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AMERICAN RHODODENDRON SOCIETY
POLICIES OF THE BOARD
(THROUGH SPRING 2015)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 DEFINITION OF POLICIES
1.1 SCOPE
1.2 TERMINOLOGY
1.3 PROCEDURE FOR UPDATE
2.0 FISCAL & MEMBERSHIP YEARS AND DUES
2.1 FISCAL & MEMBERSHIP YEARS
2.2 MEMBERSHIP CLASSES, DUES AND BENEFITS
2.3 OVERSEAS-AIRMAIL DELIVERY OF JOURNAL ARS
3.0 ORGANIZATION
3.1 CHAPTERS
3.2 DISTRICTS AND REGIONS
4.0 THE OFFICERS
4.1 OFFICERS' EXPENSES
4.2 THE OFFICERS AS A GROUP
4.3 THE PRESIDENT
4.4 THE REGIONAL VICE-PRESIDENTS
4.5 THE TREASURER
4.6 THE SECRETARY
5.0 THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AS A WHOLE
5.1 MEMBERSHIP
5.2 THE IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
5.3 MEETINGS
5.4 QUORUM
5.5 RULES OF MEETINGS
5.6 AUTHORIZES COMPENSATED INDIVIDUALS
5.7 WRITTEN RECORD RE: COMPENSATED INDIVIDUALS
5.8 UNASSIGNED
5.9 CONFLICTS OF INTEREST Deleted by Board action at May, 2015 meeting
5.10 ANTI-HARASSMENT AND DISCRIMINATION Deleted by Board action at May, 2015 meeting
5.11 WHISTLEBLOWER PROCEDURE Deleted by Board action at May, 2015 meeting
6.0 THE ELECTED DIRECTORS AND ALTERNATES
6.1 THE DISTRICT DIRECTORS AND ALTERNATES
6.2 THE DIRECTOR AT LARGE AND ALTERNATE
7.0 ELECTIONS
7.1 LIMIT ON NUMBER OF TERMS OF OFFICE
7.2 DURATION AND COMMENCEMENT OF TERMS
7.3 ELECTORS
7.4 THE ELECTION PROCESS
8.0 STAFF
8.1 STAFF EXPENSES
8.2 THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
8.3 THE EDITOR
8.4 VACANCIES IN COMPENSATED POSITIONS
9.0 COMMITTEES OF THE SOCIETY
9.1 AWARDS COMMITTEE
9.2 AZALEA COMMITTEE
9.3 BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE
9.4 EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
9.5 RECOGNITION AWARDS AND HONORS COMMITTEE
9.6 LONG-RANGE PLANNING COMMITTEE
9.7 NOMINATING COMMITTEE
9.8 PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE (replaced by
POB 9.25)
9.9 RATINGS COMMITTEE (deleted by Board action on May 6, 1996)
9.10 REGISTRAR OF PLANT NAMES
9.11 RESEARCH COMMITTEE
9.12 SEED EXCHANGE COMMITTEE
9.13 FLOWER SHOW ADVISORY COMMITTEE
9.14 TEST AND DISPLAY GARDEN COMMITTEE
9.15 POLLEN BANK COMMITTEE (deleted by Board action on _______)
9.16 PIONEER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD COMMITTEE (incorporated into 9.5)
9.17 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Amended with additions by Board action at May, 2015 meeting
9.18 ENDOWMENT FUND COMMITTEE
9.19 SEARCH COMMITTEE FOR SALARIED POSITIONS
9.20 SPEAKERS BUREAU
9.21 BYLAWS & POLICIES COMMITTEE
9.22 LONG TERM INVESTMENT COMMITTEE
9.23 HARDINESS COMMITTEE (deleted by Board action on __________)
9.24 PUBLIC EDUCATION COMMITTEE
9.25 PUBLICITY & PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE
9.26 MEMBERSHIP & CHAPTER DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
9.27 ELECTRONIC MEDIA COMMITTEE
9.28 ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE
9.29 ARCHIVES COMMITTEE
9.30 FUND RAISING COMMITTEE (renamed from RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE)
9.31 DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
9.32 DIGITAL ARCHIVES COMMITTEE (deleted by Board action on October 23,2008)
9.33 RHODODENDRON DATABASE COMMITTEE Deleted by Board action at May, 2015 meeting
9.34 ARSSTORE.ORG COMMITTEE
10.0 RECORDS OF OFFICE Deleted by Board action at May, 2015 meeting.
11.0 MEETINGS
11.1 ANNUAL MEETINGS OF THE SOCIETY
11.2 SPECIAL MEETINGS
11.3 BOARD OF DIRECTORS' MEETINGS
11.6.1 PROPOTIONAL VOTING – Deleted by Board action at May, 2012 meeting.
12.0 THE ENDOWMENT FUND
13.0 ANNUAL AUDIT OR REVIEW
14.0 START-UP FUND
15.0 ADVERTISEMENT
APPENDIX
1.0 DEFINITION OF POLICIES
1.1 SCOPE
This publication of the Policies of the Board covers in detail those items not specifically
spelled out in the Bylaws. These policies have been put into
effect by specific board action or traditionally adhered to by mutual
consent and practice.
1.2 TERMINOLOGY
The term "Board of Directors" used herein refers to the officers, elected district
directors, the director-at-large and the immediate past president of The
American Rhododendron Society. (Bylaws: Article VI, Section B).
1.3 PROCEDURE FOR UPDATE OF POLICIES; DISTRIBUTION, INCLUDING BYLAW DISTRIBUTION
1.3.1 All approved motions of the Board that affect the Policies of the Board shall be
effective at the time of approval or as specified in the motion.
All Policies of the Board shall be in conformance to, and not in
contravention of, the Statutes of the State of Oregon governing the
conduct of not-for-profit corporations chartered by said State, the
articles of incorporation of such corporations, or the constitution or bylaws
of said corporations, and in specific conformance with exempt
organizations described in Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.
1.3.2 Up-to-date copies of the Bylaws and Policies of the Board shall be maintained in
the respective files of the Treasurer and the Executive Director of the
Society, and copies of said Bylaws and Policies (or list of its
revisions) shall be sent to each chapter secretary or chapter president each year.
2.0 FISCAL & MEMBERSHIP YEARS & DUES
2.1 FISCAL & MEMBERSHIP YEARS
2.1.1 The fiscal year of the Society shall begin on September 1 of each
year and shall end on August 31 of the following year.
2.1.2 Dues for all classes of membership in the Society shall be for a calendar year period
beginning January of each year and extending to the next following
December 31 for the year for which the dues are paid.
2.1.3 All membership dues are to be paid on the basis of the annual period so stated and are due
and payable on or before the 15th day of November immediately
proceeding the year for which the membership is issued or renewed.
2.1.4 Members who renew at the ANNUAL (REGULAR) rate and with the dues
payments postmarked after November 15 of each year will not receive the
January issue of journal ARS. Additionally, members who renew with dues
payments postmarked after March 1 will not receive the April issue of
the Journal ARS. Members who wish to receive these issues may obtain
them, if available, from Executive Director at the current price.
COMMERCIAL, SUSTAINING, AND SPONSORING members receive all four
issues of Journal ARS regardless of the date of renewal.
2.1.5 New members joining after July 8 for the next membership year shall be included in
the bulk mailing of the Fall Journal ARS.
2.2 MEMBERSHIP CLASSES, DUES AND BENEFITS
2.2.1 The Board of Directors shall annually review the dues for all classes of membership.
Any board member wishing to initiate a change in the dues structure
should submit the same to the Budget and Finance Committee at least 90
days prior to the board meeting at which it may be considered.
2.2.2 All dues are deductible for U.S. Internal Revenue Service income tax purposes to
the full extent of the law as defined in applicable provisions of the I.R.S. code.
2.2.3 Membership in the ANNUAL (REGULAR), COMMERCIAL, or LIFE class entitles the holders
thereof to votes equal to the names enumerated in the Society’s membership roster in meetings or
elections of the Society. SUSTAINING and SPONSORING memberships issued in the names of two persons
at the same address, entitle the holders thereof to two votes in meetings or elections of the Society.
2.2.4 The Policies of the Board will establish the privileges of and
annual dues for each of the seven categories of membership created by
the Bylaws (Bylaws: Article II, Section B).
2.2.4.1 ANNUAL/(REGULAR) Membership
Benefits: One copy of Journal ARS,
Participation in Seed Exchange,
Members’ discounts on
books,
Participation in chapter of choice.
Dues: Full year $40
18-Month $40
15-Month $40
The chapter is to retain or be remitted $10 from the dues for:
ANNUAL (REGULAR), COMMERCIAL and LIFE memberships.
Membership applications received directly by the Executive Director from areas where there is a
chapter or chapters, shall be assigned to the nearest appropriate
chapter, unless a chapter is specified in the application or the member
wishes to be a non-chapter member. In the case of non-chapter
members, the Society retains the full fee.
18-month Membership, available to new members only, joining after April 1 and before July 8.
Benefits are same as for an ANNUAL/ (REGULAR), except that 18-month
memberships include a bonus summer and fall JOURNAL ARS for the
year preceding the membership year.
15-month Membership, available to new members only, joining after July 8 and before October
8. Benefits are same as for an ANNUAL/(REGULAR), except 15-month
memberships include only a bonus fall JOURNAL ARS for the year
preceding the membership year.
2.2.4.2 COMMERCIAL or CORPORATE Membership
Benefits: Same as ANNUAL/(REGULAR) Membership, plus, Annual listing in Journal ARS,
Growers and Nurserymen receive Free full-page ad at rhododendron.org
Discount (5 percent) from current rates for advertising in Journal ARS
Dues: $90 annually; chapter portion same as for ANNUAL/(REGULAR) Membership.
2.2.4.3 SUSTAINING Membership
Benefits: Same as ANNUAL/(REGULAR) Membership.
Dues: $75 annually; chapter portion $12
2.2.4.4 SPONSORING Membership
Benefits: Same as ANNUAL/(REGULAR) Membership.
Members receive an annual special gift as an expression of appreciation for this tier of donation.
Dues: $150 annually; chapter portion $14
2.2.4.5 LIFE Membership
Benefits: Same as ANNUAL/(REGULAR) Membership
Dues: SINGLE MEMBERSHIP $1000, which may be paid as one lump sum or over a three year period in
one increment of $400 and two of $300. FAMILY MEMBERSHIP: $1,500
which may be paid as one lump or over a three year period in equal
increments of $500 each. Upon receipt of $1000 or $1,500, or the first
incremental payment, the name of such member shall be carried upon the
membership rolls of the Society for the lifetime of said
LIFE member. In the event either of the second or third yearly payment is not timely made,
the member's name shall be removed from the lifetime member roll.
LIFE membership shall be issued in the name of one person only and shall be terminated by the
death of the person (s).
LIFE Membership dues shall be placed in a separate fund and invested. To provide
income for supporting the cost of life memberships, the following spending formula will be
used: 3 percent X the three year final market value of the Life Fund account (as of August 31 of
each year). This amount(less the $10 chapter portion) shall annually be transferred to the
General Fund. For LIFE Memberships received after July 1, 1984, the member's chapter
shall annually be credited an amount equal to the chapter's portion of a one-year
ANNUAL/(REGULAR) Membership. When a LIFE member dies, the principal of that
membership shall remain in the Life Membership Fund.
