ARTICLE I – ORGANIZATION
NAME The name of the non-profit organization is the Alaska Amateur Racquetball Association (AARA) hereinafter referred to as the AARA of the organization.
PURPOSE The purpose of the organization is to promote the sport of racquetball throughout the state of Alaska by supporting Juniors’ programs, administering amateur and professional tournaments, maintaining amateur seeding, sponsoring educational and certification programs, increasing public awareness of racquetball, and promoting good sportsmanship. The organization shall raise funds and accept donations to further these purposes, and shall operate exclusively for educational and charitable purposes.
ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP
MEMBERSHIP Membership in the organization will include all adult and junior players who meet the following criteria:
- Respond affirmatively to an email invitation to be a member
- Reside in the state of Alaska, or, in the case of active duty military personnel, maintain a “home of record” in Alaska.
- The Board of Directors will, annually, determine whether to align with USRA and subsequently impose fees associated with membership in this national organization.
MEMBERSHIP FEE The membership fee will be determined annually by the Board of Directors.
SUSPENSION Nonpayment of dues shall automatically result in suspension of membership. Such membership may be reinstated immediately upon payment of the next year’s dues. Further, the board, shall have the right to expel or suspend membership, or refuse membership, for any length of time, if the member is adjudged to have acted in a manner unacceptable to the organization at a racquetball function, tournament, or event, or has taken action clearly detrimental to the promotion of the sport in Alaska, or clearly in conflict with the goals of the organization.
ARTICLE III – ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
VOTING MEMBERS Each member of the AARA shall have one (1) vote in matters brought to a vote of the general membership.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS The directors of the organization shall consist of not less than five (5) and not more than eleven (11) members, the actual number to be decided by the board. The board shall always encourage a diverse membership, with efforts to recruit female, male, 50+ and military or retired military members. Each board member will serve a three (3) year term with approximately one-third of the total board positions expiring each year.
OPERATING COMMITTEES The need for specific operating committees will be determined by the Board of Directors, and their respective chairpersons shall be appointed by the President. The following is a list of sample Operating Committees:
- Public Relation/Press committee
- Juniors Programs Committee
- Rules and Certification Committee
- Seeding Committee
- Nominating Committee
- Fundraising Committee
- Programs Committee
BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTIONS Approximately one-third of the directors shall be elected each year by the general membership. The ballot for the election shall be submitted by the Nomination Committee, approved by the Board, and provided to all eligible voting members in the first week of March each year. Ballots must be returned by the last day of March to be included in the voting. New directors will be installed at the annual general membership meeting, which shall be held (either in-person or virtually) in April of each year.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS Board officers shall be elected annually at the general membership meeting by the board of directors. The nomination committee will present a slate of candidates, from the existing board members, for the officer positions. After open nominations from the board, the board will elect officers from each position for the next year with a simple majority vote. Officer positions will include President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
VACANT BOARD POSITIONS Any vacancies on the board, other than normal term expirations, will be filled by a vote of the board. The new board member’s term will be the term remaining in the position they are filling.
REMOVAL FROM OFFICE Any board member may be removed from the board by a simple majority vote of the board. A removed board member has a right to have the removal voted on by the general membership. To require the vote, the removed board member must present a petition to the President within 60 days of removal, signed by a minimum of ten percent (10%) of the active membership, requesting a vote of the membership on the removal. The President will schedule the vote for no more than 60 days from the date of receiving a valid petition.
QUORUM A quorum of 50% of the board members are required to conduct the business of the organization. Majority votes are defined as a majority of those board members present, either in-person or virtually; assuming a quorum has been achieved.
ARTICLE IV – DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
BOARD OF DIRECTORS The board of directors duties shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
- To formulate policy for the organization.
- To decide budgeting issues and allocation of funds.
- To make selections for filling of vacancies.
- To revise the organization by-laws as necessary.
- To act as the final “Board of Appeal” for grievance and disciplinary actions.
OFFICERS Officer positions and responsibilities are as follows:
(a) PRESIDENT It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all general and Board of Director meetings. The President shall be the principal administrator of the organization and shall be an ex-officio voting member of all committees, the selector of committee chairpersons and members, and the chief spokesperson for the organization.
VICE PRESIDENT The Vice President shall preside at all meetings in the absence of the President and, in such event, shall have all the duties and rights of the President. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President, the Vice-President shall fill the unexpired term.
SECRETARY The Secretary shall be responsible for the maintenance of these by-laws, minutes of general membership and board of director meetings, and other paperwork necessary for the functioning of the organization.
TREASURER The Treasurer shall be responsible for keeping and reporting on the financial transactions and status of the organization.
ARTICLE V – INCOME AND EXPENSES
INCOME The income of the organization shall be derived from membership fees (if imposed), sanctioning fees, gifts, donations, fundraising activities, and other sources which may be available from time to time. All monies will be deposited into the general account of the organization.
EXPENSES The AARA shall spend money strictly associated with fulfilling the purposes of the organization, to reimburse officers, board members, or volunteers for out of pocket expenses only, and for the overall operation of the organization. All expenditures will require the signature of at least two Officers on the board. Any expense over $1,000 will require the approval of the board.
ARTICLE VI – AMENDMENTS
The board of directors shall have the right to amend these by-laws with the following restrictions:
- A 2/3 majority of the full board is required to pass any amendments. Directors may vote virtually if they are unable to attend the vote in person.
- All amendments shall be immediately published to all members of the organization. A petition signed by 10% of the current members opposing the amendment shall cause the amendment to be voted on by the general membership.
- In the event of a membership petition, the amendment approved by the board will remain in effect until the amendment is voted out by the membership.
ARTICLE VII – MEMBER RIGHTS
MEMBER RIGHT The general membership of the organization shall have the right to call a general membership meeting for the purpose of:
- Requesting a revision to these by-laws.
- Overruling the Board of Directors and Officers on by-law amendments or on specific policies or decisions.
- Holding a special election for the purpose of replacing or removing one or more of the Officers or members of the Board of Directors.
In order to call for such a meeting, a petition shall be delivered to the President stating the specific motion and order of business to be discussed and voted on. The petition shall contain the signatures of no less than ten percent (10%) of the current members of the organization. Upon receipt of such petition, the President shall set a time and place for a special meeting within forty-five (45) days, and shall notify the membership of the meeting, the contents of the petition, and any other business slated for the meeting. All votes of the general membership will be held by mail ballots to all current members.
ARTICLE VIII – MEETINGS AND PROCEDURES
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS The annual general membership meeting shall be scheduled in April of each year. Other general membership meetings will be held as required by petition, or by the President of the organization.
All voting issues to be determined by the membership will be decided by ballot, either digital or paper, as deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors. Ballots will be provided to all current members and a reasonable deadline will be given for returning completed ballots.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS The President of the organization shall call meetings of the board of directors, as he/she deems necessary. Board of Director meetings may also be called by any four (4) directors requesting a meeting by signed petition and presented to the President.
Meeting agendas will be determined by the President.
A quorum of 50% of active board members is required to conduct the business of the board. Unless otherwise provided, board votes need a simple majority of the board members present, assuming a quorum has been achieved.
In the event there is a single issue that requires a board decision, the President may poll the directors in lieu of calling a meeting.
RULES Roberts Rules of Order shall apply to all General Membership and Board of Director meeting procedures.
ARTICLE IX – DISSOLUTION
In the event of dissolution of the organization or the winding up of its affairs, all monies owned by the organization shall be donated to the United States Racquetball Association.
