Source: https://ifda.com/content/ifda-bylaws-0
Timestamp: 2019-06-19 08:55:55
Document Index: 489919715

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 17', '§ 1', '§ 14', '§2', '§4', '§ 4']

IFDA Bylaws | International Furnishings and Design Association Web site
Last amended: November 7, 2015
Section 1. Name.The name of this Association shall be the International Furnishings and Design Association, Inc. (the “Association”), a nonprofit organization incorporated in the State of Texas.
Section 2. Principal Office.The Association may locate the principal office and have such other offices where the Board of Directors in its discretion may determine or as the affairs of the Association may require.
Section 1. Objectives.The purposes for which the Association is organized are:
(f) To foster cooperation and discussion among pergent segments in the furnishings and design field to accomplish mutually beneficial objectives.
(a) Professional Members: Individuals active in, or affiliated with, the furnishings and design industry and who support the objectives of the Association are eligible for Professional Membership in the Association.The Board, in its discretion, may establish categories of Professional Memberships with policies delineating their respective voting rights, privileges and dues.
(b) Student Members: Individuals who are currently enrolled and continue to be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program or a recognized certificate program in a field related to the design and furnishings industry and not currently working full-time in the design and furnishings field are eligible for Student Membership in the Association.The Board, in its discretion, may establish policies delineating the rights, privileges and dues of Student Members, however, Student Members shall not be eligible to vote or to hold office in the Association. A Student Member shall be eligible for Associate Membership upon graduation or completion of a recognized certificate program. if the student meets the criteria for Associate Membership as outlined in Article III, Section 1(f).
(c) Retired Member: Any member in good standing for the five preceding years and who has retired from active business in the furnishings and design related fields may, upon written request to the Executive Office, change their status to that of “retired.”Retired members retain a voting membership with full membership privileges except they are ineligible to serve on Association Boards. Retired members are eligible to serve on Chapter Boards except in the position of Chapter President and Chapter President-elect.
(d) Honorary Member: Any individual member who has received the IFDA Honorary Recognition Award or Trailblazer Award, Honorary members have voting privileges.
(e) Emeritus Member: Any member in good standing for the fifty (50) preceding years will be granted status as an "Emeritus Member". Emeritus Members will no longer be required to pay membership dues. Emeritus Members retain a voting membership with full membership privileges except they are ineligible to serve on Association/Educational Foundation Boards.
(f) Associate Member: Open to any graduate of a 2 or 4 year higher education program or certificate program that applies within 1 year of the date of graduation or completion of recognized certificate program. The membership period is valid for 2 years with annual dues renewal. Associate members retain a voting membership with full membership privileges except they are ineligible to serve in the positions of President, President-elect, Treasurer, Treasurer-elect or Secretary at the Association International Board or Chapter Board level.
(a) Except as noted below, all membership categories shall include affiliation with a chapter of the Association.Chapter affiliation will be assigned based on geographic proximity, however, upon request; a member may affiliate with any chapter.
(b) Members-at-Large.Those members located in areas not geographically near any current chapter of the Association or any members seeking to form a new chapter, may request the status of Member-at-Large.Members-at-Large are subject to the criteria set forth in Section 1.
(c) International Member-at-Large.Members residing outside the United States shall have the option of affiliating with a chapter or may be an International Member-at-Large.
Section 3. Reinstatement: A Professional or Retired Member who has failed to pay dues for less than two fiscal years in any five (5) year period may be reinstated upon payment of established dues and fees for the current year.After two fiscal years, an individual must apply to rejoin as a new member in the Professional Membership category.
Section 5. Code of Ethics: In the case of a violation, the following shall begin at the Chapter level.The Chapter President will act as Chair of an ethics review committee and will appoint four members of the chapter, one of whom is a past president, to serve on the committee.The committee will be in charge of reviewing the facts of the violation, will communicate with the member in violation, and will recommend sanctions if needed, after reporting to National. An Ethics Committee at the National level, made up of the National Executive Committee with the President of the Association as Chair, will be available for review of any issues that have come before a Chapter Ethics Review Committee when requested.This National Committee will review the process followed and the facts before it, and can uphold, change or dismiss, and/or suggest alternative sanction to the Chapter involved.
