1.1 The name of the organization is Buckeye Santas.
1.2 The organization will be organized under the laws, rules and regulations of the State of Ohio.
2.1 The Buckeye Santas is a social group (club) whose purpose is to share with each other their experiences as Santa Claus, to fellowship, share ideas, educate each other, enjoy having a meal together and encouragement in the pursuit of providing a better Santa Claus experience for everyone. All members are expected to participate together in harmony for the good of the entire organization.
3.1 Full Membership is open to all Real Bearded Santas from the state of Ohio. Santas must keep a beard year round, unless exempted from the board. Santas who have joined and find that they can't keep a beard for medical reasons will be exempt from this rule.
4.1 Auxiliary Membership shall be open to all Designer Bearded Santas who live in the State of Ohio and their Claus family, and Mrs. Claus, Elves & others who are a part of a full members Claus family.
4.2 Associate Membership is for those Santas who live outside of the state of Ohio and wish to fellowship with the Buckeye Santas.
5.1 Membership may be terminated by the member at any time.
5.2 All other suspensions and cause for action will be brought before the Board of Directors for review. Any suspensions or terminations of membership from such a review will require a unanimous vote of the Board of Directors.
5.3 Before termination of a members membership, the member will be notified by registered letter thirty (30) days in advance. They can appeal to the Board of Directors within 30 days of the receipt of the letter.
6.1 All forms of membership are granted for one (1) calendar year. All memberships start on July 1st. and end on June 30th of the following year. Members are required to renew their memberships on an annual basis. The Secretary will send out renewal notices in May.
7.1 Full members have the right to vote. They have the right to attend all meetings and special events. They have the right to approve all matters that involve spending funds. They have the right to comment on any issue brought before the group and to serve on committees. They have the right to request amendment of these Guidelines.
7.2 Auxiliary members have the right to vote and attend all meetings and special events. They have the right to comment on any issue brought to the group.
7.3 Associate members have the right to attend all meetings and special events.
8.1 Full members are required to have and maintain a full natural beard when portraying Santa Claus., unless they have submitted a letter to the BOD explaining why they should be exempt, at which time the BOD will review and decide on each individual who asks for exemption. All members should endeavor to avoid public behavior that would be in conflict with the accepted image of Santa Claus.
8.2 All members are required to provide accurate contact information to the Secretary for maintaining membership records, and must update the information in a timely manner. Contact information of other members may not be shared with non-members without the approval of the individual member.
8.3 Only a members personal contact information will be made available to other members. There will be a fee charged to outside sources interested in using our list. No member is to give out our list, unless approved by the Board of Directors.
9.1 President - Vice President - Secretary - Treasurer -Past President
9.2 Requirements For and Length of Office
9.3 Members must have been a member for six months.
9.3.1 Each term starts on January 1st and end December 31st.. There are no term limits imposed by these Guidelines . An out-going officer may be elected to serve again.
9.3.2 The President, Vice President, Past President, Secretary and Treasurer shall form the Board of Directors.
9.4 Duties and Terms of Office of The Elected Officers
9.4.1 The President serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the group. The President is responsible for calling regular meetings and announcing the agenda for the meetings. The President is required to sign all contracts for the group, and countersign all checks over $200.00. The President shall serve first year as President, then the second & last year as Past President.
9.4.2 The Vice President will assist the President in preparing the agenda for all meetings, and will chair the meetings in his absence. The Vice President will also serve as Chairman / Overseer of all committees. The Vice President is elected to a three year term. The Vice President will serve his first year as Vice president, then the second year as President, then the third & final year as Past President.
9.4.3 The Secretary maintains minutes of all meetings and is responsible for all correspondence for the group. The Secretary is responsible for maintaining the Guidelines / By-Laws document. The Secretary shall serve two years, and the office of Secretary shall be open for voting in a new Secretary every odd year.
9.4.4 The Treasurer maintains all financial records for the Group. The Treasurer must, on behalf of the Group, sign legal documents for which involve funding of any sort, including tax returns. The Treasurer will sign all checks, and require the countersignature of the President or Past President for checks over $200.00. In the absence of the Treasurer, the President and or Past President will sign any necessary checks. The Treasurer will provide the membership with an annual cash flow report, plus an event cash flow report for special events. The Treasurer shall serve two years, and the office of Treasurer shall be open for voting in a new Treasurer every even year.
9.4.5 The Past President serves and provides assistance to the other Officers as needed. The Past President is also responsible for maintaining and distributing membership information. The Past President may countersign checks over $200.00 if the President is not available.
10.1 Only Full Members are eligible for the office of President & Vice President, and all other offices as well. Auxilary members are eligible to only hold the offices of Secretary & Treasurer.
10.2 Annual Elections are held for a Vice President plus a Secretary (odd number years) or Treasurer (even numbered years) in an open meeting in October of each year. Each year, the previous Vice President will assume the Presidency and the previous President assumes the position of Past President. The newly elected officer or officers shall take their place as the Board of Directors on 1 January of the New Year.
10.3 The Nomination & Election Committee will consist of 3 members with the Vice President serving as the Coordinator and the other 2 members appointed by the President will be responsible for conducting the election process. Only one member per family can serve on this committee. They will collect all names of the candidates and verify their acceptance for their nomination. The Vice President serves as the Coordinator.
10.4 A nominee must accept his nomination and meet eligibility requirements to be considered for placement on the ballot. Any member may nominate himself. All nominations must be seconded.
10.5 The election cycle begins at the regular August meeting with the appointment of the Nominations and Elections Committee, and is completed in October of that same year. In addition to the Vice President, at least 2 other members will be appointed. If a committee member is nominated and accepts, the President will appoint another member to take their place. The committee will solicit nominations, verify the eligibility of each candidate and confirm that the candidate is willing to be considered for the nominated position and serve if elected.
