CONSTITUTION & BYLAWS

The Board of WWInc has rewritten the Bylaws to meet the concerns expressed at the June, 2009 Business meetings in Casper.  The Board encourage comments, suggestions and questions concerning the proposed new Bylaws.  Please contact any one or all of the Board members with such concerns.
 

Thanks to all of you for your patience and thoughtfulness during this lengthy process.

 

Joe Megeath, Board President

 

 

Please go to Proposed page to read the proposed new bylaws.

 

 

 

 

WW, Inc Constitution

Preamble

Be it known that the Wyoming Writers, Inc. is a non profit organization of persons who write for publication or as a hobby, banded together for mutual help and inspiration.

Wyoming Writers, Inc., seeks to encourage and promote interest in writing. The organization will not impose rules or regulations upon its members regarding literary style or content nor restrictions on its members' personal or private dealings with agents, editors or publishers.


Aims and purposes

In addition to the basic concepts set forth in the Preamble, the aims and purposes of the Organization shall be:

    ◊ To hold an annual conference at which members may meet for the enjoyment of each other's society, for the exchange of ideas, and for the discussion of projects, programs, and other activities tending to promote the welfare of the Organization and its membership; where lectures and workshops may be delivered on issues related to writing and publishing; where banquets may be held, awards of merit conferred, and officers for the ensuing year elected and installed.
   ◊ To prepare and distribute a publication, The WYO-Writer, designed to keep the membership informed of organization activities and issues related to writing.
   ◊ To hold other writing workshops and activities that will educate, inform or promote Wyoming writers.

In order for WW, Inc to accomplish the purposes stated in this Constitution, a set of Bylaws will be prepared. The bylaws will be accepted by the general membership of WW, Inc and will govern the day-to-day activities of the organization. At no time may the Bylaws conflict with this constitution.

A set of Standing Rules may be adopted by the Executive Board to supplement the Bylaws. The Standing Rules are of tertiary importance and may not conflict with the Constitution or Bylaws.

This document, dated supercedes all other constitutions.

Adopted by the members of Wyoming Writers, Inc, June 3, 1995


Bylaws
Article I. Name

The name of this organization is Wyoming Writers, Inc. (WW, Inc).

Article II. Definition and Objectives

WW, Inc is a non-profit organization of persons who write for publication or as a hobby, banded together for mutual help and inspiration. The organization will not impose rules or regulations upon its members regarding literary style or content nor restrictions on its members' personal and private dealings with agents, editors or publishers.

Article III. Membership

Section 1. Anyone who pays annual dues, and who has not violated any rules of professional writing such as copyright infringement, is eligible to join Wyoming Writers. Inc.

Section 2. An individual's membership may be revoked by a majority vote of the Board if that member participates in conduct or takes an action that negatively affects the image of Wyoming Writers, Inc.

Article IV. Governing body

Section 1. WW, Inc business will be conducted by the WW, Inc Executive Board.

Section 2. (a) The Executive Board will be comprised of the elected and/or appointed officers appointed by the Board to replace vacancies in the Executive Board positions that may occur throughout the year.

(b) The immediate past president, the president of WyoPoets, and the chairpersons of standing committees will be ex-officio members of the Executive Board but shall not have a vote on business before the Board.

(c) A quorum of the Executive Board will be members present at Board meetings. Each member of the Board shall have one vote on business before the Board but the President shall vote only to break a tie. No action shall be taken unless approved by five members of the Board or such other number of members as defined for specific actions elsewhere in these Bylaws. Votes may be taken by the President via telephone, e-mail, or fax, and all members casting telephone votes must mail written confirmation of their vote to the Secretary who shall file them with the minutes of the meeting.

Article V. Officers and elections

Section 1. WW, Inc elected officers are: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and five Members-at-Large. Members-at-Large will each represent a different region of the State of Wyoming as described in Section 2.

Section 2. Members-at-Large regions are: Region 1: Park, Bighorn and Washakie, counties; Region 2: Sheridan, Johnson, Campbell, Crook and Weston counties; Region 3: Hot Springs, Fremont and Natrona counties; Region 4: Teton, Sublette, Lincoln, Uinta, Carbon and Sweetwater counties; Region 5: Converse, Niobrara, Platte, Goshen, Albany and Laramie counties.

Section 3. Officers will serve one-year terms.

Section 4. The election of officers will take place at the Annual General Meeting. Officers will be elected by a plurality vote of those members present and voting.

Section 5. A vacancy in the office of president will be filled for the unexpired term by the vice president. The Executive Board will appoint a new vice president

Section 6. A vacancy in any other elected office will be filled by an appointment by the Executive Board.

