Greatland Chapter

of the

North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association

Bylaws

Published February 2004

Article I

Name and Purpose

Section 1:      Name – Greatland NAVHDA, a chapter of the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (“NAVHDA”)

Section 2:      Status - The Greatland Chapter (“Chapter”) is a nonprofit organization pursuant to the laws of the State of Alaska and is a sanctioned chapter of NAVHDA International.

Section 3:      Purpose –

(a)              Form a statewide chapter of NAVHDA, with membership open to individuals interested in the versatile hunting dog breeds.

(b)              Foster, improve, promote and protect the versatile hunting dog breeds in the State of Alaska

(c)               Provide opportunities for Greatland Chapter members to field test the versatile hunting dog breeds in the State of Alaska according to the test standards of NAVHDA

(d)              Sponsor training clinics, demonstrations and other similar activities.

Article II

Duties

Section 1:      Board of Directors —  The Board of Directors (the “Board”) shall consist of four members elected by the general membership (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer), and any Directors appointed by the President.

Officer and Directors must be active voting members of the Greatland Chapter.

The Board of Directors shall meet at the call of the President, and will be open to the general membership. A quorum will consist of four Board members.

There shall be no salary or remuneration for services rendered by Chapter officers or committee chairs, with the exception of Board authorized expenses, incurred through Chapter business.

The Board members and their duties are:

Section 2:      President — The President is responsible for the operation of the Chapter, and the general and active management of its business and affairs. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Chapter and the Board of Directors, and shall determine the time and place of all meetings. Duties include acting as principal liaison with NAVHDA, appointing committee and project leaders, and appointing persons to fill vacancies occurring between elections.

Section 3:      Vice-President - The Vice-president shall assume responsibilities delegated by the President, in the absence of the President, in the event of a vacancy of the position of President, and as determined by the Board of Directors.

Section 4:      Secretary — The Secretary is responsible for Chapter correspondence, keeping records, and conducting the business of the Chapter in accordance with these Bylaws.

Section 5:      Treasurer — The Treasurer is responsible for and maintains the financial records of the Chapter, manages bank accounts, signs checks, and receives and disburses funds as approved by the Board of Directors. All Chapter expenditures must be supported by a receipt, recorded and maintained by the Treasurer.

Section 6:      Directors  —Directors may be appointed by the President and will assume duties as assigned. Directors may include, but are not limited to:

                   Director of Testing

                   Director of Training  

                        Bird Buyer

                        Director of Judging

                        Director of Promotions

Section 10:    Committee Chairpersons - The President and the Board may appoint standing or special committees and chairpersons as needed. Committees may include, but are not limited to, sanctioned test events, training events, junior handler program, membership, financial, fund raising, nominations, annual awards, and other areas.

Section 11:    Resignation and Vacancy — Any Officer, Director or Committee Chair may resign from office at any time without requiring acceptance by the Board. In case of vacancy in any of the offices of the Chapter for any reason whatsoever, the vacancy may be filled by appointment by the President with the approval of the Board.

Article III

Membership and Financial

Section 1:      Membership – Membership is open to all persons of any age. Members become active upon payment of annual dues. Active members are those who have paid their annual dues for the current year to both the Greatland Chapter and to NAVHDA.

Section 2:      Termination of Membership – Memberships may be terminated:

(a) By resignation, upon written notice to the Secretary.

(b) By lapsing, if a member’s dues remain unpaid ninety days after the first day of the fiscal year.

(c) By expulsion under the provisions of these By­laws.

Section 3:      Rights of members – Members in good standing may hold Chapter office, participate in Chapter-sponsored NAVHDA tests, and vote on Chapter matters.

Section 4:      Membership Categories – Memberships may be charter, lifetime, individual, family, or junior. The Board or Directors shall establish the criteria for eligibility, dues amounts and payment schedules for each of these membership categories.

Section 5:      NAVHDA Support –Recognition of the Greatland Chapter by NAVHDA requires at least ten members who are active members of NAVHDA. NAVHDA membership is a prerequisite to Greatland Chapter membership. Active members of the Chapter without current NAVHDA membership may attend Chapter meetings and vote, but may not participate in NAVHDA-sponsored tests or events and may not hold Chapter office.

