Bylaws

BY-LAWS OF THE
HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUB OF HONOLULU

(Revised October 18, 2003, General Membership Meeting, Kamehameha Schools, Elementary School Dining Hall)

ARTICLE I (Nominations)

SECTION 1.  At the regular meeting of the Board of Directors in the third quarter of the year, the President shall appoint, with the approval of the Board of Directors, a nominating committee of three members.  The nominating committee shall submit the names of one or more nominees for each office at a regular meeting of the membership in the last quarter of the year.  Nominations from the floor may only be made at this meeting.  No member shall be nominated for President who has not been an active member for one year prior to the nomination.

ARTICLE II (Elections)

SECTION I.   The election of officers shall take place at a regular meeting of the membership in the last quarter of the year.

SECTION II.  Candidates for the various offices shall be voted for and the candidates receiving a majority of all votes cast for the office shall be declared elected.

ARTICLE III (Officers)

SECTION I.  The officers of the organization shall be President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary and Corresponding Secretary.

SECTION II   An elective office shall be declared vacant by the Board of Directors when the office holder fails to attend three consecutive board meetings, unless the office holder is prevented from so doing for good and sufficient reason.

SECTION III.  Written policies, duly approved by the Board, shall define the responsibilities and operating procedures for each officer.

SECTION IV.  Term of Office.

  1. All duly elected officers shall serve a term of two years beginning on January 1 of the year following their election.  In the event of a vacancy in the position of President, the Vice President will assume the presidency.  The term of office will be for the unexpired term of the office.
  2. All duly elected Board of Directors shall serve a term of two years beginning on January 1 of the year following their election, except that for the initial election in 2003, five of the nine directors shall be elected to serve for two years and four will be elected to serve one year beginning January 2004.  Thereafter, all duty elected directors will serve a term of two years.  This allows for staggered terms of the Board of Directors to assure continuity on the Board of Directors. In the event of a vacancy on the Board of Directors, the President, with the approval of the Board will appoint a new Director to serve the unexpired term of the vacancy.

ARTICLE IV (DUTIES OF OFFICERS)

SECTION I.  PRESIDENT:  The President shall preside at all meetings of the membership and at all meetings of the Board of Directors and shall supervise the work and activities of the organization and perform all other duties that pertain to this office.  The President shall not serve for more than two full terms.

SECTION II.   VICE PRESIDENT.  In the absence or the inability of the President to perform his duties, the Vice President shall act and shall have the same authority as the President.

SECTION III.  TREASURER.   The Treasurer shall collect and receive all funds paid in and belonging to the organization, issuing a receipt therefore, and shall deposit the same in the bank or banks approved by the Board of Directors and shall disburse the same by order of said Board.  The Treasurer’s accounts and books shall at all times be open for inspection by the Board of Directors, the President, and any auditor or auditors names by the Board of Directors.

The Treasurer shall make a complete report to the Board of Directors concerning all monies received and disbursed at each board meeting and shall submit in writing a like report quarterly or upon request of the President or Board of Directors and an annual report which shall be presented at a membership meeting of the organization.  The Treasurer shall deliver to his successor, when duly qualified, all monies and property of the organization in his control or possession and take a receipt for the same.  The Treasurer, with the President or Vice President, shall be authorized to sign all checks or drafts for the drawing of any amounts deposited in the banks to the credit of the organization.  Upon transfer of the accounts to newly elected officers, the Treasurer will file the “authorized signature” cards with the banks holding the monies of the organization.

The Treasurer will annually file the Domestic Nonprofit Corporation Annual Report with the State of Hawaii, Dept of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division; and maintain the currency of the application for registration of the trade name for the Holoku Ball.

SECTION IV.  RECORDING SECRETARY.  The Recording Secretary shall take minutes of the proceedings of all meetings of the membership and of the Board of Directors and keep a true, correct and full record thereof.  The Recording Secretary shall hold office until his successor is duly qualified and shall deliver to the same all books, papers, and other articles belonging to the organization as may be in his possession.

SECTION V. CORRESPONDING SECRETARY.  The Corresponding Secretary shall prepare all correspondence approved by the President and shall read and file all communications, documents and applications for membership and keep a full and complete record of all members.

