Raleigh Area Masters Bylaws

BYLAWS

RALEIGH AREA MASTERS SWIM TEAM

As Amended at RAM's Annual Meeting, August, 2007

Name. The name of the corporation is "Raleigh Area Masters", hereinafter referred to as RAM.

Principal Office. The principal office of RAM shall be located at such place as the Board of Directors of RAM may designate.

PURPOSES

Purposes. The purposes of RAM are:

To attract, educate and train individuals in all aspects of Masters swimming;
To provide its members with facilities and equipment needed for training;
To provide coaching which develops swimming skills and encourages swimmers to maximize their swimming potential;
To provide a year-round swimming and fitness program;
To promote United State Masters Swimming;
To obtain and disseminate information related to Masters swimming;
To promote public awareness and appreciation of Masters swimming;
To stimulate research into the benefits and effects of life-long exercise of aging and cardiopulmonary development;
To assist other organizations having purposes or objectives similar to those of RAM; and
To engage in other charitable or educational activities.

No Political Campaigning.� RAM shall not participate in the political campaigns of candidates for federal, state, or local elected office.�

MEMBERS

Membership. Any individual who is interested in the purposes of RAM and who holds current or pending United States Masters Swimming, Inc. registration with RAM is eligible for membership.
Duties of Members. Each member shall abide by the Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and Policies of RAM, as well as the rules and regulations of the facilities used by RAM.

MEMBERSHIP FEES

Membership fees. Annual membership fees may only be changed at an annual or special meeting of the members. Fees are due and payable on November 1 of each year.

MONTHLY DUES

Monthly Dues. Monthly dues may only be changed at an annual or special meeting of the members. Dues are payable on a monthly basis on or before the fifth day of each calendar month.

VOTING

Voting. Each individual member has one vote on all matters subject to a vote of the membership, provided that he/she is in good standing. Good standing is defined as having paid in full the current annual membership fees and having paid monthly dues through the previous month.

MEETINGS

Annual Meeting of Membership. The annual meeting of RAM will be held in August of each year at a time and place selected by the Board of Directors. The purposes of the annual meeting are to elect the members of the Board of Directors, to receive the Annual Report of the Board of Directors and Committees and to transact such other business as may properly come before the membership.
Special Meetings of the Membership. Special meetings of the membership may be called by the Board of Directors at any time, or upon the written request to the President of at least twenty percent (20%) of the voting members.
Notification of Membership Meetings. A minimum of ten (10) days written notice is required for meetings of the membership.
Quorum at Membership Meetings. A quorum consists of twenty percent (20%) of the voting members.
Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors will meet monthly at a time and place agreed upon by the Board of Directors. A regular meeting may be cancelled by the President after consulting with the Board of Directors and with the agreement of a majority of its members.
Special Meeting of the Board of Directors. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called at any time by the President, or by request to the President by three (3) or more Board members. Efforts to provide notice of the time and place of such meetings must be made to Board members at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to any such meeting.
Quorum at Board of Directors Meetings. A quorum consists of seven (7) members of the Board of Directors.
Notification of Meetings. Notice of all regular and special meetings of the Board of Directors will be made to RAM members at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the meeting.
Attendance. All RAM members are welcome to attend all regular, annual or special meetings of the Board of Directors or membership.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Board of Directors. The Board of Directors of RAM consists of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Tresurer, Registrar and five At-Large Members, to be elected from the voting members.
Term. Each member of the Board of Directors shall be elected by the membership at the annual meeting and shall serve for the next two fiscal years. If a Board of Directors member is unable to fulfill the term, a replacement shall be elected at the mid-term annual meeting.
Duties of the President. The President shall be the chief executive and administrative officer of RAM. He/she will preside at all meetings of members and the Board of Directors. He/she will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of RAM and may sign or endorse checks. The President may have the books of RAM reviewed at his/her discretion.
Duties of the Vice President. In the absence of the President, the Vice President will perform the duties of the President.
Duties of the Secretary. The Secretary is responsible for keeping minutes of all meetings, providing notice of meetings, posting minutes of all meetings and providing a copy of minutes to any member of RAM who requests them.
Duties of the Treasurer. The Treasurer is responsible for receiving dues and other monies for RAM, signing checks and paying such bills as approved by the Board of Directors, including employee wages and taxes. The Treasurer is responsible for presenting an annual report on the financial affairs of RAM to the membership and to the Board of Directors. The Treasurer submits regular reports of current financial status to the Board of Directors at times specified by the Board. The Treasurer operates all accounts of RAM solely for the purpose of RAM financial transactions. Such accounts are used by RAM only for furtherance of the purpose set forth in paragraph 3 of these Bylaws or for related projects as authorized by the Board of Directors.
24b Duties of the Assistant Treasurer. The Assistant Treasurer is responsible for receiving dues and records each member's monthly practice attendance and dues paid and notifies members of delinquent dues when appropriate. The Assistant Treasurer communicates this information to the Board of Directors at regular intervals as specified by the Board.
Duties of the Registrar. The Registrar is responsible for registering all members with RAM and with United States Masters Swimming (USMS). This includes the registration of new members and the annual registration renewals for active members. In addition, the Registrar is responsible for registering the RAM team with the North Carolina Local Masters Swim Committee (LMSC) and, thereby with USMS. The Registrar keeps accurate records of the membership, including names, addresses and phone numbers. The Registrar communicates this information to the Board of Directors at regular intervals as specified by the Board.

Executive Session. The Board of Directors may move to executive session by a majority vote of the Board members at any meeting at which a quorum is present.