2.2.4.6 HONORARY Membership
Benefits: Same as ANNUAL/(REGULAR) Membership
Dues: None
HONORARY Membership may be granted to any individual deemed qualified by a
majority of the Board of Directors of the Society, for the life of the
grantee, or until such time as the membership shall be terminated for
reasons considered sufficient by a two-thirds vote of the Board.
The Board may continue Society membership for the spouse of a deceased
honorary member by waiving further payment of dues by said spouse.
Such waiver does not confer the status of honorary member on the
surviving spouse. HONORARY Membership in a chapter may be granted
by the governing body of the chapter, provided that the chapter either
remits to the Society the LIFE Membership dues, or commits to pay
annual dues for the life of the HONORARY Member.
2.2.4.7 ASSOCIATE Membership
Benefits: All benefits accorded by a chapter to its members, but no
additional benefits, participation or voting rights in the affairs of the Society.
Dues: Same as chapter portion of ANNUAL/(REGULAR) Membership.
Any chapter member in good standing in the Society may become an ASSOCIATE Member of another
chapter of the Society, by payment to the chapter of an amount equal to
the chapter portion of ANNUAL/(REGULAR) Membership dues. ASSOCIATE
members do not receive additional copies of Society publications.
2.2.4.8 STUDENT Membership (individuals under 25 years of age)
Benefits: All benefits accorded by a chapter to its members, except hard copy of JOURNAL.
Dues: $10 with $5 to chapter
2.2.4.9 ELECTRONIC AFFILIATE Membership
Benefits: To be determined
Dues: To be determined.
2.3 OVERSEAS AIRMAIL DELIVERY OF JOURNAL ARS
Special arrangements can be made for overseas airmail delivery of JOURNAL ARS by paying a
yearly fee in addition to dues. The fee varies according to
destination and shall be set yearly by the Executive Director so that
all additional costs to the Society which arise from this service are covered.
Currently: Latin America - $20.00; Europe - $25.00; Far East - $30.00
3.0 ORGANIZATION
3.1 CHAPTERS
Article III of the Bylaws covers the definition of a chapter of the Society, the method of
formation of a chapter, the obligations of chapters and the limitation
of chapter powers. The same article also provides for withdrawal
of chapter charters in certain specific instances. The following
policies with regard to chapters have been adopted by the Board.
3.1.1 Names of Chapters
The Board will approve a name for a proposed chapter which does not conflict with the name of an
already existing chapter. Names preferably should be narrowly
descriptive or locally geographic in nature.
3.1.2 Consult Existing Chapters
The Executive Director shall immediately inform the chapter president and secretary if members
of an existing chapter desire to form a new chapter. No action
will be taken until the comments from the officers of the affected
chapter have been received and evaluated by the Board. The
affected chapter must mail any comments to the president of the Society
within forty-five days after being notified by the Executive Director.
Decisions of the Board with regard to names of chapters and approval of
charters are final and binding.
3.1.3 Limitations on privileges of chapter guests
In accordance with the educational nature of the Society and its stated purposes of encouraging
culture and increasing understanding and interest in Rhododendrons and
Azaleas, the Board makes the following recommendations to the chapters:
3.1.3.1 All activities of the chapters such as programs, shows, tours, study groups,
etc. should be available to members and non-members alike.
3.1.3.2 Chapters may, at their discretion, send meeting notices and other local
publications to non- members.
3.1.3.3 When chapters sponsor regional or annual meetings of the Society, such events
should be open to members and non members alike, provided that required fees are paid.
3.1.3.4 For the services provided to non-members, the chapter should charge fees that more than
provide for the associated costs.
3.1.3.5 Individuals or organizations provided with these services or courtesies are not to
be considered chapter or Society members, but may be designated as
guests of the chapter, without vote or other privileges of the Society
or chapter membership.
3.1.3.6 It is the intention of the Board that the involvement of guests in our activities
will motivate and stimulate them to seek full active membership in a
chapter of the Society.
3.1.3.7 DELETED BY BOARD ACTION October 23, 2009.
3.1.3.8 AFFILIATES a chapter of the Society located in a country other than the United
States, may establish such a class of participants for its persons who
have no interest in, or use for, the JOURNAL ARS or the Seed Exchange.
Those persons may become AFFILIATES of the
chapter and are not required to join the Society. They do not receive
JOURNAL ARS or the Seed Exchange Booklet. AFFILIATES are not
permitted to purchase seed from the exchange unless they contribute
seed. AFFILIATES (or non – ARS members by any other name) are not
permitted to hold office in the Society or in the local chapter.
3.1.4 Remitting Dues for Members of a Proposed Chapter
Dues to be remitted with the petition for a chapter charter shall be based on the amounts
specified for Society chapters in Section 2.2 of the Policies of the
Board. If the charter is denied by the Board, the portion of
dues previously retained by the proposed chapter shall be remitted to the Society.
3.1.5 Chapter Newsletter Distribution
The Board of Directors has asked that each chapter mail their newsletter (or other correspondence
relating to chapter activities) to the district director, the alternate
district director, the regional vice-presidents, the Society's
president, the executive director, the Journal ARS editor, editor
of R and A News and the Electronic Newsletter Committee Chairman.
3.1.6 Quoting Society Publications
Chapters are reminded that reprinting articles or excerpts from the Journal ARS or
Rhododendron and Azalea News requires permission from the author or
photographer. Before republication, including placement on web
sites, Chapters must confirm with the editor of JARS or R and A News,
whichever applies, that the author or photographer has granted
permission for such publication. The author's or photographer’s
permission must be obtained directly by the chapter wishing to utilize
such material in instances where permission is not on file with the
editor. All quotations shall credit the originating publication
and author or photographer.
3.2 DISTRICTS AND REGIONS
The Board of Directors has established the following grouping of chapters into districts and
regions: (See the APPENDIX for the current listing.)
4.0 THE OFFICERS
4.1 OFFICERS' EXPENSES
4.1.1 For the purposes of this section, the officers consist of the
President, the Immediate Past President, the Regional Vice Presidents,
the Treasurer, the Secretary (only if not holding the position of
executive director) and the Director at Large.
4.1.2 Officers are encouraged and expected to attend meetings and other
activities of the Society, districts and chapters. The purpose of
such attendance is to glean ideas from members and leaders at all levels
regarding the officers' responsibilities, meet potential leaders and
communicate at all levels of the Society. Expenses associated with
these activities are considered by the Society to be tax deductible and
reimbursable at cost within the limitations of the IRS codes and
regulations. These expenses are as follows:
4.1.2.1 Travel for the activities above, tourist class airfare at cost,
or auto mileage up to 2,000 miles round trip at the rate approved by the
IRS for charitable contributions of automobile use.
4.1.2.2 Lodging, meals and incidentals for overnight stays at the activity - actual cost for
the length of the activity only, but not to exceed the IRS approved rate.
4.1.2.3 Other expenses appropriate to the duties of the officers, such as long-distance
telephone calls, postage, copying, etc. are considered reimbursable at actual cost.
4.1.2.4 Documentation for reimbursement must be submitted to the Executive
Director in the detail required by the IRS regulations, and within the
fiscal year that the expense is incurred. Each of the officers is
limited to receiving not more than one-seventh of the amount that has
been budgeted for officers' expenses.
4.2 THE OFFICERS AS A GROUP (Bylaws: Article V, Sections A & B)
4.2.1 Are the President, the Regional Vice-Presidents, the Secretary and the Treasurer.
4.2.2 Their term of office shall commence at adjournment of the annual meeting and continue
for two years.
4.2.3 They may only perform duties and acts permitted by the Oregon Statutes pertaining to
corporate officers and directors, and not-for-profit corporations, and
the Society's articles of incorporation and its bylaws and policies.
4.2.4 Removal from office
4.2.4.1 Upon written request of any three (3) members of the Board to the Executive Director,
an action for removal from office shall be brought to the next regular
meeting for its deliberation and decision.
4.2.4.2 The Board of Directors may remove any officer at any time, with or without cause.
4.2.4.3 Copies of the written removal requests shall be forwarded to the officer in
question at least 30 days prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting
of the Board to afford the officer an opportunity to speak in his own
defense or discreetly resign from office without prejudice. For
involuntary removal from office, three-quarters of the membership of the
Board must vote in favor of the action.
4.3 THE PRESIDENT (Bylaws: Article V, Section C 1)
4.3.1 Presides at all meetings of the Society, the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.
4.3.2 May call special meetings of the Board and/or Executive Committee.
4.3.3 DELETED BY BOARD ACTION ON 11/10/95
4.3.4 DELETED BY BOARD ACTION ON 11/10/95
4.3.5 Seeks advice from committee chairmen and consulting officers on committee appointments.
4.3.6 Receives agenda proposals for board meetings from any member wishing to make same.
4.3.7 Encourages all committees to have working sessions at the same time or preceding the
regular meetings of the Board.
4.3.8 Nominates two trustees annually by March 13 from the general
membership of the Society
for terms of three years each to the Rhododendron Research Foundation.
Similarly nominates successors in the event of vacancy as provided for in the Trust Agreement.
4.3.9 Appoints the two foreign members of the review panel for the Pioneer Achievement Award.
4.3.10 Chooses one member of the Search Committee for compensated members.
4.3.11 Directs the awards program through the appointment of a chairman and the regional chairmen.
4.3.12 Appoints the Nominating Committee by January 15 of the year following assumption of office.
4.3.13 Appoints the registrar of plant names.
4.3.14 Encourages the enrollment of new members.
4.3.15 Furthers all of the objectives of the Society.
4.3.16 Makes himself available to chapters and districts seeking his leadership or
participation in meetings and conferences.
4.3.17 Presents an annual accounting of the state of the Society to the membership at each
annual meeting of the Society.
4.3.18 DELETED BY BOARD ACTION ON 10/29/93
4.3.19 Reports to each board of directors meeting activity of the Executive Committee in
the interim since the preceding board meeting.
4.4 THE REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS (Bylaws: Article V, Section C 3)
4.4.1 Works closely with the President and the district directors within his region.
4.4.2 Informs the district directors of the happenings within his region.
4.4.3 Suggests improvements for the promotion of the Society.
4.4.4 Coordinates any Society activities that occur in his region.
4.4.5 Meets with the district directors on a regular basis.
4.4.6 Helps represent district concerns and comments to the Board, Executive Committee and the President.
4.4.7 Acts as liaison for the Society with chapter(s) hosting a regional meeting or convention of the Society.
4.4.8 Shall give every possible assistance to any district when called
upon by the district director or chapter president within such district.
4.4.9 Additional Responsibilities of Senior Vice President (Bylaws: Article V, Section C2)
4.4.9.1 Shall perform the duties of the President in his absence or if the President
is unable/unwilling to perform the duties of office.
4.4.9.2 Shall be the President designate. When he is elected President, the Regional Vice President
of an alternate region becomes the Senior Vice President.
