BYLAWS FOR THE POETRY SOCIETY OF VIRGINIA, approved at the September 1998 meeting; revised November, 1999; revised September, 2001; revised September, 2002; revised May, 2005.

Article I. Name: The name of this organization shall be The Poetry Society of Virginia, hereinafter referred to as Athe Society.@

Article II. Purpose: The purpose of the Society is to encourage the writing, reading, study, and appreciation of poetry.

Article III. Membership:

Section 1. Eligibility: Membership shall be open to anyone who supports the purpose of the Society. Residence in the Commonwealth of Virginia is not a requirement.

Section 2. Classes of Membership:

Basic: Members pay dues for one, two, or three years. Family members at a single address are one membership.

Contributing: Same as Basic, except at a higher rate as a contribution to the Society.

Life: Members pay a lifetime fee once only.

Honorary: Membership granted by the Executive Committee wherein members pay no dues. Honorary members may not vote or hold office.

Student: Students who are enrolled in schools or colleges in Virginia or who are residents of Virginia. Student members may not vote or hold office.

Classroom: Teachers who teach in schools and colleges in Virginia may enroll their classes in classroom memberships. These memberships may not vote or hold office. The official address must be a school address.

Article IV. Dues: Dues amounts and changes will be proposed by the Executive Committee and voted on by the membership at a meeting of the Society.

Article V. Officers and Duties of Officers:

Section 1. Elected Officers. The following officers shall be elected by the membership: President, Regional Vice Presidents, and Treasurer.

Section 2. Appointed Officers. The President shall appoint the following officers: Membership Chair, Historian, Parliamentarian, Contest Chair, Recording Secretary, Newsletter Editor, Webmaster, and such other officers as needed and approved by the Executive Committee.
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Section 3. Duties of Officers:

a. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Society and of the Executive Committee, and is an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee. He is the principal representative of the Society.

b. Regional Vice Presidents shall represent their regions at meetings of the Society and of the Executive Committee. They shall further the purpose of the Society in their regions by serving as an active focus for recruitment and retention of members and for developing local activities. They shall be responsible for arrangements for regional meetings; they shall follow the guidance of the Treasurer regarding the receipt and disbursement of monies for the meetings for which they are responsible, making full accounting to the Treasurer within thirty days after the meeting. Any shortfalls will be made up by the Society; any excess will be forwarded to the Treasurer for deposit to the account of the Society.

c. The Recording Secretary shall be responsible for keeping a record of proceedings of business meetings of the Society and the Executive Committee, and shall submit the minutes to the President within thirty days after the meeting, for approval and further dissemination .

d. The Membership Chair shall advise and work with the Regional Vice Presidents and other members of the Executive Committee to develop and implement an effective program to recruit and retain members of the Society; shall develop informational and application materials; and shall provide upon request, and otherwise disseminate, information about and applications for the Society. The Membership Chair shall also maintain the membership list, send timely dues notices, and receive and deposit dues checks.

e. The Treasurer shall have custody of the funds of the Society; shall invest the funds to the credit of The Poetry Society of Virginia in a financial institution that does business statewide in Virginia; shall invest the funds in a manner approved by the Executive Committee; and shall withdraw funds only for Society purposes in accordance with policies approved by the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall submit to the Executive Committee at its meeting in July an account of all receipts and disbursements for the fiscal year, and submit a budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The Treasurer shall prepare a brief year-end Treasurer=s Report for publication in the first Society newsletter of the new fiscal year.

f. The Society Archivist shall solicit and collect information about significant activities of the Society from officers and other Society members in order to develop a permanent history of the Society. The Archivist shall prepare a brief summary of the year=s activities of the Society to be delivered to the Executive Committee at its meeting in July, and shall add appropriate documents to The Poetry Society of Virginia archives in the James Branch Cabell Library at Virginia Commonwealth University.

g. The Parliamentarian shall serve as an advisor to the President, the Executive Committee, and the Society on procedural matters. Additionally, the Parliamentarian shall ensure that elections are conducted in accordance with these bylaws, and shall authenticate election results. 2

h. The Newsletter Editor shall receive and edit copy from other officers and members, develop original copy, assemble the newsletter, and prepare copy for the printer (including announcements and forms for upcoming meetings), and ensure all necessary copy and materials are sent to the printer in accordance with the schedule approved by the Executive Committee.

i. The Web Master shall maintain the Society=s web site, add new sections to the site and change old sections as needed.

Section 4. Should the office of the President become vacant, the Executive Committee shall appoint one of its members to fill the office of President until the next election. Should any other elective office become vacant, the President shall appoint a successor to fill that office until the next election.

Section 5. Elective officers shall be elected for a term of one year. No elective officer shall serve more than four consecutive terms.

