Video by Nora Garnett
Updated Bylaws
Draft
Columbia FiberArts Guild Bylaws
September, 2025
Article I. Name
The name of this organization shall be Columbia FiberArts Guild.
Article II. Mission
The mission of this Guild is to set and maintain high standards of design, color, and workmanship in all forms of fiber art. Its aims are to educate in the methods of creative fiber techniques and to stimulate interest within the community.
Article III. Non-harassment Clause
Columbia FiberArts Guild does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, selection of volunteers and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members.
Article IV. Membership
Section 1. Membership is open to all persons interested in creative fiber techniques.
Section 2. Membership is active for one year starting when annual dues are paid. Any change in dues must have approval of Guild membership during a quarterly meeting.
Section 3. Levels of Membership: The Guild offers two levels of membership, Regular and Student.
a. Regular Membership
This level is available to everyone, requiring full membership fee.
b. Student Membership
Student membership level is available to full time students with a valid student identification. Qualifying students may join the Guild at a discount rate as determined by the Board.
Article V. Board of Directors
Section 1. The elected officers of the Guild, to be known as Executive Officers and collectively as the Executive Board, and the appointed chairs of the Standing Committees shall constitute the Board of Directors. The immediate Past-President shall serve as a voting member of the Executive Board of Directors.
Section 2. The Board of Directors shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Guild, fix the time and place of meetings, and make recommendations to the Guild. The Board of Directors shall be subject to the will of the Guild, and none of its actions shall conflict with the mission of the Guild.
Section 3. A quorum of the Board of Directors shall be a simple majority of the entire Board of Directors.
Article VI. Officers and elections
Section 1. The elected officers shall be President, President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Section 2. The Past-President, with the assistance of the Board of Directors and a Nominating committee appointed by the Past-President, shall be responsible for nominating candidates for elected offices.The slate of proposed officers shall be published in the Newsletter immediately before the annual meeting as notification to the membership.
Section 3. Nominations from the floor may be made at the annual meeting, provided prior consent has been received from the proposed candidate(s).
Section 4. The Executive Officers shall be elected at the annual meeting to serve for the next fiscal year. They are elected by ballot unless a motion is made and seconded to accept the slate of officers as presented. If no motion is offered, or if the motion is not seconded, officers shall be individually voted upon. Their term of office shall correspond to the Guild’s fiscal year. No member shall hold more than one Executive Office at a time.
Section 5. Any member may serve as committee chairperson. Committee chairs shall be identified to the Board of Directors and will hold office until he or she resigns, is removed, is otherwise disqualified to serve, or until his or her successor shall be appointed whichever occurs first. Each committee will have one (1) vote at Board meetings.
Section 6. If the President is unable to complete her/his term, the President-Elect shall fill the vacancy in the office of President. A vacancy in the office of President-Elect shall be filled by the rules stated in Article VI Section 2, except the election shall be held at the next regularly scheduled Guild meeting. All other vacancies shall be filled by appointment by the President and ratified by the Executive Board. Vacancies on the Board of Directors shall exist (1) on the death, resignation, or removal of any director, (2) whenever the number of authorized directors is increased, or (3) no qualified member is available to fill the vacancy.
a. Resignation
Any Board member may resign at any time by delivering written notice to the President. Such resignation shall take effect upon receipt, or, if later, at the time specified in the notice.
b. Removal
Any Board member can be removed, either for or without cause, by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Directors present at any meeting of the Directors at which a quorum is present. Notice of the intention to act upon removal shall have been given in the notice of such meeting, and if such notice is provided to the Director proposed to be removed.
Article VII. Duties of Officers
Section 1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Guild and Board of Directors and may be an ex-officio member of all committees. The President shall supervise and enable all administrative activities of the Board of Directors including acquiring and contracting meeting locations.
Section 2. The President-Elect shall act as an aide to the President; preside over meetings of the Guild and the Board of Directors in the absence of the President; and may be an ex-officio member of all other committees. After having served as President-Elect, she/he shall automatically become a nominee for the office of President for the following year.
Section 3. The Secretary shall keep a record of all proceedings of the Guild and Board of Directors. The Secretary will track all proposed changes, additions and deletions to the Bylaws for review at the end of the fiscal year.
Section 4. The Treasurer shall be responsible for all fiscal matters as directed by the Executive Board and shall prepare an annual budget with input from the Board of Directors.
Article VIII. Meetings
Section 1. The regular meetings of the Guild shall be held quarterly at an agreed upon location unless otherwise ordered by the Guild or by the Board of Directors.
Section 2. The regular final meeting of the fiscal year shall be known as the Annual meeting and shall be for the purpose of electing new officers and introducing new committee chairs, receiving reports of officers and committees, and any other business that may arise.
Article IX. Finance
Section 1. The Board of Directors will develop and present a budget to membership at the first meeting of the fiscal year. The budget must be approved by a majority vote. Significant changes to the approved budget, as designated in the Standing Rules, must be approved by the Guild membership.
Section 2. Financial report(s) will be reported to the Board of Directors at or before Board Meetings. For financial transparency, the President and others designated by the President will have access to the financial systems of record.
Section 3. The Board of Directors will ensure that membership dues and donations are used to meet the overall annual operational needs and provide benefit to all members of the organization. Participant fees will cover the cost of programs that do not benefit all members (e.g., workshops). Excess income will be used to establish and maintain a fund to cover operational costs for up to two (2) years. Funds exceeding that amount will be budgeted as determined by the Board of Directors.
Section 4. The Guild will adhere to a Conflict of Interest policy as stated in the Standing Rules.
Article X. Maintenance of Guild Records
Section 1. The Board of Directors will maintain the Guild’s permanent records including the Organization Document /Articles of Incorporation, a copy of form 1023 Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and the IRS Determination Letter.
Section 2. Physical copies of financial records will be maintained for a period of three (3) prior years. Older records will be destroyed safely and securely.
Section 3. Electronic record of membership and financial statistics, program benefits, and outreach impacts will be reported and retained permanently.
Article XI. Photography Policy
The Guild will adhere to a Photography Policy and Release as stated in the Standing Rules allowing the Guild to use photos of members’ work or pictures of individual members in Guild promotions.
Article XII. Dispute Resolution
To address conflicts in the Guild, Directors and members who have a concern will follow the process described in the Standing Rules. This includes, but is not limited to, errors and omissions in these Bylaws and in the Standing Rules.
Article XIII. Amendment of Bylaws
Any amendment(s) must be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors for review and vote. After the Board of Director’s approval, changes must be published in the next Newsletter for general membership review. Then the Bylaws can be amended at the following quarterly meeting of the Guild by a two-thirds vote of members present.
