The By-Laws

PROPOSED NEW BYLAWS (PDF)

By-Laws [pdf]

DWC Bylaws - proposed on 3/5/05 Page 1 of 3 Democratic Women’s Caucus of Monroe County, Indiana Bylaws

Article One - Name, Purpose, Organization

A. The name of the organization shall be the Democratic Women’s Caucus of Monroe County, Indiana (commonly known as the “DWC” or “Democratic Women’s Caucus”).

B. The purpose of the organization is to inspire, recruit, train, support, and fund progressive women to increase the numbers of women in the electoral process and in elected and appointed positions.

C. DWC is a Political Action Committee (“PAC”) as defined by the laws of the State of Indiana.

A. Voting Members: Anyone who supports the mission can pay dues and become a voting member. Voting Members are eligible to be officers.

B. Associate Members: Anyone who supports the mission of the organization can attend meetings without paying dues, but associate members cannot vote or become officers.

Article Three - Meetings

A. The DWC shall hold at least three meetings of the membership in any given calendar year. Such meetings shall be announced at least a week in advance and may be announced by any common means of communication.

B. The DWC shall hold at least one Annual Meeting during each calendar year, that will serve as a forum for electing the next year’s officers.

C. The DWC may have other meetings as desired for committees, groups, or special functions.

Article Four - Officers

A. The DWC will be governed by four main officers, including a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer.

B. In addition, the DWC will have four additional officers who are as follows:

1. Director of Training
2. Director of Research
3. Director of Fundraising
4. Director of Program

C. These officers shall be elected at the Annual Meeting of the membership of each calendar year and the terms of office shall be for the next calendar year.

D. The Chair shall be responsible for the overall affairs of the DWC, shall run the meetings, shall be the chair of the Steering Committee, and shall perform such other duties as are agreed upon by the Steering Committee..

E. The Vice-Chair shall be responsible for supporting the Chair, shall perform the duties of the Chair if the Chair is absent or unable to fulfill the duties, and shall perform such other duties as are agreed upon by the Steering Committee..

F. The Secretary shall notify members of meetings, shall coordinate communication among membership, shall keep files of the governing documents and historical documents of the DWC, and shall perform such other duties as are agreed upon by the Steering Committee.

G. The Treasurer shall be responsible for tracking all income and expenses of the DWC, shall comply with state and federal campaign finance and election laws, shall complete all necessary campaign finance reports, and shall perform such other duties as are agreed upon by the Steering Committee.

H. The Directors shall act as chairs of their respective standing committees and shall perform such other duties as are agreed upon by the Steering Committee. I. If the Chair should resign or be unable to fulfill his or her duties, then the order of succession shall be as laid out below.

1. Chair
2. Vice-Chair 3. Secretary
4. Treasurer
5. Director of Program
6. Director of Research
7. Director of Fundraising
8. Director of Training
9. Director of Wip
10. Director of the Website

J. If any other officer should resign or be unable to fulfill his or her duties, then the membership will vote on a replacement at the next meeting of the membership.

Article Five - Standing Committees

A. The Steering Committee shall work to carry out the mission and short- and longterm goals of the organization, budget for the DWC, set annual dues, create candidate funding criteria, and serve as a nominating committee. The Steering Committee shall be comprised of the eight officers and three members who are elected at-large from the membership at the same time the officers are elected.

B. The Training Committee shall coordinate candidate and campaign worker training and education.

C. The Research Committee shall coordinate research and access to that research for members, campaign workers, and candidates.

D. The Fund-raising Committee shall coordinate raising money for the DWC and for candidates who meet the criteria as set out by the Steering Committee and ensure compliance with all local, state, and federal election and campaign finance laws.

E. The Program Committee shall set the agenda for the regular meetings of the membership, coordinate other meetings as desired, and recruit members for DWC.

Article Six - Other Committees

A. The Steering Committee, may, at any time, appoint members and non-members to an Ad Hoc committee.

B. Any Standing or Ad Hoc Committee may appoint a sub-committee, comprised of members of the original committee and any other voting members of the DWC.

Article Seven - Rules of Procedure

The DWC shall operate under Robert’s Rules of Order, the most current edition. Article Eight - Amendment of Bylaws