CONSTITUTION OF THE
HADDON HEIGHTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
HADDON HEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY
ARTICLE I – NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Haddon Heights Historical Society (Society). The Society is a not-for-profit affiliate of the Haddon Heights Free Public Library operated exclusively for cultural, educational, and charitable purposes, complying with I.R.S. Code 501(c) (3).
ARTICLE II – GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS
Section 1. The geographic focus of the Society is as follows: The Borough of Haddon Heights and nearby communities in Camden County, New Jersey having an impact on the history and development of Haddon Heights.
ARTICLE III – OBJECTIVE
Section 1. The objective of the Society is: a) to collect, record, and preserve local history with respect to sites, buildings, early settlers, family names, deeds and records, cemeteries, congregations of houses of worship, local government, clubs and organizations, and other matters of significance in the history and development of the community; b) to promote an appreciation of history through preservation of homes, churches, and public buildings having special educational and historical significance; c) to acquire, maintain, and display significant historical articles, records, publications, photographs, sketches, and artifacts in the local history department of the Haddon Heights Free Public Library; and d) to build up a reference file of accessible material located at other nearby locations.
Section 2. In keeping with the not-for-profit nature of the Society, and its objectives, no assets of the Society may inure to the benefit of any member or members to the exclusion of the entire Society.
ARTICLE IV – MEETINGS
Section 1. The Society shall meet regularly once each quarter on the day and at the time provided in the By-Laws, provided that in an emergency, or for good cause, the Board of Directors of the Society may change the regular meeting to a different day or to a different hour of the regular day, or to a different place, or cancel the regular meeting due to an event affecting the entire community. Additional meetings may be called by the Board of Directors whenever they deem it necessary or beneficial to the Society members.
Section 2. The annual meeting for the election of officers of this Society shall be held on the third Monday of October each year.
ARTICLE V – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Each active member shall support the goals of the Society and have an interest in the history of the community. To remain active, a member’s dues must be current. Every member agrees to be bound to all things, not contrary to law, by the Constitution and By-Laws, and amendments thereto, and to faithfully abide by the provisions thereof.
Section 2. “Honorary” Members.
a. A person who resides within or who has resided within the geographic limits or who has distinguished himself or herself by meritorious service in the community, state, or nation may be elected to Honorary Membership in the Society.
b. Honorary Members shall be exempt from the payment of admission fees and dues, shall have no vote and shall not be eligible to hold any office in the Society; shall have no interest in any property of the Society; but shall be entitled to attend all meetings and enjoy all of the privileges of the Society.
ARTICLE VI – OFFICERS AND TRUSTEES
Section 1. The governing body of this Society shall be a Board of Directors to be constituted as the By-Laws of the Society may provide.
Section 2. Except as herein otherwise specifically provided, the decision of the Board in all Society matters shall be final, subject only to an appeal to the Society. The Board shall have general control over all officers and committees and may, for good cause, declare any office vacant. It shall constitute a board of appeal from the rulings of all officers and actions of all committees. Appeal may be taken from any decision of the Board to the Society. On such appeals the decision appealed from shall be reversed only by a two-thirds vote of the members present at a regular meeting specified by the Board, notice of such appeal having been given by the Secretary to all members of the Society at least five days previous to such meeting.
Section 3. The officers of the Society shall consist of no less than eight members of the Society: a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a minimum of three Trustees and the immediate past President, all of whom shall be members of the Board.
Section 4. Each officer shall be an active member in good standing of the Society and will take office at the conclusion of the annual meeting.
ARTICLE VII – MEMBERSHIP FEES AND DUES
Section 1. Every member (except honorary) shall pay annual dues as prescribed in the By-Laws of the Society.
ARTICLE VIII – DURATION OF MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Period: Membership shall continue during the existence of the Society unless terminated as hereafter provided.
Section 2. How Terminated:
a. Non-payment of dues – any member failing to pay his or her dues after being notified. If the dues are not paid within 90 days of notification, said membership will automatically be terminated.
b. Honorary Memberships shall automatically terminate on the last day of the calendar year. However, the Board at its discretion may, by resolution, continue such honorary memberships for the ensuing year.
c. Termination for other causes: The Board may terminate the membership of any member who so conducts himself or herself as to be detrimental to or embarrassing to the Society.
ARTICLE IX – COMMUNITY, COUNTY, STATE, AND NATIONAL HISTORY
Section 1. The history and background of the Borough of Haddon Heights, the surrounding communities, the townships from which Haddon Heights was incorporated as a Borough, the County of Camden, the original “West Jersey”, the State of New Jersey, and the development of the colonies into the United States of America are of interest and concern to the members of this Society.