Section 1. Establishment: Chapters of the Association may be established by charter wherever the Board of Directors may approve, subject to such regulations as to membership, Association procedures and financial relationship with the Association as the Board of Directors, Bylaws or Rules & Procedures may prescribe. Requests to start a chapter should be sent in writing to the National office.Once the charter documents are signed and submitted, the chapter is considered a “pending chapter”, as an observer without voting privileges on the Council of Presidents, until it has a combined total of 15 Professional and Associate members including a minimum of eight (8) Professional members. This must occur within one calendar year. Charters of chapters may be revoked at any time in such manner and after such investigation as the Board of Directors may deem necessary.Except that, should a Chapter fall below the minimum combined total of fifteen (15) Professional and Associate members including a minimum of eight (8) Professional members, the Board will notify that Chapter that it has been placed on probation for one year (12 calendar months). If the Chapter can achieve a combined total fifteen (15) Professional and Associate members including a minimum of eight (8) Professional members at any time during this probationary period, the Board will remove the probationary status.If, at the end of the probationary period, the Chapter has not met the minimum membership specified herein, the Chapter will be decertified and disbanded by the Board of Directors of the Association and its members notified in writing.Any members so affected will have the option of joining another chapter or becoming Members at Large.
Section 2.Decertification: Chapters of the Association wishing to decertify may only disband with written approval from the International Board of Directors, subject to such regulations as to Association procedures and financial relationship with the Association as the International Board of directors, Bylaws, or Rules and procedures may prescribe. No Chapter may distribute its remaining funds without approval by the International Board of Directors, and at which time must be distributed to the IFDA Educational Foundation, or other educational or philanthropic 501 c (3) organizations of the Chapter's choosing.
Section 3. Governance: Chapters shall be governed by these Bylaws, Rules & Procedures, and Annual Letter of Agreement, as well as Chapter Bylaws, which must have been approved by the Association Board of Directors.
Section 4. Association Policies: The policies of the International Furnishings and Design Association on all matters of general interest to the industry shall be binding on all chapters.No chapter shall use the name of the International Furnishings and Design Association to oppose such policies.Chapters using the name or logo of the International Furnishings and Design Association in any manner must also include the chapter name.
Section 1.Number of Members; Qualifications; Election. The business affairs, property, annual budget, and funds of the Association shall be managed and controlled by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) except where otherwise provided in these bylaws. The Board shall consist of eight (8) Professional Members in good standing. The Board shall be elected by the membership as follows:Five (5) Directors-at-large, who shall serve three (3) year terms; the President, President-elect, and Treasurer.The Secretary shall be appointed by the Board, from among the Director-at-Large members elected to the Board. The Immediate Past President, and Treasurer-elect of the Association and the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the IFDA Educational Foundation shall be member ex officio of the Board without voting privileges.
Section 2. Staggered Three-Year Terms. the membership of the Association shall have an Annual Election to elect Directors-at-large for a three-year term when a vacancy occurs for a Director at Large. Some years may require electing additional Directors-at-large, in the case that there had been a vacated position (refer to Article 5). The membership shall also bi-annually elect a President-elect and Treasurer-elect to the Association.
Section 3. Maximum Representation on the Board.No chapter shall have in excess of twenty-five percent (25%) representation on the Board.
Section 4. Commencement of Terms of Office.Terms of office of all regularly elected Directors and Officers shall commence on the first day of the fiscal year following their respective election.
Section 5. Vacancies of Directors having more than one year remaining to serve.In the case of death, resignation or disability of a Director having more than one year remaining to serve, an additional Director shall be elected to fill the unexpired term of such Director at the next Annual Election of the Association.(Refer to Article V § 17 for Interim Vacancies.)