10.6 At the regular September meeting, the Committee will present their list of nominees. A call to second the nominations of the Committee will be made. Additional nominations may be taken from the floor at this meeting. Members will be notified before the next meeting that a vote will take place at the October meeting.
10.7 At the start of the October meeting the Committee will distribute a Ballot to all Voting Members. Ballots are to be handed in to the Nomination Committee as you enter the food line or place your order. The Committee will then take the ballots, leave the meeting room and go to a separate area of the facility and verify that each vote is valid by ensuring that the vote was cast by an active member of the Group and that the member voted only once. Every effort shall be made to ensure that the process of validation protects the secrecy of the ballot. The candidate receiving the most votes will be elected to the corresponding office.
10.8 In the event that there is only one candidate for any open office, we will then have a vote by the membership that is attending the meeting. A majority of the membership present is needed to elect the candidate.
11.1 In the event of any Officer vacancy, the Board will call for a special election at the next regular meeting to fill the vacancy. Notice of the special election must be made to the Voting Members at least seven days prior to the meeting.
11.2 At the special election, nominations will be taken from the floor, and ballots will be cast at the meeting. The newly elected officer will be installed at that time, and serve out the remainder of the vacated term.
11.3 If the vacated position is that of the Vice President, the Board will hold a special election to choose a new Vice President.
11.4 If the vacant position is that of the President, the Vice President will immediately become the President, and the special election will choose a new Vice President. If the President vacates the office after August 1, no new Vice President will be elected at the next regular meeting. If the Secretary or Treasurer vacates the office after August 1 of the year they would normally be elected, no new officer will be elected at the next regular meeting. The President will appoint who will finish out their terms of office.
12.1 Officers may tender their resignation to the President at any time, for any reason. The President may tender his resignation to the Past President. The President & Past President then notifies the BOD, and the process in step 11.4 is invoked.
12.2 The membership may request the removal of an Officer. A request to have an Officer removed, stating just cause, must be signed by 25% of the full membership and must be sent to the President. Requests for the removal of the President must be sent to the Past President. Notice must be made to the entire membership within seven days of the receipt of the request, and a removal vote taken at the next regular meeting.
12.3 An Officer may be removed from the Board only by a 75% majority vote of the full membership. If removed, a special election will take place immediately, as outlined under section 11 above. Ballots in this case will be sent out to the entire membership.
13.1 The Board of Directors will consist of the four elected officers and the Past President
13.2 The Board of Directors will meet together at least once every 2 months or at the discretion of the President. A minimum of four (4) members of the Board is required to form a quorum for conducting business.
15.1 Any requests for or changes to dues must be approved by a two thirds (2/3) vote of the full members attending a regular meeting.
15.2 Any need for funding of any other sort will be voted on in an open meeting by the majority of those full members present.
16.1 Any changes to these Guidelines, including their initial adoption, must be approved by a majority of the full members present at a regular meeting.
16.2 Before any proposed changes can be voted on, they must be announced at either the prior meeting or by email or letter to all members at least 10 days prior to the meeting.
17.1 Members may not use the Buckeye Santas name, logo or insignia for personal profit except to identify themselves as a member of the Buckeye Santas.
17.2 Possible conflicts of interest between members and the Buckeye Santas shall be disclosed to any affected member before any business transactions.
18.1 Members must be present to vote. No proxies or written instructions will be accepted. Must be of legal age to vote.
18.2 Full Members & Auxilary Members whose dues are current, and all of their information is up to date can vote. The Secretary will let a member know if he is current and eligible to vote. When a special vote such as Election of Officers is to take place, a notice reminding the membership will be sent out one meeting in advance.
19.1 Full Members will pay $10.00 per year. This will cover the Santa and his extended Claus family (anyone who supports him in his role as Santa Claus)
19.2 Auxiliary Members will pay $10.00 per year. This will cover the Member and their extended Claus family (anyone who supports him in his role as Santa Claus)
19.3 Associate Members will pay $5.00 per year. If they have a spouse, they will only pay one fee for both.
19.4 Any member who is age 70 and over is not required to pay any fee at any time to maintain their membership status. If they choose to, they may pay the appropriate yearly fee for their membership level. Hardship and fixed income members may request an exemption for a year. If approved by the BOD then they would not be required to pay any fee for that year to maintain their membership status. Members may submit a letter to the BOD requesting exemption for a year at a time.
19.5 All memberships start on July 1st and end on June 30th of the following year. This means your dues are to be paid by the end of July. Membership dues can start to be collected in June and continue through July 31st. Members who do not renew their membership by July 31st of the New Year will have lapsed, and their membership will be terminated. Renewal notices will be sent to members during the month of May.
20.1 All meeting locations will be selected by the President, and approved by the BOD. Meetings will usually be planned to take place on the first Saturday of each month beginning in January through to October. The October meeting be held the last Saturday of October unless it is Halloween, then it will be held the next to last Saturday of October. At the last official meeting in October, all Santa�s shall bring their Santa Suit for group photos. Notice will be sent out to confirm each meeting date and location ahead of time. Meeting dates and times will be posted at the Buckeye Santas web site as well.
20.2 Meetings organized for a specific educational or training purpose will be referred to as a Special Event.
20.3 Additional meetings of the membership may be called at the discretion of the President.
20.4 All meetings will be for fellowship and or educational purposes, unless otherwise announced by the President. When a business meeting needs to take place, it will be announced by the President and notice will be sent to the membership that such a meeting will be taking place.
