Article 1 – Name

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Section 1. Name. The name of this organization is North End Mothers’ Club, Inc. (NEMC) founded in Evanston, IL in 1911.

 

Article 2 – Purpose

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Section 1. Purpose. The purpose of NEMC is to promote and advance educational, charitable, civic, health and welfare activities in Evanston and support and assist youth – focused organizations dedicated to these purposes.
Section 2. Objectives. The objectives of NEMC are to provide educational scholarships, assist worthy students, aid educational institutions, civic enterprises and undertakings, and further the development of friendly community services for the benefit of youth.
Section 3. Principal Projects. The principal projects of NEMC are the North End Mothers’ Club Outstanding Senior Award, the STEM Award(s) (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math; formerly the Nursing Scholarship), and the Joanne Murphy Trautwein Music Award (all of which are awarded to Evanston Township High School students), the Fortnightly Dance Classes and philanthropic contributions to Evanston community organizations.

 

Article 3 – Membership & Dues

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Section 1. Membership.  An individual is qualified for membership if that person: commits to the objectives of NEMC, completes the New Membership Form, and pays annual dues. The Membership Chair shall receive the documentation, welcome the new member to NEMC, and present the name(s) of the new member(s) to the board at the following Board Meeting.

Section 2. Dues. Dues shall be determined by a quorum of the Board of Directors. Annual dues are payable May 1 and delinquent May 31.
Section 3. Active Membership. Upon payment of dues, a candidate shall become an active member. Dues paid by a new member joining after December 31, will pay one half of the annual dues.

Section 4. Resignation. An active member may resign in good standing by submitting a letter of resignation to the Membership Chairperson.
Section 5. Reinstatement. Any member may be restored to active membership by writing a letter to the Membership Chairperson asking for reinstatement and paying their dues.
Section 6. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year shall be from January 1, through December 31. The Club programming and membership year runs from June 1 through May 31.

 

Article 4 – Board of Directors

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Section 1. Role of the Board of Directors. The governance of NEMC is vested in the Board of Directors. who shall number not less than 11 nor more than 25 and shall consist of the officers of NEMC and the chairpersons and co­ chairpersons of the standing committees.
Section 2. Duties of the Board of Directors. It shall be the duties of the Board of Directors to supervise the affairs of the organization, to direct all disbursements of the Club’s funds and to make a full report of its actions at the Annual April Meeting.
Section 3. Rules. The Board shall enact such rules and regulations as may be deemed necessary to conduct the business of NEMC, consistent with these Bylaws. 

 

Article 5 – Officers

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Section 1. Officers. There shall be a minimum of five officers: President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary and Treasurer. These officers shall form an Executive Committee to act when deemed necessary between regularly scheduled meetings of the Board.
Section 2. Eligibility. To be eligible to hold an elected office, it is preferred that the person will have served on the Board of Directors for at least one year.
Section 3. Term Limits. All officers shall serve no more than two consecutive terms. A term is defined as two years in length.  Thus, the nominating committee will be formed every other year.
Section 4. Removal of Officer. An officer may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Board for good cause.
Section 5. President. It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Club and of the Board of Directors. The presiding officer shall not vote, except in case of a tie. The President is an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating and Scholarship.
Section 6. Vice-President. The Vice-President is Chairperson of the Finance Committee and the Nominating Committee. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President.
Section 7. Recording Secretary. The Recording Secretary keeps a record of the proceedings of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.
Section 8. Corresponding Secretary. The Corresponding Secretary is in charge of all Club correspondence, keeps a full record of membership, and sends notices to members of Board meetings and the Annual Meeting. This includes the slate of officers, annual dues notice and any other notices from chairpersons as are deemed necessary. Fifteen days’ notice is required prior to the Annual Meeting. Upon the death of a member, close relative of a member, she sends a note of condolence.
Upon the death of the President or a past President, she responds as directed by the Executive Committee.

Section 9. Treasurer. The Treasurer is responsible for accounts payable and receivable. In the absence of the Treasurer, the President shall sign checks. At the close of the fiscal year, the Treasurer’s books may be audited by a person or firm selected by the Board of Directors

 

Article 6 – Committees

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Section 1. Executive Committee. The Executive Committee has the power to act on behalf of the Board, but it may not modify any actions taken by the Board.
Section 2. Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee is elected by the Board of Directors at the January Board meeting and submits the proposed slate of officers at the February Board meeting for a vote.

