MasterMinds Chess Club
of Philadelphia
By-laws
 Adopted by the Board of Directors 10-3-2006


ARTICLE I
Name

The name of this organization shall be the "MasterMinds Chess Club of Philadelphia."

ARTICLE II            Return to Top
Purpose

The MasterMinds Chess Club is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, and recreational purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

The purpose of the club shall be to promote the game of chess amongst children and the community at large in accordance with Federal 501(c)(4) rules. To this end, we will conduct:

  1. Lectures
  2. Host special events that promote chess
  3. Chess Tournaments
  4. Chess League and chess matches

ARTICLE III            Return to Top
Membership

1. Membership is open to any person upon submission, review and approval (by the Board of Directors) of a membership application.

2. Contributing members can be either a junior (age 18 and under) or regular (age 19 and over). Only members in good standing are deemed voting members and are eligible to vote in club matters.

3. In the event that a member is found guilty of misconduct or poor sportsmanship in compliance with the MasterMinds Code of Ethics, the Board of Directors shall rule on any penalty to be assessed. Penalties may range from a simple warning to total expulsion from the club and revocation of all club privileges.

ARTICLE IV            Return to Top
Organization

1. The officers of the club shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Tournament Director. They are to be elected to serve a term to last one calendar year (from January 1 st to December 31 st) by majority of the voting members each October.

2. The officers of the club shall comprise the Board of Directors.

3. Vacancies shall be filled by special election via majority vote of the voting members. A successful candidate shall serve the balance of the unexpired term.

4. The club shall be affiliated with the United States Chess Federation (USCF) in accordance with the conditions specified by said organization.

5. Upon the dissolution of the MasterMinds Chess Club of Philadelphia, all assets of the above organization shall be distributed to another non-profit charitable organization with the same or similar purpose (consistent with Federal 501c(3) rules).

No part of the net earnings of the organization shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in the purpose clause hereof. No substantial part of the activities of the organization shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the organization shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of this document, the organization shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by an organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or (b) by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

ARTICLE V            Return to Top
Election of Officers

1. Elections are to take place annually in October. The officers terms to run from January 1 st to December 31 st

2. Only voting members may vote, seek and/or hold office.

3. An elections committee and a specified time and place for voting shall be designated at least one week-prior to the election.

4. Votes may be cast in person at the election or via hand-delivered or faxed ballot if a voter cannot be present.

ARTICLE VI            Return to Top
Duties of the Officers and Directors

1. The President shall:

  1. Preside at all meetings,
  2. Appoint a Publicity Director, Librarian, Team Captain, Historian, Equipment Manager and other administrative positions (including interim officers of the club) deemed necessary by the Board of Directors and
  3. Appoint all committees.

2. The Vice-President shall:

  1. Assist the President and
  2. Preside in the absence of the President.

3. The Secretary shall:

  1. Keep the minutes and attendance records of all meetings,
  2. Carry on the correspondence of the club and
  3. Keep a current list of all active members' personal data relative to chess.

4.The Treasurer shall:

  1. Collect all authorized dues,
  2. Deposit all funds received with a bank designated by the Board of Directors,
  3. Make disbursements as authorized by the Board of Directors and
  4. Furnish a balance sheet and an income statement to the Board of Directors on a quarterly basis.

5. The Tournament Director shall:

  1. Arrange, direct and control all tournaments sponsored by the club,
  2. Report the results of all rated tournaments to the USCF for rating purposes and
  3. Follow all USCF rules and procedures.

6. The members of the Board of Directors shall:

  1. Formulate a program of activities for the club,
  2. Supervise the work of all official committees,
  3. Attend at least 50% of the board meetings and be required to inform the board of their impending absences and
  4. Replace any board member who does not fulfill his/her obligations.

ARTICLE VII            Return to Top
Benefits & Contributions

Benefits to members shall include the following:

  1. Activity meetings shall be held on a weekly basis for the purpose of instruction, mentorship, conducting chess competition, study or other leisure chess activity.
  2. Use of the club library's books and videos.
  3. Use of club equipment at meetings and club-sponsored events.
  4. Right to compete in closed club championship cycle events.
  5. Invitation to special club events and presentations.
  6. Members make contributions annually. The Board of Directors shall be empowered to effect any changes in the membership contribution structure.

ARTICLE VIII            Return to Top
Meetings

1. Activity meetings shall be held on a weekly basis for the purpose of instruction, mentorship, conducting chess competition, study or other leisure chess activity. The Board of Directors shall designate a regularly scheduled time and place.

2. Business meetings shall be held for the purpose of discharging all pertinent club business. These may be either general (open to all members) or board (restricted to board members) meetings. All business meetings shall be conducted under the Robert's Rules of Order unless suspended by majority vote.

3. The Board of Directors may meet at any time and at any place upon request of the President or Vice-President so long as the request is reasonable.

4. A quorum of three which must include either the President or Vice-President shall be necessary for the Board of Directors to act upon any concern.

5. A minimum of three affirmative votes will be required for a motion to carry at board meetings.

6. Ideas proposed by members should be directed to any one of the Board of Directors for consideration.

ARTICLE IX            Return to Top
Amendments

1. These by-laws may be changed or amended by a majority of the board members.

2. Proposed items shall be reviewed in June and December by the Board of Directors prior to being put to a vote.

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