4.5 THE TREASURER (Bylaws: Article V, Section C 4)
4.5.1 Is responsible for the accounting of all monies of the Society.
4.5.2 Monitors receipts and disbursements.
4.5.3 Makes disbursements under the Board's directions.
4.5.4 Payment orders shall be signed by the Treasurer and/or other officers determined by the Board.
4.5.5 Manages short term monies to maximize the return on current balance. Is chairman of
the Long Term Investment Committee, and makes long term investments as determined by the Committee. Long term funds consist of the
Endowment Fund, the Life Member Fund, surplus above general funds budgeted within a given fiscal year and any other monies so designated
by the Board of Directors.
4.5.6 Is a member of
the Budget and Finance Committee, the Long Range Planning Committee and
any other committee of the Society the actions of which might impact the budget.
4.5.7 Prepares and
files the annual report required by the Internal Revenue Service to
maintain the Society's group exemption under Section 501 (c) (3) of the IRS code.
4.5.8 Files any other reports required by federal, state or local governments.
4.5.9 Ascertains that the Society is adequately covered by proper liability and property insurance.
4.5.10 Keeps in force in adequate amounts the fidelity bonds specified
by the Board for various employees of the Society.
4.5.11 Assists in the annual audit or review of the Society's financial statements, presents
and interprets them to the Board and JOURNAL ARS for their publication.
4.5.12 Assures that only the income generated by the Endowment Fund of
the Society is available for expenditure by the Board, pursuant
to POB 12.3.1 and 12.3.2
4.5.13 Advises the Board of those steps necessary to assure appropriate accounting controls
within the resources of the Society.
4.5.14 Oversees movement of the investment income from the Endowment Fund to the general
fund at the end of each fiscal year.
4.5.15 Maintains up-to-date copies of the Policies of the Board.
4.5.16 Maintains life-membership funds in a separate account, which generates the chapter
portion of the annual dues for life members. (P.O.B. Sec. 2.2.4.5)
4.5.17 Makes long
term investments in instruments other than bank accounts (P.O.B. 9.23.1), as directed by the Long Term Investment Committee.
4.6 THE SECRETARY (Bylaws: Article V, Section C 5)
4.6.1 Serves on the Executive Committee of the Board. (Bylaws Article VI, Section F)
4.6.2 Gives notice of Board Meetings to all board members, stating time
and place of meetings, not less than 30 days prior to the meeting. (POB 11.3)
4.6.3 In consultation with the President and the Executive Director,
prepares an agenda for the board meeting and distributes copies to all
board members and committee chairs not less than two weeks prior to the
meeting and sees to its placement on the office web site. (POB 11.3)
4.6.4 Keeps appropriate minutes and a true record of all votes cast at
meetings of the Society, of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee.
4.6.5 Distributes minutes of each Board and Executive Committee meeting to the members of
the Board and for placement on the Society office website. The minutes
for Society Awards and other matters of executive sessions shall not be placed on the website.
4.6.6 Deleted by the actions of the Board Sept. 20, 2012
4.6.7 Deleted by the actions of the Board Sept. 20, 2012
4.6.8 Receives amendments to the Bylaws proposed by a board member, by majority vote of
a chapter, or by petition of 30 members. (Bylaws: Art. XI, Sec. A)
4.6.8.1 Transmits proposed amendments to the Chairman of the Bylaws and policies Committee for
presentation and recommendation at the next Board meeting
4.6.9 Assists the
President by advising him of the terms of office for officers and
director-at-large and alternate director-at-large prior to his
appointing a nominating committee. (POB 4.3.12)
4.6.10 Receives nominations for officers proposed by majority vote of a
membership meeting. Receives nominations for officers proposed by
petition of 5% of the members or by 250 members (whichever is greater)
by December 31 of the year prior to the election year for officers.
(Bylaws: Article VIII, Section D).
4.6.10.1 Transmits nominations to the Chairman of the Nominating Committee for action by that Committee.
4.6.11 All notices and transmittals made or required of the Secretary may be by either mail or electronically.
5.0 THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AS A WHOLE
5.1 MEMBERSHIP - Membership consists of the officers, elected
district directors, the Director-at-Large and the
Immediate-Past-President of the Society. (Bylaws: Article VI, Section B)
5.1.1 In the event neither the director or alternate from any district is able to attend a
Board meeting, the presidents in such district may, by majority vote,
designate an alternate to represent said district at that Board meeting.
The chapter presidents in any district exercising this option must
present a letter, signed by at least one of them, certifying this
provision has been followed and the designate named. The
certification letter must be physically delivered to the Society Board
before its meeting commences, and the Board shall, before conducting any
other business, review and determine the validity of the designation.
If the certification is accepted, the designate shall have the same
power, at that meeting only, as the regularly elected director.
5.2 THE IMMEDIATE-PAST-PRESIDENT - Is a full voting
member of the Board. He lends his talents and experience to the officers
and directors at board meetings, and may serve on committees and be
elected to another office by the Board.
5.3 MEETINGS - The Board shall meet at least twice yearly on call of
the President or any five directors. (Bylaws: Article VI, Section D)
Written notice of meeting is sent to board members, electronically with
verification or by mail, 30 days prior to the meeting by the Secretary.
The agenda shall be sent well in advance of the meeting date, two weeks
at the minimum. (P.O.B. Sec. 11.3.)
5.4 QUORUM – Two-thirds of the Board membership shall constitute a
quorum for the transaction of business. (Bylaws: Article VI, Section E 1)
5.5 RULES OF MEETINGS - All meetings shall be conducted in accordance
with Robert's Rules of Order. (Bylaws: Article VI, Section E 4)
5.6 AUTHORIZES COMPENSATED INDIVIDUALS - The Board authorizes the engagement,
termination, compensation and allowances of all staff and officers.
5.7 WRITTEN RECORD RE: COMPENSATED INDIVIDUALS - The Board maintains a written
record listing the executive offices to which appointments are made; the
qualifications, duties, responsibilities, compensation, allowances,
name and date and terms of engagement; and requires bonding of each
person expected to handle $1000 or more of funds owned or in trust by the Society.
5.8 UNASSIGNED
5.9 CONFLICTS OF INTEREST -- Deleted by Board action at May, 2015 meeting.
5.10 ANTI-HARASSMENT AND DISCRIMINATION -- Deleted by Board action at May, 2015 meeting.
5.11 WHISTLEBLOWER PROCEDURE -- Deleted by Board action at May, 2015 meeting.
6.0 THE ELECTED DIRECTORS AND ALTERNATES
6.1 THE DISTRICT DIRECTORS AND ALTERNATES (Bylaws: Article VII, Sections A & B)
6.1.1 Promote the purposes and objectives of the Society.
6.1.2 Assist in obtaining new members. Each district director and alternate should be
available to carry on at the district level whatever methods of
achieving this goal are recommended by the Publicity & Public Relations
Committee and the Membership and Chapter Development Committee. (POB 9.26 & 9.27)
6.1.3 Support the Registrar in registration of plant names.
6.1.4 Act as liaison between the region and the chapter presidents in his district.
6.1.5 Confer with chapter presidents and the chapters' boards of directors on a regular
basis (at least once yearly).
6.1.5.1 It is
recommended that the district director and/or alternate attend the
regular meetings of each chapter in the district as often as possible,
but at least once every year.
6.1.5.2 The district director should call meetings of the chapter presidents and
vice-presidents in the district at the beginning of his/her term of
office, and prior to each meeting of the Society's board, to assure each
chapter an opportunity to voice its position on the agenda for the Board
meeting. Alternatively, the district director and/or alternate should
attend a chapter board meeting of each chapter of the district at least once every year.
6.1.6 Confer with the Regional Vice President regarding his/her liaison functions and district activities.
6.1.7 Familiarize himself with interests and activities of the chapters' memberships. Each
director shall prepare a report of district activities, projects, etc.
for possible inclusion in Journal ARS.
6.1.7.1 The Board of Directors has asked that each chapter mail their newsletter (or other
correspondence relating to chapter activities) to their district
director and alternate district director (P.O.B. Sec. 3.1.5).
6.1.8 Help coordinate Society activities within the district.
6.1.9 Communicate the needs and concerns of his district constituents to the Regional Vice
President and the Board of Directors. All agenda reports shall be
limited to items or issues which require consideration, discussion or
action by the Board of Directors.
6.1.10 Inform the chapters of pending and completed actions of the Board via the minutes
of the Board and/or a personal newsletter.
6.1.10.1 In addition to verbal communication at chapter meetings, the district director
and/or alternate should forward minutes of the Board meetings to each
chapter president in the district. They should also issue a
newsletter to each chapter president on a regular basis (quarterly or
semi-annually), summarizing matters pending before the Society's board
and sharing ideas gleaned from individual chapters (programs, available
speakers, fund-raising, etc.). Copies of all district director
newsletters should also be mailed to the Executive Director, the
President, and the Regional Vice-Presidents.
6.1.11 Help identify potential leaders for future service to the Society.
6.1.12 Serve on committee(s) of the Society as time and talents permit; and represent
such committee(s) to the Board in absence of the chairperson.
6.1.13 Arranges with the Executive Director for a representative to attend a Board
meeting if the director and the alternate are unable to attend.
6.1.14 Instigates convening of district nominating committees. By October 1 of the
year prior to a district election, the district director initiates a
conference of the chapter presidents in said district for the purpose of
nominating the candidate(s) for the next district director and the
alternate. The incumbent director does not serve on the nominating
committee, but does ascertain that the chair of this committee rotates
every three years to a different chapter president in a manner agreed to
by the presidents of their chapters.
6.1.15 Assist in and supervise rating and plant award programs at the chapter level.
6.1.16 The reimbursing of a district director's out-of-pocket expenses incurred in
the performance of his/her duties is the responsibility of the chapters
in that director's district. The Board urges the chapters to
provide at least partial reimbursement of such expenses by special
assessments, contributions, use of net proceeds from district meetings,
and/or other means.
6.2 THE DIRECTOR AT LARGE AND ALTERNATE (Bylaws: Article VII, Section C)
6.2.1 The Director-at-Large shall represent the concerns and interests of
non-chapter members. He shall use suitable means to establish
communications with those members; shall attempt to involve such members
in chapter activities whenever possible, and help motivate formation of
new chapters wherever potential membership exists in non-chapter areas.
6.2.2 In addition to representing non-chapter members, the Director-at-Large shall represent
any chapter that does not easily fit into an established district
because of that chapter's geographical location. Currently the Scottish,
Dutch, J. D. Hooker, Danish, Swedish and Finnish Chapters are represented by the Director-at-large.
7.0 ELECTIONS
7.1 LIMIT ON NUMBER OF TERMS OF OFFICE. (Bylaws: Article IX, Section C)
No officer, district director or director-at-large shall serve more than two consecutive
terms in the same office unless specific exemptions are made by the Board.
7.2 DURATION AND COMMENCEMENT OF TERMS.
7.2.1 Officers: two years beginning at adjournment of annual meeting. (Bylaws: Article V, Section A)
7.2.2 District Directors, director-at-large and alternates: three years beginning at
adjournment of annual meeting. (Bylaws: Article VI, Section C)
7.2.2.1 Sequence of district elections: As now practiced, elections in year 1 are held by
Districts 3, 6, 11, and 12; in year 2 by Districts 4, 5, 8 and 9; and in
year 3 by Districts 1, 2, 7 and 10.
