SAMAHANG PILIPINO, USA

Fayetteville, North Carolina

BY-LAWS

Article I.          NAME

This non-profit organization shall bear the name SAMAHANG PILIPINO, USA (Pilipino Association, USA).  It will use the acronym “SAPI”, a Tagalog word for “join”.

Article II.      OBJECTIVES

1)               To foster patriotism and civic-mindedness

2)               To promote fraternalism among its members

3)               To assist members, especially senior members, in times of need.

4)               To provide charitable support for the needy families, especially members of the organization.

5)               To encourage preservation of the Filipino cultural heritage and values to the Filipino-American families in the community.

6)               To create and environment of equality among members.

7)               To maintain an organization for and by the members.

Article III.    MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.       Any individual in good standing with the community may apply for membership in this organization.

Section 2.       No individual will be denied membership on the basis of race, religion, national origin, ethnic derivation, political affiliation or gender.

Section 3.       Regular members, 18 years and above, shall be entitled to one (1) vote on each matter of organization business on which a vote is necessary.  No proxy vote shall be permitted.

Section 4.       Any person who is convicted of a felony shall be denied membership in the organization.  Likewise, a member who becomes convicted of a felony shall be automatically dropped from the membership roster.

Section 5.       A one-time fee of $30.00 per family membership and $15.00 per single membership shall be required.

Article IV.     ORGANIZATION OFFICERS

Section 1.       ELECTIVE OFFICERS   - This organization shall elect an Executive Board which will compose of eleven (11) officers, which shall remain in office for a duration of two (2) years, without pay, as follows:

a.      The President shall be the principal member of the Executive Board.  He/She will preside at all meetings.

b.      The Vice-President, in the absence of the President, or in the event the President is not able to perform his/her duties to circumstances beyond his control, shall perform his duties in behalf of the President.

c.      The Secretary shall be responsible for the upkeep of all official records such as, but is not limited to, the Minutes of all official organization meetings.  He/She shall prepare correspondence needed and will be responsible for keeping an up-to-date roster of all registered members of the organization.  He/She shall prepare and distribute copies of the Minutes of Meetings as necessary.  He/She will ensure that all matters concerning the organization’s activities are disseminated to the members in a timely manner.

d.      The Assistant Secretary shall assist the Secretary in its performance of duties.  He/She will perform the duties of the Secretary during the latter’s absence.

e.      The Treasurer shall be bonded, if required, to protect his/her faithful discharge of such duties, in a sum and with such surety as the Executive Board shall determine.  He/She shall be responsible for the receiving, disbursing, and/or safekeeping of all moneys (on hand or in the bank) owned by the organization.  All payments he/she makes must have a voucher prepared and must be approved by the Executive Board.  No payment shall be made unless approved by and the corresponding check countersigned by the President.  He/She shall prepare quarterly and annual financial reports, detailing all financial transactions of the organization.  Such reports will be printed and distributed to all bona fide members of the organization at its general membership meeting.  However, no financial status of the organization shall be given to any member over the telephone.  The Treasurer will surrender the organization’s financial ledger and all receipts pertaining thereto to the Auditor at the end of each year and at the end of the Treasurer’s official term.

f.       The Assistant Treasurer shall assist the Treasurer in its performance of duties.  He/She shall perform the duties of the Treasurer during the latter’s absence.

g.      The Board Members shall oversee the execution of duties of the President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Asst Treasurer, Secretary and Asst. Secretary.  As it may deem necessary, the Board Members shall make recommendation (s) to the general membership on topics that needs to be resolved or decided upon.

Section 1.1. Election for the Secretary, Asst Secretary, Treasurer and Asst Treasurer, will be separated from the rest of the Executive Board.

Section 1.2. In the event a vacancy is created due to resignation, incompetence, or non-performance of duties of any of the above officers, the next Board Member in line will automatically fill that vacancy; except, for positions c,d,e, & f, as provided for in Section 2.

Section 2.            APPOINTIVE OFFICERS- The following officers shall be appointed by the Executive Board, and shall remain in office for two (2) years, unless such appointment is revoked earlier by the Executive Board.

a.      The Auditor shall be appointed to receive from the Treasurer, and make a financial audit of the Annual Financial Report.  He/She shall coordinate with the Treasurer in all matters concerning financial activities of the organization.

b.      Sergeant-at-Arms – Two (2) Sgt-at-Arms shall maintain order during all organization functions.  They will supervise the proper display of organizational and national flags.  They shall secure all decorations at the conclusion of the function, and shall serve as the official custodians of all organization property.

c.      The Editor-in-Chief shall oversee the publication of a periodical that will disseminate information of importance to the members of the organization.

d.      The Historian shall be responsible for the documentation and maintenance of the organization’s official records.  These records shall be made available for special events.

Section 3.       Any individual who has been a member in good standing for at least 2 weeks is eligible to run for elective office or hold an appointive position.  Appointive officers will be selected through nominations.