Article VI. Standing and Special committees

Section 1. Standing and Special committee chairpersons will be appointed by the president with Board approval. Each committee chair will keep a notebook of guidelines and procedures governing that committee.

Section 2. Standing committees may include:

◊ Annual Conference
◊ Adult Contest
◊ Memorial Scholarship Fund
◊ Historian
◊ Parliamentarian
◊ Awards
◊ Publicity
◊ Membership
◊ Nominating
◊ Audit
◊ Mountain & Plains Booksellers Assn.

Section 3. Terms of standing committee chairpersons will be one year.

Section 4. Special committees will be those the president believes are necessary to implement projects authorized by the Board or membership. Such committees will operate at the discretion of the president and may be disbanded at any time.

Section 5. Committee chairs must discuss their budget with the Board at the Fall Board meeting. All Committee expenditures must be approved by the Board.

Article VII. Meetings

Section 1. WW, Inc will convene an Annual General Membership Meeting each year in conjunction with the Annual conference to conduct the business of the organization. The time and place will be determined by the Executive Board.

Section 2. The Executive Board will hold four meetings per year:
◊ One immediately prior to the Annual General Meeting
◊ One immediately following the Annual General Meeting, which will include both the incoming and outgoing Board members;
◊ One in the fall
◊ One in the spring of each fiscal year.

Section 3. Special meetings of the Executive Board may be called by the president, upon written request of a majority (51%) of the members of the Board, or upon written request of five members in good standing made to the Executive Board.

Article VIII. Fiscal Year and Dues

Section 1. The fiscal year will be from July 1 to June 30.

Section 2. (a) Dues for WW, Inc membership will be determined by membership vote at the Annual General Meeting. (b) Dues are payable on July 1.

Article IX. The Wyo-Writer

The Wyo-Writer newsletter will be the official publication of WW, Inc. It will be published ten times yearly. The editor of WYO-Writer will be selected by the Executive Board.

Article X. Parliamentary Authority

WW, Inc will be governed by Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, when applicable.

Article XI. Amendments

Section 1. WW, Inc Constitution or By-laws may be amended at the Annual General Meeting by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of those members present. When so passed, they immediately become a part of the Constitution or By-laws.

Section 2. Proposed amendments must be presented to the President in writing thirty (30) days before the Annual General Meeting. The President will present any proposed amendments to the Executive Board. Those present at the Board meeting will vote to determine whether such amendments will be presented to the membership for possible action.

Section 3. Copies of amendments which are to be considered by the membership will be posted at the Annual General Meeting, or published in WYO-Writer if adequate time is available for such publication.

Section 4. Any amendments passed at the Annual General Meeting will be printed in the next issue of WYO-Writer and the Secretary will place a copy of such amendments on file.

Section 5. Should the Executive Board decline to introduce proposed amendments as provided for in Section 2, the general membership may introduce the proposal before the Annual General Meeting, provided five members in good standing sign a written request for consideration of the proposal.

Article XII. Disposal of Funds

In the event that WW, Inc should be dissolved, the treasurer will, after paying all legitimate expenses, disburse remaining funds to the University of Wyoming to be used specifically for a creative writing scholarship.

Adopted June 3, 1995
Amended June, 1996
Amended June, 2002

Standing Rules

These Standing Rules contain guidelines for Wyoming Writers Inc. (WW, Inc). The rules can be changed at any time by a majority (51%) vote of the Executive Board. These are to be used by Officers, Board Members, Committee Chairs, and any others charged with conducting the business of WW, Inc.

No Standing Rule can be adopted which conflicts with the Constitution or By-Laws.
Executive Board

President: The President will call and preside over all WW, Inc meetings; supervise the affairs of the organization; appoint chairpersons of standing and special committees, a parliamentarian, and historian, with Board approval; and serve as an ex-officio member of all committees. The President shall have signature authority on all bank accounts of WW, Inc and shall be bonded.

Vice President: The Vice President is the president-elect for the year following his or her election as Vice President. The Vice-President will assist the president in all duties and responsibilities of the organization; fulfill those duties in the absence of the President; draw up a preliminary budget with the treasurer for consideration by the Executive Board at the spring Board meeting, select panelists for the annual Conference based upon nominations from WW, Inc members; coordinate travel arrangements for conference panelists; coordinate conference planning; and coordinate manuscript critique opportunities provided by panelists.