SECTION VI.   BOARD OF DIRECTORS.  The Board of Directors shall be composed of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary and nine (9) directors elected from the membership. The immediate past president shall also automatically become a member of the Board of Directors.  These officers and directors shall have authority to manage and control all of the affairs, property and funds (except for the Scholarship Fund) of the organization, shall authorize all expenditures and purchases by the organization and shall prescribe rules regulating the affairs and conduct of the organization as are not described by the Constitution and By-laws.  It shall be their duty to carry out the purposes of the organization according to its Constitution and shall admit members and fill vacancies occurring in their own membership.

Seven (7) members of the Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.  The regular meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held no less than every other month or on a monthly basis.  Special meetings may be called by the President.

Each of the nine members of the Board shall be appointed by the President to chair a committee and/or have responsibility for oversight of a segment of the club membership, e.g., Lunalilo Home, Ali’i Sunday; Prince Kuhio Celebration, the Oahu Council Quarterly Luncheon, Kamehameha Day Parade, Christmas Party, and maintaining contact with club members.  Oversight for these activities shall be provided by the President.

ARTICLE V (Committees)

SECTION I.  The President shall appoint the chairperson for the following standing committees which shall consist of three or more members:

  1. Finance
  2. Membership
  3. Government Relations
  4. Aloha
  5. Program Development
  6. Scholarship
  7. Holoku Ball
  8. Archival
  9. Conventions and Awards

ARTICLE VI (Membership – General)

SECTION I.  All applicants for Life, Regular and Student Membership must be of Hawaiian ancestry.  Associate, non-voting membership may be conferred upon non-Hawaiian spouses of members.  Associate memberships may also be extended to non-Hawaiian spouses of deceased members.

SECTION II.  All applications for Life, Regular, Spouse or Student Membership shall be submitted in writing and shall be referred to the Membership Committee for recommendation to the Board of Directors.  The Board of Directors shall formally consider each application for membership.  Approval of an application by a simple majority of the Board shall be a prerequisite to membership.

ARTICLE VII (Honorary Members)

SECTION I.  Honorary membership may be conferred by a two-thirds vote of the members present at a general membership meeting and on the recommendation of the Board of Directors, upon any person who has rendered unusual and especially valuable service to the organization of the Hawaiian people.

SECTION II.  Honorary Members shall be exempt from paying dues and shall enjoy all rights and privileges of members, except the right to vote or hold office.

ARTICLE VIII (Life Members)

SECTION I.  Application for Life Membership may be made by any person qualified under Article VI.  Such application shall be accompanied with a tender of the Life Membership fee set by the Board of Directors.  If admitted to Life Membership, the person shall not be assessed any further annual dues and shall enjoy all rights and privileges accorded regular members.  There shall be no initiation fee.

ARTICLE IX (Regular Members)

SECTION I.  Application for Regular Membership may be made by any person qualified under Article VI.  There shall be a nominal initiation fee charged to cover costs incurred by the club to provide new and returning members with materials relating to the club.  This fee shall be recommended by the Board of Directors to the club’s general membership and must be ratified by two-thirds of the members present at a regular meeting of the club.  The proposed fee shall be circulated in writing at a regular meeting of the club not less than 30 days before ratification.  If admitted to Regular Membership, a person shall pay annual dues as are provided in Article XI.

SECTION II.  A Regular Member shall be entitled to vote at all meetings of the membership, to be nominated for, be elected to, and hold office, to serve on committees to which he is appointed and to participate in all of the organization’s activities.

SECTION III.  Special Members, so designated by the Board of Directors, are Regular Members who are exempt from paying dues by reason of advanced age, illness or indigence, significant and enduring contributions to the Club, or are unable to continue paying dues.  Any Member may propose any other Regular Member for election to this status.

ARTICLE X (Student Members)

SECTION I.  Application for Student Membership may be made by any person qualified under Article VI who is a full time student at a recognized school or college.  There shall be no initiation fee.  If admitted to Student Membership, a person shall pay annual dues as are provided in ARTICLE XI.  A Student Member shall be entitled to vote at all meetings of the membership, to be nominated for, be elected to, and hold office, to serve on committees to which he is appointed and to participate in all of the organization’s activities.

ARTICLE XI (Dues)

SECTION I.  The amount of annual dues for Regular Members shall be established by a two-thirds majority of the Club’s general membership in attendance at a regular meeting, except that, if two Regular members are a husband and wife, their dues, paid jointly, shall not exceed one and a half times the amount of dues paid by one Regular member.

