Quilt Guild By-Laws

Raymore Quilt Guild By-Laws and Standing Rules

Article I - Name

The name of the organization shall be Raymore Quilt Guild (RQG). Raymore Quilt Guild will comply with section 501c(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and Robert's Rules of Order.

Article II - Purpose

The purpose of this organization shall be to promote, advance, and stimulate knowledge and education of those interested in the art of quilting.

Article III - Membership

Membership shall be open to anyone interested in the quilting arts with annual dues in the amount recommended by the Executive Board and approved by the membership. Charter members will be dues-exempt and considered lifetime members.

Article IV - Meetings

General meetings shall be held at the time and place set by the Executive Board. The General meeting in December shall be known as the Annual Christmas Party, with the newly elected officers assuming their duties at the end of the business meeting. A quorum shall consist of 50% + 1 of the possible members of any type of meeting

Article V - Officers, Duties, Election and Vacancies

Officers shall be elected in November by the majority vote of members present at that general meeting from a slate of officers presented by the Nominating Committee or nomination from the floor. All members present and in good standing will be allowed to vote.

Terms of office shall be for one (1) year. No elected person may hold the same office for more than two (2) consecutive years. The Terms of Office begin at the close of the December General business meeting.

The officer of the organization shall be President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Immediate Past President. These shall be referred to as the Executive Board.

5.1 The President shall preside at all meetings of the Guild and appoint all committee chairs, except the audit and nominating committees.

5.2 The 1st Vice President shall be responsible for programs and shall temporarily assume the duties of President when needed.

5.3 The 2nd Vice President shall be responsible for the special quilt projects (BOM, Round Robin, Mystery Quilt, Opportunity Block projects, White Elephant Sales, etc.) In addition, the 2nd Vice President shall serve as chairperson of the Opportunity Quilt Committee, which creates the quilt and its sales during the odd years. The 2nd Vice President shall also appoint the chairman to the RQG Quilt Show Committee and serve as its liaison in the even years.

5.4 The Recording Secretary shall keep all records of Guild proceedings and act as custodian of these records and any legal document of the Guild. The Recording Secretary shall also provide a copy of the minutes of monthly General meetings to the Newsletter Committee.

5.5 The Treasurer shall have the supervision of the funds. Receipts and expenditures of membership, and prepare documents for audit at the end of the fiscal year. Duties also include monthly membership updates to the Newsletter Committee, preparation of the annual budget, and the responsibility to see that tax documents are filed. The annual budget will be prepared using historical information and Board input.

5.6 The Immediate Past-President (IPP) shall remain a member of the Executive Board until a new President is elected to the Board. This position is filled by the most current active Past President. Duties of the IPP include:

Forming the Nominating Committee in September annually;
Serve as chairman of the By-Laws and Standing Rules Review Committee;
Responsible for the annual creation and distribution of purse-sized membership directories at the March meeting.
Select the Audit Committee by the December General Meeting

Article VI - Committees, Standing and Special

The President shall appoint Standing and Special Committees as deemed necessary and be an ex-facto member of all committees, except the Nominating and Audit Committees. The Standing Committees are Gently Used/Free Table, Historian, Hospitality, Newsletter, Ways and Means, Welcome, Spirit, Bylaws, and Standing Rules Review Committee.

Special Committees are Audit, Nominating, Opportunity Quilt Committee, Quilt Show Committee, and KCRQF Member Director.

Money collected by Chairpersons of the committees needs to be turned in to the Treasurer in a timely manner, along with supporting documentation of who the money came from and what the money is for.

Standing Committees

The Gently Used/Free Table Committee shall be responsible for displaying and collecting money for all donated items at the monthly meetings. The committee has discretion for pricing of items and their disposal.

The Historian shall coordinate and take photographs during the Show & Tell presentation at each General meeting and create the file that is published on the RQG social media page. There is no scheduled Show and Tell at the December meeting.

The Hospitality Committee shall be responsible for coordinating refreshment set-up and clean-up after the monthly meetings. Additionally, they are responsible for planning the annual Christmas Party.

The Newsletter Committee shall be responsible for the preparation and distribution of the monthly newsletter to each member prior to the monthly meeting via email. Any member wishing a hard copy will be charged an annual fee determined by the Executive Board to cover postage and printing costs.

The Ways and Means Committee shall be responsible for the monthly drawing.

The Welcome Committee shall be responsible for a sign-in sheet, guest book, and temporary name tags. During the meeting, they will introduce the visitors and new members. In addition, they will provide welcome packets.

The Spirit Committee shall send e-cards, cards, or messages to those members needing a morale boost. They will announce any known concerns and deaths at each monthly meeting.

