Bylaws for DOGPAW (2016)

BYLAWS OF DOG OWNERS GROUP FOR PARK ACCESS IN WASHINGTON (DOGPAW)

ARTICLE 1 - NAME, MISSION STATEMENT

Section 1: The name of the organization shall be Dog Owners Group for Park Access in Washington (DOGPAW). DOGPAW is a non-profit organization registered in the State of Washington.

Section 2: (under review) DOGPAW is a non-profit organization formed to provide safe and secure areas where community members could allow their dogs to roam, off-leash, and to socialize in a controlled environment with other dogs.

ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: Membership is open to all individuals who adhere to the rules and guidelines of the park and who have paid their annual membership dues.

Section 2: Eligibility for the Executive Board will include being a member in good standing.

Section 3: Dues will be collected annually. The due date will be the last day of the month in which a member joined.

ARTICLE III - ANNUAL REPORT

Section 1: State of DOGPAW report will be available to members in March of each year. The report will contain financials, status of all parks, plans for future parks, and significant events that took place throughout the previous year. It will also contain both short range plans and long term strategic goals. The report will be available via email to all members in good standing, and will also be available on our Website in the members only section.

ARTICLE IV - BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1: Board Role, Size, Composition. The Board is responsible for overall policy and direction of DOGPAW, and conducts routine operations. The Board shall have up to fifteen, and no fewer than five members. The board receives no compensation other than reasonable expenses, and will not be covered by unemployment insurance. The Organization will maintain liability insurance for DOGPAW, including D & O insurance specifically for the Board of Directors.

Section 2: Meetings: The Board shall meet a minimum of four times per year, at an agreed upon time and place. Regular Board meetings will be scheduled monthly.

Section 3: Board Composition: Up to fifteen Board members shall be elected or appointed by a two-thirds majority. A minimum of 5 Board members constitute a quorum, and must be present in order to call for a vote.

Section 4: Board Executive Committee: The Board Executive Committee shall represent the interests of DOGPAW, its members, and the dog owning community in matters related to off-leash park areas in Clark County. All DOGPAW communications, including but not limited to social media, the press, television, and/or radio shall be approved by the President, Vice President, or Marketing Chair (when given prior approval from the President or Executive Board). All Board members shall sign a Code of Conduct agreement, which also addresses communication.

Section 5: Fillings Board Vacancies: The Board of Directors are eligible to vote and shall have one vote equal to the number of openings to be filled. Voting will be conducted by any appropriate method agreed upon by the simple majority of the Board.

Section 6: Terms: All Board members shall serve a minimum of a two-year term.

Section 7: Quorum: A quorum shall consist of two-thirds of board members in good standing. A quorum will be required for all actions requiring a vote by the Board of Directors. Electronic attendance will be allowed on a case-by-case basis.

Section 8: Notice: An official Board meeting requires that each Board member be given electronic notice two weeks prior to a regular board meeting. Emergency board meetings may deviate from the 2 week notice format. An agenda will be sent out electronically a minimum of 24 hours prior to regularly scheduled meetings.

Section 9: Officers and Duties: The Officers of the Board will be President, Vice President, Operations Manager, Secretary, and Treasurer. The officers shall be appointed by a vote of the seated board at any regularly scheduled or special meeting. The President, Vice President, and Treasurer will comprise the Executive Board. Their duties include but are not limited to the following:

The President is responsible for the overall management, direction, and operations of the organization. He/she shall convene regularly scheduled Board meetings, shall preside or arrange for other members of the executive committee to preside at each Board meeting (if the President is not available) in the following order: Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The President will appoint a Sargent of Arms to be responsible for the effective flow of board meetings.

The Vice President shall be responsible for filling in for the President and assuming all roles and responsibilities in his or her absence. Other responsibilities will include special projects assigned by the President or Executive Board.

The Operations Manager shall be responsible for maintenance of all DOGPAW dog parks, the development of new dog parks, which will include obtaining all of the proper permits, leases, and contracts with local and state agencies.

The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping records of Board actions, including the recording of minutes at all board meetings, sending out meeting announcements (via email), distributing copies of minutes and the agenda to each Board member, and assuring that corporate records are updated. The Secretary will also ensure that all forms required to be recorded with the Secretary of State of the State of Washington are filed on time. The Secretary will disseminate information to the Webmaster for inclusion on the Website and/or social media sources and links.

The Treasurer shall submit a financial update at each Board meeting. Treasurer shall chair the finance committee, assist in the preparation of the budget, help develop fundraising plans, and make financial information available to Board, DOGPAW members, and the public on a monthly basis.

Section 10: Vacancies: on the Board of Directors will be filled on an ongoing basis via nomination and/or appointment.

Section 11: Resignation, Termination and Absences: Resignation from the Board must be in writing and received by the Secretary. A Board member may be dropped for excessive absences from Board meetings. Three unexcused absences will be considered excessive for this clause. Lack of participation, completion of assigned duties, or deviation from DOGPAW’s mission are all grounds for being relieved of DOGPAW duties. All removals will be done on a case-by-case basis. A violation of the code of conduct may result in a Board Members immediate removal.