 

The Nominating Committee shall consist of five members who are in good standing and have completed at least one year of membership, plus the chair:

• The current Vice President as chair

• One past NEMC President

• One current member of the Board of Directors

• Three members in good standing

• Two alternate members in good standing

 

The Nominating Committee will provide a slate of officers to be voted on at the April Annual Meeting.

Section 3. Standing Committees. The Standing Committees shall be: Community Service, Finance, Fortnightly, Historian, Legislation, Membership, Parade, Policy, Programs, Publicity, Scholarship, Social, Web Coordinator and any others as shall be deemed necessary to carry on the objectives of the organization. Chairpersons or Vice-Chairpersons shall be appointed by the incoming President during the spring of each nominating cycle. It is suggested that no Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson serve for longer than three consecutive years in the same position. The Policy Committee shall consist of the current president and all active past presidents. Duties of the Standing Committee Chairpersons are detailed in the document entitled Standing Committee Rules/Standing Rules for North End Mothers’ Club printed in the membership book.

 

Article 7 – Meetings

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Section 1. Meetings. There will be two meetings of the membership each year: a business meeting in December to present the budget and an Annual meeting in the spring. The meeting dates are determined by the Executive Committee.
Section 2. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the general membership may be called at any time by the President or members of the Executive Committee; special meetings of the Board may be called by the President, Vice-President or three Board members.
Section 3. Quorum. Twenty-five members of the Club shall constitute a quorum at a membership meeting; eight members are a quorum at a Board meeting.
Section 4. Meeting Dates for the Board. There will be a meeting of the Board of Directors once each month, September through May, unless otherwise determined by a majority vote of the Board.

Section 5. Participation by Technology. Any member of the Board of Directors may participate in and act at any meeting of the Board via conference call communications in which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other. Participation in such meeting shall constitute attendance and presence in person at the meeting of the person or persons so participating.
Section 6. Old Board-New Board Meeting. There will be a joint meeting of the retiring and new Board members in May.

 

Article 8 – Nominations

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Section 1. Presentation of the Slate of Officers. The Nominating Committee shall submit the proposed incoming slate of officers at the February Board meeting for a vote.
Section 2. Executive Committee Powers. Following the Annual Meeting, the Executive Committee, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors, shall have the power to fill all vacancies among the elected officers.

 

Article 9 – Elections 

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Section 1. Election and Installation of Officers. All officers shall be elected at the meeting of the Board in February. Installation of officers shall occur at the Annual Meeting of the Membership in April. All officers shall serve a two-year term.
Section 2. Notification of Slate of Officers. The Corresponding Secretary shall notify the membership of the incoming officers 15 days before the Annual Meeting in April.
Section 3. Unexpired Terms. In the case of an unexpired term, the office shall be filled by a member subject to the approval by the Board of Directors. Any member filling an unexpired term of an officer is eligible for election to a full term.

 

Article 10 – Amendments

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Section 1. Amendments. These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting (or special meeting called therefore) and will be voted on by the entire membership via email. Members have 15 days to review and respond with their vote.

 

Article 11 – Procedure

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Section 1. Procedure. All questions of order arising, not provided for in the Bylaws, shall be decided by the Board in conjunction with a review of Roberts’ Rules of Order, Revised.

 

Article 12 – Dissolution

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Section 1. Dissolution. In the event of termination or dissolution of the club in any manner, or for any reason whatsoever, the remaining assets, if any, shall be distributed to such other charitable, civic or educational organizations as the Policy Committee may designate, having for their objects and purposes the same general purposes as this Club and in no event to any organization not described and qualified under Section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code. 3/5/05.

 

Standing Committee Rules and Standing Rules for NEMC

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1. COMMUNITY SERVICE. Coordinates events or opportunities for NEMC members to give of their time, talent or resources to organizations expressing need in the Evanston Community.

2. The Finance Committee shall be chaired by the Vice-President and shall include the Scholarship Committee Chairperson, the Policy Committee Chairperson, the Treasurer and the President. Its duties shall be to provide oversight of the investment of the Scholarship Fund monies, the trust, and to prepare the budget.