7.3 ELECTORS. (Bylaws: Article IX, Sections A & B)
7.3.1 The officers are elected biennially by the Board.
7.3.2 The director-at-large and the director-at-large alternate are elected triennially by the Board.
7.3.3 The district directors and their alternates are elected by the full members of each district.
7.4 THE ELECTION PROCESS. (Bylaws: Article IX)
7.4.1 For officers, director-at-large and alternate director-at-large. (Bylaws: Art. IX, Sec. D)
7.4.1.1 The President, by January 15 of the year following assumption of office, shall appoint a
nominating committee chaired by a past president and four other members,
each from a separate district and at least one from each region.
7.4.1.2 The Nominating Committee presents its report to the Board at the next board meeting
before the next annual meeting of the membership. One or more
candidates shall be proposed for each office or director-at-large and the alternate.
7.4.1.3 Petitions for nominees may be submitted by twenty five or more members or by any
chapter, and must be delivered to the Nominations chairman by no later
than ten days prior to the fall board meeting in the year of election.
Any nominees proposed by petition of the membership shall be included in
the chairman's fall report to the Board. Notice of this
procedure and the offices to be voted on that fall shall be published
annually in the spring issue of Journal ARS.
7.4.1.4 The Secretary or
designate sends a ballot, listing all nominees, to the Board by 30 days
after the fall Board meeting in the year preceding installation of
officers, and Director at Large/Alternate, or December 1 of the same
year, whichever date comes sooner. Ballots shall be returned to
the Secretary or designate no later than December 31 and any ballots
received after that date shall not be counted. For members having
the necessary equipment, ballots may be sent and returned
electronically. Postal mail shall be used for those who do not
have such equipment.
7.4.2 For district directors and their alternates. (Bylaws: Article IX, Section E)
7.4.2.1 District director convenes District Nominating Committee (P.O.B. Sec. 6.1.14) by October 1
of year preceding the election.
7.4.2.2 The Executive
Director of the Society requests the chapter presidents in districts
holding elections to submit the names and biographies of all nominees by
November 1 of the year prior to the election. (In the case of a
vacancy in office, as soon after the vacancy as possible.)
7.4.2.3 The Executive
Director transmits the names and biographies of the candidates to the
Editor for publication in the winter issue prior to the election.
7.4.2.4 If there is no contest for the position of director or alternate in a District, the
Executive Director declares the lone candidate elected as further
described below. In those cases where a position is contested, the
Executive Director sends ballots for the contested position to all full
members of the Society in the district where the contest is taking place
by February 15 of the election year, with a return date of April 1.
7.4.3 Certification of Votes by Executive Director. (Bylaws: Article IX, Section F)
7.4.3.1 The votes are counted by the Executive Director (or the Executive Director's designee).
7.4.3.2 In contested positions, a plurality of votes is required. The Executive Director is
authorized to certify the election on April 1.
7.4.3.3 In the event of a tie, a plurality of the Board of Directors as a group decides the winner.
8.0 STAFF
8.1 STAFF EXPENSES
8.1.1 Reasonable expenses of compensated individuals incurred in carrying out their duties for the
Society shall be reimbursed including travel, meals and lodging in
conjunction with the annual meeting of the Society and meetings of the Board of Directors.
8.1.2 Prior to reimbursement, compensated individuals shall submit documentation to the Executive
Director in the detail required by the then current Internal Revenue
Service regulations. Expenses reimbursed to the Executive Director shall be approved by the Treasurer in advance.
8.2 THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
8.2.1 May be engaged by the Board of Directors for the Society. The
remuneration for
this position shall be reviewed annually by the Board. (Bylaws: Art V, Sec 1)
8.2.2 Administers the daily and general business activities and projects of the Society,
manages the offices or headquarters of the Society and is responsible
for other duties assigned by the Board. (Bylaws: Art V, Sec 1)
8.2.3 Prepares all checks to pay routine or approved obligations of the Society.
Either the Executive Director, the Treasurer, or the President may
individually sign any check for the Society in the amount of $500 or
less. Checks in excess of $500 must be signed by any two of the
following; President, Treasurer and Executive Director. If two signature checks are
impractical or not possible, postal or electronic written approval by one of the
second named parties is required before any such checks are delivered to the payee.
8.2.4 Maintains an administrative website of the Society, including passwords protecting
members privacy, for access by officers of the chapters to their
membership information. Other items not involving privacy such as Board
Policies and Society Bylaws shall be carried on that site without
password protection. Appropriate information and updates will be
provided to the Society Webmaster to facilitate these entries
8.2.5 Facilitates an open forum at all conferences with a Board meeting in order to provide
information and interchange with members concerning Society function and
other matters of general interest.
8.2.6 Cooperates with chapters, Society committees and board members in
encouraging new and maintaining current memberships. (POB Sec. 9.26 & 9.27)
8.2.7 Receives and records the names and addresses of all current members, and maintains a
list of life members. Prepares the mailing labels for the distribution
of the quarterly Journal ARS.
8.2.8 Promptly after
every Board meeting, with the guidance of the Bylaws and policies
Committee Chairman, maintains, updates and communicates updated copies of
the Bylaws and of the Policies of the Board, or a list of revisions as
approved to the Board and to the chapters. Also sees to placement of the
updated version on the ARS website. (POB Sec 1.3 and Bylaws Art X1).
8.2.9 Receives requests from board members for removal of officers and brings same
before the next regular Board meeting. (Bylaw Art V Sec J. - POB 4.2.4.)
8.2.10 Receives all funds due the Society from committees, chapters and other sources, and
deposits them promptly to the appropriate account
8.2.10.1 Annually, prepares a list of the individual donors to the Society for inclusion in
the spring issue of the Journal ARS.
8.2.11 Receives requests for reimbursement of expenses from officers and employees and
honors them in accordance with the policies of the Board. (POB 4.1 & 8.1.)
8.2.12 Keeps a list of qualifications for each compensated position in the Society. (POB Sec. 8.4.3)
8.2.13 Reminds the district directors to convene by October 1 the District Nominating
Committee (all district chapter presidents) for district director and
district director alternate in a regular three year sequence of
districts holding elections (POB Sec. 6.1.14).
8.2.14 Requests names and biographies of the district nominating committee's candidates
for district director and district director alternate by November 1 of
the year prior to elections. Transmits the information to the
Editor for publication in the winter issue of Journal ARS prior
to the election. (POB Sec. 7.4.2.2)
8.2.15 Distributes ballots on or before February 15 to all full members of the Society in
the districts holding elections with a return date of April 1. (POB Sec. 7.4.2.4)
8.2.16 Assists a district director or his alternate to appoint a representative for his
district in the case of their absence at a Board meeting. (POB Sec. 6.1.13)
8.2.17 Receives chapter newsletters and other correspondence. Files chapter newsletters
in the Society archives. (POB Sec. 3. 1.5)
8.2.18 Remits chapter portion of dues to the chapters when necessary.
8.2.19 Notifies the chapter president and secretary if members of their chapter wish to form
a new chapter. (POB Sec. 3. 1.2)
8.2.20 Sets additional fee required for overseas airmail delivery of single copies of Journal ARS,
defraying any cost to the Society. (POB 2.3)
8.2.21 Receives requests for use of the Society Membership list. Each request for use of
the Society membership list (other than by Society Chapters) shall be
reviewed by the Executive Director to determine its merit. A
request may be deemed an appropriate use if it is similar to past
approved uses. If, however, the merit of the request is
questionable, the Executive Director may either deny the request or
refer it to the Executive Committee for a ruling. Upon demand by
the requester, denied requests shall be reviewed by the Society's Board
of Directors at their next regular meeting. When a request is
deemed an appropriate use, the Executive Director will notify the
requester, making it clear that the list shall be used only once and
shall not be released. The Executive Director shall report all
label sales approved in the semi-annual report to the Board. The
price charged will be determined by the Executive Director as follows:
8.2.21.1 Sales to Chapters - Periodically the Executive Director will review all costs, in
both materials and time, associated with providing labels and/or
printouts to the chapters. The price shall not exceed the cost.
8.2.21.2 Sales to not-for-profit horticultural-related groups - The price charged will be
equal to the current rate charged to Society chapters plus 20%.
8.2.21.3 Sales to For-Profit Organizations - The price will be set to net a substantial
profit for the Society. Current industry pricing will be taken into
consideration when setting rates. Discounts will be given to
current Society members as follows:
Commercial members 5% discount
Current Journal ARS advertisers 10% discount
8.2.21.4 The formats
offered will be those currently in use by the Society's office.
Special requests that require additional programming and/or materials
will be reviewed by the Executive Director to determine if sufficient
time is available to fill the request. The price charged for
special orders will be substantially higher to take these factors into account.
8.2.22 Manages the advertising and sale of books and publications
8.3 THE EDITOR
8.3.1 The Board of Directors shall engage an Editor of publications for the Society whose
principal responsibility shall be the timely issuance of the quarterly
Journal ARS. The salary shall be reviewed annually by the
Board of Directors.
8.3.2 The Editor, under the general supervision of the Board of Directors and the
Editorial Committee, shall edit all Society publications and cause them
to be published in such a manner and such a place as seems most
efficient and economical for the Society. The Editor shall
endeavor to mail each issue of Journal ARS in a
timely manner and shall solicit material for publication which will be
of interest to the members of the Society and which will add to the
general knowledge of the genus. The Editor is expected to
attend all meetings of the Board of Directors.
8.3.2.1 Copyright Policy - The aim of the American Rhododendron
Society (Society) Copyright Policy is both to encourage the
dissemination of information on rhododendrons and azaleas to the public
in the various media and also to give authors and photographers freedom
to submit their work to media other than the Society media.
The dissemination of information is one of the purposes of the Society, and the Copyright
Policy should reflect this.
A non-exclusive Copyright Policy, whereby authors and photographers retain copyright to their own
work, allows them freedom to submit their work to other media. Because
the Society pays no fee to authors or photographers, the policy should
include this freedom to submit work elsewhere as a measure of fairness.
If the author or photographer submits work to other media in a form
edited by the Society for any of its publications, printed or
electronic, credit should be given to the Society.
The Society will request of its authors and photographers written permission to publish their
work in the quarterly Journal ARS; on any of the Society
websites; as printed materials individually or in anthologies or similar
collections of work published by the Society, including Society chapter
newsletters; and on compact disks (CDs) or in other digitized formats
published by the Society.
Requests from other print or electronic media to reproduce article or photographs published by the
Society should be handled on a case-by-case basis. Permission both from
the Society and the author/photographer is required.
8.3.3 The Editor shall solicit mutual exchange of advertisements-for-members, between the
Society and similar plant and horticultural societies. Such agreements
should be for a one (1) year period and be evaluated annually.
8.3.4 The Editor shall include in each issue of the quarterly journal of the
Society, a listing of all Society publications on hand for sale or
distribution and the sale-cost per copy or quantity purchase price.
8.3.5 Plant awards as approved by the Board from time to time shall be published in the
journal of the Society on a timely basis.
8.3.6 The Editor shall be responsible for responding to advertising inquiries and accepting those
ads that are suitable for the Society's publications. No plant
prices shall be quoted in advertisements appearing in the quarterly journal.
8.3.7 The Editor shall establish, in cooperation with the President, a jury of technical
reviewers, and shall have proposed articles about plants and their
culture reviewed for technical adequacy before acceptance for
publication. The Registrar will be one of the technical reviewers.
