Volunteer Ranch Horse Association

Bylaws

Article I

Section 1. Title: This association was organized in January of 2007. It shall be named the Volunteer Ranch Horse Association or VolRHA and operated as a non-profit organization.

Section 2. Objective: The objective of the VolRHA is to improve and promote the American Ranch Horse breed in Tennessee.

Section 3. The principle place of business of this association shall be Wilson County, TN.

Section 4. The fiscal year shall run from December 1st through November 30th.

Article II

Section 1. Members of this association shall be admitted, retained and expelled in accordance with such rules and regulations as the Board of Directors may, from time to time adopt.

  1. An Individual membership entitles that member to one vote during membership meeting.
  1. A Family membership entitles husband, wife and children to all benefits of membership and two votes during membership meetings.

Section 2. An officer of the association shall act as chairman of each meeting with the precedence to be given as follows: President, Vice President, Secretary, and then Treasurer.

Article III

Section 1. The business and property of the association shall be managed and controlled by the Board of Directors.

  1. A majority of any committee could recommend to the Board the removal of any committee member due to the lack of participation.
  1. The Board of Directors will hold as many meetings as necessary to conduct the business of VolRHA, but no less then four meetings per fiscal year.

Section 2. The Board of Directors shall have the power and authority to make, amend, repeal and enforce such rules and regulations, not contrary to law or the Certificate of Incorporation or the bylaws, as they may deem proper relating to the conduct, management and activities of the association, the admission, classification, qualification, suspension, and expulsion of officers, the fixing and collecting of dues and fees, registration, auditing of books and records, the awarding of championships, the conducting of shows, contests, exhibitions, sales and social functions and other details relating to the general purpose of the VolRHA, all, however, subject to revision or amendment by the members at any regular or special meeting.

Section 3. The Board of Directors, from time to time, may create and empower other committees, general and special. Such committees shall report and make recommendations to the Board of Directors for the Board’s action.

Article IV.

Section 1. The officers of the VolRHA shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Charter Representative, and Youth Advisor(s). No one individual may hold more than one office at any given time.

Section 2. The members of the Board of Directors shall consist of 9 members including the past and present Presidents and 7 elected members. Other than the current President, no other current officer may serve as members of the Board of Directors while holding office. Provided that all Board members were duly notified of the meeting date, time, and place in advance, a quorum may be established by more than 50% of the Board members at any meeting either in person or electronically. If electronic methods are used for any business by the Board, all Board members must be contacted and polled. Should any vote by the Board result in a tie, the President’s vote shall decide.

  1. In case of any vacancy in any elected office by death, resignation, disqualification or removal, the Board of Directors shall nominate and approve a replacement from the membership.

Section 3. The President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Charter Representative, Youth Advisor(s), and members of the Board of Directors for the following fiscal year shall be elected during the last meeting of the preceding fiscal year. All officers and members of the Board of Directors shall be members in good standing with VolRHA at the time when they are elected and shall maintain their memberships throughout their term of service.

Section 4. The President shall be chief executive officer of the VolRHA and shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors. He/she shall see that all by-laws, rules, and regulations of the association are enforced and shall perform all other duties that may be prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors. The President shall have signatory power for all contracting and legal business of VolRHA. The President and the past President from the previous year, if different, are voting members of the Board of Directors. All past presidents become lifetime members of VolRHA.

Section 5. In absence of the President, the Vice President shall perform the duties of the President and such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors. The Vice President shall have signatory power for contract and other legal business of VolRHA on a case-by-case basis as instructed by the President in writing prior to executing such instruments.

Section 6. The Secretary shall keep minutes of all board and membership meetings, distribute the minutes from such meetings via email to all members, shall be responsible for the safe keeping of all correspondence and non-financial records of the association, and be responsible for the verification of all memberships. The Secretary shall be responsible for arranging all advertising approved by the President. The Secretary shall maintain necessary licenses and corporate filing as required by the American Ranch Horse Association (ARHA) or law. The Secretary shall have signatory power for contract and other legal business of VolRHA on a case-by-case basis as instructed by the President in writing prior to executing such instruments.

Section 7. The Treasurer is responsible for the financial accounting of all funds received and payment of all debts incurred in the name of VolRHA. The Treasurer shall maintain itemized statements in detail and shall present the most current statement at each scheduled meeting. The Treasure shall provide a current statement of all financial transactions within three (3) business days of a request issued by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall manage petty cash during VolRHA events, make timely deposits of funds received, make timely payment for debts owed, and balance the checking account at least monthly. The Treasurer shall be prepared to issue checks at any and all functions requiring payment from the VolRHA funds. The Treasurer shall prepare all tax returns as required by Federal or State law and, following approval from the Board, shall file such returns with the appropriate governmental body. The Treasurer shall prepare and submit the annual budget for the Board of Director’s approval within the first month of each fiscal year.

Section 8: The Charter Representative is the liaison between VolRHA and ARHA and shall attend both VolRHA meetings and ARHA meetings as necessary in order to facilitate communication between the two organizations. The Charter Representative is responsible for submitting VolRHA news for each edition of Riding the Range. Duties also include submitting a copy of the current membership roster to the ARHA on or before the date prescribed by the ARHA, maintenance and preparation of the VolRHA scrapbooks (one copy for ARHA and one copy for VolRHA), and submission of the “Charter of the Year” application to the ARHA on or before the date prescribed by the ARHA. The Charter Representative shall be the primary point of contact for members and prospective members of the VolRHA for issues related to membership.

Section 9: The Youth Advisor(s) is/are responsible for creating and maintaining a youth group comprised of members of the VolRHA. The Youth Advisor(s) shall organize activities including fundraising, provide mentoring, and promote good sportsmanship and horsemanship to the youth members of the VolRHA.

Article V

If at any time the general membership of VolRHA decides to disolve the association, all assets of VolRHA shall be distributed to a non-profit organization of the Board of Director’s choosing at the time of such action.

Revision 1, January 2010Page 1 of 4