The Jackson-Wilson-Robinson-Sanders Family ByLaws
A special thanks goes out to Johnnie Hilliard for taking
on this daunting task and completing it so well
Family Mission Statement: "A family is about people bonded together by love, trust, commitment and/or a blood lineage. A reunion
is a coming together. A family reunion is about people bonded by love coming together. Our mission is to continue the legacy.
Our goal is to be united and to build upon one foundation for many generations to come, always connected by our blood lineage."
Family Reunion By-Laws:
Article 1:
1:1 The family shall be directed by the Board of Directors who are elected every 4 years at the family reunion.
The Board shall consist of a Chairman, President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer,
Assistant Secretary/Treasurer (one person assisting both…not two people), plus 4 regional representatives…one
each from the Texas region, Northern California region, Southern California/Arizona region, and the Eastern region (covering
Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Maryland and Georgia).
1:2 Duties of each Board member: The responsibilities of each Board member is as follows:
Chairman:
Oversee the Board of Directors;
Organizes two meetings per year to discuss the budget…one
meeting before the reunion and one meeting after the reunion to assess the budget
Governing moderator of the reunion meetings
President:
Works directly with the host city family and stay up
to date on reunion plan progress
Help make and approve decisions from the hot city regarding
hotel and budget items
Be available for the two meetings scheduled by the chairman
in order to discuss scholarship applicants, budget concerns for the upcoming reunion
Oversee that information regarding the reunions is distributed
in a timely manner (hotel info, agenda, t-shirt orders, special assessments, etc.)
Must attend all reunions during term…this can
be waived in cases of emergencies
Vice President:
Will work directly with the regional representatives
and host city.
Will act as President if current president is not available
for meetings.
Must attend all reunions during term…this can
be waived in cases of emergencies
Work in close proximity with the President and assist
him/her with all duties
Treasurer:
Establish and maintain reunion bank account
Keep up-to-date records of all transactions and balances.
Work directly with host city on funding of activities
and meals
Approve special assessments for reunion activities
Establish a separate fund (see below) for floral arrangements,
cards, etc to be sent on behalf of the family in regards to funerals of existing family members
Collects dues (in conjunction with secretary)
Submit a written summary to the secretary after reunions
regarding the status of the family bank account
An additional note regarding the office of Treasurer: The Treasurer’s position is not a permanent position.
The Treasurer (along with any office) can be elected every four years.
Secretary:
Will work directly with all board members in taking
or getting notes from every meeting; able to obtain information from recorded meetings and keep a record thereof
Will assist host city with mailing and creating flyers
or correspondence to family regarding the reunions (see additional note below)
Will take minutes at the family reunion meetings and
have copies available via the internet or hard copies available for anyone who requests.
Work closely with Treasurer as far as record keeping
is concerned
Should keep a running record of events from all family
reunions
Keep current roster of family members
Create installment dates for reunion dues payments and
incorporate it on the family notifications
Send summary of the family reunion to family members
after the reunion
An additional note regarding the office of Secretary: A suggested timeline for mailing information to the family
could be:
1. Send out the first notice of the next reunion October
1st which should include a brief summary of
the July reunion identifying who was missing due to illness, any marriage updates, new babies, deaths, or issues from the
reunion meeting
2. Second notice should be sent no later than November
15th giving great details regarding the upcoming reunion.
3. Reminder post-cards should be sent the second week
of January
4. Final notice should be sent March 1st with final
preparations and deadlines. Letters should include agendas so that the families can plan accordingly.
Assistant Secretary/Treasurer: THIS IS AN APPOINTED
POSITION
· Will act as
Secretary and take notes at meetings if Secretary is unavailable.
· Will assist
Treasurer with any duties as needed
· Will assist
with mailings to family members.
4 Regional Representatives:
Work closely with all board members
Keep records of family members within their vicinity
Assists the Treasurer and Secretary in collecting family
information and dues, if necessary
Be a supportive factor in the reunions
1:3 It is the responsibility of the Board to guide, plan and vote on all items relating to the family. The
Board should meet by conference calls a minimum of twice a year…one meeting prior to the reunions for planning purposes,
and one after the reunions to assess the reunion and budget.
Article 2:
2:1 The Board will accept suggestions of where the next family reunion should be held during the family
reunion business meeting. The family members present will vote on the location. In the event of a tie, the Board will make
the final decision.
All family members 18 and older are eligible to vote
regardless of dues being paid
Addendum to 2:1…Every year at the family reunion, a host city will be nominated and the host city family will
decline or accept. Once the host city or cities have been accepted, the family will vote on the city preferred and a count
will be conducted. The Board will get involved only if the following happens:
If no host cities have been nominated
If only one host city has been nominated and the host
family does not accept the nomination
If the host family cannot complete the task of coordinating
the family reunion (such as not securing a hotel within a timely manner or getting the letters out to the board within the
deadline dates…which should be established by the board).
The board should supply a list of dates and deadlines
for letters to be mailed out and the dates when certain details should be established such as hotel location, price and agenda
to the host family as a guideline.
If the above happens, the Board will exhaust all remedies
to continue and complete the tasks necessary to have the family reunion at the nominated and voted city. If the Board is unable
to go forward with having the reunion in the elected city, the Board will decide on the new city and delegate duties to any
family member(s) to get everything finalized before the reunion date.
2:2 The Board will set the amount of dues that will be charged to the family members and the family members
will vote at the reunion business meeting on the amount.
2:3 The Board will present any new or changed bylaws to the members in attendance at the reunions for their
vote to approve, delete or add to the Family By-Laws.
2:4 The family members in attendance at the reunion will vote every 4 years on the Board of Directors.
Addendums to the By-Laws:
Suggestion: Create a reunion committee (separate from
the hosting reunion committee) for miscellaneous details, such as determining who receives scholarship monies, etc, to
relieve the Board from those tasks.
Suggestion: Create a separate fund where monies are
donated (like a dollar or two) in order to purchase flowers, cards, etc., when family members die, have surgery, etc so that
the money won't come from the general fund. Other ways to get monies into this separate fund is by selling items at
the reunion such as a bake sale, silent auction, etc.
Suggestion: Establish the PayPal system so that families
can make payment for their union dues by utilizing credit cards, debit cards, etc.
