CONSTITUTION OF THE NORTHEAST OHIO COMPUTER-AIDED GENEALOGY SOCIETY, Inc.

Article I – Name

The name of this organization shall be “NorthEast Ohio Computer-Aided Genealogy Society, Inc.” herein referred to as “NEOCAG Society” or “NEOCAG” or “Society”.

Article II – Purpose
The purpose of NEOCAG is to educate members in using electronic means for conducting genealogical research, acquiring and exchanging data, keeping records, and publishing reports.

Article III – Membership

NEOCAG is open to all who are interested in computers and genealogy. Guests are welcome at all regular meetings.

Article IV – Officers
The elected officers of NEOCAG shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer.  At the discretion of the Nominating Committee, two members may be elected to serve in each position simultaneously.  In this situation, the prefix “Co-” will be attached to the appropriate office title.

Article V – Council
The NEOCAG Council shall consist of the elected officers, Past Presidents, special interest group leaders, and committee chairs.   All members are encouraged to attend Council meetings as guests in order to express their opinion and to keep the Council informed of the ideas and thoughts of the membership, but have no vote. 

Article VI – Meetings
Section 1. Regular meetings of NEOCAG will be held monthly as prescribed in the By-laws.  Special meetings may be called as needed by the President.
Section 2. Meetings of the Council will be held monthly, and as called by the President.
Section 3. The June regular meeting will be the annual meeting.  At this annual meeting, the membership will conduct business and receive reports including the annual audit report.  In even-numbered years, officers will be elected at this meeting.

Article VII – Dissolution
Upon dissolution of NEOCAG by majority vote of the general membership at a regular meeting, the assets remaining after payment of all bills shall be distributed at the direction of the Council to one or more nonprofit genealogy organizations.  No part of the net earnings or assets of NEOCAG shall accrue to the benefit of, or be distributed to, its members, officers, or other private persons.

Article VIII – Amendments
This Constitution may be amended or repealed by the assent of two-thirds of the members present at a regular or special meeting of the membership, providing that at least 14 days’ notice has been given of the proposed change.

This Constitution was amended by the membership and became effective on 17 October 2020.

BY-LAWS OF THE NORTHEAST OHIO COMPUTER-AIDED GENEALOGY SOCIETY, Inc.

Article I – Membership
Section 1. Membership shall be established by application and payment of prescribed dues.
Section 2. There are two categories of membership: Individual and Family.  Individual membership covers costs for regular meetings, programs, and other costs of the society.  Family membership is individual membership for two persons in a family.
Section 3. Dues are owed annually on January 1st of each year.  There is a grace period ending March 31st, after which the membership will have lapsed.  New members who pay dues between October 1st and December 31st are members from the date of payment until the end of the following calendar year.

Article II – Officers

Section 1. All officers must be members in good standing of NEOCAG.
Section 2. The term of office shall be two years starting with the installation of officers at the July regular meeting in even-numbered years or until a successor is elected.
Section 3. No member shall hold more than one elected office at a time.
Section 4. Should any officer be unwilling or unable to perform the duties of the office, the Council may declare the office vacant.
Section 5. A vacancy among the elected officers shall be filled by a member appointed by the Council for the remainder of the term.

Article III – Elections
Section 1. Election of officers will take place at the regular June meeting in even-numbered years.
Section 2. A Nominating Committee of three members, appointed by the Council without input from the President or Immediate Past President, shall present a slate consisting of at least one candidate for each office at the regular May meeting in even-numbered years.  Likely candidates for office should not be on the Nominating Committee.  If a member of the Nominating Committee becomes a candidate, the member will resign from the Nominating Committee immediately. 
Section 3. Additional nominations may be made from the floor at any time after the presentation by the Nominating Committee and prior to the election, subject to the agreement of the person(s) nominated.
Section 4. In the election of officers, each member shall have one vote.  A secret ballot shall be cast in the case of contested elections.  A majority vote by those present is necessary to elect.

Article IV – Duties of Officers
Section 1. The President shall be responsible for the overall management of NEOCAG; presiding over all regular, special, and Council meetings; appointing standing and special committee chairs with the approval of the Council; and calling special meetings of the Council with at least one week’s advance notice. 
Section 2. The Vice-President shall be responsible for managing the programs for all regular meetings and for such other duties as assigned by the President, and shall preside over all regular, special, and Council meetings in the absence of the President.
Section 3. The Secretary shall be responsible for taking minutes of the Council meetings, taking  minutes whenever business is conducted at a regular or special meeting, handling the correspondence of NEOCAG, and maintaining the necessary files of the society.  The Secretary shall distribute minutes electronically within ten days after each meeting.
Section 4. The Treasurer shall be responsible for collecting and banking all funds, paying all bills, maintaining accurate records of all receipts and disbursements, reporting on NEOCAG financial status at all Council meetings, and developing and monitoring the execution of the annual budget.  The Treasurer shall also prepare an annual financial report that shall be presented at the regular June meeting of each year, and an annual financial report as of the last day of each fiscal year that shall be presented for audit within 60 days after the end of the fiscal year.
Section 5. The Immediate Past President shall serve as advisor and parliamentarian at all meetings and assist in greeting and introducing visitors and new members.
Section 6. Each officer may have additional duties prescribed by the Council.

