of Teaneck Camera Club
Revised July 9, 2013
ARTICLE I 1. The name of this organization shall be TEANECK CAMERA CLUB. 2. The Club shall maintain membership in the Photographic Society of America (PSA) and in the New Jersey Federation of Camera Clubs (NJFCC).
ARTICLE II 1. The purpose of the club shall be: (a) to foster the skills and talents of its members in the art and science of photography; (b) to engender fellowship among the members and among photographers; (c) to encourage members to share their photographic knowledge and abilities with other members; (d) to participate in community activities where photography is involved. 2. The primary interest of the Club shall be in still photography.
ARTICLE III 1. There shall be three classes of membership; Regular, Life, and Honorary. 2. Regular membership shall be open to all persons interested in still photography and who support the purposes of the Club. 3. Life membership shall be an honor bestowed by the Executive Committee on a regular member who has performed outstanding service to the Club over a long period of time, or who has been a regular member for 25 years. 4. Honorary membership shall be an honor bestowed-by the Executive Committee on non-members and is a non-voting membership. 5. Regular members will be required to pay the annual dues. 6. A member whose conduct is deemed by a 2/3 vote of the Executive Committee to be detrimental to the Club will be recommended for expulsion, with written notice given to such member. If this member, within 30 days of the date of notice, makes a written request to the President for a hearing, the President shall call for a Membership meeting to be held within 30 days of receipt of this request. This meeting is to be held exclusively for the purpose of the hearing. A majority vote shall be taken on expulsion. If no such hearing request is received within 30 days of initial notice, then said member shall be deemed to be expelled, without refund of dues.
ARTICLE IV 1. The Officers of the Club shall be: (a) President, (b) Vice President, (c) Recording Secretary, (d) Corresponding Secretary and (e) Treasurer. 2. Terms of office shall be for two years. 3. The President shall be limited to two successive terms, unless the Executive Committee after a majority vote approves an additional term for the current President. After a lapse of two years, the person who served as president may be re-elected. There shall be no limitation on consecutive terms for the other officers. 4. Terms of office shall begin upon installation at the Annual Awards Banquet in June, and shall terminate upon installation of a successor. 5. Officers shall be elected at a Club meeting in May. The meeting date to be determined by the board after all nominations have been emailed to the membership and the election meeting date announced to the membership at least 1 week prior to the election. 6. If the President becomes unable to continue to serve, as determined by the Executive Committee, the Vice President shall assume the Presidency to complete the unexpired term. If the Vice-President is unable to serve, the Executive Committee shall select a new President by majority vote. A member who serves as President for one year or more shall enjoy the same privilege of remaining on the executive committee as other past Presidents. 7. If a vacancy occurs in any other office, including the Vice Presidency if caused as in paragraph 6 of this article, a new officer shall be selected by the Executive Committee by majority vote to fill the unexpired term.
ARTICLE V 1. The President’s powers and duties shall include: (a) preside at meetings, and in general represent the Club; (b) appoint the Chairpersons of all standing ad hoc committees, and shall be considered a member of each such committee (c) appoint a three member nominating committee from among the active past Presidents of the Club, (d) appoint a delegate to the New Jersey Federation; and (e) issue bank checks. 2. The Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President temporarily in the event of her/his absence. 3. The Recording Secretary, in addition to duties provided elsewhere in this Constitution, shall keep minutes of all Executive Committee and Membership Meetings, except for program meetings. 4. The Corresponding Secretary, in addition to duties provided elsewhere in this constitution, shall mail club correspondence to members and others, at the request of the president. The term “mail” may include electronic mail (e-mail) for all purposes under this Constitution. 5. The Treasurer shall keep the books of the Club, shall receive and pay out moneys of the Club, shall have the power to issue bank checks, shall make periodic financial reports in the membership, and shall submit a complete yearly financial statement open completion of the fiscal year. All requests for money for the use of the Club are to be made writing through an Officer or a Chairperson of a standing committee. Receipts for money expended, must be submitted to the Treasurer.
ARTICLE VI 1. The Standing Committees shall be: (a) Program, (b) Judges, (c) Digital (d) Prints, (e) Outside Competition, (f) Membership, (g) Social Media (h) Special Events, (i) Public Relations, (j) Website, (k) Scorekeeper, and (l) Equipment. 2. Being an Officer or a Chairperson of a committee shall not be deemed disqualification for being the Chairperson of another Committee, should the President determine that this is necessary or useful. Members may serve on more than one committee. 3. A Committee Chairperson, in consultation with the President, shall select the members of his or her committee, who shall serve concurrently with the Chairperson. 4. The terms of the Committee Chairpersons shall be coextensive with that of the President. 5. The Committee Chairperson shall serve at the pleasure of the President, and may be changed by him or her at any time.