Section 12: Special Meetings: Special meetings of the Board shall be called at the request of the President or one-third of the Board of Directors. Notices of special meetings shall be sent out by the Secretary to each Board member once the meeting date has been agreed upon.

Section 13. The Board shall set dues and requirements for membership.

ARTICLE V - COMMITTEES

Section 1: The Board will create committees as needed, including ad-hoc committees that disband as soon as the activity ceases or goal is met. The President approves all committee chairs. All Board Members should participate or chair one committee but not more than two. A majority vote by the Board is required to make an Ad-Hoc Committee a Standing Committee.

Section 2: Finance Committee: The Treasurer is chair of the Finance Committee. The President is a mandatory member of the Finance Committee. The fiscal year shall be the calendar year. The Finance Committee is responsible for the annual budget as well as each individual off-leash area site budget. Each off-lease site will have it’s own stand-alone budget. The Board must approve the budget, and all expenditures must not exceed available funds. The Finance Committee will be responsible for advising the individual Site Chair about the budget for his/her site. The Finance Committee and Committee Chairs must operate within their respective pre-established budgets. Any major change(s) to the budget must be approved by the Board or the Executive Board. Quarterly reports are required to be submitted to the Board showing all financial transactions. The annual financial records of DOGPAW are public information and shall be made available to the membership and the public upon written request. Financial statements will be available monthly, and a year-end accounting will be available in March of each year detailing the previous years finances. The Finance committee will review and approve the reports sent in by the Treasurer for all government/IRS reporting.

Section 3: Fundraising Committee: The Fundraising Committee will be responsible for creating diverse revenue streams, arranging donations from corporate, commercial, and private donors, authoring grants, and targeting organizations that DOGPAW could consider as potential partners in a fundraising campaign. Further, the Fundraising Committee oversees development and implementation of the Fundraising Plan and identifies/solicits funds from external sources. Partnerships can be created for the purpose of sharing resources such as funding, labor, office space, and/or other agreed upon resource(s). All partnerships must be approved by the Board and coordinated with the Fundraising Committee. All fundraising activities must be coordinated with the Fundraising Committee and approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 4: Parks and Site Development Committee: This Committee reports directly to the Operations Manager. The Parks and Site Development Committee will be responsible for developing and maintaining off-leash area locations, including and potential private DOGPAW member only park. This committee will work with the Clark County Parks Department and any partners to design, construct, and coordinate the site for development. The Parks and Site Development Committee will work with the Finance committee to develop a budget for the site and coordinate the work at the site once the work commences. This committee will also oversee the coordination of communication with the Publicity/Promotion Committee to solicit volunteers, communicate with the community with regards to location, plan, progress, and planned park opening date. This Committee will be responsible for designing and implementing rules and procedures for the maintenance of off-leash park sites, once those rules and procedures are approved by the Board.

Section 5: Marketing: This committee will be responsible for the creation and distribution of a newsletter to members, creating publicity to promote new off-leash park sites, and promoting DOGPAW as a non-profit community based organization, including coordinating communication with social media, print, and radio outlets. The President will appoint a board member as the Information Technology/Technical Infrastructure Chair responsible for defining software, DOGPAW Web Site, and technical resources used by all members of the organization for business and communication needs. The Marketing Committee is responsible for creating the plan that will be used by the Fundraising Committee to generate funds for DOGPAW.

Section 6: Ad Hoc Committees: Any Ad Hoc Committee will be chaired by the elected or designated Chairperson or their designee. Ad Hoc Committees are disbanded at the conclusion of the event or activity. In the event an Ad Hoc Committee becomes a Standing Committee, the Board will determine if a new or existing Board member will be required to manage the new standing committee.

ARTICLE VI - COMMITTEES

Section 1: All committee members will be on a volunteer basis and receive no compensation other than reasonable expenses, approved of in advance. DOGPAW committee will consist of a Committee Chair and Board Members. The Committee Chair will have the responsibility to recruit and manage all volunteers needed to assist the Chair in his/her duties. They will report to the Chair of the Site/Park Development Committee. Committee Chair duties shall include:

• Posting and upkeep of any signage or communications at their site.

• Survey their designated site for potential problems and to solve problems on an ongoing basis.

• Ensure their site has adequate supplies and procure supplies as needed.

• Work with the Park/Site Development Committee to oversee the design, development, and upkeep of his/her site.

• Write and present an annual report updating the Board and membership about his/her site at the annual meeting. (A copy of the report will be submitted to the Board for approval prior to the annual meeting.)

• Other Duties as required.

Section 2: Volunteers. Volunteers will be recruited from the members at large. Tasks completed by volunteers will be defined by the mission of their committee. It will be determined by the committee chair, event organizer, and/or Board if any agreements, non-disclosures, or conduct documents need to be signed by the volunteers.

ARTICLE VII - AMENDMENTS

Section 1: Bylaws may be amended by the Executive Committee or by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. Proposed amendments will be submitted to the Secretary to be included in a meeting agenda. By-laws will be updated as needed and presented to the Organization through the Annual Report presented in March of each year.