MANAGEMENT OF RAM

Management of RAM. The management of RAM shall be vested in the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall provide support and direction on all matters related to the continuing operations of RAM other than those duties of the Head Swimming Coach involving team training.
Vacancies. Whenever a vacancy occurs in the Board of Directors it shall be filled by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Board of Directors at a special meeting called for that purpose, subject to the approval of the members at the next special or annual membership meeting. A vacancy in any Board position may be declared by eight (8) votes of the Board members, for failure or inability to perform the duties of that position.
Committees. The President shall create, with the approval of the Board of Directors, such committees as may be deemed advisable from time to time. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees. Committees are open to members in good standing.
Non-Payment of Dues. In the event that any member shall not pay his/her dues within sixty (60) days after due, or has not arranged with the Treasurer an acceptable plan of payment of these dues within sixty (60) days, he/she shall automatically be expelled from membership.
Other Violations. In the event of a violation of the Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws or Policies of RAM or conduct which may tend to endanger the good order, welfare or character of RAM, the Board of Directors may suspend all rights of a member, including the right to vote in RAM, until such violation or conduct is satisfactorily corrected or until the next annual or special meeting of the membership, at which time a vote of the membership shall be taken to reinstate or expel said member.
Fiscal Year. Unless otherwise fixed by the Board of Directors, the fiscal year of RAM shall run from September 1 through August 31.

FINANCES AND ASSETS

No part of the earnings of RAM or the funds contributed by any person or corporation shall inure to the benefit of any director or officer of RAM or any private individual, or member, or other persons, except that reasonable compensation may be paid for services rendered to or for RAM affecting one or more of its purposes.

In the event of the liquidation or dissolution of RAM, whether voluntary or involuntary, no director or officer of RAM or any private individual, or member, or other person shall be entitled to any distribution or division of its remaining property or its proceeds, and the balance of all money and all other property received by RAM from any source, after the payment of all debts and obligations of RAM shall be used or distributed exclusively to United States Masters Swimming, Inc., P.O. Box 185, Londonderry, New Hampshire 03053 if such organization is then an organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or any corresponding section of any future tax code, or for purposes similar in nature to those set forth in Paragraph 3 of these bylaws and within the intendment of Section 501(c)(3) and the regulations thereunder as the same now exists or as they may be hereafter amended from time to time.�

AMENDMENTS

Amendments. These Bylaws or any portion thereof may be amended, altered, or appealed by the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting members present at an annual or special meeting of the membership; provided that efforts to provide notice of said meeting and the proposed amendment, alteration or repeal to all members have been made at least ten (10) days in advance of said meeting.

Policies of Raleigh Area Masters (RAM)

Optimist and Pullen Park Practice Groups

Policies Concerning Coaches

RAM will try to provide a coach at any meet where eight (8) or more RAM swimmers are participating.
RAM will pay a meet coach at the rate of $40/day. Compensation for meals, transportation and lodging will also be provided when necessary and as approved by the Board.
RAM pays registration fees for its regular coaches, as insurance regulations require that Masters coaches be registered with USMS or USS. If a RAM coach resigns three (3) months or less after RAM pays the coach�s fee, said coach will reimburse RAM for the amount of the registration fee.
RAM coaches swim free as long as they are part of RAM�s regular coaching staff, coaching two (2) or more practices/week.
If practice is canceled for any reason after a coach has arrived at the pool, the coach will be paid for the full practice time scheduled. The coach will not be paid for the cancellation if it is made in advance.

Policies Concerning New Members

Prospective members are allowed two (2) free swims before they register with RAM.
Swimmers new to RAM pay no dues the month they initially register with RAM, with dues starting the beginning of the month following registration.

Policies Concerning Board Members

Missing two (2) consecutive board meetings or missing a total of three (3) board meetings in a membership year may result in an automatic resignation of a board member, unless a majority of current board members vote that the absences be excused.

General Policies

Any club expenditure of more than one hundred dollars ($100) must have approval of the Board or be approved at a meeting of the general membership.
The RAM President, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer and Registrar swim free in consideration of the time commitment required of these offices.
RAM pays relay fees for RAM swimmers at any sanctioned Masters meet.
Special sponsorships are available to RAM swimmers in financial need. These sponsorships are not designed to recruit swimmers, but to assist regular members in time of need. The swimmer must meet the following requirements.

All dues and fees must be currently paid.
The swimmer must have been a member of RAM for at least three (3) months.
The swimmer must have exhibited regular attendance at practice - 2 or 3 times per week.

A swimmer desiring a sponsorship should contact the Treasurer. The request will be presented to the Board of Directors and dealt with confidentially. Votes on sponsorships will be by closed ballot. The swimmer's contribution to the team will be considered. A sponsorship is awarded for three (3) months, at which time the swimmer may reapply. RAM will subsidize up to 80% of the monthly dues, with the swimmer paying a minimum of five ($5) dollars/month.

Any compensation to RAM members for services to the club must be established prior to the performances of services and must be approved by the Board of Directors.
Masters swimmers visiting from out-of-town for up to a week are allowed to swim free, providing proof of current registration is presented. Visitors for more than one week pay a fee of $5 per swim to the coach on deck, payable to RAM.
RAM members who are currently enrolled in college as an undergraduate or graduate student and possess a current college identification are entitled to reduced rate of half the regular rate.� Members who wish to take advantage of this special rate should make arrangements with the Treasurer.
RAM will pay the annual registration fee for all RAM members 75 years old and above.� The member must have been a previous member of RAM for at least one calendar year and continue to reside in North Carolina.
On an annual basis, these policies of RAM will be reviewed by the RAM board after election and prior to the year end.� Updated versions will be placed on the RAM website.