ARTICLE VII
1. The Program Chairperson shall be responsible for booking and confirming, in writing, all speakers’ dates at least 6 months in advance and reconciling all open dates to include International Salons, Tri-Club Competitions, etc. She or he shall further be responsible for sending the speaker travel directions to the Club, and a request for background information on the individual speaker and her/his lecture. All background information on speakers and their respective lectures shall be forwarded promptly to the Public Relations Chairperson. The Program Chairperson shall also be responsible for making all introductions of speakers, as well as following up with “thank you” notes to same.
2. The Judge Chairperson shall have the responsibility for booking and confirming, in writing, all judges’ dates at least 6 months in advance for all Club competitions scheduled for the membership year. He or she shall further be responsible for sending all judges the guidelines for competitions, travel directions to the Club, and requests for background information on the individual judge. All background information on judges shall be forwarded promptly to the Public Relations Chairperson. The Judge chairperson shall also be responsible for making all introductions of the judges, as well as following up with “thank you” notes to same. The Chairperson shall also be responsible for booking judges for the Annual Awards Dinner.
3. The Digital Chairperson shall be responsible for preparing and conducting the digital portions of all Club competitions. He/she shall keep the Club informed on matters involving digital images and digital competitions and promptly inform the Scorekeeper of scores and awards.
4. The Outside Competition Chairperson shall have the responsibility for selecting and processing digital images, including nature images, for competition with other groups, such as PSA, NJFCC and Tri-Club. He/she shall keep the Club informed on matters involving these competitions and shall promptly inform the Club of awards and Club standings.
5. The Print Chairperson shall be in charge of Club Print Competitions, whether regular or special, and this person shall process prints for competitions with other groups, shall keep the Club informed on matters involving prints and print competitions, shall promptly inform the Scorekeeper of scores and awards.
6. The Special Events Chairperson shall be in charge of Studio Nights, the Annual Dinner and any Open House, should the club choose to have an Open House. Responsibility for Studio Night programs shall include securing the necessary models.
7. The Membership Chairperson shall be in charge of greeting and introducing new members, and integrating new members into Club activities. The chair shall also keep an up-to-date list of members (including home address and phone number and e-mail address), a copy of which shall be posted on the website by November 1st, and ensure the club website membership list is updated throughout the year. She/he shall collect dues, keep adequate records, and submit receipts to the Treasurer. In addition, all new members shall receive a welcome packet.
8. The Social Media Chairperson shall write blog posts on a monthly basis for the Club website. These posts can include news about members’ activities and awards, photography tips, and other subjects that will inform and educate members about photography, post production and the creative process. The chair shall also update the Club’s Facebook page regularly with information that will help members to enhance their photography and post processing skills and knowledge, and share interesting photographs from other Facebook pages devoted to photography.
9. The Public Relations Chairperson shall have the responsibility for maintaining a master calendar of events for the Membership year. He/she shall also be responsible for writing and releasing notices and news reports to newspapers, magazines, online, and other media, and for such brochures, posters, and other public relations material as may be required.
10. The Webmaster shall be in charge of the Club website, built on a web content management system, providing access to and training on the CMS so that other Club officers may provide up-to-date information about Club programs and member activities. The Webmaster shall maintain and update the design of the website in an attractive style that is representative of the Club’s purpose, and maintain functionality of the site as well as implement new functionality as needed.
11. The Scorekeeper shall keep an updated report on all scores and shall note the competition class of each person and his/her current totals in all regular, nature, and assigned subject competitions, and shall prepare a score sheet for the Club website.
12. The Equipment Chairperson shall choose a committee to set up and put away equipment, including projector, screen, print box, public address system, power cords, studio background and studio lights, as requested by the President or Program Chairperson.
