RAFC Bylaws

Article 1  Membership and Dues

1. Membership is open to the general public. Applications must be completed either through the website Join Tab or paper Join Form. Online applications are forwarded via email from the webmaster to the President, Treasurer and Marketing Director. Dues paid by credit card are processed by the President or Treasurer. Dues paid by check are mailed to the Treasurer. We will encourage payment to be made at a seminar/meeting.
2. An Individual member must be eighteen years or older.
3. Family Membership are couples, married or domestic partners, entitled to two votes for elections and other matters that require membership voting. All members receive all club communications.
4. Membership Dues begin on January 1st for each calendar year. The renewal period for upcoming year runs from December 1st to March 1st.  Members failing the deadline will be removed from the membership and notification rosters.
5. New memberships submitted before June 30 - dues will be the full rate - July 1st and after will be half rate.
6. The Board may recommend changes to annual dues. Changes would be for  upcoming year and be established by majority vote of membership.
7. Dues are set at $50.00 for a single member and $75.00 per year for a couple. Members who come in after July 1st will pay $25.00 for a single and $37.50 for a couple.
8. The Board may award Life Memberships to individuals - in recognition of exceptional service to the Club. There are no dues free, but special events are paid for. Life Members do not vote in meetings or elections.

Article 2 Board Meetings

1. The President holds monthly meetings of the Board. Any four members constitutes a quorum.
2. The President presides over regular monthly club seminars. The Executive Board should be in attendance.
3. The President, or presiding officer, prepares the agendas and shall conduct each meeting in an orderly fashion. If the President is unavailable, any Board member can be selected a Board meeting or Seminar.
4. The Board determines meeting date, location and time. When changes are made, advanced notice is made through a website cover page posting and email.

Article 3 Officers and Directors

1. Officers of the Club shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer. The Board of Directors will include one or more Director positions. All members should be full time residents. All Director positions will have voting rights.
2. If the office of President becomes vacant, the Vice President temporarily assumes the position until a new election is run.
3. Officers and Directors must be members in good standing.
4. The term for elected positions runs for  a minimum of two years. Board members may fill open positions as long as necessary. All Chairs will run concurrently.
5. The Webmaster and Marketing Director may or may not be a Board Director.

Article 4 Duties of the Board

1. The President presides over all club seminars, maintains order and represents the Board of Directors.
2. The Vice President will coordinate the efforts and oversee the progress of all committees and projects.
3. The Treasurer will be responsible for financial transactions and all other money matters . This excludes meal or activity deposits that are not intended to be deposited as income.
   Event chairpersons will be required to turn in to the Treasurer a full accounting of the event they run.
   Has responsibility for expenditures; purchases, vendor arrangements and extraordinary invoices. A quarterly summary will be a part of the general meeting.
   Manages banking accounts, the budget, all records and financial reports. Will maintain historical records.
   Will engage an Audit Committee for each fiscal year and assist with its production. The Audit is presented to the Board of Directors and archived, in hard copy, with the Club Secretary.
   The Treasurer maintains the Official Membership Roster.  Matching copies will be kept by the Secretary and Webmaster. The website and Constant Contact listings will all match and remain current.
   Will have application forms available at seminars/meetings.
4. The Secretary is responsible for recording Board and Seminar minutes.
   Maintains a copy of Bylaws and will have a copy of the Bylaws available, in print, at every meeting.
   Works with the Webmaster to distribute the Meeting minutes.
   Oversees the members who run the Constant Contact notices.
   Archives financial records and any important documents requiring safe keeping
   Manages the voting process  in concert with the webmaster.  (Refer to item 4C-7)
5. The Webmaster is responsible for the maintenance of the website - in particular:
   Is responsible for email and phone communications from the site, unless assign to another Board member by vote.
   Keeping the newsletter, member database, blog and fishing report modules up to date.
   Upgrading the home page and internal pages that are approved by the Board.
   If for any reason the webmaster is unavailable to fulfill these duties another member will be sought. If a member cannot fill this position, the Board can look outside the club.
6. The Marketing Director will create plans, committees and run events to enhance public awareness and membership participation. Details will be presented to the Board regularly. Final plans and budgets must be approved by the Board.
   The Directors will work to create the staffing for all club committees and special activities. Directors have a “step up” role to perform tasks, duties, or functions for the needs and good of the order.

Article 4A Financial Matters

1. The Board has overall responsibility for the financial health of the club.
2. Expenditures will stay within limits of each budget item.
3. Anticipated, extraordinary expenditures will be presented to the Board, only when required for maintenance or advancing the good of the Club and may be deemed proper.
4. The Treasurer engages the Board to decide upon extraordinary disbursements. Significant changes to the budget will be considered and adjusted if necessary.
5. The Board and/or Treasurer shall never commit to any spending that exceeds a total  budget item. When financial circumstances dramatically improve or decline, a new a updated budget will be prepared.
6. Conservative spending practices will be maintained by the Board. Unless for good reason, the Board will not authorize expenditures that will decrease the budget by more than twenty five percent.
7. The Board may recommend an increase in dues - to be brought before membership for approval.
8. The Club shall not donate money to any organization.
9. Members are not authorized to organize or participate in any event that use club resources unless authorized by the Board.
10. All donated tangible or intangible items become Club property. The Board will decide how best to use items. Donations should only be used in a manner to increase club goals or revenues.
11.  Social events that have food and beverage commitments, require an advance fee per reservation.
12. The Board will not provide any free event that compromises the financial well being of the club.

