Article 1: Name
1.1. The name of this organization shall be Ocean State Jeepsters.
Article 2: Mission
2.1. Ocean State Jeepsters is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to advance the sport of four-wheeling as a safe, enjoyable, and environmentally responsible form of outdoor recreation; to regularly host trail rides and other social events for its members; and to expand land access through education, private partnerships, acquisition, and the public process.
Article 3: Membership
3.1. A member in good standing shall meet the following Membership Requirements:
3.1.1. Be a Jeep owner.
3.1.2. Actively support our Mission.
3.1.3. Abide by our Code-of-Conduct.
3.1.4. Pay dues in accordance with Article 3.6.
3.1.5. Maintain an online forum account.
3.2. The Board shall establish a membership cap annually before March 16th.
3.3. Application
3.3.1. Any individual who is at least eighteen (18) years of age and agrees to follow these bylaws becomes an Applicant upon submission of a completed membership application along with the application fee.
3.3.2. The application fee shall be determined by the Board and shall be nonrefundable.
3.3.3. Applications shall remain active until a Probationary Membership Offer is made or the application is withdrawn by the Applicant.
3.4. Acceptance
3.4.1. Probationary Membership Offers shall be extended to Applicants in order of application date when space is available under the membership cap.
3.4.2. Dues shall become payable within thirty (30) days from receipt of a Probationary Membership Offer. If dues are not received, the Probationary Membership Offer shall be withdrawn and the application shall expire.
3.4.3. Dues received from Applicants after November 30th shall be applied to the following fiscal year. Applicant dues are not otherwise prorated.
3.4.4. Upon receipt of dues an Applicant becomes a Probationary Member and a twelve (12) month Probationary Period begins.
3.4.5. Probationary Members shall be granted the same privileges as Members except the right to vote.
3.4.6. During the Probationary Period a Probationary Member must attend at least one (1) Quarterly Meeting and four (4) other qualifying events. At least two (2) of these other events shall be volunteer opportunities during which the Probationary Member acts in the capacity of volunteer.
3.4.7. The Events Committee shall be responsible for defining which events and volunteer opportunities qualify for purposes of meeting the Probationary Member attendance requirements.
3.4.8. If the minimum attendance requirements are not met before the Probationary Period ends then Probationary Member status shall be automatically revoked.
3.4.9. Upon completion of the Probationary Period final Acceptance as a Member shall be determined by membership vote.
3.5. Revocation
3.5.1. By a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board, membership may be revoked if Membership Requirements are not upheld.
3.5.2. Individuals whose membership is revoked for violating the Code-of-Conduct shall not be eligible to reapply.
3.5.3. The Vice President shall preside over a vote to revoke membership from the President.
3.6. Dues
3.6.1. Dues shall be determined by the Board on an annual basis and cover the period from January 1st to December 31st.
3.6.2. Dues shall become payable on January 1st. Dues received after January 31st shall be subject to a late fee which shall be determined by the Board on an annual basis. If dues are not received before February 16th, membership is automatically revoked.
3.6.3. Dues shall not be refundable.
Article 4: Board of Directors
4.1. The Board of Directors (the Board) manages the organization’s day-to-day business and provides leadership over its activities.
4.2. The Board is comprised of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Events Director, Land Use Director, and Public Relations Director.
4.3. The President:
4.3.1. Presides over business meetings and votes.
4.3.2. Chairs the Board but does not vote on Board matters except to break a tie.
4.3.3. Enforces the bylaws
4.3.4. May sign legal documents
4.4. The Vice President temporarily assumes the duties of the President in the President’s absence.
4.5. The Secretary:
4.5.1. Maintains records including, but not limited to, meeting minutes, bylaws, and membership lists
4.5.2. Shall make records available for viewing to any member upon request
4.5.3. May sign legal documents
4.6. The Treasurer:
4.6.1. Maintains bank accounts and depositories
4.6.2. Keeps accurate financial records
4.6.3. Ensures that expenses are paid in a timely manner
4.6.4. Collects membership dues
4.6.5. Shall make financial records available for viewing to any member upon request
4.6.6. May sign legal documents
4.7. The Events Director
4.7.1. Chairs the Event Committee
4.7.2. Encourages member involvement in the planning & execution of events
4.7.3. Informs members about events
4.8. The Land Use Director:
4.8.1. Chairs the Land Use Committee
4.8.2. Encourages member participation in the planning & execution of land use activities
4.8.3. Informs members about land use activities
4.9. The Public Relations Director:
4.9.1. Chairs the Public Relations Committee
4.9.2. Encourages member participation in the planning & execution of public relations activities
4.9.3. Informs members about public relations activities
4.10. Board members shall serve a one (1) year term that begins on December 1st and ends on November 30th.
4.11. Members with at least two (2) years of continuous membership shall be eligible for election to the Board.
4.12. Members shall not serve in more than one (1) Board position at the same time.
Article 5: Voting & Elections
5.1. Voting (General)
5.1.1. Each Member shall be entitled to one (1) vote on all matters that require a vote.
5.1.2. All voting shall be conducted online and a quorum is always assumed to exist.
5.1.3. Except where otherwise specified in these bylaws Members shall be given notice via forum private message when voting begins and shall have at least five (5) days to cast their vote.