The Bylaws and Standing Rules Review Committee shall be responsible to annually review and revise the Bylaws and Standing Rules. Suggested Bylaw amendments will be presented to the membership at a general meeting followed by an email and/or publication in the Guild newsletter. A 2nd general membership meeting will address additional suggestions and will be open for discussion and comments. Adoption of the new Bylaws will be voted upon at the 3rd general meeting. If the Committee doesn’t have revisions, the current documents will continue to be in force. Standing Rules may be amended at any regular meeting of the Guild, providing the proposed changes have been published to the membership prior to the meeting at which they are to be voted on.

Special Committees

The Audit Committee shall be appointed in December by the Immediate Past-President and shall be comprised of a minimum of two (2) and not more than three (3) members. Financial records shall be audited annually in January following receipt of the final bank statement of the previous year. The annual Audit Committee report will be submitted to the Newsletter Committee to be published in the February newsletter.

The Nominating Committee shall be appointed each September by the Immediate Past-President and shall be comprised of three (3) members. They are tasked to select a slate of officers to present to the Newsletter Committee by the November newsletter deadline. Members of the Nominating Committee are not eligible to run for any office on the proposed slate. The committee will be responsible for submitting at least one (1) candidate per office, but may present as many as are interested in any elected position. Nominations from the floor are welcome. The election of officers will occur during the November business meeting.

The Opportunity Quilt Committee shall be chaired by the 2nd Vice President. Their duties include: (1) plan and coordinate the stages of construction/completion of the quilt; (2) distribution and sale of tickets, recordkeeping, and conducting the drawing at the RQGj Quilt Show held during the even years.

The RQG Quilt Show Committee is responsible for all activities related to the Guild's bi-annual quilt show, including: securing a rental location, signage placement, promotions, advertising, display design layout, and the appointment of responsible parties to assist with show activities.

Article VII - Dissolution

In the event the Raymore Quilt Guild should dissolve, all equipment will be made available for purchase to the membership. All receipts from these sales will be deposited in the Guild bank account. Following an audit performed by the Audit Committee, Guild funds will be distributed to one or more agreed upon non-profit organization(s).

Article V/III - Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Guild shall be from January through December.

Raymore Quilt Guild

2024 Standing Rules Handbook

Guild meetings start at 9:00 am, the third Monday of each month, at South Haven Baptist Church, 16800 Bel-Ray Blvd, Belton, Missouri

Inclement weather may lead to a meeting cancellation. If the Raymore-Peculiar School District &/or Belton School District cancels school due to weather conditions, the Guild will not meet. If school is not in session, or for any other reason the President cancels the meeting, members will be notified via email or phone by the President utilizing the most recent contact information.

Name tags are very important. Members are encouraged to wear their name tags at all Guild meetings and events to promote the Guild’s activities. The purchase of name tags is the responsibility of each member. Orders to have new name tags printed are upon request, fee to be paid by the member.

A person may attend two (2) regular meetings of the Guild as a guest before being required to join if further attendance is desired.

Membership dues will be $25 annually. New members enrolling from January 1- March 31, will pay the full amount. New members joining after April 1, will pay prorated dues of $2.50 for each of the remaining months. Previously enrolled members paying dues after the February meeting will be considered lapsed members. When a lapsed member renews, dues will be the full annual amount regardless of the month of renewal and will not be eligible for any discount.

The newsletter is emailed to each member prior to the monthly meeting. Members are encouraged to share articles of interest. Deadline for newsletter is at the discretion of the Newsletter Committee. A charge of $15.00 is collected for a mailed newsletter.

In keeping with the stated purpose of ARTICLE II, (see page 1), programs and classes are offered to develop interest and promote skills and knowledge to members. These educational opportunities often require guaranteed fees for presenters and instructors. Advance payment reserves each participant a seat in a class. Class fees are non-refundable by the Guild. If a participant is unable to attend a class, it will be the responsibility of the individual to find a substitute.

Guild sponsored projects require approval of the Executive Board and Committee Chairs to ensure sufficient time, and member participation and finances are available to complete these projects.

Jointly owned equipment that to Raymore Quilt Guild has physical custody of includes the following:

PVC Quilt Stands, purchased in 2011 jointly by Raymore Quilt Guild, Log Cabin Quilters of Harrisonville, and Pleasant Hill Quilt Guild, all of the Cass County, Missouri. These three (3) organizations shared equally in the cost of piping and connective hardware to create quilt stands for use by these quilting groups for the three (3) groups' sponsored events. The Cass County Fair Committee has permission from the three (3) purchasing groups to use the piping and connectors rent free for use during the Cass County Fair Quilt Show, and for no other use or event. The three (3) Guilds should contribute for replacement/repairs equally. No other groups, civic or otherwise, may have access to this equipment as originally specified by the original purchases.

Storage of piping and connecting components will be the responsibility of Raymore Quilt Guild.