8.3.8 The Editor shall review advertising rates and policies from time to time with the
Editorial Committee. Committee recommendations regarding ad rate or ad
policy changes shall be presented to the Board of Directors for their approval.
8.3.9 The Editor is an ex officio member of the Budget and Finance Committee of the Board.
The Editor shall prepare an annual Journal ARS budget for
submission to this committee prior to their budget meeting. This
budget must reflect any changes the Editor anticipates regarding
production, postal or other journal related costs.
8.3.10 The Editor is a member of the Editorial Committee of the Society.
8.3.11 The Editor shall publish the names and biographies of all candidates for district
director and district director alternate in the winter issue of the
quarterly journal prior to the election.
8.3.12 The Editor shall receive copies of all informational mailings sent by the chapters,
officers and directors.
8.3.13 The Editor shall publish notice regarding nominations as provided in POB 7.4.1.3.
8.4 VACANCIES IN SALARIED POSITIONS
8.4.1 Salaried employees of the Society should, if possible, give six months notice of
intention to resign.
8.4.2 When acute situations arise, the President, in consultation with the Executive
Committee, can appoint a pro tem person to fill the void until a permanent employee can be found.
Prior salaried personnel might be the most appropriate for such short term emergencies.
8.4.3 The Executive Director keeps a list of the ideal qualifications for each salaried
position, readily available for guidance of the search committees and for publication.
8.4.4 Notification of the vacancy will be made, at least, by publication in the Journal
ARS, independently to each chapter president and to each district
director indicating the nature of the position (salaries, terms of
employment, etc.), the desired qualifications, the deadlines,
appropriate contacts and the mechanism of selection.
8.4.5 The recommended composition of the Search Committee is the Eastern and
Western Vice-Presidents, one member chosen by the Eastern
Vice-President, one member chosen by the Western Vice-President and one
member chosen by the President (a total of five members). The senior
Vice-President should serve as committee chairperson.
8.4.6 Each candidate will be required to submit a résumé and a letter of application and
be available for a personal interview.
8.4.7 The final hiring decision is a function of the Board of Directors regardless of the
committee's recommendations.
9.0 COMMITTEES OF THE SOCIETY
Policies applicable to all committees, except the Executive Committee:
9.0.1 The President, upon assuming office, appoints the committee chairmen who serve during
his term, and at his pleasure.
9.0.2 The President may delegate to the chairman the appointment of the remaining committee
members.
9.0.3 The President may delegate the consultation and guidance of certain committees of the
Society to an officer who will counsel the President regarding those
committees and their membership.
9.0.4 Each committee shall report to each regular Board meeting. Reports shall include
activities in progress, policies proposed, matters reviewed, tasks
completed and recommendations for furthering the committee's purposes.
For those committees handling funds, a financial report shall also be
included.
9.05 Policies proposed by committees must be approved by the Board
9.0.6 Unless otherwise provided for in the policies pertaining to specific
committees, after payment of expenses, any net income earned shall be
transmitted annually to the Society. Proposals for allocating such funds
will be considered by the Board which retains final discretion in these matters.
9.0.7 Minutes, policies, and important correspondence must be maintained for the
guidance of successor committees.
9.0.8 The budget for
each committee's activities shall be submitted to the Budget & Finance
Chairman annually. Committee chairmen are encouraged and expected
to attend meetings and other activities of the Society, districts and
chapters. The purpose of such attendance is to glean ideas from
members and leaders at all levels regarding their committee
responsibilities, meet potential committee members and to personally
communicate with the Board. Expenses associated with the committee
chairmen's activities are considered by the Society to be contributions
within the limitations of the IRS codes and regulations. The
Society, because of fiscal constraints, is only able to reimburse the
chairmen for expenses appropriate to the duties of the chairmen, such as
long distance telephone calls, postage, copying, etc.
9.0.9 The Seed Exchange,
the Registrar of Plant Names and the Program Library Committees are
authorized to open bank accounts and receive monies to those accounts
and to write checks against the accounts. Checks of $500 or less
shall require the signature of the chairman of the committee only.
Checks of amounts greater than $500 shall require the signature of the
chairman and of one of the officers of the Society, or postal or
electronic written approval of an officer before such checks are
delivered to the payee if two signatures are impractical or not
possible. The chairman shall select the officer and make the
arrangements necessary to comply with this provision.
9.1 AWARDS COMMITTEE
Helps to improve the
quality of available rhododendron and azalea plants by identifying new
superior plants, hybrid and species, and publicizing them, thereby
encouraging their propagation and distribution. Seeks to obtain
wider utilization and popularization of rhododendrons for general garden
use in varying climatic conditions. In accordance with these
purposes, the committee shall administer two different programs as set
forth herein.
9.1.1 A procedure for
designation of specific clones as recipient of Conditional Award (C.A.),
Award of Excellence (A. E.) and Superior Plant Award (S. P. A.).
The specifics for this program are outlined in the Quarterly Bulletin of
the ARS, Volume 31, Number 2, Spring, 1977, and in a publication titled
"Plant Awards Program 1987" and are to be followed by the committee.
Any changes to the program must be submitted to the Board for approval
before being implemented.
9.1.2 A program titled
"Rhododendron of the Year" for each of the following regions of the
Society Districts/Chapters: Northwest - Districts 1,2,3,4 and
California, De Anza, Eureka, Monterey, and Noyo; Northeast – Districts
6, 7, 8, and 12; Mid-Atlantic – District 9; Southeastern – District 10;
Midwest – District 11; and Swisher – Hawaii, and Southern California.
Overseas chapters are also welcome to participate in this program, and
may choose to be included in one of the described regions or propose
another region to be incorporated in this policy.
9.1.2.1 Plants designated
as Rhododendron of the Year shall be chosen by the Committee from Proven
Performer lists developed by chapters within a given region or other
sources deemed reliable, and shall be readily available in commerce at
the time the award is announced to the general public. To satisfy
the latter portion of the criteria, the Committee may advise the nursery
trade two or more years in advance of generally publicizing each year’s awards.
9.1.2.2 The committee shall develop a public relations campaign to assure the widest possible
publicity to the general public of the designated plants in advance of
and during optimal garden planting seasons each year. Further, the
committee should seek the assistance of Districts/Chapters to achieve
this goal and any other needs of this program, and Districts/Chapters
shall cooperate therein.
9.2 AZALEA COMMITTEE
The activity of this committee is to be centered around the promotion of evergreen and
deciduous azaleas, recognizing their importance in the genus Rhododendron.
This Azalea Committee will
pursue a multitude of activities, all of which will draw the attention
of the Society's members and the general public to the beauty of, and
the landscaping value of the many azalea species and the diversity of
currently available azalea hybrids. Also, in cooperation with the
Registrar of Plant Names, it will encourage the registration of new
varieties already in the trade but not yet registered.
The Committee will
recommend azalea books suitable for either publication or publication
sponsorship by the Society. They shall provide appropriate
information on all known American azalea hybrids for publication in the
Journal ARS.
The Committee members will
encourage the writing of interesting articles for Journal ARS
about any facet of exploring for, cultivation, hybridizing, propagation,
or landscape use of evergreen and deciduous azaleas.
9.3 BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE
The
Committee, in conjunction with the Treasurer who serves as a committee
member, will procure an audit or review by a certified public accountant
of all accounts of the Society and its various committees on an annual
basis. The Budget and Finance Committee shall make up a
recommended budget for the ensuing year to guide the officers and
employees in their expenditures, to be considered as a guide as it is
realized that unforeseen events may affect the income and necessary
expenses of the Society. The Budget and, Finance Committee shall
notify the Editor well in advance of their budget meeting and request
the Editor provide them with an annual Journal ARS budget for
their information and consideration. The Budget and Finance
Committee should be prepared to advise the Board any time during the
year in case unexpected financial situations develop, and shall make a
report to the Board of Directors upon completion of the audit or review
of the Society accounts.
The Committee shall
advise the Board of Directors, at least one year in advance if possible,
of any anticipated need for an increase in membership dues. This
should be based upon the needs of the Society as a whole taking into
account the pro rata share of dues as outlined in Article II, Section D,
of the current Bylaws. An analysis and recommendation as to any
changes suggested pursuant to POB 2.2.1 shall be included in the
Committee's report to the Board.
The Committee
should annually review the cash flow of the Society for the preceding
five years with the purpose of forming an estimate of the cash flow for
the current and coming year so that "Demand" deposit bank accounts may
be kept at the minimum required balance for adequately meeting the
demands for operating the Society, and such funds in excess thereof
transferred to maximum earning "Time" deposit accounts or similar funds.
Care should be taken that action to maximize income does not result in
counterbalancing service charges incurred because of reduced checking
account balances.
The Committee shall
annually review the requirements for, and amounts of, security-fidelity
bonds, and compliance with State regulations pertaining to Bond-In-Lieu
of Oregon State Unemployment Tax, or an accepted waiver, thereof.
9.3.1 Personnel Subcommittee
A Personnel Committee, which will be a sub-committee of the Budget and
Finance Committee, shall be
appointed by the President. The responsibility of this committee
shall be to determine criteria for consistent and regular evaluation of
paid staff. The Personnel Committee will be responsible for salary
surveys and recommendations for salary each year.
9.4 EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
The Editorial Committee
should meet with the Editor to review Journal ARS production and
make recommendations and provide support for the editor's efforts to
produce for the Society the quality journal desired.
Annually review with the Editor:
9.4.1 Production of the journal of the Society.
9.4.2 Advertising rates.
9.4.3 Policies concerning publication of "In Memoriam Articles".
9.4.4 Policies concerning publication of "Medal Awards".
9.4.5 The balance of various types of articles and news over a period of time.
9.4.6 Use of, or requests by other organizations, plant or similar horticultural
publications to "re-print" articles, etc.
This committee will support the Editor by identifying writers and encouraging them to submit
articles for possible publication. The committee may suggest
topics for future articles and will do whatever possible to assist and
support the Editor in maintaining the quality publication desired.
Members of the committee should be selected from different geographic areas of the
Society membership so that various viewpoints will be represented.
9.5 RECOGNITION AWARDS AND HONORS COMMITTEE
9.5.1 The following awards may be granted as set forth herein: Citation
for Service or Award of Merit, Bronze Medal, Silver Medal, Gold Medal and Pioneer
Achievement Award. Citations for Service or Awards of Merit may be granted by
either the Society or individual chapters. The Bronze Medal may only be granted by
individual chapters of the Society. The Silver and Gold Medals and the Pioneer
Achievement Award are granted only by the Society.
9.5.2 Citation for Service/Award of Merit. These awards may be granted to an
individual, group of persons or organization that would not otherwise qualify for medal
honors. The recipient(s) need not belong to the Society. In chapters, the award may be
initiated as its governing body directs. For the Society, the award may be initiated by
the President or Board of Directors and shall be approved by a majority of the Executive
Committee. The award shall consist of a text briefly describing the reason for it, written
in calligraphic or other appropriate script, and delivered at a suitable ceremony/ meeting.
9.5.3 Bronze Medal. This award is delegated entirely for grant by local chapters
and is initiated as the chapter governing body directs. The engraved
medal, which is a part of the award, must be purchased by the chapters
from the Society. It is awarded for outstanding contributions by
individuals or couples to the chapter, which may include accomplishments
of the recipient(s) outside the chapter consistent with the goals of the
Society. The honoree(s) must be member(s) of the Society.