5.1.4. Except where otherwise specified in these bylaws a simple majority of votes cast shall be required for passage.
5.2. Voting (Business)
5.2.1. Except where otherwise specified in these bylaws a membership vote shall be required for all business involving expenditure of club resources, entering legal agreements or external partnerships, or any other decision that falls outside the scope of day-to-day business.
5.2.2. Voting on business shall consist of a motion followed by a discussion period followed by a voting period.
5.2.3. All motions shall be seconded prior to discussion.
5.2.4. Any member shall be allowed to make or second a motion except that a member who makes a motion shall not also second the same motion.
5.2.5. Members shall be given notice when a motion is opened for discussion and shall have at least five (5) days to comment before the motion is moved to vote.
5.3. Elections (General)
5.3.1. Elections shall consist of a nomination period followed by a voting period.
5.3.2. Except where otherwise specified in these bylaws any member with at least one (1) year of continuous membership shall be eligible for election.
5.3.3. Any member shall be allowed to nominate a candidate except that a member shall not nominate themselves.
5.3.4. Any nomination that is not accepted by the candidate before the nomination period ends shall be declared void.
5.3.5. Candidates running unopposed shall be declared the winner immediately upon closing of nominations.
5.3.6. The candidate with the highest number of votes cast shall be declared the winner. In the event of a tie, the winner shall be determined by coin toss.
5.4. Elections (Board of Directors)
5.4.1. Nominations for Board positions shall open on September 15th and close on October 15th.
5.4.2. Voting for contested Board positions shall open on October 15th and remain open for five (5) days.
5.5. Elections (Special)
5.5.1. A special election shall be called to fill vacant Board positions or when there is a need for ongoing representation at an external entity.
5.5.2. Members shall be given notice when the nomination period for a special election opens and shall have five (5) days to make a nomination.
Article 6: Finances
6.1. The Fiscal Year shall begin on January 1st and end on December 31st.
6.2. Each year following elections, the incoming Board shall prepare an operating budget for the upcoming Fiscal Year. The operating budget shall include line items for known recurring expenses and other predictable expenses that fall within the scope of day-to-day business.
6.3. The operating budget for the following Fiscal Year shall be presented to the membership for approval before December 15th.
6.4. All cash collections shall be counted by at least two (2) members and then deposited into the proper account within five (5) business days.
Article 7: Meetings
7.1. Quarterly Meetings shall be held in the months of February, May, August, and November at a time and location determined by the Events Committee.
7.1.1. The Annual Meeting shall coincide with the February Quarterly Meeting.
7.1.2. No business shall be conducted during a Quarterly Meeting.
7.2. Business Meetings shall be held online.
7.2.1. A Business Meeting begins when a motion or nomination is made and ends upon conclusion of the voting.
7.2.2. Participation in Business Meetings shall be limited to members.
7.2.3. The online record shall constitute the minutes of a Business Meeting.
Article 8: Committees
8.1. Ocean State Jeepsters recognizes two types of committees:
8.1.1. Standing
8.1.2. Temporary
8.2. The following standing committees shall permanently exist:
8.2.1. Events
8.2.2. Land Use
8.2.3. Public Relations
8.3. Temporary committees may be formed at the discretion of the Board
8.3.1. The Board shall appoint a Committee Chair who shall be responsible for ensuring the committee completes its task in a timely manner.
8.3.2. Committees shall be open to participation of all members who actively participate within the committee.
8.3.3. Committees shall be dissolved after the primary purpose has been fulfilled.
Article 9: Revision and Amendment
9.1. These bylaws may be revised or amended upon motion from five (5) or more members.
9.2. A vote to amend or revise these bylaws shall require approval from the membership by two-thirds (2/3) majority of the votes cast.
9.3. Amending or restating the Articles of Incorporation shall require approval from the membership by two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast.
Article 10: Dissolution
10.1. Upon dissolution, Ocean State Jeepsters assets shall be distributed in accordance with the laws of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
Revisions
May 1st, 2013 Adopted by vote of 22 yes and 0 no.
February 11th, 2014 Adopted by vote of 26 yes and 1 no.
May 28th, 2014 Adopted by vote of 17 yes and 0 no.
January 26th, 2016 Adopted by vote of 37 yes and 0 no