Nunda Historical Society

Nunda Livingston Co New York

Article I - Name
Article II - Location
Article III - Mission
Article IV - Objectives
Article V - Membership
Article VI - Board of Directors
Article VII - Officers
Article VIII - Election of Officers
Article IX - Committees
Article X - Fees and Dues
Article XI- Quorum and Voting
Article XII - Meetings
Article XIII - Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws
Article XIV - De-Accessioning and Dissolution
Article XV - Limitations

Article I - Name (return to top)
The name of this organization shall be the Nunda Historical Society, hereafter known as the Society.

Article II - Location (return to top)
The Society is located in the Village of Nunda, within the Town of Nunda, in Livingston County of the State of New York.

Article III - Mission (return to top)
The Society is devoted exclusively to educating present and future generations concerning the cultural, economic, social, political and technical development of the area of western New York in and around the Town and Village of Nunda.

Article IV - Objectives (return to top)
In accordance with its mission, the Society has the following objectives:
1. To publish items related to the history of the Town of Nunda, such as the historical booklet "Early Times". This publication consists of articles from the Nunda News written by Marjorie Frost, Town and Village Historian.
2. To establish and maintain a collection of materials/objects needing preservation to carry out the mission of the Society. Emphasis is placed on discovering, collecting, preserving, interpreting and exhibiting these items.
3. To provide members and the general public with the opportunity to attend, at no cost, regular programs of historic interest.
4. To acquire and maintain a suitable building to serve as headquarters for the Society and a permanent home for the collection noted in item 2.
5. To work with other societies, civic groups, and individuals to identify, preserve and restore historic structures or properties in and around the Town and Village of Nunda.
6. To publish a Society Newsletter for distribution to the membership.

Article V - Membership (return to top)
Section I. Youth, Individual, Family, Supporting and Contributing membership in the Society shall be open to any persons interested in the mission and objectives of the Society upon payment of annual dues. All Individual and Family members in the Society shall be privileged to vote, hold elected office, serve on committees, and receive any Society mailings. Supporting and Contributing members shall have all of the benefits noted here as well as recognition of their support in any publications of Society events.

Section 2. Sponsor membership in the Society is open to any organization or corporation interested in the mission and objectives of the Society upon payment of annual dues. Each Sponsor shall be privileged to receive any Society mailings and to have their support recognized in any publications of Society events.

Article VI - Board of Directors (return to top)
Section 1. The Board of Directors, hereafter referred to as the Board, shall consist of the Officers of the Society and past presidents who shall serve on the Board for a period of at least one year.

Section 2. All members of the Board must be members of the Society.

Section 3. The Board shall take care of business between regular meetings of the Society, and implement the programs and policies of the Society as agreed to by the membership.

Section 4. The Board shall be responsible for approving the Collection Management Policy and appropriate policy forms and assuring that these reflect currently accepted preservation practices and that the disposition of any items is in keeping with regulations contained in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Section 5. Chairs of the Membership, Communications, and Development Committees shall be appointed annually by a majority vote of the entire Board.

Section 6. Any office that becomes vacant during a term shall be filled by a majority vote of the entire Board. The appointed officer shall serve the remainder of the original term and can be nominated and elected to successive terms as provided in Article VIII.

Section 7. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board. In the absence of the President, or his/her inability to act, the Vice President shall perform his/her duties. In the event that neither can perform, the Board shall Appoint a President Pro Tempore.

Article VII - Officers (return to top)
Section 1. The officers of the Society shall be President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Librarian and Assistant Librarian.

Section 2. The President shall preside at all general or special meetings of the Board and of the Society. The President shall have the power to maintain order and decorum at such meetings, shall administer these by-laws and any such rules or regulations of the Society that the membership may adopt, shall appoint all ad-hoc committees, establish and maintain ties with other organizations of similar interest, prepare an annual report on the activities and accomplishments of the Society to be available for distribution in August, and shall perform such other duties as ordinarily pertain to the office.

Section 3. The Vice President shall serve as Chair of the Program Committee, reporting all committee activities to the Board, and shall have all the duties and powers of the President in the absence of the President.

Section 4. The Recording Secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings, see that suitable publicity is given to the Society's activities, and serve on the Communications Committee.

Section 5. The Corresponding Secretary shall receive, and reply to, all routine communications, make such disposition of the same as the Board or membership may direct, and serve on the Communications Committee.