This historical interest includes the settlers, the farms, homes, business, and industrial establishments, the roads, highways, navigable streams, state-coach lines, railroads, trolley routes, bus lines, and all phases of developing transportation. It includes the families, governmental units, the grants, deeds, and property transfers; the commerce, the military history, and artifacts representative of each era and generation; the influence of the founders and their successors on the development and present status of each community. The historical interest further includes preservation of significant historical buildings, photographs, relics, artifacts, historical records of significant persons, families, organizations, houses of worship, and events to the extent it is possible and practicable. Such records, artifacts, relics, photographs, drawings, etc. shall be reserved in the local history department of the Haddon Heights Free Public Library.
ARTICLE X – OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
(RESERVED)
ARTICLE XI – ACCEPTANCE OF AND COMPLIANCE WITH CONSTITUTION & BY-LAWS
A member by payment of his or her dues accepts the objectives of the Society as expressed in the Constitution and By-Laws and agrees to comply with and be bound by them, and on these conditions alone is entitled to the privileges of the Society. No member shall be absolved from the observance of the Constitution and By-Laws on the plea that he or she had not received a copy of them.
ARTICLE XII – BY-LAWS
Section 1. This Society shall adopt By-Laws consistent with this Constitution, or with state and federal laws pertaining to non-profit or educational organizations (including U.S. Internal Revenue Code and Regulations) for the government of this Society. Such By-Laws may be amended from time to time as herein provided.
ARTICLE XIII – AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Time: This Constitution may be amended by the meeting of the Society at the annual organizational meeting by a majority vote of members present at the time such amendments are submitted to the Society.
Section 2. Who may prepare: Amendments to this Constitution shall be prepared by the Legislative Committee. Any member of the Society may propose an amendment or amendments to be considered by the Legislative Committee.
Section 3. How received: Proposed amendments may be hand-delivered to any member of the Board, left at the Haddon Heights Public Library (attention: Haddon Heights Historical Society), or mailed to: Haddon Heights Historical Society, P. O. Box 118, Haddon Heights, NJ 08035. The Legislative Committee shall consider and present all proposed amendments at the next scheduled meeting of the Board. Proposed amendments shall be presented to the Society only after having been approved by the Board of Directors. This Constitution may be amended at any regular meeting of the Society by an affirmative vote of a majority of the members present, provided that notice of such proposed amendments shall have been mailed to each member at least ten (10) days before such meeting. The current Constitution of the Society will be available to members on our website (www.hhhistorical.org) and at the annual meeting.
BY-LAWS OF THE
HADDON HEIGHTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
HADDON HEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY
ARTICLE I – ELECTION AND TERMS OF OFFICERS
Section 1. At a regular scheduled meeting date prior to the meeting for election of officers, the presiding officer shall ask for nominations by members of the Society for offices with expiring terms. Officers of the Society are comprised of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, a minimum of three (3) Trustees, and the immediate past President. Nominations may be presented by a nominating committee or by members from the floor. If it is decided to have a nominating committee, such a committee shall be appointed as the Society may determine. The nomination slate shall be made available to the members prior to the annual meeting through the newsletter and website. Nominees shall be voted on at the annual meeting and the candidates receiving a majority of the votes shall be declared elected to their respective offices.
Section 2. The officers and Trustees, so elected, together with the immediate past President shall constitute the Board of Directors.
Section 3. A vacancy in the Board of Directors or any office shall be filled by action of the remaining members of the Board.
Section 4. Board members-elect shall assume their roles and responsibilities at the conclusion of the annual meeting. The President, Vice-President and Secretary shall be elected on even-numbered years for a two-year term and may be re-elected for one successive two-year term. The Treasurer shall be elected on odd-numbered years for a two-year term and may be re-elected for one successive two-year term. Trustees shall be elected for three (3) year terms and may be re-elected for successive terms.
ARTICLE II – BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. The governing body of the Society shall be the Board of Directors, in accordance with Article 1, Section 1, of these By-Laws (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, a minimum of three Trustees and the immediate past President).
ARTICLE III – DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1. President: The duties of the President shall be to call the members of the Society or Board to order; to announce the business in the order in which it is to be acted upon; to recognize members entitled to the floor; to state and put to vote all questions which are regularly moved, or necessarily arise in the course of the proceedings, and to announce the result of the vote; to assist in the expediting of business in every way compatible with the rights of the members; to enforce on all occasions the observance of order and decorum among the members and to perform such other duties that ordinarily pertain to this office.
Section 2. Vice-President: The duties of the Vice-President shall be to preside at meetings of the Society and Board in the absence of the President for any reason, including illness, resignation or death and to perform such other duties that ordinarily pertain to this office.