Section 6:      Dues – The Board of Directors shall set annual dues, payable on January 1^st of each year. Dues must be paid by February 28^th of each year or membership is considered lapsed. Dues apply to a calendar year and are not prorated. Existing or new members paying dues after October 1^st will be considered current from the date of payment through December 31^st of the subsequent year.

Section 7:      Financial

(a)        Any bank account established with Greatland Chapter funds requires prior approval of the Board.

(b)        All account applications to banks shall, in addition to that of the Treasurer, bear the signatures of two other members of the Board as cosigners. Only the signature of the Treasurer is required on checks.

(c)        The Chapter shall at all times maintain a current NAVHDA liability insurance policy.

Section 8:      Expulsion – Expulsion of a member may be made by the Board for misconduct, mistreatment or any action determined by the Board of Directors to be harmful to the Greatland Chapter, for good cause shown. No refund of dues shall be made in the event of expulsion.

Section 9:      Bylaws Amendments – Amendments to the bylaws shall be voted upon and shall require two-thirds majority of the membership voting to pass.

Section 10:    Financial statement – A financial statement of the Chapter shall be published semiannually by the Treasurer.

Section 11:    Audits. The Treasurer or Board may request an audit at any time. Audits may be performed by two active voting members except for the Treasurer. The auditors must be appointed by the President and approved by the Board of Directors.

Article IV

Activities

Section 1:      Delegate to the NAVHDA Meeting

(a)   Article VII, Section 3 of the NAVHDA Bylaws (Revised 1977) provides for attendance of a Greatland Chapter delegate at the annual meeting of NAVHDA, with voting privileges on all executive business conducted at the meeting.

(b)   When deemed advisable and feasible, the Board will select a member of the Greatland Chapter to attend. This delegate shall be in addition to any member who might also be serving on the NAVHDA Executive Council.

Section 2:      Field Tests

Field tests conducted by the Greatland Chapter shall be conducted with prior NAVHDA sanction, and in accordance with the NAVHDA test rules.

Entry fees for field tests sponsored by the Chapter will be established by the Board for each test.

Article V

Elections

Section 1:      Voting – All ordinary business of the Chapter will be decided by majority vote of the members present. A quorum of the general membership is one-third of the active members and at least one Board member. Each member in good standing is entitled to vote at any meeting of the Chapter, and must be present at that meeting. Proxy voting is not permitted. Mail ballots will only be accepted for the election of Chapter officers and the Board of Directors.

Section 2:      Elections The Board may make rules regarding elections as necessary provided they do not conflict with these bylaws.

Section 3:      Terms of Office — Each officer’s term of office shall be for full two calendar years. Terms begin on January 1 following the election and expire on December 31 of the second year.

Section 4:      Nominations and ballots– The Board shall determine the nomination and balloting process.

Article VI

Meetings

Section 1:      Chapter Business — With the exception of the annual meeting, Chapter business may be conducted by use of eMail, regular mail and telephone.

Section 2:      General meeting — General membership meetings shall be held at least every six months. At least one meeting shall be called the Annual Meeting. General or Special Meetings of the Chapter may be held at locations based on membership distribution and at such time and place as may be designated by the Board. A quorum for each meeting shall be twenty percent of the members in good standing.

Section 3:      Board Meeting — Meetings of the Board of Directors may be held at locations based on membership distribution and at such time and place as may be designated by the Board. Written notice of each Board meeting shall be provided to the membership by the Secretary prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for such a meeting shall be the majority of the Board.

Article VII

Disputes

Section 1:      Disputes — In the event of a dispute or grievance with the potential to damage the Greatland Chapter, the President may appoint a committee to gather facts and mediate the dispute. If no settlement is reached, the committee shall present the matter to the Board for final arbitration.

Section 2:      Election Disputes — The Board shall be the sole arbiter of disputes regarding the validity of elections.

Article VIII

Dissolution

The Greatland Chapter may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of at least two-thirds of the active members.

The Chapter is not organized for profit. In the event of the dissolution of the Chapter, no part of the net earnings or assets of the Chapter shall inure to the benefit of any private individual.

The Board of Directors shall ensure that the balance of all money and other property held or received by the Chapter from any source, after payment of all debts and obligations of the Chapter, are used or distributed exclusively to other organizations in the State of Alaska which are exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code of 1986, as amended, and which have a purpose as similar as possible to the purpose of this Chapter. Alternately, at the discretion of the Board, remaining funds and property may be provided to NAVHDA for distribution to other chapters.

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