Article V – Duties of the Council
Section 1. The Council is the final arbiter for NEOCAG, subject only to approval of the membership.
Section 2. The Council shall establish the membership dues subject to approval of the membership.
Section 3. The Council shall be the planning, development, and operational body of NEOCAG.

Article VI – Meetings
Section 1. The time and place for monthly regular meetings shall be prescribed by the Council. Meetings may be either physical or virtual.  If the date should fall on a holiday or if problems arise, the President may reschedule the meeting.
Section 2. At regular and special meetings, the members in good standing who are present shall constitute a quorum.
Section 3. At regular meetings, special interest groups on various aspects and levels of computer-aided genealogy may be held.
Section 4. Visitors and guests are welcome to attend regular meetings.
Section 5. Monthly Council meetings shall be announced to the general membership.
Section 6. Attendance at Council meetings shall be open to all interested members.
Section 7. A quorum for a Council meeting shall be no less than five (5) Council members.
Section 8. All meetings shall be conducted according to first, the applicable laws; second, the NEOCAG Constitution; third, the NEOCAG By-Laws; and fourth, the current edition of the Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure of the American Institute of Parliamentarians.

Section 9. Notice of meetings and pending decisions shall be sent to members via the Society’s choice of e-mail group, which members must join.

Article VII – Standing Committees
Section 1. Standing committees may include Program, Membership, Finance, Publications, Publicity, Equipment, Facilities, Outreach, and Information Services.  The President with the approval of the Council may establish and disestablish standing committees, including any needed but not named in this section.  Standing committees will have at least one member.
Section 2. The Program Committee shall be responsible for planning and executing programs for regular monthly meetings with the approval of the Council.  The Vice-President shall chair the Program Committee.
Section 3. The Membership Committee shall be responsible for recruiting and enrolling new members, collecting dues, maintaining attendance records, providing notification of renewals due, and for Sunshine activities.
Section 4. The Finance Committee shall be responsible for assisting the Treasurer in preparing and executing the annual budget, managing the annual audit, and administering gifts, bequests, and donations.  The Treasurer shall chair the Finance Committee.
Section 5. The Publications Committee shall be responsible for producing any publications of the Society, including an Annual Calendar and a NEOCAG recruiting brochure.
Section 6. The Publicity Committee shall be responsible for publicizing NEOCAG activities.
Section 7. The Equipment Committee shall be responsible for keeping an up-to-date inventory and maintaining the equipment belonging to or being used by NEOCAG.
Section 8. The Facilities Committee shall be responsible for setting up and cleaning physical meeting facilities.
Section 9. The Outreach Committee shall be responsible for representing NEOCAG at meetings of other organizations and planning and executing genealogical educational activities produced by NEOCAG outside the Society .

Section 10. The Information Services Committee shall be responsible for maintaining the Society’s website and social media presence, and for keeping electronic record copies of all society records in at least two places.  One member of this committee shall be appointed as chair.

Article VIII – Finance
Section 1. Funds of NEOCAG can be withdrawn from the bank(s) where deposited by the signature of the Treasurer or by that of the President.
Section 2. Expenditures outside the budget and not specifically authorized by the Council may be made by direction of the President up to a total of  $100.00 in any calendar month.  Such expenditures must be reported fully at the next Council meeting.
Section 3. An audit of NEOCAG finances for the previous fiscal year shall be completed within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year and reported to the membership at the annual meeting.
Section 4. The NEOCAG fiscal year shall run from January 1 through December 31.
Section 5. The Treasurer, with the assistance of the Finance Committee, shall submit the proposed annual budget for approval at the January Council meeting of each year.

Article IX – Amendments
Section 1. All proposed amendments to By-Laws must be published and distributed physically or electronically to all members in good standing at least 14 days before the regular meeting at which they will be discussed and voted upon.
Section 2. Amendments to the By-Laws must be approved by a majority of the members present at the regular meeting.

These By-Laws were amended by the membership and became effective on 17 October 2020.

NOTE: The Constitution and By-Laws require amendment to bring them into line with the Standing Rules.