Section 3. Secretary: The Secretary is the recording officer of the Society and the custodian of our records except such as are specifically assigned to others, as the treasurer’s books. The Secretary shall keep a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws that has every other page blank for the recording of amendments. In addition to being recorded in the minutes, amendments should be immediately entered on the page opposite to the article amended, with a reference, in red ink, to the date and page of the minutes where it is recorded. In the absence of the President or Vice-President, the Secretary has the duty to call the meeting to order, and to preside until the election of a President pro tem, which should take place immediately. Additional duties of the Secretary shall be to record the attendance at meetings of the Society, Board, and committees, record and preserve the minutes of such meetings, make the required reports of the meetings to the membership of the Society, prepare and send out invitations to speakers and letters of appreciation to speakers. Minutes shall include (a) the kind of meeting (regular or special); (b) the name of the assembly; (c) date of meeting and place; (d) the presiding officer; (e) whether the minutes of the previous meeting were approved; (f) all the main motions, points of orders and appeals and if motions were sustained or lost; and (g) the hours of meeting and adjournment.
Section 4. Treasurer: The duties of the Treasurer shall be to have custody of all funds, accounting for same to the Society quarterly or at any other time upon demand by the Board and to perform such other duties as pertain to this office. The Treasurer shall prepare a budget of estimated revenue and expenses at the beginning of each fiscal year, to be presented to the Board at their first Board meeting of the year. Upon retirement from the office, the Treasurer shall turn over to the successor or to the President all funds, books of accounts, or any other property of the Society in his or her possession. The Treasurer shall also be responsible for any non-profit 501(c) (3) reporting requirements by the State of New Jersey or Federal governments.
Section 5. Trustees: It will be the duty of the Trustees to subscribe to the goals and objectives of the Society. They will attend Board and committee meetings throughout the year. They will be responsible for auditing the financial records annually and anytime a new Treasurer takes office, following standard accounting guidelines. Verification of bank statement deposits, cancelled checks and interest shall occur each January, prior to the Society’s first meeting of the year. Trustees shall sign a statement that all figures have been verified and match our financial records, and then submit their signed statement to the Secretary. Additionally, they will provide leadership by working with other Board members to set the strategic direction for the Society.
ARTICLE IV – MEETINGS
Section 1. Annual Meeting: An annual meeting of this Society shall be held on the third Monday of October in each year, at which time the election of officers and Trustees to serve for the ensuing year shall take place. The Constitution and By-Laws shall either be confirmed or may be amended at this time.
Section 2. The regular quarterly meetings of this Society shall be held on the third Monday evening of January, April, July, and October at 7:00 PM in the meeting room of the Haddon Heights Public Library. Due notice of any changes in, or canceling of the regular meeting shall be given to all members of the Society; also of any special meetings called by the President and the Board of Directors.
Section 3. The members present at the meetings shall constitute a quorum at the annual and regular meetings of this Society.
Section 4. Special meetings of the Board shall be called by the President, whenever deemed necessary or upon request of two members of the Board, due notice having been given.
Section 5. A majority of the Board members shall constitute a quorum of the Board.
ARTICLE V – FEES AND DUES
Section 1. The dues for active members shall be $10.00 per year for an Individual or $15.00 per year for a Household membership, payable annually by the first meeting date of the year.
ARTICLE VI – METHODS OF VOTING
Section 1. The business of this Society and the election of officers and Trustees shall be transacted by viva voce vote. In the event it is moved and seconded to accept the Nominating Committee slate of candidates, the candidates may be approved by voice vote.
ARTICLE VII – COMMITTEES
Section 1. The President shall, subject to the approval of the Board, appoint the following committees: a) Affairs Committee, b) Grant Committee, c) Legislative Committee, d) Membership Committee, e) Merchandising & Fundraising Committee, f) Newsletter Committee, g) Nominating Committee, h) Program and Publicity Committee, and i) Webmaster Committee.
Section 2. Where possible and practical in the appointment of Society committees, there should be provision for continuity of membership, either by appointing one or more members for a second term or by appointing one or more members to a two-year term.
Section 3. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees and, as such, shall have all the privileges of membership thereon.
Section 4. Each committee shall transact such business as is delegated to it in the By-Laws and such additional business as may be referred to it by the President or the Board. Except where special authority is given by the Board, such committees shall not take action until a report has been made to the Board and approved by the Board.
ARTICLE VIII – DUTIES OF COMMITTEES
a. Affairs Committee: This committee shall, at the request of the membership committee, remind members when their dues are in arrears. Additional duties of this committee are to notify members of upcoming meetings and events, and to arrange for refreshments when needed.
b. Grants & Fundraising Committee: This committee shall research and apply for available grant opportunities and funding. Special event fundraising activities shall have a separate revenue plan with results provided to the Treasurer.
c. Legislative Committee: This committee is responsible for keeping the Constitution and By-Laws current and available to all members, including placement on the website. All proposed amendments to the Constitution or By-Laws must be submitted to this committee for Board review prior to presentation to the Society.
