The Landings New Neighbors, LLC, Guidelines
Article I
Mission Statement
The mission of The Landings New Neighbors, LLC, (New Neighbors) is to provide an opportunity for members to develop new friendships, enjoy a wide range of activities and social events, and share thoughts and ideas about moving to The Landings and Savannah.
Article II
Structure
New Neighbors is a Limited Liability Company (LLC) registered with the State of Georgia. The organization does not contribute monetarily to any charity and will not directly publicize or communicate other community activities that do not comply with its mission statement. In cases of extenuating circumstances, requests may be presented to and acted upon by the Board.
Article III
Membership
Section 1. New Neighbors Membership is open to any individual who lives at The Landings on a full-time or part-time basis, is over the age of 21, has never belonged to Landings New Neighbors, and is willing to subscribe to the mission of the organization. Each application for membership shall be treated as a Household Membership.
Section 2. The term of membership is two years. All Members will graduate on May 31 of the year that directly follows their second-year anniversary. Graduates may continue to participate in New Neighbors activities and events until the end of August following the expiration of their membership.
2(a) If a Member Household wishes to extend the term of membership, they must submit a request in writing to the Membership Coordinator, setting forth the reasons for such request. If the reasons set forth constitute extenuating circumstances as determined by the Board, a one year extension may be granted at a fee to be determined by the Board. The Board retains absolute discretion to determine whether the reasons presented by a Member Household constitute extenuating circumstances so as to justify granting of an extension. In making a determination, the Board shall be guided by whether the Member Household’s participation during their initial term was substantially limited by circumstances out of their control and not known to them at the time of joining. Additionally, the Board shall be guided by previous decisions made with a view towards applying its discretion in the most uniform way possible. To that end, when the Membership Coordinator brings a request to the Board, the Member Household will initially remain anonymous. Once the Board has approved the request, the Secretary shall be informed of the Member Household’s name so that there is an accurate historical record kept of both who requested the extension and the circumstances behind the vote.
2(b) Notwithstanding anything set forth in 2(a), there will be no extensions granted based on the part-time nature of residency to Member Households who applied for membership on or after October 31, 2013, and who indicated part-time residency on their application, were then notified in writing by the Membership Coordinator of the impact part-time residency may have on their participation in New Neighbors, and subsequently opted to join. It shall be the responsibility of the Membership Coordinator to keep copies of the letter sent to the applicant as well as any written responses from the applicant and/or notes on conversations with the applicant. Those written materials or notes shall be delivered to subsequent Membership Coordinators for future reference.
2(c) Notwithstanding anything set forth in 2(a), Household members who have moved away from The Landings during the term of their membership are eligible to extend the term of membership for one year at a fee to be determined by the Board.
2(d) Notwithstanding anything set forth in 2(a), if an individual marries, partners or resides with a former member of New Neighbors, they shall be treated as a new Member Household provided at least one of them has never been a member of New Neighbors and has not previously resided at The Landings. This new Member Household shall be eligible for the then current term of membership and dues would be based on the then current dues.
Section 3. An individual who has lived at The Landings for the past three or more years and during that time has been considered a legal resident of the State of Georgia is not eligible to join New Neighbors.
If a resident in the above circumstances wishes to apply for membership, they must submit a request in writing to the Membership Coordinator, setting forth the reasons for such request. If the reasons set forth constitute extenuating circumstances as determined by the Board, membership may be granted by the Board. The Board retains absolute discretion to determine whether the reasons presented constitute extenuating circumstances so as to justify granting membership. In making a determination, the Board shall be guided by previous decisions made with a view towards applying its discretion in the most uniform way possible. To that end, when the Membership Coordinator brings a request to the Board, the resident will initially remain anonymous. Once the Board has approved the request, the Secretary shall be informed of the resident’s name so that there is an accurate historical record kept of both who made the request and the circumstances behind the vote.
Section 4. Each Prospective Member must execute the New Neighbors Hold Harmless Waiver before membership is accepted.