9.5.4 Honors Committee. There shall be a committee for review and
consideration of Silver and Gold Medal nominations consisting of six members, including
the Charman. The President appoints the Chair, who then appoints the other five
members of the committee. Committee members shall be geographically
representative of the Society membership and knowledgeable of the
Society. Identity of the committee members, other than the Chair, shall
be confidential. The Chair shall not vote on award nominations. The
Chair shall circulate all nominations and supporting data to the
committee, provide other appropriate information to committee members
and otherwise generally facilitate the process in the best interest of
the Society. Deliberations of the committee are confidential.
9.5.5 Petition Process and Content. A recognition award nomination is initiated
by a Society member. Coordination with the appropriate District Director/Director at Large
should occur well in advance of the nomination package being submitted. The Director can
assist in selecting the proposed award level and appropriate timeline. The Director must
forward the nomination to the Honors Committee chair by November 15 of the year preceding
the award year.
Nominations and seconding letters must be
signed by the author(s). If delivered to the Honors Committee Chair
electronically, the same must be in the form of scans showing the signatures.
A nomination shall contain the name, address and chapter affiliation of
the nominee (s), and the names, addresses, Email addresses and telephone numbers of the
proposer(s). It should set forth a detailed listing, including dates where possible, of
nominee(s) accomplishments and contributions, together with suggested citation text not
to exceed 125 words. A minimum of eight and a maximum of twelve supporting letters shall
accompany the nomination to assist in documenting nominee(s) accomplishments rather than
simply focusing on personality. For nominations which have been denied the Chair will
request a new package for resubmission in a subsequent year if it contains new or additional
information not previously considered by the committee. In the event nominations exceeding
the awardable number are deemed worthy by the Honors Committee, the committee may defer
action on the excess for consideration in the next year (together with new nominees).
9.5.6 Silver Medal. This award is granted solely by the Society. The service and impact of
distinctive deeds and contributions of nominee(s) must have occurred in and served primarily in
their district and or region. This is not to negate the fact that all of our efforts benefit
the Society and genus Rhododendron as a whole, but that the greatest and most outstanding efforts
and impacts of the nominee(s) served to benefit a particular geographic area.
9.5.7 The Pioneer Achievement Award, established in 1981, is given for pioneering and original
achievement in the advancement of rhododendrons. It may be given to any person(s), living or dead, from
any country, for outstanding achievements in such areas as: original authorship; development of new plants;
control of diseases or insect pests; revolutionary and innovative methods of breeding, propagation and /or
growing techniques; taxonomic studies; plant exploration; and preserving germ plasma through selection of
species. These achievements shall have withstood a reasonable test of time to assure their lasting
value. Two awards may be given once each year. One award shall be given to a living person and the second shall
be awarded posthumously. Either or both awards may be omitted when a deserving candidate has not been
identified. Proposals for the Pioneer Achievement Award may be made by any person, in any country, in writing
to the Recognition Awards and Honors Committee on the same schedule/process as for Silver and Gold Medals
and shall document the specific achievements to be considered. Seconding letters are welcome. All nominees
shall be reviewed and considered. The awards will be made at the annual meeting of the Society.
9.5.8 Gold Medal. This award is granted solely by the Society. The impact of outstanding
accomplishments and contributions of nominee(s) must have enhanced the entire Society, without
concentration within certain boundaries. These shall extend beyond a given region and be of such
significance that the effects and benefits are to the Society and or genus Rhododendron at least
nationally and possibly internationally.
9.5.9 Board Approval. The names of those recommended by a majority of the Honors Committee to receive a
silver or gold medal, together with the citation text, shall be forwarded by the committee chair to the Society
President by February 15 of each year for action by the Executive Committee of the Board. Only favorable
recommendations will be forwarded for action. Final approval by a majority of the Executive Committee is
required before presentation of these awards.
9.5.10 Limitation on Awards. The award of any one or more of the honors described above to a person or
group does not preclude the grant of another award to the same recipient.
9.5.11 Presentation. Society-level citations and medals (gold and silver) should be awarded at the annual
Convention of the Society banquet. Nominators of recipients should play a role in the award ceremony. In the
absence of the nominator, the nominator’s Director should be involved in this activity.
9.6 LONG-RANGE PLANNING COMMITTEE
The purpose of this committee shall be to anticipate the future of the Society and set plans
to meet it within the Society's stated goals and financial means.
This committee shall annually review the activities of the Society, and
if needed, recommend to the Board for their consideration changes in
Society activities for the future, either by dropping those not needed
or by adding new activities, to improve the service of the Society to
its members and to otherwise better achieve the objectives of the
Society of encouraging the culture of rhododendrons and increasing the
general understanding and interest of these plants. The Long-Range
Planning Committee shall include estimates of the costs and/or savings
of recommended changes, and work closely with the Budget and Finance
Committee.
9.7 NOMINATING COMMITTEE
The functions of the Nominating Committee and its responsibilities are defined in Article IX,
Section D of the Bylaws. The President shall appoint a nominating
committee by January 15th of the year following assumption of office.
That committee will present its report to the Board at the next Board
meeting and before the Fall Annual Membership meeting. The
nominations will be announced at the annual meeting of the membership
following the Board meeting. Opportunity for nominations by the
membership will be provided at that time.
9.8 PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE (Replaced by POB 9.25)
9.9 RATINGS COMMITTEE (deleted by Board action on May 6, 1996)
9.10 REGISTRAR OF PLANT NAMES
The Registrar shall be appointed by the President and approved by the Board of Directors. The
duties of the Registrar are:
1. To serve as North American registration agent for the Royal Horticultural Society, in its
role as International Registration Authority for the genus Rhododendron.
2. To actively solicit and encourage registration of names of (a) new cultivars and (b)
rhododendrons and azaleas already in the trade under unregistered names.
3. To conduct all registration activities in a timely fashion.
4. To prepare descriptions of those cultivars registered through the North American Registrar for
publication in Journal ARS after registration has been accepted
by the International Rhododendron Registrar.
5. To maintain a complete file of all registration materials, including applications,
correspondence, and reference materials such as books and catalogs.
These files are to be turned over to the succeeding Registrar.
6. To assist the Editor of Journal ARS by screening articles submitted for publication to
insure the correctness and acceptability of rhododendron and azalea names.
It is the policy of the Board that the Registrar conform to all the provisions and requirements
of the International Registration Authority. Beginning September 1,
1995, the Society will provide all plant name registration services free
of any charge. There will be no fee for requested certificates,
but a voluntary donation of $3 per certificate (to cover mailing
expenses) will be solicited.
The Society shall add the Registrar of Plant Names to the mailing list for all future issues of
Journal ARS and any other books or magazines published by the
Society. These reference materials are to be Society
property, and shall pass to succeeding Registrars.
9.11 RESEARCH COMMITTEE
The president shall appoint a Research committee. One of the objectives of the Society
is to increase knowledge of the genus Rhododendron through scientific
research, and to give publicity to such findings. The duties of
this committee would be to foster and encourage research in the
rhododendron field in any way possible. The committee should be in
touch with those conducting research in the field of rhododendrons in
various experiment stations in this country and in other countries where feasible.
The committee should serve
as a clearing house for those who are suggesting important problems
which need research. In some cases, it will be able to say that research
in that field is being carried on in a certain institution. In
other cases, it may be able to suggest certain people who would be
qualified to carry on such research, and possibly get them interested in
doing so.
The Research Committee should work in close coordination with the Trustees of the Rhododendron
Research Foundation not only to suggest and prioritize research projects
for possible funding by the foundation, but also actively monitor
projects funded at their recommendation by the Foundation.
9.12 SEED EXCHANGE COMMITTEE
The primary function of the Seed Exchange is to provide for the distribution of seed to the
membership. Species and hybrid Rhododendron seed and that for
companion plants and trees shall be solicited and obtained by all means
deemed desirable by the Committee.
The President shall appoint a chairman, who shall choose six additional members to the
committee. Geographic balance, inclusion of overseas members and
contributors to the Seed Exchange are desirable factors in determining
committee membership. Names of committee members shall be published in
the booklet and the website offering seed each year.
The Seed Exchange is expected to be self supporting activity independent of funding from
other Society sources by utilizing income from the sale of seed to
support all its activities and expenses, and all income received shall
be employed to further committee purposes. Expenses include services
such as JARS advertising or accounting services by the ARS accountant,
as well as all other expenses incurred in the collection and
distribution of seed, equipment, supplies, the chairman’s space
allowance and expenses for attending the spring and fall ARS Board meetings.
The committee shall submit
an annual budget to the Board of Directors at its spring meeting for
approval by the Board. This budget shall include estimated amounts for
income, operating expenses, an amount for the chairman’s space
allowance, and reserves for equipment, software and other future needs.
The budget shall also include an estimate of the chairman’s travel, meal
and lodging expense for attendance at conventions/conferences that
include an ARS Board meeting. The chairman must attend the Board meeting
to qualify for such reimbursement. Additionally, an annual report
describing the prior year’s activity and any recommended changes in
operation shall be submitted for Board review and approval.
The chairman shall be bonded in an amount commensurate with funds handled for the SE. An
annual accounting review of SE monies shall be presented to the Board,
together with any other information necessary for the Society to comply
with its responsibility for reports needed to maintain its status as a
charitable corporation
9.13 FLOWER SHOW ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The general policy has
been to permit chapter’s extensive leeway in having shows or not having
them, and in the manner of staging. Obviously, these chapter shows
cannot be regulated or supervised by a Society committee.
However, there are certain things which a Society committee
should do. The Committee should know what shows are being
presented and their dates, and these dates should be printed each year
as fully as possible in Journal ARS to give travelers a chance to
plan their trips to include rhododendron shows, if they so desire.
The primary purpose of the
Society's Flower Show Committee is to prepare a booklet on Rhododendron
Shows. This should include suggestions for staging shows,
including details which might be helpful to a chapter committee staging
its first show. This booklet should also contain suggestions for judging
rhododendrons. In general, there has been reasonable agreement among
judges as to the standards they are looking for, but there are certain
items about which there is occasional disagreement. One example is
the relative score for a truss on which all flowers are wide open versus
one which has one, two, or three unopened buds. Some chapters do
not have experienced judges available, and people who are asked to judge
may have to teach themselves. A booklet giving suggestions and
scorecards would be useful. Garden clubs and others who may have
rhododendron and azalea classes in their club shows could also use such a booklet.
The classification of varieties as to color and type should be brought up-to-date and
additional varieties added to the list. Some may possibly be
eliminated from the fairly long list which has been used for several years.
9.14 TEST AND DISPLAY GARDENS COMMITTEE
The President shall appoint a Test and Display Gardens Committee which shall serve as a
resource group for chapters wishing to establish gardens of this type.
The committee shall respond to requests for assistance from such
chapters and provide guidance to them, generally in accordance with the
following suggestions:
Display gardens are those developed to contain varieties that are in the trade, or available to
it, and are essentially "variety collections". The purpose of
display gardens is to promote interest in rhododendrons and enable
members and the general public to study and compare varieties grown
under local conditions. Such gardens should be in a public place,
arboretum, botanic garden, college or university grounds, or a public
park, or in a private garden where the public is regularly admitted,
either free or on payment of a fee. I f a fee is charged, the committee
in charge should have free access at any reasonable time.