d. Membership Committee: This committee shall devise new member initiatives as well as encourage current member attendance at all Society meetings as well as ascertain and remove conditions that contribute to poor attendance. This committee will work with the Treasurer and the Affairs and Newsletter committees to ensure that memberships are current, and will confirm the attendance at each meeting of the Society with the Secretary.
e. Merchandising Committee: This committee will follow the criteria provided by the Board in the choice of merchandise and suppliers, and will work closely with the Treasurer to provide a merchandise plan that addresses all costs, break-evens and potential revenues. This committee will also be responsible for providing an accurate inventory of items and to recommend when merchandise items should be replenished or discontinued.
f. Newsletter Committee: This committee shall stimulate membership interest in the newsletter of the Society, solicit items of local interest to the membership, report forthcoming programs, summarize current programs, and list planned activities.
g. Nominating Committee: This committee shall prepare the annual slate of Board members for the upcoming year. Nominations from the floor will be accepted at the July Quarterly meeting and then be voted on by the Society at the annual Quarterly meeting in October. Additional duties of this committee are to assist the Board in filling any officer vacancies that may occur during the year.
h. Programs & Publicity Committee: This committee shall prepare and arrange the programs for the regular and special meetings of the organization and be the liaison between the guest speakers and the library staff for audio-visual needs. It shall also be the duty of the Programs & Publicity Committee to prepare and send out publicity releases regarding programs, objectives, elections, and any other matters relating to public relations for the Society.
i. Webmaster Committee: This committee shall devise and implement a process to provide members and the general public information about the Society, its history, objectives and scope. Duties will include maintaining and updating the website on a regular basis.
ARTICLE IX – FINANCES
Section 1. The Treasurer shall deposit all funds of the organization in a bank to be named by the Board.
Section 2. All bills shall be paid only by checks signed by the Treasurer. A thorough audit by the Trustees shall be made once a year of all the organization’s financial transactions and at any time a new Treasurer takes office.
Section 3. The fiscal year of this Society shall extend from January 1 to December 31. Dues shall be collected by the first Quarterly meeting in January.
Section 4. At the beginning of each fiscal year the Treasurer shall prepare a budget of estimated income and estimated expenditures for the year, which, upon acceptance by the Board, shall stand as the limit of expenditures for the respective purposes unless otherwise ordered by action of the Board.
Section 5. Dissolution – In the event of dissolution of the Society, all Society assets will be transferred to the Haddon Heights Public Library.
ARTICLE X – RESOLUTIONS
Section 1. No resolution or motion to commit this organization on any matter shall be considered by the membership until it has been reviewed by the Board. Such resolutions or motions, if offered at a Society meeting, shall be referred to the Board without discussion.
ARTICLE XI – ORDER OF BUSINESS
1. Call to Order; 2. Flag Salute; 3. Introduction of visitors;
4. Introduction of new members; 5. Reading of minutes; 6. Correspondence and Announcements;
7. Committee reports; 8. Any unfinished business; 9. Any new business;
10. Program; 11. Adjourn
ARTICLE XII – AMENDMENTS
Procedure: Proposed amendments may be hand-delivered to any member of the Board, left at the Haddon Heights Public Library (attention: Haddon Heights Historical Society), or mailed to: Haddon Heights Historical Society, P. O. Box 118, Haddon Heights, NJ 08035. The legislative committee shall consider and present all proposed amendments to the Board for approval at the next scheduled meeting of the Board. Proposed amendments shall be presented to the Society only after having been presented to and approved by the Board of Directors. These By-Laws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Society by an affirmative vote of a majority of the members present, provided that notice of such proposed amendments shall have been mailed to each member at least ten (10) days before such meeting. The current By-Laws of the Society will be available to members on our website (www.hhhistorical.org) and at the annual meeting. No amendment or addition to these By-Laws can be made which is not in harmony with the organization’s Constitution and with the statutes and regulations controlling the tax exempt status of non-profit organizations, as referred to in the Constitution, Article III – Objective, and in the United States Internal Revenue Code Sec. 501(c) (3) regarding “An organization operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes.”
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AMENDMENTS:
2009.10.19 Election of Officers – Article I, Sections 1, 2 & 4:
Beginning in 2010: President and Vice-President (even years) terms are set for two years and may be elected to one successive two-year term; Secretary (even years) term is set for two years and may be elected to one successive two-year term. Beginning in 2011: Treasurer (odd years) term is set for two years and may be elected to one successive two-year term; Beginning in 2010: Trustees terms are set for three years and may continue to be elected to successive terms.
2009.10.19 Meeting start times – Article IV, Section 1:
Beginning in 2010, meeting start times will be 7:00 pm to allow adequate time for Society business, the program and departure from the Library prior to closing.
2009.10.19 Fees and Dues – Article V, Section 1:
Beginning in 2010, annual dues will be $10 for Individual and $15 for Household memberships.