Section 6. The Treasurer shall have custody of funds and conduct all financial transactions for the organization, under the direction of the Board. The Treasurer shall serve as Chair of the Finance Committee, submit all budgets and reports from this committee to the Board, and report all committee activities to the Board. The Treasurer shall monitor the tax status of the Society and file tax returns when appropriate.

Section 7. The Librarian shall be responsible for maintaining all records and files of the Society and for implementing the Collections Management Policy adopted by the Board. The Librarian shall serve as Chair of the Collections Committee and report all committee activities to the Board.

Section 8. The Assistant Librarian shall aid the Librarian with the duties assigned to that office and serve on the Collections Committee.

Article VIII - Election of Officers (return to top)
Section 1. Eligibility for office. All persons who are members of the Society are eligible to hold elected office, provided they express willingness to serve if elected.

Section 2. Officers shall be elected by the members of the Society at the annual meeting in June. All officers shall serve a term of one (1) year commencing on July 1 and ending on June 30.

Section 3. Nominations for Officers. At a regular meeting in April, a Nominating Committee shall be appointed consisting of three (3) members -- one (1) of which shall be proposed by the Board and two (2) to be selected by the membership. No member of the Nominating Committee may be a candidate for office. The Nominating Committee shall notify members of the proposed slate of officers at a regular meeting in May.

Section 4. The Nominating Committee shall present their slate of officers at the annual meeting in June. Additional nominations may be accepted from the floor. The candidates shall be voted upon - certified member ballots may be requested - and the candidate receiving the highest number of votes for each office shall be elected. If ballots are used, the Nominating Committee shall tally the votes and announce the results.

Article IX - Committees (return to top)
Section 1. The standing committees of the Society shall be the Program, Finance, Membership, Development, Collections, and Communications Committees.

Section 2. Ad-hoc committees may be appointed by the President to fulfill special tasks when deemed appropriate. Upon completion of tasks, these committees shall be dissolved.

Section 3. The committee members shall be appointed by the respective committee Chairs, except in cases where an officer is assigned to a committee by reason of office. All committee members shall be members of the Society.

Section 4. The structure of the committees shall be determined by the respective committee Chairs so as to best facilitate the duties of these committees.

Section 5. Program Committee. The Program Committee is responsible for planning and scheduling all of the Society's regular programs and special events of historic interest. The Vice President shall serve as Chair. The duties and responsibilities of the Program Committee are:
1. Identify potential programs of interest to the Society by soliciting suggestions from the membership and other similar organizations.
2. Schedule speakers or other programs/special events, negotiate contracts if necessary, make all necessary arrangements for space, audiovisual or sound equipment, and for any monetary compensation.
3. Provide the membership with a September through December program/events schedule by August of each year and a January through June schedule by December of each year.

Section 6. Finance Committee. The Finance Committee administers all financial activities of the Society. The Treasurer shall serve as Chair. The duties and responsibilities of the Finance Committee are:
1. Maintain and oversee the budget of the Society, with approval of the Board.
2. Monitor the financial status of the Society, and make a quarterly report of it to the Board.
3. Prepare a written annual financial report, to be submitted to the Board and presented to the membership at the annual organizational meeting in June.
4. Manage the receipt of membership dues from the Membership Committee.
5. Manage all accounts of the Society.
6. Prepare the annual tax returns of the Society, when required.
7. Review the budgets of all standing committees and advise the respective committees and the Board on same.

Section 7. Membership Committee. The Membership Committee is responsible for the enrollment of all Society members. The Board appoints the Membership Chair. The duties and
responsibilities of the Membership Committee are:
1. Collect, organize and maintain membership information.
2. Collect membership dues and turn same over to the Treasurer.
3. Provide members with current membership cards, which recognize the level of support.
4. Maintain an accurate roster of all members.
5. Make quarterly reports to the Board regarding membership status in March, June, September and December.
6. Monitor retention of members and evaluate status of non-renewing members.
Section 7. Membership Committee continued
7. Conduct yearly membership drives to renew memberships and solicit new members.
8. Welcome and orient new members.

Section 8. Development Committee. The Development Committee is responsible for all fund-raising activities of the Society, excluding the collection of membership dues. The Board shall appoint the Chair. The duties of the Development Committee are:
1. Develop and maintain a plan to provide for the long term financial needs of the Society.
2. Propose and conduct fund raising activities, subject to approval of the Board.
3. Provide the Board with quarterly reports in March, June, September and December concerning the activities of the committee and the status of fund-raising efforts.