Section 6. All elected officers shall take office effective July 1 after the business meeting at which they are elected.

Section 7. If an elected officer fails to perform duties outlined in these bylaws, the Executive Committee may remove that officer by a three-quarters majority vote. The vacancy will be filled as outlined in Article V, Section 4.

Article VI. Executive Committee:

Section 1. The President shall appoint six Executive Directors who, with elected and appointed officers, shall comprise the Executive Committee.

Section 2. The Executive Committee shall establish policies for the Society; approve meeting schedules; plan Society programs; approve the budget for expenditures; adjudicate disputes brought before it; and, in general, administer the affairs of the Society.

Section 3. The Executive Committee shall normally meet for a planning session in July and a mid-year review in February. It shall otherwise meet at the call of the President or the written request of three members of the Committee.

Section 4. A quorum of the Executive Committee for the transaction of business shall be nine members.

Article VII. Standing Committees:

Section 1. There will be an Advisory Board, appointed by the President, to serve as consultants.

Section 2. A Contest Committee shall be appointed by the Contest Chair and approved by the President.
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Section 3. There will be a Finance Committee, appointed by the President, to provide oversight and guidance to the Treasurer.

Article VIII. Nominations and Elections:

Section 1. At the summer Executive Committee meeting, the President shall appoint a Nominating Committee, consisting of a member from each region, subject to the subsequent approval of the Executive Committee. Members of the Nominating Committee may not currently hold any elected office. The President shall appoint one member of the Nominating Committee as Chair.

Section 2. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of one nominee for each elective office, and present the slate for election during the next Annual Business Meeting. Nominations may be made from the floor by any member provided the nominee has consented to serve. Election shall be by a simple majority of members present or represented by proxy votes. Election results shall be authenticated by the Parliamentarian.

Article IX. Meetings:

Section 1. There shall be at least one meeting of the Society in each region each year.

Section 2. There shall be one Annual Business Meeting each year, although Society business may be conducted at any meeting of the Society. Election of officers shall take place at the Annual Business Meeting. For election of officers and for business issues requiring membership votes, mail ballots (including email ballots from members for whom the Society has an email address on record) and proxy votes (where one member provides written or email authorization for another to cast his or her vote on a specific issue) shall be accepted.

Section 3. Special meetings may be called by the President or by written request of fifteen members of the Society.

Section 4. Twenty-five members shall constitute a quorum for transaction of business at any meeting of the Society. A maximum of five authorized proxy votes may be counted toward the quorum.

Section 5. Members shall be notified in writing (usually by announcement in the newsletter) of all meetings of the Society at least one week in advance.

Article X. Parliamentary Authority:

Robert=s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall guide the Society in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are consistent with these bylaws.

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Article XI. Amending Bylaws:

Amendments to these bylaws can be made at any regular meeting of the Society by a two-thirds majority vote, provided the proposed amendment has passed the Executive Committee by a simple majority and shall have been submitted to the Recording Secretary at least thirty days prior to the date of the meeting and distributed to the members no less than two weeks prior to the meeting.

Article XII. Distribution of Assets:

Should The Poetry Society of Virginia be dissolved, the assets of the Society shall be given to one or more Virginia non-profit cultural organizations or educational institutions, as directed by the Executive Committee.

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The Poetry Society of Virginia

Summary of Recommended Changes to BYLAWS

References to the National Federation State Poetry Societies (NFSPS) are removed, because PSV is no longer a member of NFSPS.

Article II - Corrects language of Purpose.

Article III, Section 2 - Defines Basic and Contributing memberships. Eliminates Sustaining.

Article IV - Eliminates language about dues notices.

Article V, Section 1 - Removes Recording Secretary and Membership Chair from list of elected officers.

Article V, Section 2 - Adds Webmaster, Membership Chair, and Recording Secretary to list of appointed officers; changes Historian to Society Archivist.

Article V, Section 3 - Deletes Corresponding Secretary; adds Webmaster. Updates language on other duties of officers.

Article V, Section 3f - Changes Historian to Society Archivist to more appropriately describe the duties of the position.

Article V, Section 6 - Establishes July 1 as the date that elected officers take office.

Article V, Section 7 - Establishes procedure for removing an officer for failing to perform duties.

Article VII, Section 2 - Establishes the Contest Committee to be appointed by the Contest Chair.

Article VIII - Simplifies and corrects language regarding nominations and elections.

Article IX, Section 2 - Clarifies language regarding voting by proxy or e-mail.

Article XI - Adds a step to the process of amending the bylaws that requires that changes must be approved by a simple majority of the Executive Committee before amendments can be submitted to the membership for a vote.

Article XII - Adds Aeducational institutions@ to the Distribution of Assets article.

The Poetry Society of Virginia