ORILLIA BUSINESS WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
NAME
The official name of the association is ORILLIA BUSINESS WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION and the official website is www.orilliabusinesswomen.com
CORE VALUES Integrity - Trust - Honest and Open Communications MISSION To provide a dynamic forum for networking, socializing, sharing of ideas, and support to all women including women in business within the City of Orillia and surrounding areas
General
The Association operates as a not-for-profit organization, organized and operating exclusively for networking and socializing
Revenue is to be generated by annual membership dues and dinners. Sponsorships will be asked for in order to support our annual Woman of the Year and Young Woman of the Year Gala Event
Meetings
Dinner meetings will be held on the second Wednesday evening of the month with the dinner reservation cut-off being the Friday before the dinner meeting at 3pm. No exceptions
The annual general meeting will be held in the month of June (with exceptions)
The Annual Woman of the Year and Young Woman of the Year Gala Event will be held in June
B- Membership
Annual membership dues shall be recommended by the Executive and will be determined by a vote at the general meeting in June (with exceptions)
The membership year runs from September 1 to August 31 the following year (changed as of 2022)
Membership renewals are due within 30 days of expiry. If the said member does not renew within the 30 days they will be denied all membership privileges
Members are expected to attend 6 meetings per year
Membership will be open to any and all women in Orillia and surrounding areas regardless of their current occupation (if legal) or work status. Students may also hold membership. No women will be excluded unless they have been denied participation because of the code of conduct clause
Honourary members do not have voting privileges
C- Executive Committee The governance of this Association shall be vested in the Executive Committee
The Executive Committee of this Association shall consist of the following:
President, Vice President, Past President, Speaker Coordinator, Secretary, Treasurer, Social Media Person, Membership Coordinator, Executive Assistant, and Event Coordinator. Executive members will also serve on one or more ad hoc committees including the Gala Committee. NOTE: The OBWA sitting Executive Committee has control over and can make decisions on accepting or refusing any application from a member (in good standing) who applies for a position on the executive committee. If the Executive feels that the applicant does not have the qualifications or does not seem to be a good fit for a position, then it can decline the said application. Are their intentions for the group what the OBWA stands for? Has the applicant been an engaged and active OBWA member for at least one year? Has the applicant been on the executive before? Why did they leave and were they an active executive members attending the minimum number of executive meetings? How long have they been a member of the OBWA? Do they fit the specific criteria for the position they are applying for?
The Executive will meet monthly on the Monday following the regular monthly dinner meeting or on a mutually acceptable date if the Monday is a statutory holiday. They will meet in person or via zoom or telephone if an executive member cannot attend in person. Additional meetings will be called if and when required
The Treasurer shall present an Annual Budget at the meeting in August for the upcoming year and a financial statement to the Executive at each Executive Meeting
Members of the Executive are authorized for expenditures to a maximum of $30 without prior approval; expenditures over $30 require approval of the President or Vice President
Gifts for speakers are capped at $25. In lieu of the $25 gift they can receive a complimentary dinner from the OBWA or cash.
All association cheques must have two signatures with one of the signing officers being the President and/or Treasurer or another executive member designated by the President and agreed to by the other Executive members
Executive meetings require a quorum of 5 to conduct business except in emergency timely situations
Each executive member will prepare a report to the association for the annual General Meeting held in June unless said meeting is changed to another month
Any executive member missing more than 3 consecutive meetings will be asked to resign from her duties. An exception will be made for medical reasons only. A leave of absence may be granted and a replacement may be appointed for not more than 3 months
In order to defray the costs of personal time, gas, printing (paper & ink), and other incidentals the executive members will receive an allowance of $20 per month excluding July and August (unless there is a meeting). These honourariums will be handed out by the treasurer. This money will be withdrawn from the OBWA bank account
D-Elections
Elections of officers will be held in June (with exceptions). If the current standing executive member wants to keep her position then the position will not be opened up for re-election. If there are no other nominations for the open position(s) the current standing executive member will remain and maintain their position if they agree.
b. Nominations for all Executive positions, including that of the President, shall be open to all members of good standing (paid member) if they fit the criteria as specified in Section C (a) c. The nominees for the position of President must have served 2 years on the Executive Committee and currently be on the Executive Committee and the position of Vice President is open to a current executive member who has been on the committee for a minimum of one year d. There will be a call for nominations at least 2 months prior to the meeting when the elections will be held (with exceptions). A proposed slate of officers will be presented to the members by way of a bulletin and on the official website e. With an Executive Committee of 10, only 5 Executive positions can be up for election at a time and in alternating years. For election purposes the executive will be divided into two groups so that certain executive members do not come up for re-election in the same year. This will allow for some stability and cohesion in the executive. The executive members up for re-election in the odd year ie. 2019 are President (which will be filled by a current board member with two years experience on the board), Vice President, Past President, Secretary, and Social Media Person. The executive members up for re-election in the even year ie. 2020 are Treasurer, Membership Coordinator, Event Coordinator, Executive Assistant, and Speaker Coordinator. There is no limit to how many terms an executive member may remain on the executive.
D2 Exceptions
If an unexpected vacancy for the position of President occurs, the Vice President will assume the duties for the remaining term. If the remaining term is longer than 7 months, it shall be considered 1 full year
Any vacancies in the Executive, with the exception of the position of President, caused by resignations or other means will be filled by an election as soon as possible at a monthly meeting
E – Voting, Amendments and Motions
Any amendments to these rules must have a majority of the Executive Committee in good standing to be recommended to the membership
All members must be advised via e-mail or in writing 14 days prior to the next meeting of any proposed change in order for a vote to be taken
Only members in good standing (paid member) may vote and all motions require a majority approval of those members present at the meeting to be carried.
F - Code of Conduct
No member or guest of the OBWA will engage in offensive behaviour at dinner meetings. This includes criticizing or talking negatively about another member or the group as a whole. This also includes harassment of any kind. Any member participating in what is deemed offensive behaviour will be asked to leave the meeting. A letter will be sent to any member or guest who has violated the code of conduct. The letter will serve as a warning and if the member or guest continues the behaviour they will be removed from the group.
Accepted this 16th day of August, 2022 by the members of the Orillia Business Women's Association Executives