SECTION II.  The annual dues for non-member spouses and student members shall be set by the Board of Directors.

SECTION III.  Annual dues shall be paid by January 1 of each year and any Regular or Spouse member who shall be delinquent in the payment of dues as of February 1 shall be deemed to have forfeited said membership.

SECTION IV.  A person admitted to membership during the last quarter of any year shall be deemed to have paid his or her dues through the ensuing year.

ARTICLE XII (General Fund)

SECTION I.  All monies (except monies constituting the Scholarship Fund) from whatever source paid into the organization shall constitute its General Fund and may be used to pay all claims and expenses of the organization as they are incurred.

SECTION II.  A President’s Discretionary Fund, the amount of which shall be approved by the Board, shall be established to fund unbudgeted items, events and activities which the club president deems to be in keeping with the club’s objectives.

SECTION III.  The fiscal year of the organization shall begin on January 1 and end on December 31 of each year.

SECTION IV.  Annually, the Board of Directors will develop and approve a budget, which shall be presented to the general membership for information.  The Treasurer will provide an annual report of receipts and expenditures at a general membership meeting.

ARTICLE XIII (Scholarship Fund)

SECTION I.  PURPOSE.  There shall be a Scholarship Fund devoted to scholarships granted for post-high school education for people of Hawaiian ancestry.

  1. The monies constituting the Scholarship Fund shall be administered in a Special Account(s) separate and distinct from the general fund, as provided hereafter.
  2. All monies and assets of the Scholarship Fund shall be used exclusively for granting scholarships.

SECTION  II.  TRUSTEES.  The Scholarship Fund shall be administered by three Trustees appointed by the President with the approval of the Board of Directors.  The Trustees shall function autonomously of the Board and shall not serve as either an Officer or a Director on the Board.

  1. The Trustees shall serve a minimum term of three years or until their successors are duly appointed and confirmed.
  2. The Trustees shall be responsible for the management and control of all funds, assets and other property constituting the Scholarship Fund.  If required to do so by a majority vote of the Board of Directors, each Trustee shall execute and file a bond in the sum required by the board.

SECTION III.  SCHOLARSHIP GRANTS.  The Trustees shall annually make available all the interest and dividend earnings less expenses of the scholarship fund accounts as of December 31 of each year, and up to 90% of the income of scholarship fundraisers of the previous year.

SECTION IV.  RECORDS AND REPORTS. The Trustees shall keep a permanent record of all receipts, disbursements and other transactions on account of said fund and shall annually make a written report of all receipts, disbursements and investment activities of the Scholarship Fund account to the Board of Directors. Such report will be due to the HCCH Board of Directors no later than January 31st covering the previous calendar year.

SECTION V.  EXPENDITURES AND WITHDRAWALS.  All expenditures or withdrawals from the fund shall be made only by specific written authorization of at least two Trustees.

SECTION VI.  SCHOLARSHIPS

  1. Eligibility:  Any person of Hawaiian ancestry is eligible to apply for a scholarship grant.
  2. Amount of Awards:  The awards categories and category amounts shall be determined by the Board of Directors on recommendation of the Scholarship Committee and in consideration of the monies made available by the Trustees for awards.  The amount of the Chalmers Award shall be calculated and determined by the Trustees based on dividends and income earned from the Chalmers endowment.
  3. Application for a scholarship grant shall be made in accordance with the application procedures established by the Scholarship Committee.  All applications shall be submitted by a deadline determined by the Scholarship Committee.
  4. Awarding of Scholarships:  The Scholarship Committee shall consider all applications and select those to be awarded scholarship grants.  The names of those selected and the recommended awards shall be transmitted to the Board of Directors for approval, prior to the awarding of the grants.
  5. Disbursement of Scholarship Funds:  The Chair of the Scholarship Committee shall transmit the approved list of awardees with all applicable information to the Trustees for disbursement of scholarship funds.