Section 6. Regular Meetings.Regular meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at such time and place as the Board of Directors may designate, from time to time (and in the absence of such designation, at the principal office of the Association).One Regular meeting (the “Annual Meeting”) shall be held for the purpose of electing officers and transacting such other business as may properly come before the meeting.
Section 7. Special Meetings.Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called at any time by the President or by a majority of the whole membership of the Board.
Section 8. Notice.Notice of the time and place of Regular and Special meetings shall be communicated to each Director either by regular mail, e-mail, telegraph, facsimile or other written communication delivered to the address of such Director as it appears in the records of the Association, at least ten (10) days before the meeting or as provided elsewhere (refer to Article XV§ 1.).Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any meeting of the Board of Directors need be specified in the notice or any waiver of notice of such meeting.A Director who attends a meeting shall be deemed to have had timely and proper notice thereof, unless the Director attends for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called orconvened.
Section 9. Waiver of Notice.Notice of any meeting may be waived, and any action may be taken by the Board (or by any committee designated thereby) without a meeting if a consent in writing, setting forth the action to be taken, shall be signed by a majority of the Directors (or members of the committee, as the case may be).
Section 10. Conduct of Meetings.The President shall preside over meetings of the Board as Chairperson.In the absence of the President, the meeting shall be presided over by the President-elect.The Secretary of the Association shall act as secretary of such meetings.In the absence of the Secretary, the Chairperson shall appoint a secretary of the meeting.
Section 11. Procedure at Meetings.The procedure and method of voting shall be determined by the Chairperson.
Section 12. Participation by Telephone Conference.Members of the Board of Directors (or any committee designated thereby) may participate in a meeting of the Board (or members of the committee, as the case may be) by means of a telephone conference or similar communications equipment whereby all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other, and participation by such means shall constitute presence in person at such meeting.When a meeting is so conducted, a written record shall be made of the action taken at such meeting.
Section 13. Quorum.A quorum at any meeting of the Board of Directors shall be a majority of the number of Directors fixed by these Bylaws. The act of the majority of the Directors present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the Board of Directors having voting privileges.(See Article XV -- AMENDMENTS regarding requirements for amendment of these Bylaws.)
Section 14. Election of Officers.Except for the President-elect and Treasurer-elect which are elected by the membership, the Board shall elect all Officers of the Association.
Section 15. Standing Committees.The Board, in its discretion, may establish one or more Standing Committees such as the Membership Committee, which committees shall exercise such powers and authority as the Board may delegate.A Board member-at-large shall act as chairperson.
Section 16. Other Committees.The Board, in its discretion, may establish such other committee or committees to perform such functions as the Board may from time to time designate.The President shall appoint chairpersons of such committees with the approval of the Board.
Section 17. Interim Vacancies.Any vacancy occurring in the Board in the middle of a term for any cause shall be filled by action of majority of the entire Board.A Member elected by the Board to fill a vacancy shall be elected to hold office only until the next Annual Election of the Association or until a successor is elected and qualified.
Section 18. Directors Eligible to serve as Officers.The election of a Director to a post of Officer of the Association, except President-elect, shall not and may not serve to vacate such directorship.
Section 19. Members attending Regular or Special meetings of the Board.Any Member of the Association may attend Regular or Special meetings of the Board, but shall not have voting privileges.The President shall be notified in advance of such intention to attend and in writing of any matters that the Member may wish to submit for the consideration of the Board.
i. An ownership or investment interest in any entity with which IFDA has or is negotiating a transaction or arrangement.
ii. A compensation arrangement with IFDA or with any entity or individual with which the IFDA has or is negotiating a transaction or arrangement;
iii. A potential ownership or investment interest in, or compensation arrangement with, any entity or individual with IFDA has or is negotiating a transaction or arrangement.
