold special events such as field trips, workshops, shows, seminars, annual Holiday Party, and other events that support the mission of the Club. All events shall be operated following a budget approved by the Board. All Club activities should be self-supporting unless the Board approves an exception, such as the Holiday Party.

IX. Awards

The Club may offer special awards in addition to show awards for excellence in Photographic Arts such as “Photographers of the Year” and “Image of the Year”. The purpose of such awards shall be to encourage excellence in photography through recognition. It is customary for certain Photographic Shows to have more substantial cash prizes to encourage community participation and build the credibility of the show. Changes on existing awards must be voted on by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. More substantial cash prizes may be awarded in these cases.

A.  The “Photographer of the Year Award” shall be awarded in each of 5 categories: Black and White, Color Prints, Color Slides, Projected Images and Alternative. The photographer with the most points in each category at the end of the year will be awarded “Photographer of the Year” for that category.

B. The “Image of the Year” will be voted on from among all of the first place images from the monthly Photo Reviews, there will be an overall “Image of the Year” plus an “Image of the Year” in each of the four categories.

X.  Financial Guidelines

The Club shall not donate Club funds to any person, organization, or charity unless approved by the Board and there is a clear communication to the Club Membership that Club funds will be used for anything other than Club operation.

Any activity or event involving an expenditure of Club funds requires pre-approval by a simple majority of the Board of both the activity or event and a budget prepared by the responsible Club officer or committee chair.  Only the Treasurer or President may sign checks. The bank debit card will be held by the Treasurer.Payment of expenses or purchases requires a properly approved invoice or check request form.Non-budgeted Expenses or purchases require pre-approval by a simple majority of the Board.

XI. Roswell Recreation and Parks Department Policies and Procedures

This section incorporates into the By-Laws Roswell Recreation and Parks Procedures not otherwise covered in the Constitution or By-Laws.

A. Facility & Grounds

Meetings, educational space and gallery space is furnished by and property of the Roswell Recreation and Parks Department. Facility rooms and equipment cannot be considered organization property.

Scheduling for all facilities, grounds, gallery space and classrooms must be approved by the Roswell Visual Arts Coordinator. Request a “Room Set-Up Form” from the RVAC office to request a specific set up for educational and meeting events.

Organizations are expected to leave all facilities, grounds and equipment clean- as they were found or in better condition. No office or classroom supplies or instructor property should be appropriated for organizational use. Roswell Visual Arts building supervisors will be provided at no charge during approved and scheduled activities.

During organization activities, RVAC employees will be performing their regular duties and will not be available to perform duties on behalf of the organization except as outlined by the Roswell Visual Arts Coordinator.

Organizations must comply with RVAC policies regarding opening, closing and supervising of City of Roswell facilities, including scheduled hours. No organization member may remain in the facility after the building supervisor has closed and left the facility.

 

B. Offices, Classrooms, Studios, & Equipment

Roswell Visual Arts offices, computers, office equipment and office supplies are private and are not for organization use. Office supplies and equipment should be purchased using organizational funds and should be available at all meetings and events.

Access to City of Roswell computers, internet and printing capabilities is strictly prohibited by anyone other than RVAC staff. All office computers are monitored by the City of Roswell MIS department. Organizations may make up to 50 copies during a scheduled organization function. All other copy and printing needs should be handled elsewhere.

C. Events

All new events must be approved and scheduled with the Board of Directors and the Roswell Visual Arts Coordinator.

Dates and times for existing events should be confirmed with the Roswell Visual Arts Coordinator before publication.

Existing events for the Roswell Photographic Society are: the Spring and Fall RVAC Gallery Shows.

D. Education Programs

Roswell Visual Arts provides facilities and building supervision for workshops operated and coordinated by organizations. The organization Treasurer must collect all monies, issue refunds and keep accurate records of participants and payment.

Before contracting an artist, clubs must contact the Visual Arts Coordinator to schedule classroom space and building supervision and to get approval for the workshop, instructor, description and fees.

If materials are to be provided by the organization for the workshop, such as clay studio fees or darkroom fees, the organization must pay these fees through the Roswell Recreation and Parks Department.

For a specific classroom or facility set-up, organization Officers must complete a “Room Set-Up Form”, which is available in the RVAC office.

E. Awards & Recognition

Grant Request Form: Any organization or individual wishing to receive a grant, award or reimbursement from Roswell Visual Arts must complete the RVAC “Grant Request Form” and include copies o1 all receipts. This form includes such considerations as postage, reception support and scholarships and is available in the RVAC office. The form must be submitted at least 10 business days before reimbursement is expected.

Letters of Support: Any organization or individual wishing to receive a letter of support or award nomination from Roswell Visual Arts must notify the Visual Arts Coordinator at least two weeks prior to the deadline. The requestor must provide a copy of the parameters, rules and requirements of the letter or nomination; documentation of the award or nomination for which the letter is required; and any necessary support materials. This information must be received at least 10 business days before the letter is due.

F. Approval

Any document, sign, banner, postcard, press release, brochure, flier, form or other promotional material must be approved by the Roswell Visual Arts Coordinator at least 5 business days prior to printing/due date to insure that the correct proper names, sponsors, logos, descriptions and contact information comply with City of Roswell policies.

If the organization wishes to forgo this review, press releases and all other promotional materials will be designed and written by Roswell Visual Arts staff at the organization’s request. Printing and postage will still be handled by the organization using organization funds.

G. Promotional Requirements

The following policies are non-negotiable:

Any organization event occurring at the Roswell Visual Arts Center must acknowledge the sponsorship of the Roswell Visual Arts Center and the Roswell Recreation and Parks Department and must include the City of Roswell website:  HYPERLINK “http://www.roswellgov.com” www.roswellgov.com.

All signs and banners must have City of Roswell sign permits and use the exact proper names of City of Roswell facilities and programs.

Materials, printing and postage must be arranged and paid for by the organization using organizational funds. Supplemental funds may be requested using the Grant Request Form, available in the RVAC office.

Organizations are prohibited from delivering labeled promotional material to City Hall to be mailed without prior approval.

All promotional material to be mailed must contain the correct facility phone number and mailing and return address, which is 38 Hill Street, Suite 100, Roswell, Georgia 30075 for all Roswell Visual Arts facilities.

The use of the City of Roswell logo is encouraged.

H. Exact References

The following exact references are to be used in their entirety (as applicable) for any promotional material, including signs and banners:

– “Roswell Recreation & Parks Department” (“RRPD”)

– “Roswell Visual Arts” (includes ACW & RVAC)

-“Roswell Visual Arts Center” (“RVAC”) – Phone (770) 594-6122

– “Physical Location: 10495 Woodstock Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075

– “Roswell Art Center West” (“ACW”) – Phone (770) 641-3990

– Physical Location: 1355 Woodstock Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075

– “Roswell Clay Collective”

– “Roswell Photographic Society” (“RPS”)

– “Roswell Area Park”

– Physical Location: 10495 Woodstock Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075

– “Leita Thompson Memorial Park”

– “Roswell Community Activity Building”

– Physical Location: 10495 Woodstock Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075

The Mailing Address for all City of Roswell Recreation & Parks Department facilities, including the RVAC and ACW is: 38 Hill Street, Suite 100, Roswell, Georgia 30075. The RRPD website should be listed on all publications: www.roswellgov.com.

Revised  06/12/2006