Section 5. Prospective Members may attend one new member reception before joining.
Section 6. In order to retain membership in New Neighbors, Members must adhere to, and not violate, these Guidelines. In addition, Members may not have an outstanding balance due to either the New Neighbors organization or to an individual acting on behalf of New Neighbors. Members violating this policy will have their memberships suspended. They will no longer have access to membership benefits or be able to participate in New Neighbors activities. A suspended membership may be reinstated with the approval of the Board when all outstanding balances owed to New Neighbors or its representative have been paid in full.
Section 7. No Member shall use membership information or the New Neighbors directory for solicitation of any kind.
New Neighbors' communication tools will be used solely for the purposes of informing New Neighbors about New Neighbor events/activities and sharing information relevant to New Neighbors’ membership. These communications tools include the New Neighbors' Newsletter, the New Neighbors' Website, the New Neighbors’ Email Lists. and the New Neighbors' Membership Directory."
Article IV
Board
Section 1. The Executive Board consists of four members: President, two Vice Presidents/Activities Coordinators, and Treasurer. The members of the Executive Board will be responsible for signing all legal documents, including official documents required to operate as an LLC. The Executive Board will hold at least one meeting per year and prepare minutes of that meeting, in compliance with the State of Georgia LLC requirements.
Section 2. In addition to the Executive Board, the Board shall also be comprised of up to 12 additional individuals including a Membership Coordinator, Programs Coordinator, Secretary, New Member Reception Coordinator(s), Social Coordinator(s), Meeting Coordinator(s), Publicity Coordinator, Web Master, and Newsletter Editor. Each Board member shall perform the duties required of the position and shall serve on the Board for one year, beginning June 1 and ending May 31 of the following year.
Section 3. If a prospective Board Member has been a member of New Neighbors for two years, a third year will be added to the individual’s membership tenure.
Section 4. All Board Members are expected to attend all Board and General Membership meetings and offer their support to the organization. In situations in which Board responsibilities have Co-Coordinators, only one Coordinator need attend a Board meeting.
Section 5. All Board members are responsible for meeting and training their replacements and turning over all materials of the position to their replacements. Board Members must also provide a written report of the duties and activities of their position to their replacement, with an additional copy going to the President.
Section 6. The President, with Board approval, will appoint a replacement for any Board vacancy. If the position of President is vacated, the Vice Presidents/Activities
Coordinators will serve as Co-Presidents for the remainder of the term.
Article V
Board Responsibilities
Section 1. President. The President is a member of the Executive Board and, as such, is responsible for those duties as described under Article IV, Section 1. In addition, the President develops an agenda and presides over all Board and General Membership meetings; oversees individual Board activities; writes a monthly news article for the newsletter; establishes a Nominating Committee, serving as a non-voting member of said committee; attends as many social functions and New Member Receptions as feasible; and reviews all atypical (non-routine) communications whether electronic or printed.
Section 2. Vice Presidents/Activities Coordinators. Two members will serve as Vice Presidents/Activity Coordinators. The Vice Presidents/Activities Coordinators are members of the Executive Board and, as such, are responsible for those duties as described under Article IV, Section 1. These Coordinators are responsible for managing all New Neighbor activities. The functions of this position include planning and submitting to the Board a budget; training Activity Chairs; providing any needed support or assistance to the Activity Chairs; coordinating communications between the Activity Chairs, Publicity Coordinator, and Newsletter Editor; developing and maintaining a master calendar of activities; and creating and producing the presentation of activities during the September "Kick Off" luncheon meeting. One of the Vice Presidents/Activity Coordinators should be present at each New Member Reception. At the end of each year, the Vice Presidents/Activity Coordinators, along with current Activity Chairs, will recruit members to serve as chairs for each activity during the following year.