Section 1. Officers.The Officers of the Association shall be the President, the President-elect, Treasurer, and Secretary.(Refer to Article V § 14.) The Officers of the Association shall be responsible to make fiduciary decisions that have long-term effects on the budget at either the Chapter or National level. The President and Treasurer shall approve written contracts for expenses up to $5,000 on behalf of the Association.The Board shall vote on any contracts in excess of $5,000.The officers of the Association shall be responsible for evaluating the performance of the Executive Director of the Association and facilitating communication between the Executive Director, the professional staff, the Board, the Council of Presidents, and the Membership of the Association.
(a) The President shall be a Professional Member of the Association who shall succeed to the office automatically to serve a term of two years upon completing the one year term of President-elect or as otherwise provided in these Bylaws.
(e) The President shall approve the signing all written contracts on behalf of the Association.
(I) In the case of death or resignation of the President, the President-elect shall automatically assume the office and complete the unexpired term.In the case of disability of the President, the Board shall call a special meeting, as provided in these Bylaws, at which time a two-thirds majority of the whole Board may appoint the President-elect to complete the unexpired term of the President.
(a) The President-elect shall be a Professional Member who has previously served as a Chapter President, elected for a term of one year and shall automatically succeed to the office of the President for a two year term upon completion of the one year term as President-elect or as otherwise provided in these Bylaws.
(a) The Treasurer shall be a Professional Member, who shall succeed to office automatically to serve a term of two years upon completing the one year term of Treasurer-elect.
(d) The Treasurer shall be responsible for the proper record keeping of the accounts of the Association and report thereon at each meeting of the Board and annually to the Council of Presidents.The Treasurer’s Annual Report shall be audited by a Certified Public Accountant appointed by the Board.
(e) The Treasurer shall provide financial information to the Board monthly and to the Members of the Council-of-Presidents quarterly.
(g) The Treasurer shall call quarterly meeting of the Finance Committee to review the association’s financial position.This committee shall consist of the Treasurer, Treasurer-elect, Immediate Past Treasurer, President, President-elect and one Chapter President who shall be appointed by a majority vote of the Council of Presidents.
(a) The Board shall appoint from among its members the Secretary.The term of office of the Secretary shall be determined by the Board in its discretion, and may be for any period not to exceed three years.This limitation shall apply to the duration of any one term; there shall, however, be no limitation on the number of terms or successive terms a Member of the Association may serve as Secretary.
(c) The Secretary shall attest to the signing of all contracts and obligations of the Association and shall be responsible for affixing the corporate seal thereto.
(d) The Secretary shall be responsible for the timely preparation of the ballot for the Annual Election, as well as the sending, receipt, and supervising the professional staff in the tallying of such ballots.
(e) The Secretary shall also be responsible for the execution of such orders and duties as may from time to time be prescribed by the Board and the President.
(a) The Treasurer-elect shall be a Professional member, elected for a term of one yearand shall automatically succeed to the office of Treasurer for a two year term upon the completion of the one year term as Treasurer-elect.The Treasurer-elect is a non-voting, ex-officio position on the Board and is not considered an Officer.
(c) The Treasurer-elect shall perform such other duties as may be proscribed by the Treasurer or the Board.
(a) The Immediate Past President is a non-voting ex-officio member of the Board and is not considered an Officer.
The Immediate Past President of IFDA shall be an ex-officio member of the IFDA Educational Foundation Nominating Committee.
Section 9, Immediate Past Treasurer
(a)The Immediate Past Treasurer is a non-voting ex-officio member of the Board and is not considered an Officer.
(b) The Immediate Past Treasurer shall serve in an advisory role to the current Treasurer and shall serve as an active member of the Finance Committee.