Article 4B Committees & Projects

1. The Board is responsible for all Committees and Projects and the Vice President provides oversight of each club activity. Board members or club members, who volunteer, will assume a management and fiscal role for each activity.
2. Any person chairing a club activity will be capable of handling all the fine details for running a successful event. Those who volunteer to work on a committee will work cooperatively to insure for success. All record keeping, money collection and disbursements and final reporting will pass through the Treasurer, Secretary and Board.

Article 4C  Elections and Appointments

1. “Member in Good Standing” is demonstrated and defined by participation in club activities.
2. The Executive Board and Directors will all be voting positions. Once elected, they take office on January 1st  or immediately for special elections.
3. A member serves for two years and may be reelected to any office, any number of times.
4. In the event a standing Officer or Director resigns, the President may move any officer into a position to meet the needs. An election to fill a vacancy will be held as quickly as possible.
5. When elections are warranted, members may nominate themselves or other member for Officer and Director positions. For regular Board election, names will submitted to the Secretary by September 30th. For special elections thirty days from announcement of a vacancy.
6. Candidates agree to fulfill the duties of the office and will submit a bio which is retained by the Secretary.
7. The final slate of candidates for open positions is presented at the November meeting and posted on the website. For special elections thirty days from announcement of a vacancy. With a quorum, the Board may opt for a hand vote during the December meeting.
   The website will maintain a Voting section. For all voting, the issue will be posted, an email will go to every member or family and a YES or NO contact form will provide for one hundred percent voting by email. Paper Ballots will be available at the December.Only for contested positions, Ballots will be emailed and member votes returned prior to December 1st.All ballots will be tallied, results announced and majority vote wins. If the any portion of the slate is running unopposed, the Secretary will cast a single vote of acceptance. If a tie occurs, the winners may determine, between themselves, who will take the office. The other will be offered a Director’s post. With no settlement, a coin toss determines the winner.

Article 5 Communications, Privacy and Security

1. The Official Membership Roster contains contact and other relevant personal information. Excluding contact information, each member decides what extra information will reside on the website. The Roster is always for “membership eyes only” and website will not maintain any down-loadable format.
2. Email is the single source of official communications. Members who do not use personal email, must provide a suitable replacement. There is no snail mail or phone calls for club materials. Members are responsible for keeping their information current.
3. The website email system will be used for all official communications and newsletter
   communication will be archived for at least, one year.
4. The website public section will contain a Governance page. The general public and potential members will see how we organize and run our club. It includes: Current Officers, Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and Standing Rules
5. The Constant Contact system will be used only for unofficial business such as social activities and special functions.
6. The Webmaster maintains a website, in two distinct sections, one for members and one for the general public. The “Member Section” will be secure and require an ID and password.
7. The webmaster oversees social media sites. Other members may assist with approval of the Board. Members should be aware of negative, political or false content. Such entries should be reported to the Board and Webmaster.
8. Membership information shall never be released to any other person or agency outside of the club. And, use of a personal email, computer or server to contact membership is prohibited.The Board takes responsibility to determine willful violation of this article and determine appropriate action.Membership will receive notification if any privileged information has distributed. Direct member to member emails are acceptable.

Article 6 Amendments/Revisions to the Bylaws

1. The Bylaw Committee will review the Bylaws for changes annually. Any and all Articles may be changed in part or in whole in order to keep the document current with the club purpose and the times.
2. No Bylaw Article will be approved if contrary to the objectives as stated in “Articles of Incorporation - Article III - Purpose.”
3. The Bylaws and Standing Rules should be well organized and Articles stated simply and clearly and worded for understanding.
4. Any member, in good standing, may propose an amendment by submitting it in an email to the club email address - info@reelanglersfishingclub.com. The Bylaw Committee shall review the submitted amendment(s) for the following: form, content, relevance, and compatibility with the Club’s purpose and objectives.  If rejected, will provide a specific reason to the member and membership.
5. Once the pro forma stage of Bylaw and Standing Rules is completed, the document will be presented to the Board for approval. If approved, it will move to a vote by the membership. If not approved, it will go back to committee for reconsideration of specified items.

Article 7 Standing Rules

1. Standing Rules shall be guided by the intent and desire to serve in the best interests of the Club. The stated objective of sharing our knowledge with all members is a firm concept and should be honored and implemented.
2. The sole purpose of the club as reflected by our Mission Statement is to "have fun and exchange information about safety, boating, and fishing.” Due to competitive nature, it is stated in our Articles of Organization that we do not sanction, participate in, or organize tournament fishing events.
3. The President may invite any Guest speaker to a meal, at club expense. Members may invite a guest to only one meeting before the guest must join the club.
4. Any Board member not fulfilling their responsibilities adequately will be called before the Board to discuss the circumstances. The Board must consider remedies or, at that meeting, dismiss the member by a majority vote of the Board.
5. Fish of the Month is a fun, monthly event for all members. Each month, a member can submit to the Chairman, one picture of any fish, of any size and caught anywhere. The month, begins at 12:00 AM on the Tuesday prior to each meeting and ends at midnight on the Monday prior to each meeting. A photo must be taken of your entry (not a group photo) and texted or emailed to the Chairman, whose email address will be posted on the website. Upon receipt, the member's name will be entered into a drawing, held at the regular monthly meeting, for a prize determined by the Board. Fish that are out of season and/or may not be boated, are not eligible. The success of this event is dependent on the honesty of each member.
6. If two or more members of the club join up to go fishing, it is a personal arrangement. The club will have no control or liability for any fishing trip that is not organized by the club.
7. A bereavement donation, not to exceed fifty dollars, will be made to the immediate family of a member who has passed away.
8. Any member displaying behavior anywhere that is crude, illegal, or represents a hazard or danger to other members, guests or club - may be brought before the Executive Board for disciplinary action or expulsion.

(Revised October 2025)