ARTICLE VIII 1. The Executive Committee shall be composed of: (a) the elected officers, (b) Chairpersons of Standing Committees, (c) Delegate to the NJFCC, (d) all past presidents in good standing who are current active members, to be determined at the beginning of each year by the Executive Committee. 2. The Executive Committee shall meet on the fifth Tuesday of the month, unless such a meeting is deemed unnecessary by the President. However, an Executive Committee meeting must be held as determined by the President. 3. The Executive Committee shall decide on types of programs and competitions to be held, competition rules, types of awards, dues, affiliations, awarding of Life and Honorary Memberships, and other matters as necessary and appropriate. 4. At the determination of the President, the Executive Committee shall meet in closed session.
ARTICLE IX 1. The Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the President in accordance with Article V, paragraph 1(c) by February 15th, and shall be dissolved upon election of officers. 2. The Nominating Committee shall present its slate to the Corresponding Secretary, with a copy to the President by March 15th. 3. The Corresponding Secretary shall immediately email to the membership notice of such slate; and notify the membership that alternate nominations may be made in writing to the Corresponding Secretary if endorsed by at least three members, and that such nominations must be received by April 1st, and that no nomination from the floor will be permitted, except in the absence of any other nomination. 4. On April 15th, the Corresponding Secretary shall email to the membership the list of alternate nominations, and the names of those making such nominations, plus the slate of the Nominating Committee. 5. Membership on the Nominating Committee shall not disqualify any person from being nominated. 6. The Nominating Committee must receive acceptances by all persons nominated either by the Nominating committee or by petition prior to notification to the Corresponding Secretary. 7. Being the spouse of an officer shall not disqualify a member from being an officer. 8. Should a vacancy occur in an officership between the time of election and time of installation, such vacancy shall be filled after installation of the other officers in accordance with paragraphs 6 and 7 of Article IV. 9. The President shall be responsible for providing the names of the Nominating Committee members to the Webmaster and must announce the formation of said committee at regular meetings.
ARTICLE X 1. The Fiscal Year and Membership Year will start on September 1st. Dues are due for payment on September 1st, and must be paid by October 15th. 2. The Program Year will start on the first Tuesday after Labor Day. 3. Dues shall be determined by the Executive committee. A husband and wife membership shall be 50% higher than a single membership. If a person becomes a Life Member, the spouse of the Life Member will pay one-half of the combined total of a single membership and a half-price membership. 4. Persons under 18 years of age and attending high school shall pay one-half of a single membership. For persons joining after February 1st, the dues shall be reduced to one-half of the above.
ARTICLE XI 1. The Club shall meet on each Tuesday except the last 2 weeks of June, and all of July and August, when no meetings will be held. 2. Competitions shall be held in accordance with the “Club`s Rules for Competition”.
ARTICLE XII 1. Quorums at Executive Committee meetings shall be eight persons. Quorums at the Annual or Special Membership Meetings shall be one-fifth of the membership. 2. In the event of an emergency, the Executive Committee may be polled by phone or email; an attempt must be made to reach each member, but at least the normal quorum must respond. 3. Voting at Executive Committee and Annual or Special Membership Meetings shall be by simple majority, unless otherwise noted in this constitution. In the event of an even vote, the President shall cast the deciding vote. 4. There shall be no proxy or absentee votes.
ARTICLE XIII 1. Amendment to this Constitution shall be by two-thirds vote after emailing revised Constitution to the membership. 2. Amendments must have been proposed by the Executive Committee, or by any five members who submit such proposed Amendment in writing to the Corresponding Secretary, with copy to the President, in order to be considered for vote. 3. Proposed amendments, and notice of sponsorship thereof, shall be emailed to the membership, with notice of meeting date for consideration of the proposed amendments; the meeting date shall be at least two weeks after the email date. 4. No proposed amendment shall be accepted at any meeting without prior written notice to the membership. 5. In lieu of a Special Membership Meeting, the President may elect to conduct an email ballot for a proposed amendment, the number of responses to which shall be at least equal to the normal quorum.
ARTICLE XIV 1. Proposed recall of an officer shall follow the same procedure as that outlined above for proposed amendments in paragraphs 1 through 4 of Article XIII. 2. The petition of recall shall list all reasons for the proposed action, so that the officer in question may prepare a rebuttal.
ARTICLE XV 1. The decision to dissolve the Club shall originate in the Executive Committee, and be presented in writing to the membership in each of two consecutive months. This proposal shall be voted on by email, and the ballots counted 10 days from the date of emailing. A two-thirds vote of ballots received will be required to dissolve the Club. All monies in the Club treasury at the time of dissolution will be donated to the Recreation Department of the Township of Teaneck.