ARTICLE VII - NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF PRESIDENT-ELECT, TREASURER-ELECT AND DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE
Section 1. Appointment of Nominating Committee.The President shall appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of the President-elect, the IFDA Educational Foundation Advisor and five members of the Council of Presidents. In the event there is no President-elect (occurs every two years) the President would appoint a Director at Large to the Nominating Committee. In selecting Members of the Council of Presidents to the Nominating Committee, the President shall seek to achieve representation reflecting the regional and professional persity of the Association.The President of any chapter representing in excess of twenty per cent (20%) of the Professional and Associate Members of the Association shall have the right to be appointed automatically by the President to the Nominating Committee.The President-elect or Director at Large shall serve as the non-voting Chairperson.In case of a tie, the President-Elect or appointed Director at Large shall cast the deciding vote.It shall be the duty of the Nominating Committee to submit to the President by 1 August nominations sufficient in number to fill all prospective vacancies for Directors-at-large, Treasurer-elect and President-elect.Nominations by petition signed by at least a combined total of fifty (50) Professional and Associate Members in good standing must be submitted to the Nominating Committee not later than 1 July for inclusion on the ballot.
Section 2. Election for prospective vacant offices.Election for all prospective vacant offices shall be by letter ballot to the Professional and Associate Members on which the names of the candidates for each office shall be arranged alphabetically, without notation as to method of nomination.All ballots to be counted must be received by the Secretary not later than midnight of the date stipulated on the ballot.
Section 3. Vacancies filled in order of votes received; the votes.Vacancies on the Board of Directors-at-large shall be filled from among the candidates nominated and voted upon, in order of the quantity of votes
received; the candidate receiving the largest vote being elected to the first vacancy, the candidate receiving the next largest vote being elected to the second vacancy, etc., until all such vacancies have been filled.A tie vote shall be decided by lot drawn by a Professional Member designated by the Board.
Section 1. Ballots.Each Professional and Associate Member in good standing shall be entitled to one vote for each prospective vacancy of Director-at-large on the Board and for one candidate for President-elect, and shall be sent by mail or verifiable email address, a ballot for the Annual Election and for any proposition submitted to the membership.Ballots shall be delivered to the address of each Professional and Associate Member in good standing as it appears in the records of the Association.
Section 2.Propositions submitted to full membership.The Board may submit to a vote of the full membership such propositions as it may deem appropriate, and must submit within a reasonable time any proposition proposed to the Board by a Member in writing and having the signed endorsement of a combined total of fifty (50) other Professional and Associate Members in good standing, unless three-fourths of the whole membership of the Board voting within sixty days following receipt of such petition shall deem such action inappropriate.
Section 3. Simple majority required for propositions submitted to Members.Any proposition submitted to the Members of the Association for vote, except where otherwise provided, shall be declared carried if a majority of members with full voting rights of the Association actually voting vote in the affirmative.
Section 4. Expiration of Ballots.In submitting a ballot and/or a proposition to the Professional and Associate Members of the Association for a vote, the Board shall state the date by which the vote must be received in order to be counted.Such date shall be not less than forty (40) days after the date the ballot and/or proposition was placed in the mail.
ARTICLE IX - COUNCIL-OF-PRESIDENTS
Section 1. Membership.The Council-of-Presidents (the “Council”) shall consist of the President, President-elect, and Immediate Past President of the Association and the Presidents of each Chapter of the Association.The immediate Past President of the Association and the President of the Board of Trustees of the IFDA Educational Foundation shall be ex officio a member of the Council of Presidents without voting privileges.
Section 2. Mission.The Council shall serve to advise the Board of Directors on all matters of general interest and concern to the membership, and shall approve all matters of policy directly affecting the Chapters.The Council of Presidents shall approve the National Association’s budget. The Council of Presidents will also function to enhance communications and networking between chapters of the Association.
Section 3. Nominating Committee.Five members of the Council shall be appointed annually by the President to serve on the Nominating Committee.