SECTION VII.  ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. Board of Directors.  The President and the Board of Directors shall be responsible for the following:
    1. The President, with the approval of the Board of Directors, will appoint the Chairperson of the Scholarship Committee and the three Trustees to administer the Scholarship Fund.  The Chairperson of the  Scholarship  Committee shall serve for the term designated by the President.
    2. Approve policies and procedures governing the Scholarship Program, to include a budget to operate the Scholarship Committee activities, and acting upon (approving) the recommendation of the Scholarship Committee regarding the amount of scholarship grants and those to be granted scholarships.  Such amounts granted shall not exceed the scholarship funds made available by the Scholarship Fund trustees.
    3. The President, with the approval of the Board of Directors, will appoint the Chairperson of the Holoku Ball Committee, and act upon the recommendation of the Holoku Ball Committee regarding its proposed budget, place, date, theme, honorees, and cost of tickets, as delegated by the Scholarship Trustees
  2. Scholarship Committee.
    1. The Scholarship Committee shall be responsible for developing the procedures for solicitation of applications; determining eligibility of applicants; ranking and rating of applicants; and submitting a list of the names of those it selected for awards and the recommended scholarship award to the Board of Directors.
    2. Upon approval of the awards, the Scholarship Committee Chairperson shall transmit to the Chair of the Scholarship Fund Trustees a listing of awardees, to include their name, address, school and address, and amount of award.  The committee shall also retain pertinent records for a period of five years from the date of the scholarship award.
    3. The committee is responsible for ensuring timely delivery of awards, to recipients and monitoring and return of scholarship funds to HCCH Scholarship Fund Trustees if recipients are determined to be ineligible.
    4. The committee shall also retain pertinent records for a period of five years from the date of the scholarship award, and shall make an annual written report to the Board of Directors.  The report will consist of the following information:  Criteria used to determine eligibility for awards; criteria used to determine award amounts; total number of applications received; total number of scholarships granted; award amounts granted by category; scholarship funds available versus scholarship funds awarded.  The report will be due not later than 30 October of each year.  A copy of the report will be forwarded to the Scholarship Fund Trustees by the President.
  3. The Scholarship Fund Trustees shall be responsible for the following:
    1. Manage and control all funds, assets and other property constituting the Scholarship Fund.
    2. Annually make available all the interest and dividend earnings less expenses of the scholarship fund accounts as of December 31 of each year, and up to 90% of the income of scholarship fundraisers of the previous year.
    3. Keep a permanent record of all receipts, disbursements and other transactions on account of said fund.
    4. Annually, make a written report to the Board of Directors of (1) all receipts and disbursements; and (2) the investment activities of the Scholarship Fund account.
    5. Annually, advise the HCCH Board of Directors and Scholarship Committee of the monies available for awards.
    6. Disburse funds for scholarship awards approved by the Board of Directors.  All other expenditures or withdrawals from the fund shall be made only by specific written authorization of at least two Trustees.
  4. The Holoku Ball Committee shall be responsible for:
    1. Raising funds for the Scholarship Fund and to support the activities of  the Scholarship Committee
    2. Administering all activities of the Holoku Ball.  Recommending to the Board of Directors a proposed budget, ticket prices, the date, the theme, the honorees, and the location of the Ball, for approval by the Board of Directors (who act on delegation by the Scholarship Trustees).
    3. Providing reports as directed by the Board of Directors on the status of the Holoku Ball budget and activities.
    4. Providing a finalized report of all receipts and expenditures to the Board of Directors and to the Scholarship Fund Trustees, and transfer all net income from the Holoku Ball to the Scholarship Fund Trustees no later than 120 days after the date of the Holoku Ball.

SECTION VIII.  In case of termination of this scholarship fund, all assets are to be distributed solely to an educational organization which qualifies under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1966.

Article XIV (Order of Business)

SECTION I.  The following shall constitute the order of business of the organization

  1. Pule
  2. Call to Order
  3. Roll Call of Officers
  4. Reading or circulation of Minutes of Previous Meeting
  5. Report of Corresponding Secretary’s Report
  6. Reading of Treasurer’s Report
  7. Reading of Reports of Committees
  8. President’s Report
  9. Election of Officers and Directors, when applicable, at an annual meeting of the general membership
  10. Unfinished Business
  11. New Business
  12. Announcements
  13. Closing Pule
  14. Adjournment

ARTICLE XV (Amendments)

The Constitution and By-Laws of the organization may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members at a regular meeting of the membership, such amendment having been presented in writing at a previous regular meeting of the membership.

ARTICLE XVI (Rules of Order)

The rules of order contained in the latest edition of the publication “Robert’s Rules of Order” shall govern the deliberations of the organization in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they do not conflict with the By-Laws of the organization.