Plants may be furnished by
the owners or management of the garden, by members, nurserymen or any
interested individual. Ordinarily, and unless covered by special
agreement, the plants, once established, become the property of the
garden management.
Chapters of the Society
are encouraged to establish, or foster, one or more display gardens in
their territory, wherever and whenever satisfactory arrangements for
proper care can be made. The details are the responsibility of the
chapter, but should include a written agreement between the chapter
officers and the management of the garden establishing the
responsibility of each as to furnishing of plants, ownership of plants
furnished, layout of garden, care needed and who will furnish such care,
accessibility to the public, protection against theft and vandalism,
whether or not propagating material may be taken, and any other
important considerations. If at all possible, arrangements should
be made so that routine care will be the responsibility of the garden
management and not of the chapter membership.
Chapters sponsoring
display gardens should have a regular committee to work out the details
and provide continuing oversight, promotion, or whatever is needed to
make the project a success.
A test garden is designed
to provide facilities for growing new or special varieties so that they
may be judged for their uniqueness, suitability for growing under local
conditions and for judging for Society awards.
Obviously, more care must
be exercised in establishing a test garden as potentially valuable
varieties, not yet available to the public, may be submitted for test
and possible award. The theft of such a plant or the unauthorized
taking of propagating material might prove very embarrassing.
Since local conditions may
vary considerably, and since the local chapter must take full
responsibility for the terms of the agreement and the supervision of the
test garden, no arbitrary form of agreement is proposed by the Society.
Such agreement should
clearly specify the location of the test garden, the responsibility of
the chapter and the garden management, the provisions for care of the
plants, and accessibility and methods to be used to prevent theft.
A copy of the agreement should be available, on request, to anyone
contemplating entering plants for test.
Before plants are accepted
for test, an agreement should be signed by the person entering the
plants clearly stating whether or not they shall be returned to him and
specifically absolving the chapter and the Society from any liability if
plants should be stolen or injured in any way, or if propagating
material should be stolen.
Free access by the general
public is not necessary and may be undesirable. Adequate and
continuing care of the plants and provision for free access by the
proper persons are most important.
The local test garden
committee should have authority to turn down plants to exclude certain
pests, or where a breeder may want to enter several similar plants and
have the judges do the "selecting" which he should do.
The matter of entry fees
is left to the local committee with the suggestion that none be
collected. If high, they will tend to discourage entries; if low,
they will be of little value and a nuisance to collect and administer.
9.15 POLLEN BANK COMMITTEE (deleted by Board action on __________)
9.16 PIONEER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD COMMITTEE (incorporated into 9.5 by Board action on May 2, 2013).
9.17 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EC) (Bylaws: Article VI, Section F) – Amended with
additions by Board action at May, 2015 meeting.
The Board shall annually elect from its own membership an Executive Committee consisting of the
officers and at least three directors. It shall not have authority to
alter dues, elect officers, except to fill vacancies on the Board occurring between
regularly scheduled meetings, create financial obligations for non-budgeted items in excess
of $500.00, or change the policies of the Board. Election of officers by the Executive Committee
shall be reviewed and confirmed or modified as the Board determines at its next full Board meeting.
9.18 ENDOWMENT FUND COMMITTEE
The committee shall
consist of seven members representative of all regions of the Society as
broadly as may be practical. The Society Treasurer shall be a member in
accordance with POB 4.5.6. The President shall appoint a chairman and
the remaining members; in the event appointment of other than the
chairman is delegated under POB 9.0.2, final membership shall be
approved by the President. The identity of the entire committee shall be
regularly published in JARS and other Society publications, written and
electronic.
The functions of the Committee shall be:
(1) Solicit, by whatever means the Board of Directors may approve, donations, memorial gifts and
bequests to the Fund,
(2) Respond appropriately to donors,
(3) Recommend to the Board appropriate uses for Fund income, and
(4) Develop, administer and provide oversight to the Society’s endowment funded grant programs.
9.19 SEARCH COMMITTEE FOR SALARIED POSITIONS (Refer to P.O.B. Section 8.4.5)
9.20 SPEAKERS BUREAU
The President shall
appoint a chairperson for the Speakers Bureau. The chairperson may
enlist the assistance of an Eastern and/or a Western compiler to gather
and document the names of speakers and the topics they are willing to
present in programs to chapters, or regional or annual meetings of the
Society. Speakers Bureau lists should be regularly revised and
updated by the compilers, and distributed to the chapters at regular
intervals.
9.21 BYLAWS & POLICIES COMMITTEE
This group is appointed by
the President to manage the phrasing and presentation to the Board of
the changes in the Bylaws or Policies proposed by others (or initiated
by itself) to improve the governance and/or the services of the Society
to its members.
9.22 LONG TERM INVESTMENT COMMITTEE
This committee shall
consist of the Treasurer, who shall be Chairman, and two other members
nominated by the President and approved by the Board. The members at
large should have experience in and knowledge of investments. They
shall serve staggered terms of six years, and may be reappointed to
consecutive terms. A written report of investments made, earnings
realized, and other pertinent information will be submitted by the
committee to all Society Board meetings, and at other times as directed
by the President.
9.22.1 Long Term Funds Investment Objectives
The investment objectives
on our long term funds are to retain (at a minimum) and when possible
increase the purchasing power of the funds and to produce a reasonable
return for distribution to meet current needs of the Society. The
Board recognizes that permanent funds exist to provide a perpetual
resource for the purposes of the Society. Investment decisions, on
balance, should be less speculative than what those for personal
investment might be. To meet its investment objectives for
permanent funds, the Society should follow a total return strategy.
Investment decisions should be made with the intent of maximizing the
long term total return of the entire portfolio both from market value
increases (realized and unrealized gains) and from current yield
(interest and dividends). Within the limits of this basic
philosophy, the Long Term Investment Committee is free to allocate
assets among professionally managed funds and cash in a manner that they
believe will produce the highest return without constraint of producing
a specified amount of income for distribution for current needs.
The committee members will not be held personally responsible for the
results of their activities done in good faith
9.23 HARDINESS COMMITTEE (deleted by Board action on __________)
9.24 PUBLIC EDUCATION COMMITTEE
The mission of this committee shall be to determine the best means to provide information on
proper rhododendron culture to assure success.
9.25 PUBLICITY & PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE This committee shall be responsible for the following:
9.25.1 Developing the
Society’s press kit to publicize the Society and its activities.
9.25.2 Working with the
Membership & Chapter Development Committee to develop educational
display materials for use by chapters at public events such as
horticultural fairs, flower shows, etc.
9.25.3 Developing and
maintaining contacts with representatives at gardening magazines and
with horticultural organizations that publish magazines in order to
publicize Society events and activities.
9.25.4 Publishing press
releases in conjunction with Society conventions and regional
conferences.
9.25.5 Establishing a
local contact in each chapter. Encouraging them to publicize their
events. Providing suggested formats for press releases and
offering other assistance and guidance when requested.
9.26 MEMBERSHIP & CHAPTER DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
This committee shall be responsible for the following:
9.26.1 Working with the
Society Executive Director and the district directors to encourage
chapter membership chairmen and/or treasurers to develop more effective
procedures for encouraging membership renewal.
9.26.2 Working with the Publicity & Public Relations Committee to develop educational display
materials for use by chapters at public events such as horticultural
fairs, flower shows, etc., to stimulate the public's interest in joining
the Society.
9.26.3 Actively seeking out members willing to develop chapters in new areas.
9.26.4 Developing guidelines and materials to be used by local coordinators when trying to
organize new chapters.
9.26.5 Working with the Executive Director and the appropriate district director to assist and
advise the local coordinator when a new chapter is being formed.
9.27 ELECTRONIC MEDIA COMMITTEE
The committee shall be responsible for creating, maintaining and updating a Society home page
on the world wide web. It cooperates with the Electronic
Newsletter Committee and other appropriate sources in placing information on the web site.
9.28 ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE
The committee shall regularly solicit and assemble information from chapter newsletters and
other sources, and edit the same for publication on the Society web site
in a section titled "Rhododendron and Azalea News". Items
published will be updated or replaced periodically to provide timely
information on an informal basis. The committee cooperates with
the Electronic Media Committee.
9.29 ARCHIVES COMMITTEE
The committee cooperates
with the University of Virginia Library to maintain archival records of
the Society already deposited at the Library, and to determine the types
of records the Society should forward to the repository in the future.
It shall encourage gifts of rhododendron manuscripts and other
appropriate material from individuals prominent in the rhododendron
world for archival deposit. The committee shall promote awareness
among Society members of the Library's collection of manuscripts, books
and other information, and of electronic access to the same. Further
activities generally considered archival in nature may be assigned to
this committee by the President or the Board.
9.30 FUND RAISING COMMITTEE
The committee shall
identify potential financial resources outside the Society’s regular
sources of revenue, e.g. grants or special contributions, determine
procedures needed to obtain the same, and advise the Board thereof.
The RDC shall also be available to other standing committees or chapters
of the Society for consultation and collaboration within the other
committees or chapters area (s) of responsibility. Prior approval
of the Society Board shall be required before the RDC undertakes
obtaining funds for any project.
9.31 DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
The Digital Publications
Committee shall oversee the digitizing of previous Bulletins and
Journals and coordinate with the Editor of the Journal to ensure that
all publications are in a similar form that will permit electronic
publication as CD’s or on the Internet in the future. The form
employed shall ensure thee publications are searchable and compatible
with both PC’s and Macintosh computers.
The committee shall be
aware of the copyright factors involved in such publishing. In
this regard, the suggestions made by the Editor and included in the
report of the Long Range Planning Committee to the Board at its meeting
of April 30, 2003 shall be followed. If any challenges to
copyright privileges result in a recommendation that a payment be made
from the reserve account that has been established, such recommendation
shall be presented to the Board for its approval before the payment is made.
The committee shall make
recommendations regarding the publication of the Bulletins and Journals
in CD or Internet form to the Board for approval before such publication is carried out.
In addition to the above,
the committee may wish to put articles from previous Bulletins or
Journals on the Society’s web sites. The committee shall
coordinate such insertions with the Editor of the Journal and the
Electronic Media Committee. Articles or pictures being inserted
shall be from publications issued at least five years previous to the
time of insertion and shall have been cleared of any copyright concerns.
9.32 DIGITAL ARCHIVES COMMITTEE
Deleted by Board action October 23, 2008.
9.33 RHODODENDRON DATABASE COMMITTEE Deleted by Board action at May, 2015 meeting.
9.34 ARSSTORE.ORG COMMITTEE
The primary function of ARSStore.org is to provide a place where ARS members and others
wishing to benefit the ARS financially can do so by making donations, and by making online
purchases and buying logo merchandise from vendors who will pay the ARS referral fees on each
purchase made using links on ARSStore.org. Typically such referral fees are 4 to 6 percent of
the purchase price.
9.34.1 Committee organization: The President shall appoint a Chairman who will act
as manager of ARSStore.org. The Chairman shall choose six additional members to the committee.