Secretary: The Secretary will keep minutes of all membership and Executive Board meetings, distribute copies to Board members and to others as the President directs and maintain a copy in the files; and conduct all correspondence necessary. In the event the Secretary is unable to attend a meeting, it is his or her duty to inform the president and find a replacement. The secretary must maintain current copies of the Constitution, Bylaws and Standing Rules.

Treasurer: The Treasurer shall maintain the funds of WW, Inc in the First Interstate Bank, or its successors, within the State of Wyoming. The Treasurer will collect all dues and special assessments, pay bills as authorized by the Executive Board; maintain an accurate and permanent accounting of all financial transactions; present a complete written report at annual membership meetings and at Executive Board meetings; present interim reports as requested by the President or by a majority of the Executive Board members; maintain an up-to-date membership list; and prepare a preliminary budget for the forthcoming year in cooperation with the Vice President for consideration at the Spring Executive Board Meeting. The Treasurer shall be responsible for all monies of WW, Inc and shall be bonded.

Members-at-Large: Five will be elected, one from each region. Each will act as a liaison between the Board and the members in their region, assist in distributing information to members in their region; act as advisors to the Board, and assist with conference and workshop activities as requested by the President, Vice-President or Conference Chair. The five Member At-Large regions are: Region 1: Teton, Park, Big Horn, and Washakie counties, Region 2: Sheridan, Johnson, Campbell, Crook and Weston counties; Region 3: Hot Springs, Fremont and Natrona counties; Region 4: Sublette, Lincoln, Uinta, Sweetwater and Carbon counties; Region 5: Converse, Niobrara, Platte, Goshen, Albany, and Laramie counties.

Only elected Board members may vote on business before the Board.

Standing Committees

The following are suggested guidelines for Committees:

Annual Conference: Comprised of a Chairperson and any number of members consisting of a facilities coordinator, registrar and publicity chairperson. This committee will be in charge of providing the setting for the annual conference, including, but not limited to: publicity, accommodations, meeting rooms, registration packets, name tags, printed conference schedules, and arrangements for guest panelists, which will be coordinated with the Vice-President. Written reports should be presented at each Executive Board meeting.

Adult Writing Contest: Comprised of a Chairperson and any number of members. This committee will coordinate the annual contest by obtaining judges, soliciting entries, distributing entries to judges, compiling and editing an anthology, preparing certificates for winners. Written reports should be presented at each Executive Board meeting.

Emmie Mygatt Memorial Scholarship Fund: Comprised of a Chairperson and two members, this committee will formulate guidelines for scholarships; publicize the fund, its purpose and rules for application or nomination; accept applications or nominations for scholarships; choose winners to be awarded scholarships; and present written reports at Executive Board meetings. Monies collected for this fund shall be placed in an interest bearing account maintained by the treasurer and only interest received on the account may be used for scholarship awards.

Historian: The Historian will preserve memorabilia of WW, Inc to record its accomplishments in historical order and will solicit items from members to include in the historical record book.

Parliamentarian: The Parliamentarian will advise the President, other officers and Executive Board members on all parliamentary matters, including the construction and interpretation of the Constitution and By-Laws and standing Rules, and shall keep an accurate record of those documents.

Wyo-Writer Editor: The Wyo-Writer Editor will publish and distribute the newsletter as directed by the Executive Board. The Wyo-Writer will be published 10 times annually; copies of each issue should be retained as part of the historical record of the organization.

Awards: Comprised of a Chairperson and two additional members, this committee shall conduct awards as directed by the Board and will coordinate all awards presentations at the annual Awards Banquet.

Publicity: The Publicity coordinator will write and distribute press releases about WW, Inc activities for distribution to a variety of media including newspapers, and radio and television stations. The publicity coordinator should work closely with other committee chairpersons to provide statewide publicity about WW, Inc.

Membership: Comprised of a Chairperson and any number of members, this committee will actively seek new members for the organization.

Nominating: Comprised of the members of the Executive Board this committee will accept nominations from members in good standing throughout the year. The committee will present a slate of at least one name for each of the elected offices for consideration by the membership for election at the annual meeting. Nominations may also be made from the floor at the annual meeting.

Audit: Comprised of a Chairperson and two other members, this committee will audit and balance the books each year within the 30 day period following the conference. A written report shall be drawn up and presented to the President. The new treasurer shall assume office after the audit has been accepted by the President. The Treasurer will not be present at this audit, but will be on call to answer questions.
Membership Levels

There shall be three levels of Membership for WW, Inc: Regular, Sustaining and Patron. Regular membership rules and dues are governed by the Bylaws. Dues for Sustaining and Patron members shall be determined by the Board of Directors.

Amended June 2, 2001

Amended October 6, 2001