3. The Fortnightly Committee handles all arrangements for the dancing lessons for the 6th and 7th graders, including: reserving a place to hold the classes, arranging for the instructor, a security officer and chaperones. Enrollment in the dance classes is open to all local students of appropriate ages. Monies raised from these classes shall be placed in the Philanthropic Fund.

4. The Historian is responsible for collecting all current information pertaining to NEMC and maintaining this information.

5. The Legislation Committee Chairperson(s) shall consider and report upon proposed changes in the Bylaws to the Board, with sufficient written notice being given. The Bylaw changes will be voted on by the members. The chairperson is also responsible for the preparation, printing and distribution of the membership yearbook.

6. The Membership Committee Chairperson(s) is responsible for collecting dues in a timely manner, maintaining the membership roster, which is shared with members.  Additionally, the chair(s) provides outreach to attract new members.

7. The Nominating Committee Chairperson is responsible for calling members to serve on the Nominating Committee from the list voted upon by the Board at the January meeting. The proposed slate of officers is voted on at the February Board meeting. After the February meeting the President-elect may start selecting her committee chairpersons and vice-chairpersons, with the understanding that such appointments are subject to the election of the nominee. The Chairperson is also responsible for calling the Nominating Committee meeting(s), calling prospective officers to ask if they will serve, submitting the names of the proposed officers to the Corresponding Secretary for distribution to the membership.

8. PARADE. The Parade Committee Chairperson(s) shall coordinate with the 4th of July Association as to the NEMC scholarship winners and NEMC members who will be marching or riding in the parade. The Chairperson will submit a public relations piece and/or information to local news outlets and the Publicity Chair(s); informing them that the NEMC founded the parade in 1922 and provide some history of NEMC’s involvement through the years.

9. The immediate past president serves as Chairperson of the Policy Committee. The Policy Chairperson shall be responsible for calling a yearly meeting of the Policy Committee at which a review of Club policies will be made and decisions for distribution of the Philanthropic Fund will be agreed upon.

10. PROGRAM COMMITTEE.The Program Committee Chairperson(s) shall arrange for all programs in consultation with the Board, with the exception of the Scholarship Tea and the Annual Meeting.

11. The Publicity Committee Chairperson(s) shall submit information and/or photos to local news outlets and the NEMC website coordinator about any programs, benefits, scholarship awards, Fortnightly, and the Annual Meeting. Content and specific information needed to draft the articles will be provided by the Committee Chair responsible for the program or event.

12. The second immediate past president of NEMC shall serve as Scholarship Committee Chairperson. The Chairperson is responsible for conferring with the Trust Officer at the bank that is the trustee for NEMC, in the spring, to determine the scholarship fund levels in a given year.  The Awards include North End Mothers’ Club Outstanding Senior Award, two STEM Awards and the Joanne Murphy Trautwein Music Award. The Chairperson or NEMC representative should plan to attend the awards night assembly at ETHS. The Chairperson is responsible for arranging the Scholarship Tea in the late spring, to which current and past winners of the scholarships and their families are invited, as well as NEMC members.

13. SOCIAL. The Chairperson(s) of the Social Committee shall be responsible for the planning and execution of events, that may include a fall membership event, a July holiday event, and the April Annual Meeting and Lunch in consultation with the Board for approval. Invitations will be sent a month before events. Monies raised from these events will be placed in the Philanthropic Fund.

14. The Web Coordinator will update current versions of website software and oversee the management of website operations. She will also coordinate the updating of NEMC events on the website including photos, membership data, activities, scholarships and Fortnightly.

 

Standing Rules

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1. The President, with concurrence of two-thirds of the Executive Committee, may remove any chairperson for cause.

2. It is the responsibility of each chairperson to maintain and update a file containing the Bylaws and all other information pertaining to their duties. The file shall be passed on to the in-coming chair(s) for reference. 

3. It is the responsibility of each committee chairperson to submit a written or verbal report at monthly Board meetings.

4. It is recommended that NEMC make no financial donations to any outside organization other than those selected by the Policy Committee for receiving a yearly donation from our Philanthropic Fund.

5. The Philanthropic Fund shall consist of the proceeds from the Fortnightly classes, NEMC social events, and any other funds raised for distribution to the community. Only distributions from the NEMC Charitable Trust will be used for scholarship awards.

6. Annual dues are $50.