Section 4.Meetings. Regular meetings of the Council shall be held at such time and place as the National President may designate.There shall be at least four meetings of the Council annually.Notice of the time and place of Regular meetings shall be communicated to each Chapter President at least thirty (30) days before the meeting.Chapter Presidents may appoint an alternate representative of the Chapter to attend Regular meetings of the Council.
Section 5.Quorum: At any meeting of the Council of Presidents, no less than two-thirds of the presidents shall constitute a quorum for voting purposes.
Section 6. Voting: In all meetings of the Council of Presidents each chapter shall have one vote for its first 15-50 members or any part thereof, and one additional vote for every additional 50 members or any part thereof.The voting strength of each chapter shall be determined by its membership recorded at the IFDA Executive Offices thirty (30) days prior to said meeting.In order that any vote of the Council be official, at least one-third of the inpidual chapters must be represented in the majority vote.In case of a tie, the President shall cast the deciding vote.A written vote of the Council may be taken at the written request of the President, without a meeting of the Council, on any question which may be submitted to the Council by the President in writing. The voting shall close two (2) weeks after the date on which the question is sent to the members of the Council.If a quorum shall vote on any question so submitted, the vote shall be counted.
ARTICLE X - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND STAFF
Section 1. Executive Director.The Board shall employ an inpidual directly or approve the appointment of an employee of a management services organization with which it enters a contract to procure management and administrative services as salaried staff head who shall have the title of Executive Director.The Board shall determine the terms and conditions of employment.
Section 2. Authority and Responsibility. The Executive Director shall be the chief paid executive of the Association, responsible for all management functions and financial activities of the Association.The Executive Director shall manage and direct all activities of the Association as prescribed by the President and the Board and shall be responsible to the Board.The Executive Director shall employ and may terminate the employment of members of the staff and fix their compensation within the approved budget.The Executive Director shall define the duties of the staff, supervise their performance, establish their titles, and delegate those responsibilities of management as shall be in the best interest of the Association.
Section 1. Fiscal Period.The fiscal year of the Association shall begin on January 1 and end on December 31.
Section 2.Rebates.Rebates to chapters shall be amended or changed by 2/3 votes of the chapters as per the voting policy in Article IX section 6.
ARTICLE XIII- INDEMNIFICATION
Section 1. The Association shall indemnify its Officers, Directors and Staff against expenses actually and necessarily incurred by them in connection with the defense of any action, suit or proceeding in which they are made a party by reason of being an Officer, Director, or Staff member, except in relation to matters as to which they shall be judged in such action, suit or proceeding to be liable for negligence or misconduct in performance of duty.The Association may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of the Officers, Directors and Staff against any liability asserted against them and incurred by them arising out of their capacity as Officers, Directors and Staff.
Section 1. These Bylaws may be amended, altered or repealed by vote of two-thirds of the Council of Presidents as per the voting policy in Article IX section 6 at any Regular or Special meeting thereof or by two-thirds of the votes cast by the Professional Members of the Association who have been notified as provided in ARTICLE VIII §2., except as, and to the extent that, the members may prescribe that the Bylaws, or any specified By-Law, shall not be altered, amended or repealed by the Council of Presidents.Proposals to amend these Bylaws must be in writing and submitted to the Secretary in sufficient time to be included in the notice for Regular and Special meetings of the Council of Presidents as provided in Article IX, §4.Notice for Regular and Special meetings of the Council of Presidents at which proposals for amendments to the Bylaws are to be considered shall be communicated (as provided for in Article IX § 4.) to the Board and the Council-of-Presidents at least thirty (30) days before the meeting.
Section 2.Amendments to the IFDA Educational Foundation By-Laws shall be reviewed and approved by the IFDA Board of Directors prior to their becoming effective.
ARTICLE XV - NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF
IFDA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
Section 1.The IFDA Board of Directors shall approve the nominations of the IFDA Educational Foundation Board of Trustees to fill vacancies on the IFDA Educational Foundation Board of Trustees.
Bylaws last ammended: November 14, 2015