PHILADELPHIA CACTUS AND SUCCULENT SOCIETY
Organized November 15, 1942
BY-LAWS
I ) NAME:
1) The name of the Society shall be “The Philadelphia Cactus and Succulent Society”.
II ) PURPOSE:
1) The purpose of the Society shall be the exchange of knowledge and experience; the study, culture, growing, and the collecting and exchange of cacti and other succulents by the members, the education of the public about the benefits and importance of growing and propagating cacti and other succulents; and promoting the propagation of cacti and other succulents from seed and cuttings, and the acquisition of non-field collected plant material.
III ) OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE BOARD:
1) The officers of the Society shall be the President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Associate Treasurer and Affiliate Representative.
2) The officers and all past Presidents in good standing shall constitute the Executive Board.
IV ) DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS:
1) The President shall preside at all meetings and shall appoint all standing and special committees.
2) The Vice President shall perform all duties of the President in his absence.
3) The Recording Secretary shall keep the minutes of each meeting and present the minutes of meetings to the Society for approval.
4) The Corresponding Secretary shall prepare the monthly newsletter and notify the members of meetings.
5) The Treasurer shall collect all membership fees and any other monies and shall be the custodian of the funds of the Society. These funds shall be kept in a checking account in the name of the Society. The funds shall be expended only upon authority of the Society, the Executive Board, or the President, unless under $400.00, except that the expenses for the Flower Show exhibit, the expenses for the meeting room rental, and expenses for a bus for an annual field trip shall not need authorization after annual approval of each of these events has been given. The Treasurer shall present a financial report to the Society at each regular meeting
- All expenses of the Society shall be paid by Society check. Checks shall bear the signature of an authorized person who has received written approval from a second authorized person. Authorized persons are the Treasurer, the Associate Treasurer, the President and the Vice President.
6) The Associate Treasurer shall serve as Treasurer when the Treasurer is not present at a meeting or is not available.
7) The Affiliate Representative shall represent the Society in all matters pertaining to the affiliation with the Cactus and Succulent Society of America and other local and regional societies. This includes all necessary correspondence, periodic reports of society activities, and other matters that are necessary to assure a business-like and harmonious relationship between the various organizations.
8) The duties of the Executive Board shall be:
a. Suggest and approve programs.
b. Call special meetings when necessary.
c. Act for and in the name of the Society whenever an emergency arises between meetings.
The Executive Board shall meet once each year, or more frequently if deemed necessary by the President. The first meeting of the Executive Board shall be held in July or August of each year, at the discretion of the President, for the purpose of planning the monthly programs and other activities for the year. Leaders of standing committees or special committees may be invited to participate in these planning sessions.
9) At the June meeting, the incoming President shall receive an accounting in writing from the Treasurer, the Recording Secretary and the Corresponding Secretary, who will provide complete records for the past year to ensure continuity of Society matters.
10) No member whose dues are in default shall be eligible for office or vote.
V ) NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS:
1) A nominating committee consisting of three (3) members shall be appointed by the President at the March meeting of an election year.
2) The nominating committee shall nominate at least one candidate for each of the following offices:
a. President
b. Vice President
c. Recording Secretary
d. Corresponding Secretary
e. Treasurer
f. Associate Treasurer
g. Affiliate Representative
3) Term of the office shall be two (2) years,
4) Candidates for all offices shall have been members of the Society for at least two (2) years.
5) Elections shall be by ballot. The one receiving the majority vote shall be declared elected.
6) Officers shall be elected at the June meeting and shall take office at the close of the June meeting.
7) If any officer does not attend three (3) meetings without good cause, then the Executive Board shall appoint another officer for the interim.
VI ) COMMITTEES:
1) The President shall appoint chairpersons for the following standing committees
a. Program Committee
b. Publicity Committee
c. Exhibits Committee
d. Membership Committee
and/or such special committees as the President or Executive Board may deem necessary.
VII ) MEMBERSHIP:
1) There shall be no restrictions for membership in the Society.
2) Applicants shall be accepted for membership after they have paid the membership fee.
VIII ) DUES:
1) The annual dues for membership shall be determined by the Executive Board.
2) Dues are payable when a person first joins the Society and thereafter at the September meeting of each year.
3) Members who have not paid their dues at the conclusion of the November meeting shall have their names removed from the membership list.
IX ) TIME AND PLACE OF MEETING:
1) Meetings of the Society shall be held on the second Sunday of each month (except July and August), beginning in September, at such time and place as the Society shall determine.
2) The date of any regular meeting may be changed by the Executive Board if it deemeds it necessary.
3) Special meetings may be held at such time and place as shall be designated at any regular meeting by proper vote thereon or upon call of the Executive Board.
X ) QUORUM:
1) Two officers and seven members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any regular meeting or any regularly-called special meeting.
XI ) ORDER OF BUSINESS:
1) The regular order of business shall be:
a. Meeting called to order.
b. Minutes of the preceding meeting.
c. Reports of the officers.
d. Reports of standing committees.
e. Reports of special committees.
f. Unfinished business.
g. New business, correspondence.
h. Topic and discussion.
i. Adjournment.
2) The regular order of business may be changed at a particular meeting, at the discretion of the President, to accommodate a guest speaker.
XII ) AFFILIATION:
1) The Society shall, so far as is practical and permissible, affiliate and cooperate with the Cactus and Succulent Society of America.
2) The Society may join, affiliate or cooperate with other organizations as the membership may direct.
XIII ) AMENDMENT OF BY-LAWS:
1) The by-laws may be amended at any regular meeting by a majority vote of those present, provided the amendment shall have been submitted in writing at the previous meeting.
XIV ) POWERS OF THE MEMBERSHIP:
1) The powers not delegated to the officers by these by-laws are reserved to the membership.
XV ) FUNDRAISING:
1) While the Society prefers that members exchange plants among each other rather than sell them, there may be occasions when members offer plants for sale at general meetings. Whenever possible, ten percent of the receipts from such sales should be contributed to the treasury of the Society. The following rules should be adhered to:
a) Only Society members shall offer plants for sale unless a non-member has been especially invited with the permission of the President.
b) Only cacti and other succulents and related items shall be offered for sale.