Geographic balance, inclusion of overseas members who understand problems of including vendors
outside the US are desirable factors in determining committee membership. Names of committee
members shall be published on ARSStore.org each year.
9.34.2 Income processing: ARSStore.org will give all income to the ARS and not have
any expenses. Hence, what would be expenses such as JARS advertising or accounting services
by the ARS accountant will be provided gratis. The Chairman will donate nominal expenses such
as registration of the domain “ARSSTORE.ORG,” Internet service provider fees, and web page
maintenance expenses.
9.34.3 Banking arrangements: The Chairman shall create no-fee ARS bank accounts as
necessary so all donations and referral fees can be made directly to an ARS bank account by
either check or direct deposit. There shall be no withdrawals or checks written on these
accounts except to the ARS. Periodically, as determined by the Treasurer, the Chairman shall
transfer funds from the ARSStore.org ARS bank accounts to one of the main ARS accounts used
by the Executive Director.
9.34.4 Reports: The committee shall submit monthly: bank statements and a report of
income and assets to the Board of Directors. An annual report describing the prior year’s
activity and any recommended changes in operation shall be submitted for Board review and
approval at the spring BOD meeting. An annual accounting review of ARSStore.org monies shall
be presented to the Board, together with any other information necessary for the Society to
comply with its responsibility for reports needed to maintain its status as a charitable
corporation.
10.0 RECORDS OF OFFICE – Deleted by Board action at May, 2015 meeting.
11.0 MEETINGS
Annual Meetings and Regional Meetings (Bylaws:
Article VI, Section D and Article VIII)
11.1 The Regional vice presidents shall be responsible for seeing to the
scheduling of Annual meetings in the Spring and Regional meetings in
Autumn, giving particular attention to coordinating those which will be
the venue for Society Board meetings.
Annual meetings in the East in even numbered years, the West in
odd numbered years and Regional meetings in the East in odd numbered
years and the West in even numbered years appears to be the most
satisfactory. Every effort
shall be made to maintain a schedule for such meetings five years in
advance of the actual meeting dates.
Board approval is required for Annual or Regional meetings
outside North America that will include a Society Board meeting.
11.2 The larger chapters or Districts, hereafter referred to as the sponsor,
should plan to host an Annual or Regional meeting when it seems
convenient and desirable.
None of the provisions of POB 11.0 shall preclude such meetings being
sponsored by chapters located outside North America or an area from
having Regional meetings more frequently than every other year.
11.3 The sponsor takes care of all the details including providing meeting rooms,
registration, projectors and any other materials or facilities needed.
It will arrange for a headquarters hotel or motel, and for
reservations to be made. The
sponsor will take care of local publicity for the meeting and should
provide the Editor with sufficient pictures and other information so
that he can give the meeting ample publicity in Journal ARS.
The sponsor is encouraged to set a registration fee high enough
to take care of necessary expenses but not so high that it will prevent
attendance of a large number of members and guests.
11.4 The Board requests that ten percent (10%) or more of the excess funds from the
Society’s annual meetings be remitted to the General Fund of the
Society. The Board will consider indemnifying annual meeting sponsors that lose money up to a
maximum of $5,000.
11.5 SPECIAL MEETINGS
Special meetings of the membership may be called by the Board of Directors if required in
accordance with Article VIII of the Bylaws.
11.6 BOARD OF DIRECTORS' MEETINGS
The meeting of the Board of Directors will be held as specified in Article VI, Section D of the
Bylaws. The Board shall have at least two meetings per year.
The budget, or any major change of policy, should be sent to the Board
members well in advance of the meeting (two weeks minimum).
11.6.1 Proportionate Voting – Deleted by Board action at May, 2012 meeting.
12.0 THE ENDOWMENT FUND
The Endowment Fund shall be maintained in the manner and for the purposes set forth below:
12.1 The purpose of the
Endowment Fund shall be to further the purposes of the Society, as stated in Article I of its Bylaws.
12.2 The Fund shall be a repository for donations, memorial gifts and
bequests specifically designated for the Endowment Fund, as well as for
other donations the Board of Directors may accept.
All the accounts within the Fund shall be invested in order to
produce income and capital growth on a long term and sustained basis.
12.3 Three separate accounts are presently established within the
Endowment Fund. The Board may establish additional accounts in the Fund upon acceptance.
12.3.1 Donor Restricted-General: This account is for direct donations to the Endowment Fund not
otherwise restricted by the donor.
Subject to the restrictions provided by POB 12.4, income and a
portion of capital appreciation shall be used as directed by the Board.
12.3.2 Donor Restricted-Publications:
This account is for direct donations to the Endowment Fund that
are designated for publications by the donor.
Subject to that donor restriction and the restrictions provided
by POB 12.4, income and a portion of capital appreciation shall be used
for publishing activities as directed by the Board.
12.3.3 Board Restricted: This account is for unrestricted gifts to the Society that a Board
places in the Endowment Fund.
Distributions shall be for purposes directed by the Board, and
shall be limited as provided in POB 12.4 except in circumstances the
Board determines justify an invasion of principal.
12.4 Only increases as described in POB 12.4.1 may be expended from
either of the Donor Restricted accounts.
This limitation shall also apply to the Board Restricted account
unless the Board determines there are circumstances justifying a waiver
of this condition. In all instances expenditures from any of the accounts shall only be as
budgeted by the Board in compliance with state and federal law applicable to the Society.
12.4.1 Inflation Protection.
To preserve the endowment principle while providing income for expenditure, the
the following spending formula will be used: 4 percent x three-year final market
value of the endowment (as of August 31 of each year). To achieve some uniformity
in amounts to spend from one year to the next, the actual amount distributed from
the endowment principal into the spending account in any given year will not exceed
106 percent of the prior year’s distribution, or be less than 96 percent of the
prior year’s distribution. A distribution, based on this formula, is made from the
endowment principal into the endowment spending account after September 1 of each year.
The Treasurer shall determine the amount of money thus available
immediately prior to each budget cycle, advise the Budget and Endowment
Fund committees thereof, and confirm the amount to the Board at the time
the Board considers and adopts each year’s budget and approves
expenditures from the Fund.
12.5 The Board, through its Long Term Investment committee, must
invest and manage the assets of the Fund as a prudent investor by
following an investment policy seeking a total return for investments,
whether that return is derived from appreciation of principal or from
earnings and distributions from principal.
In calculating the amount available for account distributions,
the Treasurer and Board shall use the value of assets and earnings on
the last day of each preceding fiscal year.
13.0 ANNUAL AUDIT OR REVIEW
The annual audit or review of the Society's financial records shall be made and published in
accordance with Article V, Section D of the Bylaws.
14.0 STARTUP FUND
14.1 Definition and use.
The Board has authorized and voluntary donations have established an
earmarked fund of money from which the Society may make loans for
expenses that must be paid prior to the receipt of fees from persons
attending an event as defined herein. The loan is available to a
chapter or chapters of the ARS hosting a meeting which includes a
regularly scheduled ARS Board meeting. The meeting must be
advertised as and open to the general public. The maximum amount
available from the Fund for each such meeting is $3000. Loans
shall be non interest bearing, and must be repaid within sixty days
after the last day of the event.
14.2 Application requirements. A formal application for a Fund loan must be
submitted to the ARS President. It shall describe the event, set
forth items to be funded, anticipated dates of the expenditures and the
date by which the money is needed. It shall also include an overall
budget of income and expenses for the event.
14.3 Approval/Disapproval.
The application shall be presented for consideration at the next Board
meeting following receipt of the application or, in the event a Board
meeting is not scheduled before the requested date of the loan, to the
Executive Committee. The application may be approved if sufficient
moneys are available in the Fund, it appears the event is in accord with
this policy and Society purposes, and if it demonstrates a reasonable
expectation the event will generate sufficient income for timely
repayment to the Fund.
14.4 Contract and administration. In the event of loan approval the President or his
designee shall send a contract to host and the parties shall enter into
a contract in the form that follows. After the contract has been
signed by all parties it shall be delivered to the Society’s Treasurer,
who shall then disburse the loan to the host party at the specified
date, maintain a record of the repayment date, and confirm repayment to
the President. Loans approved and repayment thereof shall be
recorded in the next succeeding Board meeting minutes.
14.5 Contract language.
The parties to this agreement are the American Rhododendron Society, an
Oregon corporation, (Society) and
[host chapter(s)] or District] , (Host).
Host has applied for a loan from the Startup Fund in the amount of
$_______, which has been approved by Society pursuant to the guidelines
set forth in POB 14.1 through 14.3. The purpose of the loan is to
pay advance expenses for [specify
purpose(s)] at the
[name of event] scheduled
to be held [dates]
. Host shall submit a final financial report in writing to the
President and Treasurer of Society within sixty days of the event’s
conclusion showing all receipts to, expenses of and net income of the
event. Net income means the total of all payments or donations
from attendees for registration, event meals, tours, plant and gift
sales, raffles, auctions and other revenue producing activities of the
event, including grants from third parties, less meals, hotel charges,
bus rentals, plants and other expenses directly attributable to the
event. The Treasurer’s copy of the report shall include repayment
in full by Host to the Fund of the loan amount. No other
disbursements from net income of the event, such as contributions to
district or chapter accounts, the Society, or other charitable causes,
may be made by Host until this step has been completed.
American Rhododendron Society
____________________________, Dated:
[Month, day and year]
President
____________________________, Dated:
[Month, day and year]
Treasurer
[Host chapter(s)
name(s)
____________________________, Dated:
[Month, day and year]
Chair of event
____________________________, Dated:
[Month, day and year]
Treasurer of event
15.0 ADVERTISEMENT
All advertisement placed in the R & A News and on the ARS web
site must be horticultural in nature, including but not limited to:
nurseries, landscapers and landscape design services,
horticultural/botanical trusts and organizations, garden equipment
manufacturers and suppliers, travel services specializing in
horticultural/botanical tourism and display gardens. The Editor of the R
& A News and the Webmaster of the Society have the right to refuse
placement of advertising which does not adhere to this policy statement.
APPENDIX
CHAPTERS BY DISTRICTS AND REGIONS
(See Section 3.2)
WESTERN REGION
District 1
Cowichan Valley
Fraser South
Mt. Arrowsmith
Nanaimo
North Island
Vancouver
Victoria
District 2
Cascade
Pilchuck
Seattle
Whidbey Island
District 3
Juan de Fuca
Kitsap
Olympia
Olympic Peninsula
Peninsula
Shelton
Tacoma
District 4
Eugene
Portland
Siuslaw
Southwestern Oregon
Tualatin Valley
Willamette
District 5
California
De Anza
Eureka
Hawaii
Monterey Bay
Noyo
Southern California
EASTERN REGION
District 6
Cape Cod
Connecticut
Massachusetts
District 7
New York
Princeton
Tappan Zee
District 8
Greater Philadelphia
Lehigh Valley
Susquehanna Valley
Valley Forge
District 9
Mason-Dixon
Middle Atlantic
Potomac Valley
District 10
Azalea
Southeastern
William Bartram
Tennessee Valley
District 11
Ann Arbor
Great Lakes
Midwest
Ozark
District 12 (R.S.C.)
Atlantic
Niagara
Toronto
AT-LARGE REGION
Danish
Dutch
Finnish
J. D. Hooker
Scottish
Swedish
Non-Chapter Members
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