Section 9. Collections Committee. The Collections Committee is responsible for overseeing the Collection of the Society. The Librarian shall serve as Chair. The duties and responsibilities of the Collections Committee are:
1. Assist the Librarians with record and file maintenance and with preserving and interpreting objects in the Collection.
2. Identify potential sources of historical materials/objects, which would be significant additions to the Collection.
3. When requested by the Librarian or Board, Committee members may serve as contact person for acceptance of objects for the Collection.
4. Advise the Librarian and Board on ways to increase public access to the Collection.
5. Advise the Librarian and Board on potential changes needed in the Collection Management Policy.
6. Prepare a written annual report on the activities of the Committee and the status of the Collection to be submitted to the Board in June.

Section 10. Communications Committee. The Communications Committee is responsible for all public announcements and communications from the Society. The Recording and Corresponding Secretaries are members of this committee. The Board shall appoint the Chair. The duties and responsibilities of the Communications Committee are:
1. Manage the production and distribution of all official Society publications.
2. Secure input from other standing committees, members and the Board for periodic publication.
3. Act as the official liaison to the news media for the Society.
4. Publish a Society newsletter.

Article X - Fees and Dues(return to top)
Section 1. The annual dues of the members and membership categories shall be formulated by the Board and approved by the membership.

Section 2. Fees for special events shall be established by the Board and required of all members and non-members attending the event.

Article XI- Quorum and Voting (return to top)
Section 1. Except as otherwise provided by law or these by-laws, a majority of the duly elected members of the Board shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Board.

Section 2. Except as otherwise provided by law or these by-laws, a majority of the Board members present in person at a meeting of the Board shall decide any question that may come before the meeting, provided a quorum is present.

Section 3. Except as otherwise provided by law or these by-laws, 20% of the membership or 25 members, whichever is fewer, shall constitute a quorum at any regular meeting of the Society, including the annual meeting.

Section 4. Except as otherwise provided by law or these by-laws, a majority of the members present in person at a regular meeting of the Society shall decide any question that may come before the membership, provided a quorum is present.

Article XII - Meetings (return to top)
Section 1. The Board shall meet as often as necessary to properly manage the Society Meetings of the Board or special meetings of the membership may be called by the President or by a majority of the Board.

Section 2. The annual meeting of the Society shall be held in June of each year for the election of officers, the rendering to the membership of the annual financial report, and transaction of any other business to come before the membership.

Section 3. Regular meetings of the Society shall be held monthly, with the exceptions of the months of June (when the annual meeting occurs), July, and August.

Section 4. Robert's Rules of Order shall govern all meetings when and where necessary. The use of proxies or substitutes is prohibited.

Article XIII - Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws (return to top)
Section 1. Proposals for amendments must be submitted to the President in writing and be sponsored by at least 3 members.

Section 2. Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws may be made by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the membership in attendance at a regular or special meeting of the Society.

Section 3. The proposed amendment shall be given in writing to each member at least ten (10) days prior to voting on same.

Article XIV - De-Accessioning and Dissolution (return to top)
Section 1. With Board approval, an item in the Collection may be de-accessioned and disposed of as follows: returned to the original donor or heirs upon payment of the current assessed value if the item was a charitable deduction property, offered for sale or exchange to interested historical agencies, sold at public auction or sale, or destroyed.

Section 2. The Nunda Historical Society may be dissolved by an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the membership. In the event of dissolution of this organization, all remaining assets and property of the Society shall, after necessary expenses thereof, be distributed to such organizations as shall qualify under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, or corresponding provisions of any subsequent federal tax laws, or to the State or local government, or to another organization to be used in such manner as in the judgement of the Supreme Court of the State of New York will best accomplish the general purpose for which the Society was formed.

Article XV - Limitations (return to top)
Section 1. No Board member shall take any official action, which is incompatible with the Mission and Objectives of the Society, as stated in Articles III and IV.

Section 2. No part of the moneys of the Society shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, officers, or other private persons, except that the Society shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Articles III and IV.

Section 3. No substantial part of the activities of the Society shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Society shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.

Section 4. Notwithstanding any other provision of this document, the Society shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on by an organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

Section 5. In all activities of the Society there shall be no discrimination based on age, gender, sexual orientation, race, creed, religion, nationality, place of origin, political affiliation or physical abilities.

Original Document Adopted June 7, 1983
Amended February 14, 1996