Section 4.       No elective officer shall be allowed to hold office for more than two (2) consecutive terms.

Section 5.       Any elective or appointive officer is subject for impeachment from the organization for unbecoming conduct or failure to perform his/her official duty.

Article V.      ELECTIONS

Section1.        A general election of officers will be held during the month of February of every other year, the exact date to be determined by the Executive Board.

Section 2.       Majority of the general membership must be present to hold a general election.

Section 3.       The observance of the general election shall not be mixed with any other activity.

Section 4.       Any individual who has been a member in good standing for at least 2 weeks is eligible to run for office.

Section 5.       As provided for by Art. III, Sec. 3, regular members, 18 years and above shall be entitled to one (1) vote on each matter of organization business on which a vote is necessary.  No proxy vote shall be permitted.

Section 6.       As in Art. IV, Sec. 1, elective officer shall remain in office for a duration of two (2) years without pay.

Section 8.       The Executive Board shall form an Election/Nominating Committee, which will oversee the smooth implementation of election procedures.

ARTICLE VI.        COMMITTEES

The following committees shall be created to serve as advisory to the Executive Board.

Section1.        The Budget & Finance Committee shall be responsible for making a continuous study of the financial affairs of the organization and shall prepare and submit to the Executive Board a proposed budget for the coming year. The Treasurer shall be a member of this committee.

Section 2.       The Benevolence & Welfare Committee shall keep the Executive Board advised on matters concerning the health and welfare of each member and its family (hospitalization, confinement due illness or otherwise) or those who may need assistance.  It will screen requests for donations and submit recommendations to the Budget & Finance Committee for consideration.

Section 3.       The Publication Committee shall ensure that the organization’s publication will contain only issues that are of relevance to the association, articles of interest to the members, and that it shall be released in a timely manner.  The Editor-in-Chief shall be the chairperson of this committee.

Section 4.       The Fund Raising Committee shall formulate plans on how the Fund Raising Program must operate.  It shall limit major fund raising activities to two (2) per year.  All members shall be encouraged to actively participate or suggest ideas on how fund-raising activities should be done and all suggestions will be given due consideration.

Section 5.       The By Laws Committee shall conduct continuous study of the current by-laws and find ways for its improvement.  All members shall be encouraged to provide information or ideas that may improve the by-laws.

Article VII.   MEETINGS

Section 1.          The Executive Board shall meet once a month and when deemed necessary.

Section 2.          General Membership meetings shall be at a frequency determined by the Executive Board.  It shall be but is not limited to at least once every six months.

Section 3.          At least ten (10) members of the general membership must be present to constitute a quorum at any membership meeting; except on informational meetings where a quorum is not necessary.

Section 4.          A suggestion box will be made available during the general membership meeting.  Each suggestion/complaint will be addressed accordingly.

Section 5.          Minutes of the previous meeting and a financial report of the organization will be distributed correspondingly.

Section 6.          Matters to be ratified (if any) by the members shall require a two-thirds vote of the voting members present.

Section 7.          Members shall be notified by mail or phone at least one (1) week before the date of the meeting except when the meeting is an emergency in nature.

Section 8.          All matters concerning the organization’s activities shall be disseminated to the members during the general membership meetings.

 Section 9.          Robert’s Rules of Order [1] shall be the parliamentary procedure observed at each meeting.  If conflicts arise, the presiding officer shall determine the proper rule of procedure.

Article VIII.     PUBLICATIONS

Section 1.          This organization shall publish a periodical which will be temporarily called “KASAPI” (Tagalog word for Member), and shall become its official publication.  This paper shall provide important information on the latest issues concerning the organization and its members.

Section 2.          The Publication Committee shall be responsible for the accuracy of the articles for publication and the timely manner of its distribution.

Article IX.        SPECIAL PROVISIONS

Section 1.          Loans- This organization will not be permitted or authorized to extend loans to anyone, members or not.  However, it will not be limited to extend charitable contribution provided a request is submitted for consideration and approval of the Executive Board.

Section 2.          Expenditures – All financial obligations for miscellaneous expenditures under $200 must be approved by the Executive Board.  Miscellaneous expenses, however, shall be itemized in the financial ledger.  Any expenditure over $200 has to be submitted to the Executive Board for general membership approval.

Article X.         AMENDMENTS  - These by-laws may be amended as needed, by the general membership.  Two-thirds vote of the general membership is required to amend these by-laws.  No action can be taken to amend these by-laws unless the proposed amendment is delivered to the Chairperson of the By-Laws Committee at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the meeting.

            Adopted and ratified at the organizational meeting of the SAPI on                         

ATTESTED:

NENITA RODRIGUEZ

 SUSIE  BAMBERGER 

ROSA BARTLEY

JESSE RABANO

* AMENDED      

**Recommended for Amendment