Section 3. Treasurer. The Treasurer is part of the Executive Board and, as such, is responsible for those duties as described under Article IV, Section 1. In addition, the Treasurer maintains fiscal records; prepares and presents a monthly financial report; develops and adheres to a yearly budget; files necessary tax returns and other documents required to maintain the LLC; collects and deposits all checks and makes disbursements for activities; and maintains copies of all contracts, certificates of insurance, and other required documents entered into on behalf of the New Neighbors organization. With the approval of the Executive Board, the Treasurer may contract the services of a tax professional, which will be paid for by the organization.
An Assistant Treasurer is elected by the Board but does not hold a seat on the Board. The Assistant Treasurer automatically succeeds the Treasurer, requiring the holder of this position to make a two-year commitment. The responsibilities of the Assistant Treasurer include monthly bank reconciliations, random audits, and other duties as determined.
Section 4. Membership Coordinator. The Membership Coordinator responds to
membership inquiries, receives membership applications and fees, collects the Hold Harmless Waivers, assists new Members in connecting with activities of interest, maintains current membership lists, and provides the monthly membership directory to the Webmaster. Computer skills and access to equipment are needed to perform the responsibilities of this position.
Section 5. Programs Coordinator. The Programs Coordinator selects and procures speakers for the General Membership meetings. Speaker and program ideas must be presented to the Board. The Programs Coordinator submits informational text regarding the speaker, meeting times, and dates to the Publicity Coordinator and Newsletter Editor.
Section 6. Secretary. The Secretary takes minutes at all Board meetings and prepares and distributes the minutes to all Board Members electronically, records any New Neighbors Guidelines revisions, and manages applicable correspondence.
Section 7. Publicity Coordinator. The Publicity Coordinator acts as liaison between New Neighbors and the media resources, including the TWATL, The Skinnie, The Landings Journal, the Message Boards (Marquees), and others.
Section 8. Meeting Coordinator(s). Meeting Coordinator(s) is responsible for supervising all requirements of general membership meetings. The functions of this position include planning and submitting to the Board a budget; promoting the event; contracting with The Landings Club Catering Manager for space, food and beverages; providing decorations; collecting monies to attend; and managing the attendance list. This position will also coordinate with the Programs Coordinator, Vice Presidents/Activity Coordinators or other Board Members to provide any special equipment needs for both New Neighbors presenters and guest speakers.
Section 9. Social Coordinator(s). This position plans and executes one or more
social events per year, including planning and submitting to the Board a budget, negotiating contracts and prices for events, arranging for publicity, and furnishing a final report. The Social Coordinator(s) is also responsible for the planning and publicizing the Thursday evening social hour.
Section 10. New Member Reception Coordinator(s). This position is responsible for coordinating small gatherings for new and potential Members, including planning and submitting to the Board a budget; securing venues and providing refreshments; maintaining an invitation list; issuing invitations; conducting receptions; assembling information about New Neighbors, The Landings, and Savannah; and writing appropriate thank-you notes. In addition, they compile a list of names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of attendees.
Section 11. The Webmaster. The Webmaster publishes the newsletter, calendar, and
membership directory on the New Neighbors website on a monthly basis. This position is responsible for distributing any additional publicity via e-mail to all members as needed, maintaining the website and the email account address book, and managing the activities email account distribution list.
Section 12. The Newsletter Editor. The Newsletter Editor publishes the New Neighbors Newsletter. When drafted, the newsletter is submitted to the President and Vice Presidents/Activity Coordinators for review before electronic submission to the Webmaster for publication on the website. The newsletter copy is also submitted to the Publicity Coordinator for use in Landings publications.
Article VI
Meetings
Section 1. Board Meetings. The Board shall meet as often as necessary to conduct business.
Section 2. Should urgent, time-sensitive issues require immediate action, the Board may conduct business outside of its regularly-scheduled meetings by the available and reasonable means and technologies with the condition that all persons are provided the same information and have the opportunity to respond in a timely fashion. Board action may thus be taken without a meeting if a majority of the Board evidences its support of an action. However, no changes to the Guidelines, pursuant to Article X, Section 1, may be made except at an in-person Board meeting.